DAB confirms the newly printed Afghani banknotes are still not in circulation

Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) said on Tuesday that the new Afghani banknotes, which were printed in Poland and shipped to Afghanistan in early November, have not been put into circulation yet.

A spokesman for DAB said they are working on a mechanism to put the new banknotes into circulation, while simultaneously recalling the old notes.

“Printing and circulating banknotes is an ordinary duty of central banks. Da Afghanistan Bank also carries out the same considering reasonable monetary policies, market necessity and resources. We call on citizens to pay greater attention to the protection of the banknotes so that they will not wear out quickly,” said Hasibullah Noori, a spokesman for DAB.

Afghanistan, which is a cash-driven economy, has not had new banknotes injected into its economy in more than a year. As a result the existing banknotes, especially smaller denominations, are mostly torn, held together with sellotape and generally in very bad condition.

This has added to the frustrations of an already cash-strapped society.

“The new banknotes which have arrived at the central bank should enter circulation in order to remove people’s concerns. Banks also do not accept old notes. We suggest that old notes should be taken out of circulation,” said Mirwais Haji Zada, a local businessman.

Abdul Jabbar Safi, another businessman, said: “The new banknotes should systematically enter circulation so that the value of Afghani will not be affected.”