NPR: A recent visit to Afghanistan showed a country facing an economic crisis. The banking system has seized up. Credit cards aren’t working. Afghans abroad struggle to send money to relatives back home. The central bank’s shortage of funds is far from Afghanistan’s only banking problem. Private banks have struggled to do business with foreign banks, which fear potential entanglement with U.S. sanctions against the Taliban. This has complicated both remittances and day-to-day trade. Click here to read more (external link).