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European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde

US-EU trade deal not far from ECB's baseline forecast

The trade deal between the US and the EU is close to the baseline assumed by the European Central Bank, but uncertainty persists in key sectors like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, ECB President Christine Lagarde said today.

Business • 20 Aug

Mediobanca has received ECB approval to buy private bank Banca Generali

Mediobanca gets ECB approval for Banca Generali deal

Italy's merchant bank Mediobanca has received European Central Bank approval to buy private bank Banca Generali and create Italy's second-largest wealth manager, as it seeks to thwart a takeover bid from Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

Business • 19 Aug

Euro zone inflation holds at ECB target of 2%

Euro zone inflation held steady at the ECB's 2% target in July, confirming the bank's benign view on prices and strengthening the case for policymakers to keep interest rates on hold for some time after rapidly cutting borrowing costs.

Business • 01 Aug

German inflation unchanged at 2% in July

German inflation remained unchanged in July, preliminary data showed today, as euro zone rate-setters mull their next steps after keeping interest rates on hold last week following a string of cuts.

Business • 31 Jul

Euro zone growth holds up better than feared in Q2

Euro zone economic growth held up better than feared last quarter, suggesting that businesses are adapting to trade uncertainty, potentially reducing the need for more European Central Bank interest rate cuts to stimulate the bloc.

Business • 30 Jul

ECB to introduce 'climate factor' into lending operations

The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, it said today, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.

Business • 29 Jul

'Unexpected shift needed for September ECB rate cut'

The European Central Bank is not in any hurry to lower borrowing costs again and it would take a major unexpected economic shift to make a case for action in September, Slovak policymaker Peter Kazimir said today.

Business • 28 Jul

Euro zone business activity growth hits 11-month high

Euro zone business activity accelerated faster than forecast this month, supported by a solid improvement in the bloc's dominant services industry and with manufacturing showing further signs of recovery, a survey showed today.

Business • 24 Jul

ECB keeps rates steady as trade conflict clouds outlook

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged today after cutting eight times in a year, biding its time while Brussels and Washington negotiate over trade.

Business • 24 Jul

ECB to test banks' resilience to geopolitical risk

The European Central Bank will test banks' resilience to geopolitical risk next year, telling them to come up with scenarios that would wipe out large chunks of their capital, chief ECB supervisor Claudia Buch said today.

Business • 15 Jul

ECB's Schnabel sets bar 'very high' for rate cut

The hurdle for another interest rate cut by the European Central Bank is "very high" as the euro zone economy is holding up better than expected and inflation is moored at 2%, ECB board member Isabel Schnabel said in an interview published today.

Business • 11 Jul

Cost Bite: What 4 years of inflation has done to prices

The ECB seems to think it's gotten inflation under control - but consumers are still counting the cost of it on a daily basis, writes Adam Maguire.

Business • 13 Jul

Euro zone investor morale hits three-year record high

Investor sentiment in the euro zone improved more than expected in July to hit its highest level in more than three years, a survey showed today, as the bloc's economic recovery broadened.

Business • 07 Jul

Euro zone inflation picks up to ECB target of 2%

Euro zone inflation edged up last month to the European Central Bank's 2% target, confirming that the era of runaway prices is over and shifting policymaker focus to trade war-induced economic volatility.

Business • 01 Jul

The ECB's new five-year strategy follows a rollercoaster period in which it went from worrying about deflation during Covid, to a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and now a trade war

ECB tweaks strategy to counter sustained inflation swings

The European Central Bank pledged today to react with equal vigour when inflation was too high as when it was too low, tweaking its overarching strategy after being blind-sided by a surge in prices in recent years.

Business • 30 Jun

Euro zone business lending growth stalls amid uncertainty

Lending growth to euro zone businesses stalled last month, suggesting that trade uncertainty and weak overall growth offset any support provided by European Central Bank rate cuts, data from the ECB suggested today.

Business • 30 Jun

ECB could still cut rates despite oil market volatility

The European Central Bank can further cut interest rates at a time of huge volatility in energy markets, policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau told the Financial Times in an interview published today.

Business • 24 Jun

Fabio Panetta, the Governor of the Bank of Italy

ECB to keep flexible approach as war heightens risks

The European Central Bank will keep a flexible approach to monetary policy decisions against a backdrop where the conflict between Israel and Iran compounds risks from Washington's trade policy, a top policymaker said today.

Business • 18 Jun

Joachim Nagel, president of the Deutsche Bundesbank, during a panel session to mark International's Women's Day 2025 at the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday, March 7, 2025. European Central Bank officials are braci

ECB should neither signal pause nor rate cut - Nagel

Euro zone inflation is now on target and no sustained undershooting is likely but the ECB should keep all of its options open for future policy moves amid exceptional uncertainty, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said today.

Business • 16 Jun

China eyes stronger co-operation with ECB

China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the European Central Bank, including on reforming the international monetary system, Premier Li Qiang told ECB President Christine Lagarde at a meeting in Beijing today.

Business • 12 Jun

ECB gives Bulgaria green light to adopt euro next year

Bulgaria has met all criteria to adopt the euro currency from 1 January 2026, the European Central Bank said after assessing progress on a host of indicators from inflation to central bank legislation.

Business • 04 Jun

Euro zone business activity bearly expanded in May

Euro zone business activity barely expanded in May as the dominant services industry contracted for the first time since November, weighed down by falling demand that has plagued the bloc for a year, a survey has shown.

Business • 04 Jun

Euro zone inflation eases below ECB target

Euro zone inflation eased below the European Central Bank's target last month, data showed today, underpinning expectations for another interest rate cut this week, even as global trade tensions fuel longer-term price pressures.

Business • 03 Jun

Peter Kazimir, the governor of Slovakia's central bank and and ECB policymaker

Slovak central bank governor Kazimir guilty of corruption

A Slovak court ruled today that central bank governor and European Central Bank policymaker Peter Kazimir is guilty of corruption, a judge said.

Business • 29 May

ECB's Lagarde 'determined' to complete her term

Christine Lagarde is determined to complete her eight-year term as president of the European Central Bank, the ECB said today after the Financial Times reported that she held talks about leaving early to lead the World Economic Forum.

Business • 28 May