Cash shortages in Russia are again pushing the idea of barter, and the article recalls troubling parallels with the terrible 1990s, when people paid with goods and services instead of money. German Sterligov proposes bringing back exchange in a modern form through an Anti crisis settlement and commodity center and a global database of goods and companies. The project has already received thousands of requests, and its creator hopes barter will help weather the crisis without wasting resources.

Shortage of cash may, perhaps, lead to the revival in Russia of the situation of the “terrible 1990s.” For example, the management of one Moscow enterprise offered workers their January wages in batteries and electric accumulators. This news immediately brought back memories of the early 1990s, when Pavlov’s monetary reform led to a catastrophic shortage of cash. Russians had to adapt, and they returned to barter. Newspapers began to carry more and more ads such as: I will repair electrical appliances in exchange for installing a water tap, I give English lessons in exchange for computer courses.
Today the situation is such that barter may once again find itself at the center of the fight against the crisis. This idea occurred to “millionaire-peasant” German Sterligov, the founder of the company Alisa, which became the prototype of a commodity exchange that traded everything or almost everything. Sterligov quickly became one of the richest people in Moscow, and his money inevitably attracted the attention of various mafia structures. Then he unsuccessfully tried to go into politics. After losing a significant part of his fortune, he moved with his family to live in the countryside.
But rural life did not diminish his interest in entrepreneurship. Sterligov launched the website www.artc-alisa.ru with an English-language version and founded the Anti-Crisis Settlement and Commodity Center. His recipe is to use the resources available without wasting them. To fight inflation, Sterligov proposes a barter exchange system, using a network of branches of the Anti-Crisis Settlement and Commodity Center around the world, accessible to everyone. This is a global database of the availability of goods held by individuals and companies. The “poor millionaire” invested $13 million in his project. It is already known in many countries, including the United States.
Since November, the Anti-Crisis Center has received 3,000 requests. For example, one Uzbek cotton trader is ready to sign a contract with KAMAZ, which produces trucks, or with Rostselmash, where combines are assembled. Naturally, Sterligov asks for something in return for his idea and for organizing the deals: 2% to cover expenses.