As the political system collapses, so too does the financial one. Thus, more and more Afghan citizens will turn to crypto.
One of the greatest tragedies in life,” according to author K. L. Toth, “is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else.” For the people of Afghanistan — almost 40 million of them — the loss of self, as well as the loss of life, has become a brutal reality. With the Taliban in control, chaos now reigns supreme. As businesses shut down, tens of thousands of people are desperately trying to flee the country. Moreover, as the political system collapses, so too does the financial one.
As CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos recently noted, Afghanistan is “a country running on legacy financial rails.” This painful reckoning, 20 years in the making, has resulted in a “nationwide cash shortage,” as well as “closed borders, a plunging currency, and rapidly rising prices of basic goods.” The people are desperate as the country quickly descends into the deepest depths of despair.
According to Sigalos, many of the country’s banks, obviously affected by the country’s swift demise, have been “forced to shutter their doors after running out of cash.” To make matters even worse, Western Union has suspended its services. As Sigalos writes, “even the centuries-old ‘hawala’ system — which facilitates cross-border transactions,” has been closed. The desperation is palpable. The people of Afghanistan require assistance.
Thankfully, grassroots nonprofits are doing their best to offer assistance. They are currently assisting some 20,000 Afghan citizens “still in the country waiting for United State authorities to process special immigrant visas.” This is where the importance of cryptocurrencies comes into play. To raise enough funds to relocate Afghan families, nonprofits are currently accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC), Zcash (ZEC), Gemini dollar (GUSD), Balancer’s BAL, Yearn.finance’s YFI, Polygon’s MATIC, Synthetix Network Token (SNX) and Bancor Network Token (BNT).
For the critics of crypto, many of whom have questioned if it serves any purpose, the events in Afghanistan demonstrate how it can quite literally save lives. This might sound hyperbolic — but it’s not. Besides nonprofits, more and more Afghan citizens are turning to crypto. In the CNBC article, Sigalos spoke with a young Afghan who believes that “a Venezuela-type situation” is on the horizon. It may very well be. According to a Bloomberg report, as the Taliban seized control of Kabul in mid-August, the Afghan afghani — the country’s currency — dropped to an all-time low.
Venezuela may provide a telling blueprint for Afghanistan’s future. The South American country — ravaged by hyperinflation, political instability and United States sanctions — is in a dire state. With the country in the grip of an economic crisis, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether have shown their worth. According to Venezuela-based cryptocurrency consultant and Cointelegraph en Español contributor Jhonnatan Morales: “Many people are mining and trading Bitcoin not to acquire products, but to protect themselves from hyperinflation.”