Afghanistan: The Cryptocurrency Situation

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Avatar for kraniax
3 years ago

So, when I found out about crypto currency, I was in love with it. I wanted to buy some and be a part of it, I wanted to learn about it and get into this whole bitcoin thing that everyone was talking about. Bitcoin first got my attention in 2017, when I started reading about how people were buying yachts and stuff using bitcoin. I got really excited to buy some because I was sure the price was gonna go high again but I couldn't because back then, I thought you can only buy 1 bitcoin, lol. But, once again in 2019, I was again really excited about Bitcoin and crypto as a whole, I started reading more about it and I wanted to buy some of it, but then it hit me "Is it possible to buy bitcoin or any crypto in Afghanistan?", so, I started trying out different exchanges in 2020, I tried every major exchange out there and none accepted Afghanistan, then I tried different payment systems such as MoonPay, and stuff like that; to my surprise, none worked. It really sucked for me since I really wanted in on it.

I tried contacting banks here to see if I can get a prepaid card which I could use to buy crypto online, but then again, to my surprise; they said if I tried buying any crypto using cards issued in Afghanistan, my account will be frozen. I've been trying to research on why Crypto isn't allowed in here, maybe no exchange paid attention to countries like Afghanistan? I don't know, and I think I'll never know since everything is f***ked up here and that isn't helping anything because everyone is so scared to try bringing crypto to Afghanistan but there are many people who'd love to have access to crypto in Afghanistan.

A few weeks ago, I found out about a local exchange in Kabul and I paid them a visit, but their prices are off the charts! They ask for 10% on each transaction and if it's lower than $100, you'll have to pay a fee of at least $10-$15! I mean, that wouldn't be much if you're in the US or countries in EU but in Afghanistan, that is a lot of money! There are people whose monthly salaries are around $100, and besides all that, the company is not legal; or at least, it does not seem legal! Since, there are no laws for Crypto in Afghanistan's law and if the banks don't allow it, it is illegal.

When I heard about ADA and Cardano, it give me a bit of a hope that what they're doing in Africa, someone else might do it in Afghanistan or countries like Afghanistan, and then I heard the news that the UN has signed a contract with the LTO to help with Afghanistan's Land registry using the blockchain, while I was happy to hear about the news but there's no news about it in the local news. Afghanistan has no laws regarding Crypto currency so I wouldn't understand why banks here disallow it completely to buy them.

Fortunately, I have earned a bit of crypto and trying to earn more using different online methods but they aren't worth much, yet. I hope to be able to invest and lose money on crypto like everyone else! (jk, jk.) Personally, when I first heard about Crypto and Bitcoin and about them being decentralized, I thought anyone from any part of the world would have access to it and would be able to trade them, it was very disappointing for me when I realized that I wasn't allowed to be a part of it all. Although, people don't really trust crypto around here, including my own family members but every time, there's a big news about crypto or there's a big price surge, I make sure to tell all my family and friends and I think it's been making a big difference because many of my family members have asked me how to buy crypto and how can I buy crypto for them, so I'm trying to do my part in helping crypto because it still has a long way to go. I hope, we can also have access to crypto as much as everyone else does! 

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Avatar for kraniax
3 years ago

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