Proliferation Financing

Proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, such as North Korea and Iran, fund their programmes through illicit means, evading international sanctions in the process.




Missile launcher with projectiles: 3D generator / Alamy Stock Photo


Access to the financial system and financial services is central to proliferation efforts, and disrupting this financing is key to countering the spread of WMDs. Since 2015 RUSI has produced ground-breaking research in this area, looking at the funds and underlying financial services that enable proliferators and their facilitators to procure, ship and receive illicit goods, and to carry out illicit activities in support of WMD programmes. We have also developed capacity-building tools that reach a vast network of jurisdictions worldwide.

Missile launcher with projectiles: 3D generator / Alamy Stock Photo

Our experts


Tom Keatinge

Director, CFS

Centre for Finance and Security

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Darya Dolzikova​

Research Fellow

Proliferation and Nuclear Policy

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Chandana Seshadri

Research Analyst, Counter Proliferation Financing

Centre for Finance and Security

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Wojciech Pawlus

Outreach and Implementation Manager

Centre for Finance and Security

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Fatima Alsancak

CPF Technical Assistance Programme Research Fellow

Centre for Finance and Security

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Fellows


Dr Aaron Arnold

Senior Associate Fellow; Former member of the UN Panel of Experts for DPRK sanctions

Centre for Finance and Security

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Andrea Berger

Associate Fellow

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Dr Stephan Blancke

Associate Fellow - Expert in foreign espionage activities and intelligence services

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Emil Dall

Associate Fellow; Former CFCS Senior Research Fellow, RUSI

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Catherine Dill

Associate Fellow

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Kayla Izenman

Associate Fellow; Former CFCS Research Fellow, RUSI

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Paulina Izewicz

Associate Fellow

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Peter Jones CMG

Distinguished Fellow; Former COO and Director-General, FCDO

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Anagha Joshi

Associate Fellow; Independent Consultant

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Andrew Mackay

Associate Fellow; Independent Consultant

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Olivia Kearney

Associate Fellow

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Robert Norfolk-Whittaker

Associate Fellow; UN Consultant

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Allison Owen

Associate Fellow - Expert in cryptocurrency and counter-proliferation finance

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Dr Daniel Salisbury

RUSI Associate Fellow - Expert in nuclear security and open source intelligence

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Dr Jason Shepherd

Senior Associate Fellow; Director, Analysis and Innovation, Thomson Reuters Special Services International

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Dr Noémi També

Associate Fellow; Independent Financial Crime Consultant and Researcher

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Malcolm Wright

Associate Fellow; Financial Crime Compliance Advisor

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Counterproliferation Financing Programme

Finance and Statecraft Programme

CPF Technical Assistance Programme

Proliferation Financing Risk Assessment

Project Sandstone

Iran in the Global Security Context

Latest publications

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