Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Taliban Government Shuts 16 Crypto Exchanges
Afghanistan's Taliban government is cracking down on the local cryptocurrency industry as it closed at least 16 exchanges operating from the country's western Herat province. However, the names of the shuttered exchanges were not revealed.
Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city, had become a hub for crypto trading, with dozens of exchange offices springing up in recent years as Afghans sought ways to move money and protect savings amid banking restrictions and a collapsing currency.
The shutdown is the latest in a series of economic restrictions imposed since the Taliban takeover, and deals a further blow to a private sector already starved of foreign investment and formal banking access.
Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city, had become a hub for crypto trading, with dozens of exchange offices springing up in recent years as Afghans sought ways to move money and protect savings amid banking restrictions and a collapsing currency.
The shutdown is the latest in a series of economic restrictions imposed since the Taliban takeover, and deals a further blow to a private sector already starved of foreign investment and formal banking access.