Christine Lagarde Announces Early Departure as European Central Bank President
Christine Lagarde announced she will step down as President of the European Central Bank (Banco Central Europeu or BCE) on 7 February, months before her term was scheduled to conclude in October. Lagarde explained her early departure by expressing a desire to speak freely on international political matters beyond monetary policy. She confirmed she will lead the bank through its December and February policy meetings without reservations.
Christine Lagarde is President of the European Central Bank since November 2019 and was Managing Director of the IMF from 2011 to 2019. Her decisions and public statements influence ECB monetary policy, which affects euro interest rates, mortgages and inflation across the euro area.
