Afghanistan's Taliban Government Reportedly Bans Bitcoin and Crypto Trading Nationwide

Bitcoin News said on X that Afghanistan's Taliban government has effectively banned Bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading nationwide and threatened to prosecute traders and related businesses. According to Odaily, more than 20 crypto shops in Herat have closed, at least 13 traders have reportedly been arrested, and Afghanistan's monthly crypto inflows have fallen from a peak of more than $150 million to less than $80,000. Bitcoin and stablecoins had served as important tools for savings and remittances after Afghanistan was largely cut off from the global banking system. Taliban officials said digital assets are fraudulent and argued that crypto speculation is similar to gambling under Islamic law. Bitcoin can still be traded through the internet, private keys and counterparties, despite the crackdown.