IUX24
TopMarketWorldEconomyFinanceTechnologyBusinessPoliticsAnalysis & Opinion

Lagarde to step down early as ECB president

Christine Lagarde will step down early from her role as European Central Bank president. Her departure paves the way for a successor before the French spring election.

Insights:
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde speaks during a press conference following the ECB Governing Council meeting at the guest house of the Deutsche Bundesbank in Berlin, Germany, September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Christine Lagarde will step down early as European Central Bank president on February 7, ending an eventful seven-year tenure at the helm. Her departure comes after leading the institution through a pandemic, two energy shocks, and a historic inflation spike. The exit cuts short an eight-year mandate that began in 2019, when she arrived as the first ECB chief with no formal economics training.