Viral Acharya

Some Lesser Known Facts About Viral Acharya

• He was born in a family of medical practitioners.

• After completing his Ph. D. in Finance from NYU-Stern in 2001, he joined the London Business School and served there from 2001 to 2008.

• From 2007 to 2009, he served as the Academic Director of the Coller Institute of Private Equity at LBS.

• In the Summer of 2008, he served as the Senior Houblon-Normal Research Fellow at the Bank of England.

• According to NYU Stern School of Business website, his research interests are in the regulation of banks and financial institutions, corporate finance, credit risk and valuation of corporate debt, and asset pricing with a focus on the effects of liquidity risk.

• He considers the Ex. Governor of RBI, Raghuram Rajan, as his role model and has co-authored a number of journals with him. He once described himself as “poor man’s Raghuram Rajan.”

• In an interview, he revealed that once his co-passengers in a flight called him “Raghu Rajan.”

• Besides being a prolific Economist, he has a great passion for music. He is a good music composer and has composed a few songs too like Kya Yeh Wohi Phir Raat Hai – Passion and Yadon Ke Silsele – an Ode to Friends. 

  

• He is a good Cricket player and has played for the IIT Mumbai’s Cricket Team.

• While studying at NYU Stern School of Business, he had started a local Indian music band- Surbahar.

• He also runs an NGO- Pratham, which works to promote literacy in India and in the welfare of the underprivileged children.

• On 28 December 2016, Government of India appointed him the Deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to fill the post which remained vacant after Urjit Patel was elevated to the Governor of RBI.

• The Government of India chose him from over a hundred candidates, as for the first time, the government advertised to fill up the post of the Deputy Governor of the RBI.

• Reportedly, he did not use to go to the office wearing a suit and tie unless there is a formal meeting.

• In June 2019, Acharya resigned from his position six months before the end of his term.

• According to sources, during his tenure as the Deputy Governor of the RBI, Acharya never stayed at the house reserved for a Deputy Governor in South Mumbai’s tony Napean Sea Road, rather, he used to live with his parents and brother’s family in the western suburb of Vile Parle in Mumbai.

• Some sources also claim that he used to take a shower in his office.

• Acharya is a sports enthusiast and plays tennis every day on the lawns of Ashoka Towers at Parel or the Bombay Gymkhana, and football with the neighbourhood children when his nine-year-old US-based son is in town.