The Taliban’s acquisition of Afghanistan has spurred an increase in the use of cryptocurrency as Afghans understand ways to deal with a deep financial crisis, say market analysts and local traders, a trend that may offer hope for a troubled economy, but one that raises concerns for Western security officials.
The attractiveness of the cryptocurrency grew as Afghans saw it as a safe place for their funds and digital currency transactions continued after the confiscation of the Taliban, while Western governments, banks and monetary service companies they cut off access to other forms of financing, local traders say. The cryptocurrency option has provided a small but critical financial lifeline amid a monetary crisis in an economy affected by the political crisis.