India Elected FATF Vice President for First Time, Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering Efforts

India has been appointed Vice President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the first time, marking a significant milestone in its growing role in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

The appointment was approved at the FATF plenary meeting in Paris, with Vivek Aggarwal , a 1994-batch IAS officer and current Union Culture Secretary, set to serve as Vice President from July 2026 to June 2027 . He succeeds the United Kingdom's Giles Thomson and will assist the FATF President in guiding the work of the global financial watchdog.

A member of FATF since 2010, India has increasingly contributed to international efforts against illicit financial flows, terror financing, and emerging risks linked to digital payments and virtual assets. The Ministry of External Affairs described Aggarwal's election as a "major win" that reinforces India's commitment to combating global terrorist financing networks.

Reacting to the development, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi urged the Narendra Modi-led government to use its enhanced position within FATF to seek Pakistan's return to the watchdog's grey list , which includes countries under increased monitoring for deficiencies in combating money laundering and terror financing.

In a post on X, Owaisi said the government should work towards bringing Pakistan back onto the grey list and push for the United Nations designation of The Resistance Front (TRF) , which has been linked to terrorist activities. He also argued that action should be pursued against Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), citing national security concerns.

His remarks came after the United States designated TRF , a proxy of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a global terrorist organisation.

India's appointment follows FATF's 2024 mutual evaluation report, which praised the country's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. The new leadership role is expected to strengthen India's influence in shaping global policies aimed at safeguarding financial integrity and combating terrorism financing worldwide.