ISEC launches in Portsmouth, rallying a worldwide front on economic crime

Global leaders and rising scholars converge at Portsmouth for the launch of a new international society tackling economic crime.

The University of Portsmouth welcomed the inaugural International Society of Economic Criminology (ISEC) Annual Conference on 17 June 2025, bringing global experts, early career researchers and practitioners together to chart new responses to economic crime.

Delegates from 48 organisations across more than 20 countries, with several hundred registrations and strong in‑person participation, joined a one‑day programme of keynotes, interactive panels and research presentations under ISEC’s motto, “Setting the Stage. Framing the Future. Fighting Economic Crime.” 

The ISEC’s President, Professor Button, said: “Bringing ISEC’s first annual conference to Portsmouth was about opening doors—especially for researchers at the start of their careers. We wanted to create a welcoming space where early career scholars could present alongside senior figures from law enforcement, finance and academia, and leave with new collaborators and practical insights they can use the very next day.”

A keynote from Nick Court, Assistant Director at INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti‑Corruption Centre (IFCACC), explored evolving global threats and capacity‑building. Later, Professor Michael Levi (Cardiff University) reflected on five decades of fraud and economic‑crime research, offering a candid guide to data access, telling “truth to power”, and how crime control has changed with technology and global markets.

An interactive panel: “What do you want economic criminologists to research?”, brought together senior voices from the UK’s National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), City of London Police and UK Finance, while paper sessions showcased research spanning corporate criminal liability, asset recovery, cyber‑enabled scams against older adults, the changing online fraud landscape, and the regulation of crypto‑mining in Kazakhstan. The programme also featured contributions from Dr Elisabeth Carter (Kingston University), and Professor Umut Turksen (Exeter University), reflecting the broad academic partnership underpinning the field.

The day catalysed a new global network of scholars and practitioners, laying the foundations for ISEC to grow as a professional community committed to joining up research, policy and practice. Targeted support from our University enabled around 20 early career researchers to attend, present and network with global experts.

“ISEC created a unique space for me to share my research on asset recovery with policymakers and practitioners. From that exchange came both new professional collaborations and an invitation to edit a special issue in Journal of Economic Criminology.”Dr Amber Phillips, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, UWE Bristol

“ISEC felt truly international; conversations reached across agencies and borders. That breadth has already enabled a substantive follow‑up with a UK public authority on my romance‑scams research.”Dr Bing Han, Lecturer, University of Portsmouth

ISEC’s mission is to link research, policy and practice in economic criminology through an inclusive, mentor‑friendly community and practical resources.

The main organizer of the conference, Dr Branislav Hock from the University of Portsmouth, said: “By convening leading voices from law enforcement, finance, policymaking and academia, the University of Portsmouth reinforced its civic mission and international reputation in economic‑crime research. The conference showed how research‑led teaching, community engagement and student‑facing activity can sit alongside practitioner‑focused dialogue; benefiting our city, our partners and the next generation of scholars.”