HesabPay Reaches One Million Users on Algorand

HesabPay, an Afghan digital payments platform, has quietly built real-world adoption on the Algorand blockchain. The platform has crossed one million unique users and wallets, a feat achieved in just a few years.

Founded by Sanzar Kakar in Kabul in 2016, HesabPay offers peer-to-peer transfers, bill payments, and merchant transactions. The platform migrated to Algorand in 2022 and received a strategic investment from the Algorand Foundation in December 2023.

The user experience is designed for low-literacy populations, with USSD access and QR cards allowing feature phone users to transact. Around 4,000 users are active daily, with roughly 1,700 merchants processing transactions across everyday goods and utilities.

HesabPay has facilitated aid distribution for over 625,000 refugee returnees and 17,500 internally displaced persons, channeling more than $35 million in UNHCR assistance. The platform works with the World Food Programme, embedding itself in the operational infrastructure of major UN agencies.