Christine Lagarde May Head the World Economic Forum — Bloomberg
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is reportedly ready to take the helm of the World Economic Forum. According to Bloomberg, the WEF continues to try to persuade her to accept the position of the organization’s next chair.
The agency reports that this issue was discussed at a meeting of the organization’s board this week. Lagarde appears to be open to taking the position, sources said.
However, according to one of them, Lagarde wants to ensure that tensions in the relationship between the WEF and its founder and former chairman, Klaus Schwab, have been fully resolved.
Lagarde has long been linked to a position at the WEF, and these speculations intensified following Schwab’s sudden departure in April 2025.
Schwab stepped down amid an investigation into alleged financial misconduct. He was cleared of any wrongdoing, but tensions between the two sides remain.
Speculation that Lagarde will leave the ECB early to take a job at the WEF is partly fueled by her own statements. She has refused to commit to serving out her full term, which runs through October 2027, often sidestepping questions on the subject.
A line of potential candidates to succeed Lagarde as ECB president has already formed. The Dutch government has endorsed former central bank president Klaas Knot as the country’s candidate, while Germany is still considering nominating Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel.
Spain has also expressed interest and intends to support Pablo Hernández de Cossa, the former governor of the Bank of Spain, who currently heads the Bank for International Settlements.
This information was reported to Bloomberg.
The EU has banned 33 Russian banks from using SWIFT, but not Gazprom.
As a reminder, the European Union approved the 21st package of sanctions against Russia in response to its aggression against Ukraine. The new restrictions target the financial sector, the energy sector, the military-industrial complex, the shadow fleet, and schemes to circumvent sanctions.
As part of the 21st sanctions package, the Council of the European Union decided to suspend the automatic adjustment of the price cap mechanism on Russian oil until July 15, 2027.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for tougher sanctions following Russia’s attack on a tanker near Romania.
