Taliban Shut Down 19 Exchange Offices in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Over Licensing Issues
Local sources in Helmand report that on Monday, July 6, the Taliban administration shut down 19 currency exchange offices in the “Adel Market” of Lashkar Gah city. According to these sources, a joint delegation led by officials from the Taliban Central Bank carried out this action. The reason cited for the closures was the lack of operating licenses under newly established regulations.
According to the sources, exchange office operators in Lashkar Gah are required to deposit at least 10 million Afghanis as a guarantee in the Central Bank in order to obtain a license. This condition is part of the regulations imposed by the Taliban’s Central Bank following the group’s return to power. Officials from the Taliban administration in Helmand as well as local exchange operators have not yet issued any official statements regarding this matter.
In 2022, the Taliban Central Bank issued a nine-article directive setting a new framework for the operation of exchange offices and money service companies. Based on this directive, in major cities such as Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, and Balkh, license applicants must have a minimum capital of 50 million Afghanis. In other provinces, the capital requirement for establishing an exchange company has been set at 10 million Afghanis, with exchange operators required to deposit five million Afghanis as a guarantee.
After the announcement of these regulations, exchange operators in several provinces protested the stringent conditions and their impact on their businesses. However, the Taliban administration has not made any significant changes to these policies. Critics say the continuation of these restrictions could pose challenges to small financial activities in the provinces and further limit residents’ access to monetary services.
