Who is Vivek Aggarwal? IAS officer first appointed as FATF Vice President for India

India on Friday secured the vice-chairmanship of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the first time, marking a major milestone for the country in the global body responsible for setting standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

India has been a member of FATF since 2010.

According to an official statement, Union Culture Minister Vivek Aggarwal was elected Vice President of the FATF at the conclusion of the body’s plenary session at its headquarters in Paris. The Vice President is elected by the FATF Plenary from among its members and supports the President in leading and overseeing the work of the organization.

Who is Vivek Aggarwal?

Aggarwal, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, previously served as the head of India’s delegation to the FATF and as the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

He holds Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degrees from Panjab University. He has also completed the intermediate level of the Company Secretary (CS) program from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. In addition, he completed a specialized course on Globalization and International Financial Systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Aggarwal was serving as Additional Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry when the last India Assessment Report was released in 2024. At the same time, he was also posted as the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit in 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 CEO of PM-KISAN and National Farmer Welfare Scheme Implementation Corporation and led key initiatives such as Digital Agriculture and Agricultural Infrastructure Fund.

Between 2009 and 2018, he simultaneously held the position of Secretary to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. From 2015 to 2018, he served as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, while also serving as the Managing Director of MP Metro Rail Corporation and MP Urban Development Company. During the same period, he was the Commissioner and State Mission Director for programs including Total Sanitation Campaign, Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and PM Awaas Yojana.

From 2010 to 2015, Aggarwal was the General Manager and Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD) of the MP Road Development Corporation. Earlier, from 2008 to 2010, he served as the Managing Director of MP Warehousing Corporation and MP Agriculture Marketing Board.

From 2001 to 2008, he held various district-level administrative assignments as Collector and District Magistrate in Kapurthala (Punjab) and Rajgarh, Ujjain and Indore districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal called Aggarwal’s election a “major victory” for India, saying the appointment underscored the country’s strong commitment to combating the financing of terrorism worldwide.

“As India continues to pursue a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, this leadership role reinforces our relentless focus on combating global terrorist financing networks and dismantling illicit financial systems,” he said.

Jaiswal also noted that Aggarwal’s “deep expertise” as the former head of India’s FATF delegation would help support the organization’s mission to ensure financial integrity.