Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), has publicly reaffirmed her commitment to fulfilling her mandate, which is set to expire in October 2027. In a recent statement, Lagarde expressed her determination, saying, "I can assure you with complete certainty that I have always been, and I AM FULLY DETERMINED TO FULFILL MY MISSION AND COMPLETE MY MANDATE." She emphasized that she will not be leaving her position anytime soon.

Lagarde was appointed as the first female president of the ECB in 2019 for a non-renewable term of eight years.

Prior to her role at the ECB, she made history as the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund and served as France's Minister of Finance.

The recent discussions surrounding Lagarde's future intensified after a report suggested that she may have considered shortening her tenure at the ECB to potentially lead the World Economic Forum (WEF).

This speculation was firmly denied by a spokesperson from the ECB, who stated that "President Lagarde has always been fully committed to her mission and is determined to complete her mandate."

Klaus Schwab, founder and former president of the WEF, was cited in connection with these discussions.

He indicated that he and Lagarde had been in talks about this possibility for years, including discussions about providing her with accommodation in Switzerland to assume leadership of the WEF.

The most recent of these conversations reportedly took place in early April, when Schwab visited Lagarde in Frankfurt to discuss the transition of leadership.

Earlier speculations regarding Lagarde’s potential departure had surfaced in August, with claims that members of the WEF were internally deliberating on appointing her as their president.

In a 2018 interview, Lagarde had shown interest in the position, but she has since denied any intention to leave the ECB before the end of her term.

During a press conference, Lagarde addressed the ECB's recent decision to lower interest rates by 25 basis points, a move supported by almost all members of the Governing Council.

She stated that this adjustment positions the institution well as it approaches the end of the current cycle of rate reductions, which began in June 2024.

The ECB now has the deposit facility rate set at 2%, the lowest since late 2022. The decision marks the seventh consecutive rate cut and the eighth during the current monetary easing cycle.

Lagarde expressed confidence that the inflation rate is expected to align with the ECB's target of 2% in the medium term.

The recent interest rate cut and the prospect of a pause in further reductions have positively impacted the euro, which reached a value of 1.1495 against the U.S. dollar, nearing its highest levels since April 2021. Additionally, the yields on eurozone government bonds have also risen, with German bonds climbing to 2.55%.

Spanish bond yields increased to 3.15%, French bonds to 3.237%, and Italian bonds reached 3.532%.