Finance has become a tool of external pressure, and Moscow should reduce reliance on foreign systems, Vladimir Chistyukhin has said

Western sanctions must be "ignored," the first deputy governor of the Bank of Russia, Vladimir Chistyukhin, said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. He added that Russia should deepen its financial sovereignty and build payment infrastructure less exposed to external pressure.

Speaking at the forum's "Reassembling the Global Financial System" session, Chistyukhin joined government officials, economists, and bankers in discussing alternatives to the Western-dominated financial system.

Russia has been promoting its own payment infrastructure since many of the country's financial institutions were cut off from SWIFT following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Alongside its SPFS financial messaging network, Moscow has expanded the Mir payment system and developed digital-ruble and cryptocurrency initiatives for cross-border transactions.

According to Chistyukhin, finance has become a tool of external pressure and Russia needed diversified platforms, including more domestic payment and rating systems, to stay resilient under Western sanctions.

"At some stage, these sanctions must be ignored and not recognized," he said, adding that 88% of Russia's settlements with partners from friendly countries were now conducted outside currencies of 'unfriendly' states, while 12% still used them. 

Olga Goncharova of the Association of Russian Banks said the reset has already begun, as regulators move digital currencies and cryptocurrencies into legal frameworks. Digital currencies have become a major workaround for Russian and non-Russian banks seeking to maintain trade flows despite Western efforts to isolate Moscow. Goncharova pointed to experimental cross-border use and an offshore ruble stablecoin as part of a shift toward national-currency settlements.

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Economic commentator Alexey Bobrovsky noted that financial weapons have been used historically, citing how the US "destroyed" the British pound sterling in the 20th century, and said countries must now treat such tools as a lasting feature of global finance. He added that cryptocurrencies cannot fully replace traditional ones due to high energy costs, predicting the world would evolve toward a mix of traditional currencies supported by digital assets.

Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said the world was already moving toward decentralized platforms and more national instruments, but the process would take years and would not be simple.