ST. PETERSBURG, June 3. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov firearms manufacturer would like to switch to settlements using digital currency, Kalashnikov owner Alan Lushnikov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.

"What we would expect the banking system to do is to switch to a non-banking system of settlements. Digital currencies are spoken about all the time. This is what we need very much," Lushnikov said.

This system is not pegged to the SWIFT international bank messaging network and is not controlled by bankers, he explained.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) organized by the Roscongress Foundation is running on June 2-5. This year, the forum’s motto is: "Together Again. Economy of New Reality." Within the SPIEF format, the forums of small and medium business, Healthy Society, Drug Security and the SPIEF Junior special youth workshop will be held.

The SPIEF’21 forum is being held in the offline format with the observance of all the epidemiological safety measures. TASS is an information partner and the official photo hosting agency of the forum.