Afghanistan Collateral Registry

Before the Collateral Registry can be effectively used in financing, a central identity verificiation system needs to be setup in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is sorely lacking effective tracking of individual records, be it histories of criminal activity, driving and traffic, educational, professional career, voting, medical or – as related to AFS – financial transactions. In order to collect records, an individual must be first positively identified so that the records can be utilized in a wider context instead of in isolation. Verifying identity and record keeping not only ensures a citizen is responsible for missteps but also provides recognition for good standing.

Thus, in nearly every transaction, across nearly every sector, there is a critical need to verify personal identity to track individual records. The key requirement in any database is a unique identifying index key that can be cross-referenced with other databases. The simplest way is through the issuance of a unique number to each Afghan citizen to be issued by a single central registry. The current national identification cards in Afghanistan are called Tazkiras, but only 30% of the population has one. They have been issued by a variety of governments over the past century and are not unique as they are issued by physical registry books. To attempt to verify a Tazkira, at minimum one needs the name and location of the office it was issued, the volume number of the registry, the page number and finally the line number. The current Tazkira papers are easily and commonly forged.

As part of supporting the basic building blocks for a model financial system in Afghanistan, AFS is keen to develop a central registry that finally issues unique national identity numbers. In addition to being used with other identity documents such as passports and drivers licenses, AFS envisions the central registry be used in daily economy with bank accounts, credit cards, business licenses, land titles, and financial contracts of all types.

Afghanistan is due for a national census – and the government is continuously issuing a long list of valuable documents – these are crucial opportunities for implementing a model central registry. Without it, a system of accountability, efficiency and transparency is not possible.