Afghan Gold Mining: Is Blockchain a Solution for Violence and Volatility?

May 25, 2020 | Manasee Joshi
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Centar Ltd, a company that engaged in Afghan gold exploration and mining activities, was the brainchild of the former investment banker and mining trader from JP Morgan, Ian Hannam. With an envisioned support and approval from the government of Afghanistan, an unrewarding expedition was embarked to develop sizable gold and copper deposits in the region. Today, a project with over $30 million worth capital injection made in the past few years, is facing an untimely end. Tons of Centar’s heavy-duty drilling and mining machines dragged to the mountainsides of north-east Afghanistan with the help of a considerable taskforce, and collaborative efforts are now in the custody of the fundamentalist religious group, Taliban.