Our Story
Over 20 years of fighting corruption
2003: The Basel Institute is established by Professor Mark Pieth.
2003: The Basel Institute is established by Professor Mark Pieth.
2004: The Basel Institute is a founding member of two early Collective Action initiatives, the Wolfsberg Group and the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.
2004: The Basel Institute is a founding member of two early Collective Action initiatives, the Wolfsberg Group and the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.
2005: Gretta Fenner joins the Basel Institute as Managing Director.
2005: Gretta Fenner joins the Basel Institute as Managing Director.
2006: The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) is established to assist countries seeking to recover funds stolen through corruption, with funding from Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the UK.
2006: The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) is established to assist countries seeking to recover funds stolen through corruption, with funding from Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the UK.
2007: High-impact financial investigations training starts with ICAR’s first flagship training programmes in Indonesia and Tanzania.
2007: High-impact financial investigations training starts with ICAR’s first flagship training programmes in Indonesia and Tanzania.
2009: Anti-corruption research kicks off with a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for research on health governance.
2009: Anti-corruption research kicks off with a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for research on health governance.
2010: Private-sector engagement gets a boost with a multi-year grant from the Siemens Integrity Initiative for work on anti-corruption Collective Action.
2010: Private-sector engagement gets a boost with a multi-year grant from the Siemens Integrity Initiative for work on anti-corruption Collective Action.
2012: The Basel AML Index is first published as a country ranking and risk assessment tool for money laundering and terrorist financing.
2012: The Basel AML Index is first published as a country ranking and risk assessment tool for money laundering and terrorist financing.
2013: The B20 mandates the Basel Institute to develop the B20 Collective Action Hub, a global resource centre on anti-corruption Collective Action.
2013: The B20 mandates the Basel Institute to develop the B20 Collective Action Hub, a global resource centre on anti-corruption Collective Action.
2014: Asset recovery assistance moves to its current mentoring model, with the first full-time ICAR advisor deployed as an embedded expert in Kenya.
2014: Asset recovery assistance moves to its current mentoring model, with the first full-time ICAR advisor deployed as an embedded expert in Kenya.
2015: First field office opens in Peru to run a multi-year Swiss-funded programme aimed at strengthening Public Finance Management at the subnational level.
2015: First field office opens in Peru to run a multi-year Swiss-funded programme aimed at strengthening Public Finance Management at the subnational level.
2016: A prestigious UK grant kickstarts research on social norms, behavioural drivers of corruption and informal networks.
2016: A prestigious UK grant kickstarts research on social norms, behavioural drivers of corruption and informal networks.
2016: eLearning course published in cooperation with the Egmont Group of FIUs, focused on operational analysis of suspicious transaction reports.
2016: eLearning course published in cooperation with the Egmont Group of FIUs, focused on operational analysis of suspicious transaction reports.
2018: Jersey and Norway join Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the UK as core donors to ICAR.
2018: Jersey and Norway join Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the UK as core donors to ICAR.
2019: A pilot project on illegal wildlife trade, with seed funding from the Elephant Crisis Fund, paves the way for our Green Corruption programme.
2019: A pilot project on illegal wildlife trade, with seed funding from the Elephant Crisis Fund, paves the way for our Green Corruption programme.
2020: Basel LEARN is developed as a virtual knowledge platform for free self-paced eLearning courses and for the delivery of ICAR’s trainer-led programmes.
2020: Basel LEARN is developed as a virtual knowledge platform for free self-paced eLearning courses and for the delivery of ICAR’s trainer-led programmes.
2021: The Green Corruption programme expands as Liechtenstein becomes a core donor.
2021: The Green Corruption programme expands as Liechtenstein becomes a core donor.
2021: Research into behaviour change interventions deepens with an innovation pilot intervention in Tanzania to address social norms of bribery in healthcare.
2021: Research into behaviour change interventions deepens with an innovation pilot intervention in Tanzania to address social norms of bribery in healthcare.
2022: Peter Maurer becomes President, succeeding Mark Pieth.
2022: Peter Maurer becomes President, succeeding Mark Pieth.
2023: Expansion of work in Ukraine on corruption prevention, defence-sector integrity and public procurement.
2023: Expansion of work in Ukraine on corruption prevention, defence-sector integrity and public procurement.
2023–2024: Appointment of new Foundation Board members Stefanie Bailer, Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, Nicola Bonucci and Helen Alderson.
2023–2024: Appointment of new Foundation Board members Stefanie Bailer, Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, Nicola Bonucci and Helen Alderson.
2024: The Basel Institute mourns the passing of Gretta Fenner, Managing Director.
2024: The Basel Institute mourns the passing of Gretta Fenner, Managing Director.
2025: Elizabeth Andersen joins the Basel Institute as Executive Director.
2025: Elizabeth Andersen joins the Basel Institute as Executive Director.
2025: Opening of the Kyiv office to support Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction.
2025: Opening of the Kyiv office to support Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction.
2025: Launch of Basel STUDY postgraduate certificates in collaboration with the University of Basel.
2025: Launch of Basel STUDY postgraduate certificates in collaboration with the University of Basel.
2025: Expansion of work on virtual assets, including specialised training and scaling of the annual Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptoassets.
2025: Expansion of work on virtual assets, including specialised training and scaling of the annual Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptoassets.
2026: International Collective Action Conference takes place in Basel for the 6th time.
2026: International Collective Action Conference takes place in Basel for the 6th time.
2026: Stefanie Bailer becomes Vice President, succeeding Dr Anna Peters.
2026: Stefanie Bailer becomes Vice President, succeeding Dr Anna Peters.