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He is the favorite to succeed Lagarde at the helm of the ECB – Which other names are on the table

Published January 22, 2026, 09:22
He is the favorite to succeed Lagarde at the helm of the ECB – Which other names are on the table

Dutch official Klaas Knot is emerging as the frontrunner to succeed Christine Lagarde as president of the European Central Bank (ECB), according to a Bloomberg survey. Despite other candidates being considered better qualified, Knot is gathering the most momentum. Following him in the rankings are Pablo Hernandez de Cos, head of the Bank for International Settlements, and Joachim Nagel, president of the Bundesbank. Simultaneously, Isabel Schnabel, a member of the ECB's Executive Board, stands out as the most capable of replacing Lagarde. The poll comes after the nomination of Croat Boris Vujčić to take over as ECB vice president in June – the first step in a two-year reshuffle of the ECB's Executive Board. Speculation about potential successors to Lagarde has been circulating for months, with Knot and de Cos at the center of attention. Both candidates are highly regarded and have been publicly praised by Lagarde herself. Other potential successors include Frenchman François Villeroy de Galhau and Italian Fabio Panetta, while the name of Finn Olli Rehn is also mentioned. A final decision is expected in the second quarter of 2027, although an earlier agreement is not ruled out.

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