President Lagarde expected to leave bank

​European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is expected to ​leave before the ⁠end of her eight-year term that expires in October 2027, the ​Financial Times reported on ‌Wednesday, citing a person familiar with her thinking. The FT said that Lagarde wanted to exit ​the bank before the French presidential election in April next year, as she wanted to allow outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and ‌German Chancellor ‌Friedrich Merz to find ​a new chief. Macron cannot run again in 2027 after serving two consecutive terms. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The ECB did not immediately ​respond to a Reuters request for comment. The FT report comes only a week after Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau ​said he would step down in June this year, more than a year before the end of his term, allowing Macron to name his replacement before the 2027 presidential election that ‌the far-right could win. The FT had also reported on Lagarde’s potent