Research Labs
Financial crime does not happen in a vacuum. Our labs examine the people, systems and conditions that allow it to take hold, and the interventions that can make a difference.
Threat Lab
Fraud tactics evolve daily. Threat Lab tracks emerging criminal methods, drawing on intelligence, data analysis and lived experience to uncover how offenders exploit systems.
We turn these insights into practical guidance, equipping organisations with the foresight to anticipate and neutralise threats before they escalate.
Risk Lab
Compliance and risk need more than box-ticking. Risk Lab collaborates with organisations to identify systemic vulnerabilities, regulatory requirements and operational blind spots.
We combine research and consultancy to strengthen frameworks, test resilience and help organisations stay ahead of both regulators and criminals.
Safe Lab
Financial crime leaves victims as well as losses. Safe Lab focuses on supporting vulnerable customers, designing fair interventions and training staff to respond with care.
Our research and consultancy help organisations protect not only their bottom line, but also the people who rely on them.
Criminology in practice
We examine how financial exploitation actually occurs: the decisions people make, the pressures they face and the opportunities systems create.
Our work connects empirical research, data analysis and lived experience with expertise across academia, practice, policing and law enforcement.
Meet our researchers
Subreddit Loan Sharks?
Dr Nicola Harding’s whitepaper analyses 532 lending requests posted across five Reddit lending communities between 2023 and 2026. It examines the demand for small, short-term loans across all four UK nations and the growth of a geographically dispersed, unregulated credit market.
Lending requests analysed
Median loan request
Median annualised APR
The study explores borrowing for essentials including food, rent and bills, and why existing enforcement and reporting structures struggle to address online lending markets.
Request the whitepaper