Terror Financing

The imposition of sanctions by the US Treasury on Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister and leaders of Iranian supported militia groups is a significant escalation in efforts to fight terrorism financing through illegal oil operations.  On May 6, 2026, the Treasury announced that these sanctions were imposed because these individuals were using Iraq’s critical oil industry […]

Crypto Shadows have emerged as a more topical paradigm that helps comprehend the way in which extremist networks evolve to withstand financial surveillance. The move by ISIS and its supporters to cryptocurrency platforms is indicative of a larger shift in illicit finance globally in which decentralized systems provide opportunity and exposure. In 2025, intelligence testing […]

The policy debate surrounding terrorist financing in Canada has increasingly focused on the limits of intelligence-driven approaches. Over the past decade, Canada has invested in building sophisticated systems to monitor financial transactions, detect suspicious patterns, and generate actionable insights. These capabilities have improved visibility into illicit financial networks, yet they have not consistently translated into […]

One court decision in New York by the federal court has greatly affected the legal arena of cryptocurrency exchanges and terrorism financing claims. The ruling of the case by John G. Koeltl of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York rejected a broad lawsuit that held Binance was involved in […]

This HUMINT imperative DGP model has experienced a new level of urgency after an assessment of high-level security in Sopore by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat on February 24, 2026. Having been convened in the conflict sensitive area by the center of north Kashmir, the meeting involved the Inspector General of Police Kashmir V.K. […]

The operation of Hadin Kai by army troops against insurgents in Nigeria reached a new financial stage as insurgently acquired N37 million at a Forward Operating Base at Chabbal in the state of Borno. The seizure of the mobile phones, together with five suspects and the seizure of numerous mobile phones, serves as a clear […]

The Federal High Court in Abuja remanded Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance Yakubu Adamu and three co-defendants in prison custody on December 31, 2025, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of terrorism financing and money laundering involving approximately $9.7 million. Justice Emeka Nwite presided over the case, marked […]

Nigeria’s ransom economy has become one of the most visible indicators of the country’s widening security crisis in 2025. What once appeared as isolated banditry has transformed into a structured market shaped by data, negotiation patterns and clear regional specialisation. The model now intersects with organised crime, terror financing and the erosion of formal state […]

Sudan’s armed struggle entered a decisive and devastating phase between 2023 and 2025 as gold revenues, regional rivalries, and foreign sponsorship intertwined to empower the Rapid Support Forces. While Sudan’s wealth in minerals and agricultural land should have driven development, the political economy of conflict redirected these assets into a military patronage network. Central to […]

The use of legitimate business to finance terror groups has become a hallmark in the global security agencies. These front companies which run under the pretense of normal business allow terrorist groups to mask illicit financial operations, acquire resources and send money without much investigation. One example of such cases was uncovered by the authorities […]

In a 2025 campaign against the militias supported by the Iranian regime in Iraq, the United States has significantly expanded its penalties not only on the organizations, but also on the financial networks supporting them. On September 17, the official designation of four large groups, namely, Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada, Harakat […]

Canada’s 2025 acknowledgement that Khalistani extremist groups receive funding from within its territory has introduced a critical new dimension in Indo-Canadian relations. The Finance Department’s national risk assessment lists Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) as terror-linked organizations benefiting from domestic support. This is the first time Ottawa has formally recognized […]

In 2025, global cocaine markets are in new territories of production and penetration that are increasingly intertwined with financing terrorist activities than ever before. The United Nations Office on Drugs and crime (UNODC) reports that cocaine production has reached a new high of 3,708 metric tons in 2023, and that its consumption has increased in […]

In July 2025, Tether, issuer of the world’s most circulated stablecoin USDT, froze $1.6 million in assets linked to a Gaza-based terror financing network. The move seized wallets attributed to BuyCash Money and Money Transfer Company, a monetary organization based in Gaza and already involved with unlawful transmission of finances to listed terrorist groups. The […]

With numerous convictions on terrorism funding that have taken place in Nigeria recently, the viability of the strategy that the country is employing to counter Boko Haram violence and other forms of extremism has once again become the topic of a debate. In July 2025, 44 cases of prison sentences of 10 to 30 years […]

In 2025, the European Union is going through a significant transformation of a counterterrorism strategy. The essence of this change is a growing propensity of marking activist networks, especially those promoting the rights of Palestinians as a national and continental security menace. The liberalization of EU terror listing has also put groups like Samidoun and […]

In 2025, the South African telecommunications firm MTN Group finds itself at the heart of a heated scandal involving suspicions of cooperation in terror financing linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). U.S. legal actions and legislative scrutiny have spotlighted MTN’s 49% ownership of Irancell, Iran’s largest mobile operator, which courts and authorities have […]

Money laundering and terrorist financing remain among the most persistent threats to global security, economic stability, and human rights. The recent joint call to action by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), INTERPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) signals a renewed urgency for coordinated, innovative, and scalable responses. Illicit Financial […]