European Central Bank Set to Hold Rates as Markets Await Lagarde’s Guidance

Beincrypto reports the European Central Bank is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold at its two-day meeting, with the policy decision to be announced on Thursday. The main refinancing operations, marginal lending facility and deposit facility are expected to remain at 2.15%, 2.4% and 2% respectively, and ECB President Christine Lagarde will hold a press conference afterward to explain the decision.

Lagarde is likely to reiterate that monetary policy is in a “good place” and to emphasise the ECB’s meeting-by-meeting approach, maintaining a wait-and-see stance. Recent Eurostat data cited in the article show the EU grew 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the three months to December, 2025 GDP rose 1.6% year-on-year, HICP inflation eased to 1.7% year-on-year in January and core HICP held at 2.3%.

EUR/USD trades above 1.1800, stabilising after retracing from January’s peak of 1.2082 and sitting roughly 300 pips below that high while retaining most of its 2025 gains.

European Union