OAIN 2140 - Financial Intelligence, Illicit Finance, and International Security

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

If “money makes the world go ‘round”… it can also plunge it into chaos. Terrorism, violent extremism, kleptocracy, nuclear proliferation, hostile state activity: these and other threats to international peace and security all feature salient financial dynamics. From a financial intelligence-led approach to international security, transaction data and bank account information, mostly held by the private sector, become vital tools for countering some of the most pressing security threats of our times. This module will introduce students to the fundamentals of how financial intelligence is collected and used by law enforcement and security services, the opportunities and challenges posed by a financial intelligence-led approach, as well as some of the moral and ethical implications of states collecting and using financial intelligence for security purposes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Identify and clearly demonstrate the various means by which states collect, analyse and use financial intelligence to counter security threats.
• Appraise security issues and challenges from a financial intelligence or threat finance perspective.
• Engage critically with the moral and ethical debates on the use of financial intelligence.
• Recount international processes and architecture involved in the global fight against illicit finance, including the role of the private sector.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Students will gain practical knowledge of anti-financial crime compliance within the banking sector, and its contribution to maintaining international security.
• Students will hone their ability to research and write policy-focused outputs for time-poor audiences.
• Students will advance their public speaking skills and practice formulating and articulating policy positions.

N/A

Written feedback and numeric grade for policy debate exercise and individual policy brief will be provided automatically within three weeks of submission. Numeric grade only will be provided for individual research essay, though written feedback will be made available upon request.

• In-seminar participation in discussion (throughout) 10%
• Policy debate exercise – group oral presentation (in sessions 4, 6, 8 and 10) 25%
• 1,000–1,500 words individual policy brief (due before session 7) 25%
• 2,500–3,000 words individual research essay (due shortly after end of session 12) 40%

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hour a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester