BBJ - Budapest Business Journal

Commercial real estate investment across the CEE-6 markets reached EUR 5.8 billion for H1 2026 compared with EUR 5.4 bln in H1 2025, representing a 7% year-on-year increase in volume, according to Colliers figures.

Figures

Hungary Lifts Debt Issuance Plan to HUF 8.7 tln as Financing Needs Grow

Hungary’s Gov't Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) has raised its 2026 net issuance target to HUF 8.717 tln, citing a larger-than-expected budget deficit and the need to pre-finance EU funding expected in December.

Real Estate

Seven Pearl Tops Out in Budapest’s Historic Heart

The Seven Pearl residential development in Budapest has reached its highest point, marking a milestone for a complex that will include more than 160 apartments and a passage connecting Síp utca and Dohány utca.

INSIDE VIEW

Pay Transparency: A Practical Tool for Comparing the Value of Different Roles

Energy Investment in Hungary: Sectors, Returns, and the Legal Infrastructure That Makes it Possible

Europe’s new Insolvency Rulebook: What it Means for Hungary

Cyber Resilience Act: Companies Face First 2026 deadline

From Pay Reporting to Litigation Risk: The Impact of the EU Pay Transparency Directive

Hungary’s Proposed Insolvency Regime: What Would the Draft Law Change?

Sci-Fi Today: Tax Returns Entrusted to Machines

Advantages of Hungarian Trust Asset Management Also Available to Foreigners

Mind the 5%: Getting Ahead of Gender Pay Gap Rules in Hungary

Adaptive Reuse of Existing Office Building Stock: Legal Pitfalls

Navigating the Energy Storage Boom: Emerging Trends, Legal Implications

Double Benefit: Energy Efficiency With Tax Benefits

Balance and Timing in Taxation Key to Success in Automotive

Sustainability Reporting Made Simpler? The EU’s Omnibus Package Explained

Digital Under Scrutiny: Key Lessons from GVH’s 2024 Crackdown

Automotive

Budapest Cuts EV Parking Discounts but Keeps Benefits Until 2030

Budapest's City Assembly voted to reduce the parking discount for electric and hydrogen vehicles to 50%, keeping the benefit in...

Business

Former Hungarian Ministers Seszták and Hankó Detained After Immunity Lifted

Opposition lawmakers and former ministers Miklós Seszták and Balázs Hankó were detained on Monday after Parliament suspended their immunity, according...

PRESENTED CONTENT

Dealing With Tick Bites

Honor Sees Hungary as a Strategic Market for Ecosystem-led Growth

Resilient by Design: Celebrating 25 years of TCS in Hungary

Serving Up the New U.S. Dietary Guidelines

BBJ Quick Interview: Realizing the Business Benefits of ESG

Penny Hungary at 30: Digital, Caring, Community-oriented

Kidney Stones: When Your Body’s Own Substances Become the Enemy

Banks, Supply Chains, and Insurance: Why Cybersecurity Matters

Expanded Sanofi Budapest Hub Demonstrates the Pulse of Progress

Drees & Sommer on Adding Value, Digitalization and ‘Urban Mining’

Hungary Still has Much to Offer Germany – EY Partner Ésik Says

From Chatbots to Virtual Bankers: How AI Is Reshaping Hungarian Finance

Market Fundamentals Holding Back Entries by Major Luxury Fashion Brands

Affidea Offers a Clearer Image of Employee Health

Philips Advocates Human-centric AI Integration to Enable Better Care for More

Automotive

Wallis Builds Next Growth Phase on Local Knowledge and Leadership

Gyula Mező, CEO of Wallis Asset Management, tells the BBJ how the group is allocating capital, managing an increasingly int'l...

Construction

Government Gives Green Light to M49 Extension to Romanian Border

The government will proceed with the second phase of the M49 expressway, extending the road to the Romanian border, Transportation...

BUSINESS

Manufacturing

Nestlé Unveils Hungary’s Largest Food Industry Investment in Bük

Nestlé has completed a HUF 193 bln expansion at its Purina pet food factory in Bük, adding three production units...

Sustainability

ESG Elements Central to Investment and Financing

Analysts say a sustainable recovery in the investment markets is underway, although investors are more selective in how they allocate...

Sustainability

Accreditation Systems Face More Complex Demands

Developers and asset owners in the region see a growing need for higher-level third-party sustainability accreditations such as BREEAM, LEED,...

