Asia-Pacific
🇦🇫Afghanistan
We have not reviewed Afghanistan provider by provider yet. Providers with a published country list are shown as they publish it; others are marked “not yet reviewed”. Know the answer? Tell us.
6.8 million people in Afghanistan work for themselves, and 6.9 million are online. Yet a business registered here can sign up with only 0 of the 12 global payment, account and payout providers we track.
Sources: World Bank / ITU, internet users, World Bank Global Findex, account ownership, World Bank / ILO, self-employment. Self-employed includes market traders, farmers and freelancers (ILO estimates).
None of the payment, account and payout providers we track confirm they onboard businesses registered in Afghanistan. PayPal, Payoneer and dLocal may also serve Afghanistan; we have not checked yet.
Stablecoin payments are restricted here too, so there is no easy workaround through stablecoin rails.
Payment, account and payout providers
0 / 12
Stablecoins
If your business is registered here
What each provider offers to a company incorporated in Afghanistan.
May serve businesses here, not yet reviewed: Bridge, BVNK, dLocal, Payoneer, PayPal, Rain.
Not available to businesses here: Adyen, Airwallex, Checkout.com, Hyperwallet, Mercury, Ramp, Stripe, Wise Business, Worldpay.
Stablecoin rules
Using stablecoins to pay is banned or tightly restricted.
Crypto trading has been banned since 2022.
A summary, not legal advice. Rules are changing quickly.
Stablecoins without a provider
Stablecoins can be held in a self-custody wallet that only you control, so they work anywhere with an internet connection, whether or not any provider serves Afghanistan. What decides whether that is useful here is the law, and a way to swap them for local money.
- 1Get a wallet
A self-custody wallet is free software on any phone or computer. No bank, provider or sign-up is needed.
- 2Hold and send stablecoins
Dollar stablecoins move wallet to wallet worldwide in minutes, around the clock, for a small network fee.
- 3?Swap to and from AFN
This is the hard part. No provider we track confirms a way in or out here, though PayPal, Bridge, BVNK and Rain may. People often rely on local exchanges or person-to-person trades.
Is it legal? Using crypto to pay is banned or restricted here, and in some places holding it is too. It still works technically, but it carries legal risk.
In a self-custody wallet, you alone hold the keys: lose them and the money is gone, and there is no deposit insurance or chargeback. Not legal or financial advice.
Payments in Afghanistan: common questions
Which payment providers work for businesses in Afghanistan?
None of the 15 global providers we track onboard businesses registered in Afghanistan.
Does Stripe work in Afghanistan?
No. Stripe does not onboard businesses registered in Afghanistan.
Does PayPal work in Afghanistan?
Not confirmed. PayPal serves most countries, but we have not yet reviewed whether it onboards businesses registered in Afghanistan. Check with PayPal directly.
Are stablecoins legal in Afghanistan?
Restricted (high risk). Crypto trading has been banned since 2022.
Provider by provider
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