KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Financial Investigations Division (FID), in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU), hosted a two-day countering proliferation financing (CPF) risk assessment workshop on March 23 and 24, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to identify, assess and respond to proliferation financing risks.

The workshop was funded by the United States Department of State and facilitated by the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

In remarks delivered at the opening of the workshop, FID Chief Technical Director Dennis Chung said, “What you’re doing here right now as a part of the education process is very important. Especially given what has happened recently in the global landscape. The matter of proliferation financing is very important. Given what’s happening, we are always assessing the risk, and as you know, we’re in the middle of preparing for our mutual evaluation at the end of the year. We have not seen a huge risk from PF (proliferation financing) or TF (terrorism financing), but it only takes one incident for it to be a problem, and therefore what you’re doing here is very, very important.”

FID’s Chief Technical Director Dennis Chung

He added, “because we don’t have any practical experience, we’re really doing it from a theoretical point of view, and I know they just completed a significant modelling of it; a study of it, which is how we actually assess the risk for our national risk assessment. The truth is that everybody here are really the gatekeepers between an incident happening and Jamaica being protected. So it’s very important that you get as much as you can out of today. In particular, the whole matter of virtual assets, I see you’re going to do something on cryptocurrencies that really is an introduction, because the whole matter of crypto and virtual assets is something we need to be very much aware of.”

The workshop brought together representatives from key public- and private-sector stakeholders, including the FID, JCF, Financial Services Commission, Jamaica Defence Force, Jamaica Customs Agency, Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Bank of Jamaica, Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, as well as commercial banks CIBC Caribbean Bank Limited, Jamaica Money Market Brokers and Scotiabank Jamaica.

Designed to build national readiness in an increasingly complex global environment, the workshop focused on the nature and scope of proliferation financing, international obligations under relevant United Nations resolutions and sanctions regimes, proliferation financing typologies and red flags, cryptocurrency-related threats, the exposure of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs), and national risk assessment methodology.

Participants also took part in interactive sessions on threat analysis, vulnerability analysis, public-private cooperation and mitigation measures.

Jamaica has limited practical experience in investigating proliferation financing. The training therefore formed part of a broader national initiative to proactively strengthen institutional capacity and preparedness in the event that such activity is identified locally.

The workshop also supports Jamaica’s wider preparations for its Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Mutual Evaluation Review, with an on-site visit by evaluators expected in October 2026 ahead of the country’s 2027 review.

By convening investigators, regulators, defence and border-security personnel, policymakers and private-sector stakeholders, the workshop reinforced the importance of coordinated national action to identify and disrupt suspicious financial activity linked to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It also underscored the critical gatekeeping role of both financial institutions and DNFBPs in protecting Jamaica’s financial system from abuse.