Sustainability

The Business Case for Building Less, and Managing Better

Tibor Karsai, managing director of Rustler Kft., explains how coordinated design, investment and property operations can make circular strategies commercially...

Hungary’s Unemployment Rate Reaches 4.7% in August

Hungary’s unemployment rate stood at 4.7% in August, with 229,000 people unemployed and 4.654 mln employed among those aged 15-74,...

Taking Discipline, Perseverance, and Goal-setting from the Pool to the Workplace

In his sporting life, Valter Kalaus was an Olympic swimmer at 18 and, now 56, competes regularly in Masters events....

Budapest Residents Move Less as Outer Districts Gain Ground

Fewer Budapest residents moved between districts in 2025, with around 29,000 people registering a new permanent address elsewhere in the...

Budapest Office Supply Tightens, Vacancy Falls, Rents Flat

Budapest's office market is tightening, with the vacancy rate at 12.2% even as rental prices remain at EUR 25 per...

ECONOMY

Analysis

Hungary’s Business Confidence Improves in September

Business sentiment improved in Hungary in September, while consumer confidence remained largely unchanged, according to a monthly survey by economic...

Analysis

Hungary Could Adopt Euro in 2033 at Earliest, Equilor Says

Hungary could adopt the euro in 2033 at the earliest, with high public debt and a substantial budget deficit posing...

Analysis

EBRD Maintains Hungary Growth Forecast at 1.8% for 2026

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) forecasts Hungary’s economy will expand by 1.8% in 2026 and 2.5% in...

MNB

Former Central Bank Governor Matolcsy Questioned as Suspect in Erste Case

Police have questioned seven suspects, including former National Bank of Hungary Governor György Matolcsy, in an investigation into alleged abuse...

MNB to Lower Inflation Target to 2.5% From 2028, Holds Base Rate at 5.5%

The National Bank of Hungary (MNB) will lower its inflation target to 2.5% from Jan. 1, 2028, while retaining its...

Nine-Year-Old Budapest Wind Record Broken on Monday

A wind gust of 92.9 km/h measured on János Hill early Monday set a new Budapest record for September 21,...

Naftogaz, MOL Sign MoU on Fuel Storage in Hungary for Ukraine

Ukraine’s Naftogaz has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hungary’s MOL to explore developing petroleum product storage facilities near the...

Net-zero Transition Becoming a Core Banking Issue

Banks have a central role to play in financing Hungary’s transition to a lower-carbon economy, not by withdrawing from carbon-intensive...

POLITICS

Parliament

Hungarian Parliament Rejects President’s Nominee for Chief Prosecutor

Parliament rejected President András Baka’s nominee for chief public prosecutor, Zoltán Szathmáry, in a secret ballot on Monday, according to...

Parliament

Hungarian Parliament Suspends PM Magyar’s Immunity

Parliament voted to suspend the immunity of Prime Minister Péter Magyar at a special session on Monday. The motion to...

Government

Hungarian Government Plans Broader KATA Eligibility, Higher Monthly Payments

The gov't plans to expand eligibility for Hungary’s itemized tax for small businesses (KATA) while raising monthly tax payments, PM...

EU Grants Hungary 1‑year Exemption from Gas Market Rule

The EC approved Hungary's request for a temporary exemption from an EU gas‑market regulation at the Serbian border, allowing the...

Magyar Invites Pope Leo XIV to Hungary After Vatican Talks

Prime Minister Péter Magyar invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Hungary during a private audience at the Vatican on Sept....

Tisza Lawmakers Propose Making Christmas Eve a Public Holiday

Three Tisza Party lawmakers have submitted a bill to Parliament that would make Dec. 24 a permanent public holiday in...

EU Project Pre-Financing Pushes August Budget Deficit to HUF 2.31 tln

Hungary’s cash flow-based general government deficit reached HUF 2.31 tln in August, driven overwhelmingly by pre-financing for projects supported by...

Magyar Casts Doubt on Tisza Support for Chief Prosecutor Nominee

PM Péter Magyar said Monday that the ruling Tisza Party was unlikely to support Zoltán Szathmáry’s nomination as chief public...

BUDAPEST

Hotels

Hotel Clark Budapest Retains Michelin Key for Second Consecutive Year

Hotel Clark Budapest, the flagship hotel of Unione Hotel Management, has retained its Michelin Key, recognizing its approach to contemporary...