In the US, electronic payments are a given. The overwhelming majority of us get our paychecks electronically through direct deposit. Credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies run our lives and our bank accounts. The convenience of various cashless systems has made everyday life easier and better.

Of course, it's not the same in the rest of the world. Especially not in Afghanistan.

The country might be home to America's longest-running war, but the US has spent more time, energy, and money trying to rebuild Afghanistan than it has spent killing the Taliban. American taxpayers send billions to Kabul every year and every year billions disappear into the pockets of Afghan government officials. Electronic payment systems would go a long way to solving that problem.