Bank transfers to Afghanistan are almost impossible currently; even those with money struggle to get it out--individuals can withdraw $200 a week, and businesses $2,000. Cryptocurrency transfers have allowed NGOs to circumvent these obstacles while ensuring that each donation gets to those who need it most
Since the Taliban returned in August, Afghanistan's economy has virtually collapsed and the country is in the grip of a crisis caused by the seizure of billions of dollars of assets held abroad; Image: Shutterstock
Herat, Afghanistan: In the middle of a bazaar in western Afghanistan, Arezo Akrimi takes out her smartphone and, after a few taps of the screen, changes some cryptocurrency for a bundle of hard cash.
Arezo, 19, is one of a hundred students in Herat receiving around $200 a month in cryptocurrency since September thanks to an American NGO Code To Inspire.
This sum, which she converts at a bureau de change into Afghanis, is crucial for the rent and to help feed her family of six.
Since the Taliban returned in August, Afghanistan's economy has virtually collapsed and the country is in the grip of a crisis caused by the seizure of billions of dollars of assets held abroad.
But digital currencies and their decentralised architecture, impervious to international sanctions, are allowing a handful of young Afghans to avoid the worst of the crisis.