Payments/AF
Afghanistan
ISO AF · 3 schemes
Summary
- HesabPay interoperable QR platform (Algorand blockchain)
- M-Paisa leading mobile money (100,000+ customers)
- Humanitarian focus QR for aid distribution
- Limited adoption (<1% population via MMOs)
- Infrastructure challenges connectivity/smartphone barriers
Banking landscape
Central Bank
- Name: Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB)
- Website: https://dab.gov.af/
- Role: Monetary policy, banking oversight
Major Mobile Money Operators
| Operator | Brand | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roshan | M-Paisa | Mobile money | Active |
| AWCC | My Money | Mobile money | Active |
| Etisalat | M-Hawala | Mobile money | Active |
Market Structure
- M-Paisa: Largest (100,000+ customers)
- Roshan: Vodafone partnership
- 9,828 agents: Registered (urban focused)
- <1% penetration: MMO reach
Payment infrastructure
Payment Systems
| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HesabPay | HesabPay | QR/Blockchain | Active |
| M-Paisa | Roshan | Mobile money | Active |
| My Money | AWCC | Mobile money | Active |
| M-Hawala | Etisalat | Mobile money | Active |
M-Paisa Statistics
- 100,000+ customers
- $4 million/month processed
- 350+ active agents
- 2008 launch (first in country)
HesabPay Platform
- First interoperable digital payment
- Algorand blockchain (2022 migration)
- Humanitarian aid focus
- Local offices nationwide
QR code standards
HesabPay QR
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | HesabPay |
| Technology | Algorand blockchain |
| Features | QR card for basic phones |
| Focus | Humanitarian distribution |
HesabPay QR Features
- Phone payments via app
- QR code card option
- Basic phone support (feature phones)
- Merchant QR scanning
- 12+ humanitarian organizations using
How QR Card Works
- For users without smartphones
- Physical QR code card issued
- Represents user's account
- Merchant scans to request payment
- Enables financial access
Tested QR Solutions
- Mobile wallets
- Debit cards
- E-vouchers
- Virtual accounts
- QR codes
- AfPay cards
Mobile payment apps
| App | Provider | QR | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| HesabPay | HesabPay | Yes | Blockchain wallet |
| M-Paisa | Roshan | Limited | Mobile money |
| My Money | AWCC | Limited | Mobile money |
HesabPay App
- Digital payments
- QR code transactions
- Humanitarian aid receipt
- Algorand blockchain security
M-Paisa Features
- Send/receive money
- Bill payments
- Goods purchases
- Airtime top-up
Schemes
| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HesabPay QR | Blockchain | Algorand | 12+ INGOs | hesabpay |
| M-Paisa | Mobile money | Roshan | 100K+ users | — |
| QR Card | Physical QR | HesabPay | Active | — |
Sources
- Thunes - Mobile Money Afghanistan
- UNDP - FSP Interoperability
- Algorand - HesabPay Case Study
- Algorand - HesabPay Foundation
- UNDP - Digital Transfers Afghanistan
- UNCDF - Digital Transfers
- PayCEC - Afghanistan Payment Gateway
- Integra - M-Paisa
- PayCEC - Online Payment Apps
- CGDev - Digital Payments Crisis Response
Full country report
Schemes
Standards
Primary · 1
Mentioned · 1