India on Friday secured the vice presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the country in the global organisation responsible for setting standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
India has been a member of the FATF since 2010.
According to an official statement, Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal was elected as the FATF vice president at the conclusion of the body’s plenary meeting at its headquarters in Paris. The vice president is chosen by the FATF Plenary from among its members and supports the president in guiding and overseeing the organisation’s work.
Who is Vivek Aggarwal?
Quick answers to key questions
Vivek Aggarwal is a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, currently serving as the Union Culture Secretary. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Law from Panjab University and has studied at the London School of Economics.
India’s vice presidency at the FATF marks a historic milestone, enhancing its role in global policy-making against money laundering and terrorist financing, and giving the country a stronger voice in international financial crime discussions.
As vice president of the FATF, Vivek Aggarwal will support the president in guiding the organization’s work, leveraging his experience as a former leader of India’s FATF delegation to tackle global financial integrity challenges.
India was elected as vice president of the FATF to recognize its growing influence in combating financial crimes, demonstrating a significant commitment to international standards against money laundering and terrorist financing.
The FATF is the leading inter-governmental body that sets policies to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, influencing regulations in over 200 jurisdictions by conducting mutual evaluations and establishing best practices.
Aggarwal, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has previously served as the head of India’s delegation to the FATF and as Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Panjab University. He has also completed the Intermediate level of the Company Secretary (CS) programme from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. In addition, he undertook a specialised course on Globalisation and International Financial Systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
At the time India’s latest mutual evaluation report was released in 2024, Aggarwal was serving as an Additional Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry. He was also concurrently holding the additional charge of Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND).
Aggarwal served as Joint Secretary and later Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, from 2019 to 2021. During this period, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of the PM-KISAN scheme and the National Farmer’s Welfare Programme Implementation Society, and led key initiatives such as Digital Agriculture and the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
Between 2009 and 2018, he concurrently held the position of Secretary to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. From 2015 to 2018, he served as Principal Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, while also acting as Managing Director of the MP Metro Rail Corporation and MP Urban Development Company. During the same period, he was Commissioner and State Mission Director for programmes including the Total Sanitation Campaign, Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and PM Awaas Yojana.
From 2010 to 2015, Aggarwal was Managing Director and Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD), at the MP Road Development Corporation. Earlier, between 2008 and 2010, he served as Managing Director of the MP Warehousing Corporation and the MP Agriculture Marketing Board.
From 2001 to 2008, he held various district-level administrative assignments as Collector and District Magistrate in Kapurthala (Punjab) and in the Madhya Pradesh districts of Rajgarh, Ujjain and Indore.
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal termed Aggarwal’s election a “major win” for India, stating that the appointment highlights the country’s strong commitment to tackling terrorist financing worldwide.
“As India continues to champion a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, this leadership role reinforces our relentless focus on combating global terrorist financing networks and dismantling illicit financial systems,” he mentioned.
Jaiswal also noted that Aggarwal’s “profound expertise” as the former leader of India’s FATF delegation would help further the organisation’s mission of safeguarding financial integrity.
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers.
With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations.
Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’.
He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune.
He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP.
He can be reached on LinkedIn or on @garvitbhirani on X
