Transcript: ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks with Nikkei

'Intrusive' oversight of banks, nonbanks needed to minimize financial risks

ECB President Christine Lagarde hints at further increases to interest rates in an exclusive online interview with Nikkei. (Photo by Marlies Matthes)

SHOGO AKAGAWA and TAKERO MINAMI, Nikkei staff writers

May 10, 2023 18:05 JST

LONDON -- European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde painted an optimistic picture for the eurozone economy, in a recent interview with Nikkei, saying that inflation in Europe was moderating and that the bank is committed to reaching its medium-term target of 2% inflation. She also downplayed the risk of a recession and called for supervision of banks to be "intrusive and as granular as possible," to minimize risks emanating from the financial industry.