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.
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.
Research projects
View the research programme and projects by the Centre for Finance and Security on this topic.
This programme focuses on sanctions, economic security, and the financial dimension of state threats.
Proliferation financing presents a complex and evolving threat to international security, demanding specialised expertise and robust global collaboration.
This project applies research in training key stakeholders to disrupt the illicit financial activities of proliferators such as North Korea and Iran.
This project assists governments and private sector actors in conducting a proliferation financing risk assessment.
National Risk Assessments form the cornerstone of a country’s anti-money laundering, counterterrorist financing, and proliferation financing efforts.
Latest publications
View all publicationsOur experts
Tom Keatinge
Director, CFS
Centre for Finance and Security
Darya Dolzikova
Research Fellow
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Chandana Seshadri
Research Analyst, Counter Proliferation Financing
Centre for Finance and Security
Wojciech Pawlus
Outreach and Implementation Manager
Centre for Finance and Security
Fatima Alsancak
CPF Technical Assistance Programme Research Fellow
Centre for Finance and Security
Fellows
Dr Aaron Arnold
Senior Associate Fellow; Former member of the UN Panel of Experts for DPRK sanctions
Centre for Finance and Security
Andrea Berger
Associate Fellow
Dr Stephan Blancke
RUSI Associate Fellow
Emil Dall
Associate Fellow; Sanctions Lead at FINTRAIL
Catherine Dill
Associate Fellow
Dr Ashley Hess
Associate Fellow
Kayla Izenman
Associate Fellow; Former CFCS Research Fellow, RUSI
Paulina Izewicz
Associate Fellow
Peter Jones CMG
Distinguished Fellow; Former COO and Director-General, FCDO
Anagha Joshi
Associate Fellow; Independent Consultant
Andrew Mackay
Associate Fellow; Independent Consultant
Olivia Kearney
Associate Fellow
Robert Norfolk-Whittaker
Associate Fellow; UN Consultant
Allison Owen
Associate Fellow - Expert in cryptocurrency and counter-proliferation finance
Dr Daniel Salisbury
RUSI Associate Fellow - Expert in nuclear security and open source intelligence
Dr Jason Shepherd
Senior Associate Fellow; Director, Analysis and Innovation, Thomson Reuters Special Services International
Dr Noémi També
Associate Fellow; Independent Financial Crime Consultant and Researcher
Malcolm Wright
Associate Fellow; Financial Crime Compliance Advisor
