Counterproliferation Financing Programme

Key research areas:

The centrepiece of our CPF work is the technical assistance and training programme, which delivers an innovative curriculum to both public- and private-sector partners, designed to raise awareness and reduce the risks associated with the financing of weapons of mass destruction.

The team works with public-sector stakeholders, including financial intelligence units, central banks, relevant ministries, and law-enforcement agencies, to improve their understanding of international CPF obligations and provide guidance on shaping and enhancing legal, regulatory and enforcement regimes. Similarly, RUSI conducts outreach to private-sector partners to advance compliance standards and promote public-private partnerships.

The technical assistance programme’s core curriculum is informed through in-depth research and analysis of the most salient and pressing issues related to the design, implementation and consequences of national and international economic statecraft.

There has been little in the way of progress in terms of further defining and implementing the counterproliferation finance (CPF) obligations in UN Resolution 1540 since its adoption in 2004. This research stream focuses broadly on the political, economic and technical challenges that CPF international obligations face, the potential long-term consequences, and what needs to be done in order to facilitate more effective and complete implementation.

As global use and adoption of digital assets such as cryptocurrency grows, particularly among less-regulated non-banking sectors, the risk of exploitation by illicit actors increases. Specifically, North Korea has a long history of using cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions and finance its nuclear weapons programme. This stream of research examines the regulatory vulnerabilities and policy gaps associated with this evolving threat.