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Exclusive: ECB’s Radev: Rate Hikes Would Require Persistent Services Inflation, Wage Growth

Exclusive: ECB’s Radev: Rate Hikes Would Require Persistent Services Inflation, Wage Growth

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – Hiking interest rates would require clearer evidence of persistent services inflation and strong wage dynamics, as well as signs that domestic price pressures were failing to ease as projected, according to Dimitar Radev, governor of the Bulgarian National Bank and member of the European Central Bank Governing Council.

19 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Kazāks: Europe Already “At War” With Russia, Banks Must Prepare

ECB’s Kazāks: Europe Already “At War” With Russia, Banks Must Prepare

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Mārtiņš Kazāks warned that European policymakers should not be “naive” about the bloc’s exposure to Russia and said the financial system needed to be prepared for escalation.

18 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB Insight: Lane’s “Several Years” Baseline Earns a Marginally Dovish -0.25 on Our Tone Meter

ECB Insight: Lane’s “Several Years” Baseline Earns a Marginally Dovish -0.25 on Our Tone Meter

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane’s La Stampa interview published today was disciplined in form—baseline first, uncertainty explicit, reaction function articulated—but not perfectly neutral in substance. Using our ECB Tone Meter , we scored the intervention at -0.25: dovish, though only marginally.

16 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB Insight: EU Parliament’s Early Nod to Centeno and Kazāks Sharpens a Still-Open VP Contest

ECB Insight: EU Parliament’s Early Nod to Centeno and Kazāks Sharpens a Still-Open VP Contest

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs committee has moved unusually early in the contest to succeed European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos, with its coordinators backing Latvia’s Mārtiņš Kazāks and Portugal’s Mário Centeno as the preferred candidates after informal exchanges of views with all six contenders.

15 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Kazāks: Risks to Outlook on Both Sides; US Attack on Fed Raises Risks

ECB’s Kazāks: Risks to Outlook on Both Sides; US Attack on Fed Raises Risks

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Mārtiņš Kazāks said on Thursday that the US government's attacks on the Federal Reserved increased risks to the outlook as lower central bank independence would likely raise inflation in the US.

15 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Panetta: Italian Economy Weaker Due to Geopolitical Tensions, Subdued Domestic Demand

ECB’s Panetta: Italian Economy Weaker Due to Geopolitical Tensions, Subdued Domestic Demand

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member Fabio Panetta said on Thursday that Italy’s economic growth had softened in recent months, driven mainly by geopolitical and trade tensions alongside weak domestic demand, adding that forecasts pointed to only a modest expansion in the years ahead.

15 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s de Guindos: Central Bank Independence Key for Markets

ECB’s de Guindos: Central Bank Independence Key for Markets

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday that financial markets place high value on central bank independence because it underpins confidence that inflation will remain under control.

15 January 2026 Central Bank News
EU Parliament Prefers Kazāks and Centeno for ECB Vice Presidency

EU Parliament Prefers Kazāks and Centeno for ECB Vice Presidency

By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – Following Wednesday's hearings at the European Parliament in Brussels with all candidates hoping to succeed European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos, Aurore Lalucq, Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, issued the following statement:

14 January 2026 Central Bank News
ECB’s Villeroy: Downside Risks to Inflation “At Least as High” as Upside Risks

ECB’s Villeroy: Downside Risks to Inflation “At Least as High” as Upside Risks

By Marta Vilar – MADRID (Econostream) – European Central Bank Governing Council member François Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday that the downside risks to inflation were “at least as high” as the upside risks and that a further slide in the US dollar if the Federal Reserve’s independence were weakened, could be one such disinflationary risk.

14 January 2026 Central Bank News