Afghanistan's central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), has stepped up efforts to expand online banking across the country. The bank says increasing the number of ATMs and point-of-sale (POS) terminals is among its priorities, with plans to activate 100 new ATMs and 1,035 POS terminals by the end of the current year.
"Our goal is to make online payment services available in all major shops and stores across the country. We want all our people to benefit from online banking services at the same level as people in other countries," said DAB spokesperson Haseebullah Noori.
According to the Afghanistan Banks Association, more than 380 ATMs and 537 POS terminals are currently operating nationwide, and more than 2.5 million electronic payment cards have been issued. Its chief executive, Najibullah Amiri, said healthy competition had emerged among banks and that electronic banking was now an urgent need for the country. Several private banks have also announced online account opening and wider card availability.
DAB says nine companies currently provide online payment services in several major cities, though unreliable internet access has slowed their expansion to other parts of the country.