Deputy Head of Foreign Ministry Alexander Pankin in a conversation with RIA Novosti admitted an alternative to the SWIFT payment system in Russia.
“Taking into account the rapid development of digital currencies and blockchain, it is obvious that the base for international settlements can be formed completely on a new technological basis,” he told.
Pankin also added that the appearance of such a system will become not only a reaction to a modern geopolitical situation, but also the answer to the need to upgrade payment methods, taking into account achievements in the digital sphere. He noted that new systems will not qualify for a monopoly in their field, and will be more advanced than SWIFT.
Previously, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov did not rule out that the United States in the desire to prescribe to Moscow will go to the most severe sanctions, including disconnect from SWIFT.
On the ability to extend such sanctions to Russia again spoke at the end of last year. Moreover, sources in the team of the current president of the United States pointed out that such a measure would be an answer to the hacker attack, affecting the American Ministry of Finance, the State Department, the Ministry of Commerce and a number of state agencies.
SWIFT is an international system of information transfer and payments between banks. Over 11 thousand large organizations in 200 countries are connected to it. Russia is one of the most active participants in the system.