On August 15, 2021, the Taliban recaptured the capital city of Kabul, overthrew the government, and reinstated the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The world watched in shock as U.S. and NATO troops secured the chaotic evacuation of foreign nationals, embassy staff, and Afghan citizens who had worked with foreign coalition forces.

A Cash-Only Economy Suffering from CashMoney in physical form such as banknotes and coins. More Shortages

The fall of Kabul led to the collapse of the entire financial system, which had been operating on an entirely foreign cash basis since the U.S.-led invasion in the fall of 2001. In December 2020, foreign currency deposits accounted for 60% of all deposits in Afghan banks (World Bank 2021: 10). Foreigners did not accept the national currencyThe money used in a particular country at a particular time, like dollar, yen, euro, etc., consisting of banknotes and coins, that does not require endorsement as a medium of exchange. More (the afghani, AFN) to settle international transactions, and only the Afghan public used it on daily transactions. The international community rapidly cut off Afghanistan from the global financial system.

• On August 17, the Biden administration froze nearly USD9.5 billion in DAB assets to prevent the Taliban from accessing them, as the group remains on the U.S. terrorist list.
• That day, Josep Borrell, the European Union foreign policy chief, said that “no [E.U.] payments are going on to Afghanistan by now. No payments of development assistance,” yet “humanitarian help will continue.”
• Money-transfer services Western Union and Moneygram suspended payments into Afghanistan. In 2020, personal remittances to Afghanistan amounted to USD789 million, nearly 4% of the country’s GDP.
• On August 18, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced it would block Afghanistan’s access to international reserve assets. Afghanistan would have received about USD460 million in SDRs.
• Due to international sanctions, the central bank Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) could no longer import new afghani banknotes.

This left the country facing what The Guardian described as a “potentially catastrophic perfect storm of bank closures and shortages of hard currency on top of the suspension of moneyFrom the Latin word moneta, nickname that was given by Romans to the goddess Juno because there was a minting workshop next to her temple. Money is any item that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular region, country or socio-economic context. Its onset dates back to the origins of humanity and its physical representation has taken on very varied forms until the appearance of metal coins. The banknote, a typical representati... More transfers by companies that sustain the key flow of remittancesMoney sent home from emigrants working abroad. More to Afghans from abroad by family members.” The Congressional Research Service noted that the economic collapse exacerbated a severe humanitarian crisis before August 2021 due primarily to conflict, drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Indicators suggest that conditions have worsened significantly since August 2021: the World Food Program asserted in August 2022 that 92% of Afghans reported not having enough to eat, an increase from the 80% that had insufficient food before the Taliban takeover.

As banknotes continue to deteriorate, the country faces a massive liquidityDescribes the extent to which assets or rights can be converted into cash without causing a significant decrease in the asset’s price. Accordingly, liquidity is often inversely proportional to the profitability of the asset and involves the trade-off between the selling price and the time needed to convert it to cash. In finance, cash is considered the most liquid asset and cash is sometimes used as a synonym for liquidity (e.g. cash reserves; cash pooling…). More crisis. The economy has become cash-only without a functioning banking system but faces a severe cash shortage.

New Banknotes from Overseas

According to Afghani media Tolo News, Afghanistan will soon receive a delivery of new banknotes. Citing a Board member of the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan, established by the U.N. to channel international development aid, the media says the Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW) is due to deliver 380 million new Afghani banknotes within a month.

Tolo News adds that a French printer has signed another contract of 390 million banknotes with a face valueThe figure or amount written on the banknote or coin which indicates the amount of its economic value. It is usually written in letters and numbers. More of 10 billion Afghanis.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, said at a press conference,

The U.S. and its partners have been working hard with the international banks to facilitate a paymentA transfer of funds which discharges an obligation on the part of a payer vis-à-vis a payee. More transfer from Afghanistan’s Central Bank to European printing companies where new banknotes will be produced. These companies will now prepare new afghanis to replace worn-out banknotes. And this will address one of the aspects of Afghanistan’s ongoing liquidity crisis, consistent with U.S. efforts to support basic human needs and avoid an economic collapse.

As has been widely reported, Afghanistan’s markets, even today, run widely on cash, but existing banknotes are crumbling. And that’s why this is such an urgent challenge. Though goods are available for sale, money to purchase those goods is deteriorating, and the central bank, with these transactions, will be able to replace old and damaged banknotes. And this will allow the Afghan people to purchase food and other necessary items. So it’s hugely important.

This is about the welfare and the well-being of the Afghan people. They have suffered from the deterioration of these banknotes.

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