Vivek Aggarwal becomes 1st Indian FATF vice president in Paris
Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, just became the first Indian ever named vice president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog fighting money laundering and terrorist financing.
Announced at a major Paris meeting, he will step into the role from July 2026 to June 2027, taking over from the U.K.'s Giles Thomson.
MEA hails appointment as major win
Aggarwal's appointment is a big moment for India on the world stage. He has led India's FATF team before and was director of the Financial Intelligence Unit.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called it a "major win" for India.
India joined FATF in 2010 and has recently been recognized for its strong anti-money laundering efforts within the FATF Global Network of more than 200 jurisdictions.