ECB head Christine Lagarde 'ready to serve' WEF, report says

European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde could be set to take charge of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at some point in 2027, a Swiss newspaper has reported.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reported over the weekend that Lagarde had been referred to as a "putative candidate" for the position of WEF president during a board meeting near Geneva earlier this week.

Lagarde, who is on the WEF's Board of Trustees, has thanked fellow board members for their confidence in her and said she is "ready to serve," the outlet said, citing unnamed sources.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the president of Singapore, is said to have led the succession discussion during the meeting and stressed that the issue should be "resolved internally," per the NZZ.

The WEF is currently co-chaired by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and André Hoffmann, the vice chairman of Roche.

The NZZ reported that the board had not yet come to a decision on when Lagarde should take over as president, but that Fink and Hoffmann should still preside over the WEF's annual Davos meeting, which is set to take place in January.

The ECB declined to comment on the report, while the WEF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Euronews.

Lagarde, who has been president of the ECB since 2019, is due to leave her role in October 2027 when her eight-year term draws to a close.

There has been mounting speculation over her future in recent months and whether she could leave the ECB earlier, partly fuelled by Lagarde's own comments on her possibly taking part in the upcoming French presidential election campaign.

Speaking to Euronews in July, Lagarde ruled herself out of making a run for the French presidency itself, however.

"I'm not a candidate for anything, but I'm very keen that Europe is protected, that Europe is the framework within which member states operate, including France," she said.