U.S. Treasury allows personal remittances to flow to Afghanistan - spokesperson

The U.S. Treasury Department has told financial institutions that they may process personal remittances to Afghanistan, a spokesperson for Treasury said on Thursday.

Afghanistan relies heavily on remittances, with such payments from migrant workers overseas accounting for about 4% of the country's gross domestic product.

Western Union https://www.reuters.com/business/western-union-suspends-services-afghanistan-2021-08-19, the world's largest money transfer firm, and Moneygram both suspended such services, after the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15, shutting off the flow of funds that many families rely on to pay for food.