As the UK brings forward new electoral legislation, what should the government do about crypto donations, and does it really understand the risks?

Discussion about cryptocurrencies is often polarised. Nowhere is this more so the case than in the ongoing discussion about the inclusion – or not – of cryptocurrency for donations to political parties in the UK.

In this latest episode of the STR podcast, host Tom Keatinge is joined by Eliza Lockhart, a Research Fellow in our CFS team leading our work on Cryptocurrencies in UK Politics which examines the risk of opaque, foreign or malign influence entering UK politics via cryptocurrency donations; and James Gillespie, a CFS Associate Fellow, formerly of HM Treasury, to reflect on where the real threats from crypto to electoral integrity lie, and what to do about them.

Financing is a critical yet overlooked element of Russian sabotage in Europe, shaping how operations unfold and where they can be disrupted.

In this latest STR episode, host Kinga Redłowska is joined by CFS Director Tom Keatinge and CFS Senior Associate Fellow Matthew Redhead to review the team's recent report on how Russian sabotage campaigns are funded, and why this important angle has been overlooked by authorities.

From low-cost 'disposal agents' to social media recruitment and crypto transfers, the discussion exposes both the vulnerabilities sabotage networks rely on and the leverage points where disruption is possible. Understanding the money trail, they argue, is essential to staying one step ahead.

Over two billion pounds from the sale of Chelsea FC languishes frozen in a UK bank account. Why is that, and what happens next?

Nick Purewal, news and sports journalist, and author of 'Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC' joins host Tom Keatinge to explore the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich by the UK following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the consequences for one of England's biggest football clubs and two decades of investment in south west London.

Differences in opinion - and legal drafting - mean that despite rising rhetoric from the UK government, the net proceeds of the sale remain frozen and in limbo in a UK bank account.