Financial institutions are increasing their investments in atomic weapons production, anti-nuclear campaigners warned, fuelling military spending and risking a new atomic arms race.
According to a fresh report, 301 banks, pension funds, insurance companies, and other financial institutions had financing or investments in companies involved in producing nuclear weapons as of September 2025.
This marked a 15-percent hike compared to a year earlier, reversing years of decline, the report said.
The world's nine nuclear-armed states are modernising and expanding their arsenals, driving demands for these weapons, the report added.
Major defence contractors saw their stock market valuation rise sharply, while investors held more than $709 billion in shares and bonds in nuclear weapons-producing companies.
The top three investors were US firms Vanguard, BlackRock, and Capital Group, while the top three lenders were US banking giants Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup.
