Christine Lagarde leaves the ECB on 7 February 2027. The bank announced it on 29 October, and in the same release it also said how her successor is chosen.
Fact
The facts: on 29 October 2026 the ECB announced that President Christine Lagarde informed the Governing Council and the President of the European Council, António Costa, that she “will step down from her position on 7 February 2027”. Her successor will be appointed by the European Council “following the nomination process outlined in Article 283 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”. Source: ECB, 29 October 2026.
Article 283 is the procedure under which the European Council appoints the ECB president. The ECB gives no reason for the departure and names no successor.
The link to us is the digital euro. In July the ECB announced that its pilot will start in the second half of 2027 and run for 12 months. So the start comes after the date Lagarde leaves. The next date that matters is the date of the appointment. The announcement does not have it.
Official primary sources
ECB - President Lagarde to step down on 7 February 2027, 29.10.2026ECB - ECB selects 36 PSPs to join digital euro pilot, 14.07.2026The visual is generated code-art, no third-party images.