T Raja Kumar named President of the Financial Action Task Force

T Raja Kumar, a Singaporean, has been named president of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the world’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing agency. His appointment is for a set two-year term, which begins on July 1. During the FATF plenary, he was chosen to succeed Dr Marcus Pleyer of Germany.

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Mr Raja’s nomination marks the first time Singapore has assumed the president of the organisation, according to a joint news release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on March 7.
Mr Raja is a senior advisor at MHA and has been the leader of Singapore’s FATF mission since January 1, 2015. Since July 2018, he has also been a member of the steering group, which advises the FATF president.
The FATF is an intergovernmental organisation set up by the G7 in 1989 to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorism, and proliferation finance.
“The FATF also reviews and supervises member jurisdictions to ensure that they fully and effectively apply the FATF standards,” MHA, MOF, and MAS noted.
Since 1992, Singapore has been a member of the organisation. Mr Raja has played a key role in directing Singapore’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, according to the MHA, MOF, and MAS.
Since January 2015, he has led Singapore’s efforts to satisfy FATF Standards as co-chairman of the National Interagency Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism.