Knot, De Cos, Nagel emerge as key candidates to succeed ECB's Lagarde

Key facts

• Klaas Knot, 59, is a trained monetary economist and former head of the Dutch central bank.
• Pablo Hernandez de Cos, 55, heads the Bank for International Settlements and is a former Bank of Spain governor.
• Joachim Nagel, 60, heads the Bundesbank and has moderated Germany's stance on ECB policy.
• Nagel is seen as the least likely winner among the three candidates.

FRANKFURT, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The race to succeed European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, who resigned on Thursday, has begun with Klaas Knot, Pablo Hernandez de Cos and Joachim Nagel emerging as key candidates. The formal selection process is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.