According to CoinMeta, the Taliban government in Afghanistan has effectively banned Bitcoin and cryptocurrency transactions across the country, referring to digital assets as a "scam" and threatening to prosecute traders and merchants. More than 20 cryptocurrency shops have closed in the Herat region, and at least 13 traders have been arrested. Afghanistan's monthly cryptocurrency funding inflow has plummeted from over $150 million to less than $80,000. Bitcoin and stablecoins were once important tools for savings and remittances in Afghanistan after the country was largely cut off from the global banking system.