About us

Founded in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Basel Institute on Governance is an independent, non-profit organisation working worldwide to strengthen governance and combat corruption and related financial crimes.

Our strength lies in our people: experienced international practitioners and support staff with deep practical experience and a strong track record of supporting governments, businesses and civil society across diverse contexts.

We are driven by the conviction that integrity and good governance are essential to tackling today’s biggest challenges – from sustainable development and climate action to human rights, peace and security.

Facts and figures

150+

Staff

32+

Nationalities

2003

Year establisted

Associated Institute of the University of Basel

Non-profit Swiss foundation

Based in Basel, working worldwide

What we do

We work across three interconnected areas:

Anti-corruption and prevention

Tackling the root causes of corruption with practical tools and hands-on support for effective prevention.

Asset recovery and enforcement

Strengthening enforcement systems and building capacity to investigate financial crime and recover stolen assets.

Business integrity and governance

Promoting ethics, fair competition and Collective Action against corruption in business and markets.

At the core is our effort to tackle global challenges together. By this we mean that we empower, enable and connect practitioners to address corruption as a barrier to progress on issues like poverty, the environment, security and crime.

We work in a multidisciplinary and agile way, providing technical assistance, training and capacity building, policy guidance and research-driven innovation. Read more about our approach.

What sets us apart?

Deep, wide-ranging expertise

in anti-corruption with a 360-degree view and robust, adaptable methodologies.

Context-sensitive approaches

designed for long-term impact.

Multidisciplinary, practice-oriented

work across sectors and levels.

Independent and agile,

with the flexibility to respond quickly to partners’ needs.

Recognised

for our professionalism, networks and convening power.

Innovation and iteration

– from in-house tech to evidence-based solutions.

Tailored, needs-based

support grounded in real-world experience.

Who we are

Our global team of more than 150 professionals comes from over 30 countries and a wide range of disciplines. Most are experienced practitioners in law enforcement, public administration, compliance or research. They are supported by skilled programme, IT, communications and administrative staff.

The Basel Institute was founded by Professor Mark Pieth and shaped over two decades by Gretta Fenner, whose leadership left a lasting legacy.

section with link to tributes to gretta fenner

Since 2025, Elizabeth Andersen [LINK] has served as Managing Director, supported by a core management team and Board President Peter Maurer [LINK].

Where we are

We are headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with regional hubs and field operations in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific.

Our partnerships

We work with leading institutions from the public and private sectors to promote good governance and counter corruption. These partnerships are essential to the success of our global programmes, each bringing unique perspectives and capabilities.

Our donors are valued partners too. They support not just our funding but our agility, relevance and overall effectiveness.

Selected partnerships include: University of Basel: As an Associated Institute, we collaborate closely with the University’s faculties, research centres and publishing platforms. We co-run two postgraduate programmes through our Basel STUDY initiative and contribute to teaching and research in governance and anti-corruption. While academically linked, we remain financially and administratively independent. International forums We contribute regularly to leading international anti-corruption policy forums and initiatives, including: B20 Brazil Integrity & Compliance Task Force CARIN Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units Europol Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnership GAFILAT Asset Recovery Network Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime Lausanne seminars on asset recovery Nature Crime Alliance Network of Corruption Prevention Authorities RISE Ukraine UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program Network UNCAC Conference of the States Parties UNODC Working Group on Asset Recovery WEF Partnering Against Corruption Initiative Formal partnerships We maintain collaboration agreements with key institutions, including: African Development Bank Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan Deutsches Institut für Compliance École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Europol Institute of Development Studies International Anti-Corruption Academy Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Nottingham Trent University Malaysian Institute of Management Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Thai Private Sector Collective Action Against Corruption UN Global Compact UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) University of Basel World Bank/UNODC Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative In the context of our technical assistance to partner countries, we have also signed a number of cooperation and case consultancy agreements with national governments and authorities. Secretariat We are proud to act as the Secretariat for: The Wolfsberg Group www.wolfsberg-group.org The International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators www.financialcrimelitigators.org Ethics and Compliance Switzerland www.ethics-compliance.ch