Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI

✅ Want to support our work without the commitment of the Partnership Forum? ⬇ Check out some of the other ways you can support CFS. Your contribution will directly support CFS research and activities that fall outside of the scope of existing grants. Big or small, we appreciate your generous support! To donate, click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eV_WHbWK

🔊 LIVE NOW – Check out our latest Suspicious Transaction Report episode: The Economic War Against Russia! 🇷🇺 How effectively are Western allies deploying economic tools to restrict Putin’s war in Ukraine? Join Kinga Redlowska as she talks with Stephanie Baker, Bloomberg investigative journalist and author of ‘Punishing Putin’, and CFS Director Tom Keatinge as they discuss the effectiveness of the economic tools imposed by the West in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 🎧Tune-in now for fascinating insights on how these strategies are reshaping and influencing global alliances: https://lnkd.in/eGeni4SY 🙌 Many thanks to our editor Kieron Yates, episode producer Ieva Ulbaite, and the Comms team at the Royal United Services Institute! #STRPodcast #Sanctions #Russia

🇭🇺 The latest #SIFMANet report is out! This time, we visited Budapest, where we partnered with the Egyensúly Intézet // Equilibrium Institute of Budapest to host a roundtable exploring Hungary’s approach to sanctions implementation on Russia. 💡Of added interest, Hungary currently holds the EU Council Presidency, so should be driving the EU’s current sanctions policy... Our key takeaways from the visit include: ⚖️Hungary has a distinct sanctions stance, with temporary exemptions allowing crude oil imports by pipeline; the Rosatom-led Paks II nuclear project; and specific imports essential for maintenance of metro line 3 in Budapest. 🤝Compliance is a challenge for Hungarian businesses, especially SMEs. Awareness initiatives – such as a central information hub or sanctions hotlines – could offer much needed support. 💶 But Hungarian business continue to call for compensation for profits lost due to sanctions. How could strategic communications help better clarify the aim of sanctions on Russia? 📍 Hungary’s decentralised sanctions model complicates reporting for the private sector. A single sanctions authority would streamline compliance, reducing the burden on businesses – making sanctions more effective. 📜 Clearer EU guidance remains critical to help Hungarian – and other member state – companies avoid unintentional violations, assuming they genuinely want to restrict the funding and resourcing of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. ➡️Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eJ9HV8rv ➡️And check out the media coverage of our visit with Director Tom Keatinge: https://lnkd.in/eZ2gBhSj Gonzalo Saiz | Balázs Gyimesi | Tamas Boros | Amb. Dr. Reka Szemerkenyi | Julianna Pásztory

🎉As we celebrate 10 years of research into the financial dimension of security threats, we're thrilled to announce that our Suspicious Transaction Report Podcast has officially reached 100,000 all-time downloads! A huge thank you to our listeners, insightful guests, and supportive community 🙌. Here’s a snapshot of the journey so far: 🌍 Top Countries tuning In: UK, US, Australia, Germany, Canada 🎙 Most Played Episode: Hamas Financing 👥Monthly Active Listeners: 2,700 🔥 Busiest Week: February 2024, with ‘Russia Must Pay’ garnering over 1,000 downloads in just one week! 👇But we’re just getting warmed up! Looking toward to the next 100k, we'd love to hear from you - vote in the poll below to help us shape the future episodes you want most! 🎧📈 Every download and listen pushes our work forward, bringing sharper insights and critical discussions to you - here’s to more impactful episodes ahead! 👉Catch up on our entire podcast series here: https://lnkd.in/d3kgNpRb 🙌 Thank you for listening ! #STRPodcast #CFSTeam #CFS10

🤝 The Ideathon on Financial Crime, hosted under the Financial Integrity Platform – Young Leaders Chapter, brought together some of the Ukraine’s brightest emerging leaders, tackling today’s critical issues, including human trafficking and money laundering. Led by Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI , Center for Financial Integrity and Public Diplomacy Platform, this event showcased the passion and ingenuity of young professionals ready to create real change! ✨ Want to be part of the initiative? The Young Leaders Chapter is calling on young Ukrainian professionals to join us in driving new initiatives for financial security and transparency in Ukraine. Bring your ideas and be part of the discussion! 👉 Submit an enquiry on our website: https://lnkd.in/eFBXzwFY or contact us at: [email protected] to learn more. #YoungLeadersChapter #FinancialIntegrity

