Mário Centeno's candidacy for the position of vice‑governor of the European Central Bank marks the political‑economic kick‑off of the year. Journalists António Costa and Pedro Santos Guerreiro explain, in the first episode of 2026 of the podcast 'O Mistério das Finanças', that the former governor of the Bank of Portugal is among the names being considered for the post, ...
From the race to Frankfurt to the race to Belém
Sunday, 11 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Mário Centeno is a Portuguese economist and politician who served as Finance Minister from 2015 to 2020 and as President of the Eurogroup from 2018 to 2020, and later became Governor of the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal). His nomination for vice‑president of the European Central Bank matters because a senior Portuguese official at the ECB could influence euro‑area monetary policy decisions that affect interest rates and the economy in Portugal.
