From the early 1960s, the USSR began to develop active cooperation with socialist and developing countries. Thousands of Soviet specialists were sent abroad to work. The government faced the question of how to "protect" them from foreign currency.
A practical need arose to create a system in which citizens would not receive foreign currency in hand and would spend funds earned in foreign currency back home.
The most important parts of the new system were the Bank for Foreign Trade of the USSR (Vneshtorgbank of the USSR) and the all-Union association Vnesposyltorg. In the former, citizens were required to keep foreign currency in the form of "invalyutny rubles," and to spend it through the network of Vnesposyltorg stores and firms.
It is important to note that, unlike other socialist countries, currency "substitutes" in the USSR were issued not for foreigners, but for the country's own citizens.
A detachable Series D cheque of Vneshekonombank (Vneshtorgbank) of the USSR is a monetary obligation of Vneshekonombank (Vneshtorgbank) of the USSR to pay the amount indicated on the cheque. The cheques were bound into cheque books of the corresponding denomination. Detachable cheques were intended for payments by diplomatic employees for goods and services in specialized stores. All cheques were printed by Goznak.
The Bank for Foreign Trade of the USSR (Vneshtorgbank of the USSR) was established in 1924. The terms for maintaining accounts changed constantly. The Bank's clients included both legal entities and individuals.
For senior diplomatic employees (from the level of counsellor and above), there were separate Series "D" cheques, accepted for payment on a par with cash foreign currency from foreigners in the parallel system of hard-currency stores—"Beryozka" stores.
Thus, in the USSR there were two completely separate (cheque-based and hard-currency) retail systems. In hard-currency stores, only foreigners, diplomats, and the highest party nomenklatura could legally shop. Ordinary overseas workers had to use only cheque-based "Beryozka" stores, which in turn were closed to other Soviet citizens who possessed only Soviet rubles.