ECB's Lagarde Warns Europe Cannot Afford to Miss "Second Digital Revolution"

21:56 - 19.08.2026


August 19, Fineko/abc.az. European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde pointed out that Europe largely missed out on the first digital revolution, with the commercial gains of information technologies predominantly captured by other regions.

Describing artificial intelligence as the "second digital revolution," Lagarde emphasized that the continent cannot afford to repeat the same mistake.

However, she noted encouraging trends, referencing survey data that shows Eurozone companies are expected to allocate approximately 9% of their total investments this year to artificial intelligence. Lagarde stressed that European firms must accelerate technology investments to remain globally competitive, with both public and private sectors leading the transformation.