The European Central Bank said on Wednesday its president Christine Lagarde had taken no decision on leaving before her term expires, following a media report.

The Financial Times, citing a source familiar with Lagarde's thinking, said Lagarde would step down before her term ends in October 2027.

In doing so, she would give German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron time to determine a successor ahead of France's presidential vote in April 2027.

"President Lagarde is totally focused on her mission and has not taken any decision regarding the end of her term," an ECB spokesperson said.

Lagarde, a French politician and lawyer, was named ECB chief in November 2019 after an eight-year stint as head of the International Monetary Fund.

She has won praise from many economists as an unflappable crisis manager, from the global financial sector meltdown in 2008 to the Greek and Argentine debt crises. (AFP)



Edited by Thomas McAlinden