October has been quite the month! 👇 📅📌We launched registration for #FinSec25, our conference on Finance and Security in a Changing World, happening on 11 February 2025 at RUSI HQ in London. As we celebrate CFS’s tenth anniversary - don’t miss the chance to join us! 🚀 We hosted an academic conference in partnership with the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) and UK Home Office, welcomed Bloomberg's Stephanie Baker for a discussion on #PunishingPutin, and held two roundtables with EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan and FATF President Elisa de Anda Madrazo, discussing key strategies for enhancing sanctions effectiveness and promoting financial inclusion. 📢Plus, we’re looking forward to our third sanctions summit in Brussels on 20 November, where we’ll address sanctions topics relating to Russia and the latest challenges in sanctions enforcement! 👉 Keep up with all our exciting updates and events in the October newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eB6xkxMB 👉 Stay connected with our news, events, and publications—sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eJvH7y5V

📅 FinSec25: Finance & Security in a Changing World 🎉We’re thrilled to announce that #FinSec25 will take place on 11 February 2025 at RUSI’s HQ in London, marking the tenth anniversary of the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI! 🌐Join us as we bring together our global network to reflect on a decade of research into the financial dimensions of security threats, and explore how integrating the response to illicit finance and financial crime can strengthen the broader security landscape. 👉Register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/eG2x_-Jx 📢 Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks – don’t miss your chance to join this important conversation! #FinSec25 #CFS10 #TeamCFS

📢We're hiring! We have an exciting opportunity for a Programme Manager to join our expanding team! 🚀If you're an organised administrator with a knack for streamlining operations, collaborating across teams, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, this could be the perfect role for you! Early applications encouraged! 👉Find out more, and apply here: https://lnkd.in/e36WVrvD

✨We’re delighted to announce that the blockchain data platform Chainalysis is now part of the CFS Partnership Forum! 🤝At Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI, we believe that tackling financial crime is a shared responsibility – and our growing Partnership Forum empowers us in staying agile in addressing the ever-evolving challenges, shaping cutting-edge responses to illicit finance and keeping pace with the latest policy shifts.  Curious about the Partnership Forum? 👉Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/e38R-XCK or reach out to Kirsten Thompson for more details! #CFSPartnershipForum

Big news for all #FATF watchers! 🎉At Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at RUSI, we’re excited about the revised FATF grey listing criteria which better targets countries posing the highest risks to the global financial system while supporting the least developed nations. The revised procedures will be put in place for the next round of assessments. 💡 Some of the key highlights: ⚖️More Consistency in Assessments - FATF Secretariat will now take a more active role in maintaining consistency, with assessors receiving clearer guidance to ensure impartiality and fairness. 🔍 FATF's Risk-Based Focus – FATF centres the risk-based approach in its assessments, prioritising high-risk countries, high risk sectors like VASPs, and unaddressed regulatory gaps. 🚀 Strategic Focus – Only key ‘Recommendations under Review (RUR)’ will be assessed, tailored to each country’s situation and past evaluations. Progress will be tracked through Key Recommended Actions (KRA), rated from fully addressed to not addressed. 🏷️ Refined Grey Listing – The ICRG will now prioritise high-risk or wealthy countries over low-income ones. Countries will enter the active ICRG list if they’re FATF members, high-income (per World Bank), and have financial sector assets over $10B - more focused approach to risk! 🌍 Fairer approach to LDCs – Least developed countries with assets over $10B entering the ICRG list will now get a 2-year observation period, giving them more time to complete action plans and avoid the economic impact of grey listing.  📃We're pleased to see recent developments align with the insights shared in our report on 'The Future of FATF' : https://lnkd.in/eDwu-gu7 For further details, we recommend reading the updated FATF Assessment Follow-up: https://lnkd.in/etQnFzEA 👉 African countries have been especially vulnerable to grey listing, check out the latest commentary on this from our Research Fellow Fatima Busra A.: https://lnkd.in/e8xmfQ8G 🔎 Grey listing can have a significant impact on financial inclusion within a country, a topic that we have focused on for a number of years: https://lnkd.in/dy3Xd2XH If you want to hear more on FATF, tune into out Suspicious Transaction Report Podcast featuring former FATF Presidents 👇 ➡️ Tune in to Marcus Pleyer as he chats with CFS Director Tom Keatinge on the importance of a risk-based approach in FATF evaluations: https://lnkd.in/gbVXsZ96 ➡️ And check out T Raja Kumar conversation with Tom Keatinge as they discuss FATF’s increased engagement with regional bodies: https://lnkd.in/eJtBdRt7 #TeamCFS