Christine Lagarde (크리스틴 라가르드), president of the European Central Bank (ECB), said she will step down on Feb. 7, 2027. Cointelegraph reported on Oct. 29 that Lagarde wrote on X that she had informed colleagues of her retirement plan.

Lagarde took office as ECB president in November 2019. If she leaves as scheduled, her tenure will be about 7 years and 3 months. Her term was originally set to run until October 2027, meaning she would step down before it ends.

Her successor will be appointed by the European Council through procedures set out in Article 283 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The appointment requires consultation with the European Parliament and the ECB after a recommendation by the council.

During Lagarde's tenure, the ECB carried out preparatory work on a digital euro for everyday payments. In September, it launched a system called Pontes that allows financial institutions to settle wholesale tokenised asset transactions in central bank money. The ECB presented it as an alternative to stablecoins.

She has taken a critical stance on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. At a news conference in January 2025, she said central bank reserve assets must have liquidity and safety. She also said bitcoin would not be included in the reserve assets of any central bank in the General Council.

Lagarde, a former lawyer, served as managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019. Before that, she served as France's economy minister. At the ECB, her tenure has spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.