Brazil's interim government on Tuesday named economist Ilan Goldfajn as the new head of the central bank, a key post in the fight to ease the giant economy out of recession and inflation.

Goldfajn, replacing Alexandre Tombini, will be a lynchpin in efforts by acting president Michel Temer to bring life back to Brazil's economy. Temer took power last week after the Senate's suspension of president Dilma Rousseff in an impeachment trial that she says is a coup.