The Algorand Foundation reported that 30% of Afghanistan’s electricity bills are paid using the Algorand blockchain through HesabPay. The number illustrates one of the biggest real‑world blockchain payment applications in a developing country.
At the Nordic Blockchain Conference, Algorand’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Marc Vanlerberghe, made it clear that this isn’t a test or a demo, but a live, large‑scale deployment in a country where about 80% of people still don’t have access to traditional banking.
The 30% is a rather notable number because if blockchain is handling utility payments at that scale, it shows the technology has moved into everyday financial infrastructure.
Near the end of 2025, the Algorand Foundation said that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are using HesabPay, which has become a go‑to platform for utility payments. Additionally, blockchain transactions are happening on a daily basis, rather than occasionally.
Back in 2016, an entrepreneur, Sanzar Kakar, launched HesabPay, a digital wallet based in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was originally designed to deliver humanitarian assistance, but its use and relevance increased after Afghanistan’s banking crisis kicked in, following the 2021 political shift.
During that time, banks shut down, ATMs were hard to use, international transfers got disrupted, and aid groups struggled to get money where it was needed.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});HesabPay migrated to the Algorand blockchain in 2022 and now uses it to handle digital money transfers fast and transparently. These days, HesabPay covers utility bills, P2P transfers, aid distribution, payroll, mobile airtime, and merchant payments.
As for Algorand’s role in this, it isn’t processing the payments directly but providing the blockchain that is the backbone behind HesabPay. The network was chosen because it’s cheap, fast, high‑capacity, and energy‑efficient thanks to its Pure Proof‑of‑Stake system. That means stablecoin transfers settle quickly and stay affordable for everyday use.
The Algorand Foundation reported that during 2025, over a million Afghans got humanitarian payments through HesabPay. Additionally, according to Bond’s report, more than 130,000 returning refugee families received digital aid, and over $30 million was delivered via blockchain.
Also, after its success in Afghanistan, HesabPay has expanded into Syria, where it’s used for humanitarian aid distribution and digital payments.
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