Vivek Aggarwal appointed Financial Action Task Force vice-president

India was on Friday accorded the vice presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal was appointed the FATF vice president at the conclusion of the plenary meeting held at the outfit's headquarters in Paris, an official statement said. He will succeed UK national Giles Thomson, who has been holding the post since July 1, 2025. "Members approved the Priorities of the FATF under the incoming UK Presidency, and appointed  Vivek Aggarwal of India as the incoming Vice-President of the FATF (July 2026-June 2027)," the FATF said in a statement.
Vivek Aggarwal is a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and has served as the head of the Indian delegation to the FATF in the past and also as the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).He was serving as an additional secretary in the Union finance ministry when India's last mutual evaluation report was published in 2024. He has held several key positions in the Union and state governments, spanning finance, agriculture, urban development, infrastructure, and public policy. Before taking charge of the Culture Ministry in April 2025, Aggarwal served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, where he also headed the FIU-IND and led India's delegation to the FATF. In that role, he oversaw matters related to anti-money laundering, economic security, GST, and financial intelligence.
The MEA said the appointment reflects India's growing role in global efforts to combat terrorism financing and illicit financial networks. "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," the MEA stated in its post. The FATF is an intergovernmental body that develops policies and standards to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and threats to the international financial system.