Mārtiņš Kazāks
Governor at Latvijas Banka (Bank of Latvia)
Type: Panelist
On August 1, 2018, Mārtiņš Kazāks was appointed to the Council of Latvijas Banka by the Saeima. On December 12, 2019, he became Governor for a five-year term, ending December 20, 2024, and was re-elected for a second term on February 6, 2025.
Previously, he held academic roles at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, University of London, Rīga Stradiņš University, and Riga Business School. He served as Chief Economist at Swedbank Latvia (2005–2009) and Deputy Chief Economist of Swedbank Group (2010–2018), and was a member of Latvia’s Strategic Analysis Committee (2006–2011) and Fiscal Discipline Council (2014–2018).
Mr. Kazaks is a member of the ECB Governing and General Councils and serves as Governor of the IMF for the Republic of Latvia.
He holds degrees from the University of Latvia, University of Cambridge, and University of London (PhD, 2005) and has published extensively on financial markets, economic cycles, fiscal policy, and competitiveness.
Previously, he held academic roles at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, University of London, Rīga Stradiņš University, and Riga Business School. He served as Chief Economist at Swedbank Latvia (2005–2009) and Deputy Chief Economist of Swedbank Group (2010–2018), and was a member of Latvia’s Strategic Analysis Committee (2006–2011) and Fiscal Discipline Council (2014–2018).
Mr. Kazaks is a member of the ECB Governing and General Councils and serves as Governor of the IMF for the Republic of Latvia.
He holds degrees from the University of Latvia, University of Cambridge, and University of London (PhD, 2005) and has published extensively on financial markets, economic cycles, fiscal policy, and competitiveness.
Appears in:
Wednesday15:00 - 15:40
Whose Money, Whose Rules? Europe, the Digital Euro, and the Stablecoin QuestionTrack: Future of Payments and Financial InfrastructureAs digital money scales globally, control is increasingly contested. This session explores the ECB’s regulatory perspective, the role of the digital euro, and the rapid expansion of US-backed stablecoins. We examine how regulation, monetary sovereignty, and market adoption intersect, and what Europe can realistically influence in a world where private digital currencies already move at global speed.