Row over renewal of licenses leads to Afghanistan's biggest stock market in Kabul shutting

Feb 08, 2022

Kabul [Afghanistan], February 8 : Adoption of new conditions by Afghanistan's central bank, that calls for renewal of licences by Afghan money exchangers, resulted in the closure of the country's biggest stock market in Kabul on Tuesday.
Money exchangers went on strike and closed the market after the central bank of Afghanistan-Da Afghanistan Bank adopted new conditions on the money exchangers, reported The Khaama Press.
The money exchangers in a press conference said that the conditions are unjust and will impact their activities.
As per the new conditions, the money exchangers are obliged to renew their licenses or else they won't be allowed to operate, reported The Khaama Press.
Meanwhile, money exchangers of the market said that a colleague of theirs was abducted in PD12 of Kabul on Sunday and is still missing.
The developments come after the national currency-Afghani- devalued against the US dollar led to rising in the prices of food items.
One dollar had depreciated to 88 Afghani while the price was 96 on Tuesday, reported The Khaama Press.
After the Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15, the country has been battered by a deepening economic, humanitarian, and security crisis.
A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.