Xavier Debrun, Ph.D.

On 2 February 2026, Xavier Debrun was appointed Director General of Statistics, Economics and International at the Banque de France. Before that, Xavier Debrun was Head of the Research Department at the National Bank of Belgium (BNB).

He holds a degree from the University of Namur (Master’s in Economic and Social Sciences) and a PhD in international economics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1999, under the supervision of Charles Wyplosz. A postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University’s Department of Economics preceded his entry into the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he worked for nearly 20 years, mainly in the Public Finance and Research Departments.

He joined the NBB in 2019. In addition to his main activities, Xavier Debrun was a member of the European Budget Committee between 2020 and 2024. He was also a researcher at Bruegel and a visiting professor at the University Institute of Geneva during a sabbatical in 2006-07.

His research topics include international macroeconomic policy coordination, the geography of monetary unions, macro-fiscal issues, and the interactions between monetary, fiscal, and structural policies.

He has led numerous IMF technical assistance missions, particularly on tax revenue forecasting and the establishment of fiscal policy rules and independent fiscal institutions