Many residents of Kabul speak with frustration about the growing circulation of old and worn banknotes by both private and state banks. Over the past few years, they say, the problem has worsened sharply, yet the Taliban have shown little interest in addressing it. According to these residents, the Taliban reserve new banknotes for people under their control, while the rest of the population receives money that is already damaged and worn.
In conversations with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, residents explain that the Taliban first collect worn banknotes under the excuse of burning them. Later, they say, these same notes return to the market after commissions are taken. This cycle, they believe, has turned everyday transactions into a constant struggle. Many shopkeepers and even some banks refuse to accept such money, adding another burden to lives already filled with hardship.
Mohsen, who lives in Kabul, describes the shortage of new banknotes as one of the city’s most serious daily problems. He explains that he receives his monthly salary through ATMs, but the machines often dispense old notes and only occasionally give out cleaner ones. When customers raise questions, he says, bank officials tell them that neither the central bank nor other banks have access to new banknotes.
“Old and worn banknotes are everywhere in the markets,” Mohsen says. “Private banks do not distribute new money and claim the central bank has none either. These notes cause problems not only in large payments but also in small, everyday purchases. Not long ago, banks had new money and gave it out. The Taliban need to take this issue seriously.”
Samir, another resident of Kabul, shares similar concerns. He says the heavy circulation of severely damaged banknotes has weakened people’s trust in the Afghan afghani. As a result, many now rely on the US dollar for their transactions. In his view, Da Afghanistan Bank, now under Taliban control, lacks permission to print and distribute new banknotes, while ordinary people also fail to protect paper money properly.
“There is no effective banking system to collect worn notes and replace them with new ones,” Samir explains. “Afghanistan’s foreign currency reserves remain frozen abroad, and this has stopped new money from reaching the people. The central bank cannot print new notes, and the small amount available mostly goes to those linked to the Taliban as salaries. When you try to pay 500 or 1,000 afghanis, you almost always find a 10 or 50 afghani note that is so worn it should no longer circulate. I face this every day.”
Ehsanullah, another Kabul resident, says the pattern is clear to everyone. The Taliban, he claims, keep new banknotes for their own members and pass worn notes on to others. Even private banks, he adds, no longer have access to clean money.
“The banknotes are extremely old,” Ehsanullah says. “Any new money that enters the market goes straight to the Taliban. The notes collected under the name of burning are later given back to the people. You rarely see new banknotes in Sarai Shahzada or in banks. Some notes are so damaged that banks themselves refuse to accept them.”
Alongside these complaints, some residents of Kabul argue that Afghanistan needs to move toward digital payments. They believe every citizen should have a bank account and use tools such as POS devices, so people can slowly adjust to cashless transactions.
These residents also criticize how cash is handled across the country. They say people store and use banknotes carelessly, which only speeds up their destruction. In their view, expanding digital payments would change daily habits and reduce the problems caused by worn-out money in circulation.
Mujib Saabir, a Kabul resident who runs a training center, says he often has to exchange the money his students bring because it is in such poor condition. He believes the Taliban avoid printing new banknotes to maintain the stability of the Afghan afghani, which allows old money to remain in constant use.
“When the Taliban pay salaries to government employees, they add a small amount of new banknotes to replace worn ones, but it is not enough,” Mujib Saabir says. “Sadly, people do not know how to take care of money. In the markets, everyone handles banknotes with dirty hands, whether they are cart pushers, flower sellers, or water vendors. This quickly destroys the notes.”
Halal and Mohammad Shafiq, two more residents of Kabul, say worn banknotes have disrupted daily life across the country’s markets. Some notes are in such poor condition that shopkeepers and drivers refuse to take them at all.
“Once I withdrew money from a bank and used a few notes to shop,” Halal recalls. “Later, I noticed the corners of a fifty-afghani note were completely gone. The shopkeeper said it was useless. If banks give out money like this, what can we expect from the market? In the end, I only managed to use it after arguing.”
Mohammad Shafiq agrees and says the money now circulating in Afghanistan has reached an alarming state. He explains that many notes are so worn that it is hard to tell old from new. People, he adds, do not pay attention to proper handling, and this neglect makes the damage even worse.
At the same time, an employee of a private bank, speaking anonymously, says corruption inside the Taliban controlled central bank allows worn money to return to the market. According to him, the central bank has the authority to do this and uses personal connections to push damaged notes back into circulation.
“Customers bring worn banknotes to us, and we credit their accounts with the same amount,” the employee explains. “We then send the collected notes to the central bank. Private banks cannot put this money back into the market, but the central bank does so based on its own rules and relationships. After another round of circulation, the same notes return to banks, while commission brokers make their profit.”
While residents continue to complain, the Taliban controlled central bank claims it has removed 15 billion afghanis in worn paper money from circulation over the past four years. The bank also says digitizing transactions remains one of its top priorities.
Earlier, the Taliban announced that the central bank had introduced a national card called FP, which works with all ATMs. They say cardholders can make payments without cash at supermarkets equipped with active POS devices.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
بازار کابل زیر بار پول فرسوده؛ طالبان نو را برای خود نگه داشتند
