Who Is Vivek Aggarwal? Senior Bureaucrat Appointed As FATF's Vice President

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 23:43 IST

IAS officer Vivek Aggarwal is currently serving as Secretary, Government of India, in the Union Ministry of Culture, since April 2025.

In a major accomplishment for India’s fight against terrorism, Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Government of India, was appointed as the Vice President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog against illicit money flows.

The FATF is the world’s top intergovernmental organisation to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other threats to the international financial system. The 40-member body sets international standards to ensure national authorities can effectively go after illicit funds linked to drug trafficking, the illicit arms trade, cyber fraud and other serious crimes.

Senior bureaucrat Vivek Aggarwal’s appointment for a one-year term as Vice President was announced at the FATF plenary held in Paris from June 17-19. He will succeed Giles Thomson of the UK, who has served in the role since July 2025.

This election marks the first time an Indian official will occupy one of the top leadership positions in the Paris-based global watchdog for money laundering and terror financing.

“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. His profound expertise as the former Head of India’s FATF delegation and former Director of FIU-IND will advance FATF’s mandate to secure financial integrity," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Who Is Vivek Aggarwal?

Vivek Aggarwal is a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1994 batch, belonging to the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He has been serving as Secretary, Government of India, in the Union Ministry of Culture, since April 2025.

Prior to this, he served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, where he also held the additional responsibility of Director, Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND). He also served as the head of the Indian delegation to the FATF.

Aggarwal also served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and as Joint Secretary in the same department.

“This appointment is a recognition of India’s collective effort and of the strength of our anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing framework. I am deeply honoured to serve, and look forward to working with the FATF Global Network to keep the international financial system safe, inclusive and resilient," he said in a statement issued by the finance ministry.

What Is FATF?

FATF was established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing, and other threats to the international financial system. It sets international standards and evaluates whether countries are taking effective measures to prevent money laundering, terror financing, financing weapons of mass destruction and other financial threats.

More than 200 jurisdictions participate through the FATF and its regional bodies, making its standards the global benchmark for financial integrity. The FATF assesses the legal and regulatory frameworks of different countries and places them into different categories based on compliance.

About the Author

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...Read More

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