Finance

Banking

Electronic Payments Rising Rapidly in Hungary

Electronic payments are expanding at a "rapid" pace in Hungary and accounted for 36% of all domestic transactions last year,...

Debt

General Gov’t Deficit at HUF 2.763 tln in May

Hungary's cash flow-based general government balance reached HUF 2.763 trillion at the end of May, the Ministry of Finance confirmed...

Ratings

Fitch Affirms Hungary ‘BBB’ Rating With Negative Outlook

Fitch Ratings affirmed Hungary's "BBB" sovereign rating with a negative outlook at a scheduled review on Friday, according to a...

Banking

Voucher Card Spending Could Boost Retail Food Sales

Recent government decisions raising the top-up threshold for the Szép voucher card and making food in supermarkets eligible for purchase...

MNB

MNB Points to ‘Significant’ Rise in Profit Inflation

The practice of companies raising prices to a larger degree than justified by increased costs has had a bigger impact...

Trade

Hungary-China Trade Relationship Soaring to new Heights Firms Told

The Hungary-China Business Meeting was held on June 9 in Budapest’s Corinthia Hotel, offering companies from both countries a chance...

Banking

Rate on General-Purpose Diákhitel Loans to Rise to 7.99%

The rate on free-purpose loans offered by state-owned student loan provider Diakhitel will rise from 4.99% to 7.99% from July...

Debt

ÁKK Sells HUF 29 bln of 3-month T-bills at Auction

The Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) sold HUF 29 billion of discount three-month T-bills at auction on Tuesday, HUF 4...

MNB

MNB Cuts O/N Collateralized Loan Rate

The Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) decided to leave the base rate on hold at 13%,...

Trade

Waberer’s Cuts Avg Age of Int’l Truck Fleet

Waberer's Group has reduced the average age of its Hungarian fleet of trucks in international service to under two-and-a-half years,...

Banking

MBH Bank Sells EUR 75 mln of Bonds at Auction

MBH Bank sold EUR 75 million of bonds at an auction on the Budapest Stock Exchange on Wednesday, an announcement...

Banking

Value of Bank Card Purchases Rises 31% in Q1

The value of purchases in Hungary made with locally-issued bank cards climbed 31% year-on-year to HUF 3.435 tln in the...

Debt

ÁKK Sells HUF 35 bln of 6-month T-bills at Auction, Over Plan

The Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) sold HUF 35 billion of discount six-month T-bills at auction on Wednesday, HUF 10...

Banking

Forint Liquidity of Banking Sector Grows in May

Forint liquidity of the Hungarian banking sector expanded in May, reflected in a rise in lenders' deposits with the central...

Ratings

Scope Affirms Masterplast BB- Issuer Rating, Changes Outlook to Negative

Scope ratings affirmed listed Hungarian building materials maker Masterplast's BB- issuer rating, but changed the outlook to negative from stable...

Banking

OTP Says Exposure Limited as Paraguay’s Ueno Bank Enters Insolvency

OTP Bank said its USD 47 million investment in Paraguay’s Ueno Bank represents a small exposure for the Hungarian lender...

Ratings

Fitch Sees Hungary’s Deficit Narrowing but Debt Burden Rising

Hungary’s budget deficit is expected to narrow and growth to accelerate in 2027, but rising debt and fiscal vulnerabilities continue...

MNB

MNB Cites Global Uncertainty Behind September Rate Hold

Global economic uncertainty constrained Hungary’s monetary policy room for maneuver, the National Bank of Hungary’s (MNB) Monetary Council agreed at...

OTP Says Exposure Limited as Paraguay’s Ueno Bank Enters Insolvency

OTP Bank said its USD 47 million investment in Paraguay’s Ueno Bank represents a small exposure for the Hungarian lender...

What Happens Next to What We’ve Built? New Challenges in Family Wealth Planning

Building a successful family business takes decades of work, but its future also depends on how carefully the transfer of...

Hungarian Banks Seek Gradual Reduction in 45% Effective Tax Burden

Hungarian banks hope for a “slow but certain” reduction in their tax burden, Hungarian Banking Association President Radovan Jelasity said...

MNB Probe Widens as International Arrest Warrant Issued for Ádám Matolcsy

International arrest warrants have been issued for Ádám Matolcsy, son of former Hungarian central bank Governor György Matolcsy, and businessman...

MNB Holds Base Rate at 5.5%, Maintains Symmetric Interest Rate Corridor

The Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) left the base rate unchanged at 5.5% at its monthly...

Gránit Bank Hit by Largest Loan Loss Provision in Its History

Gránit Bank reported an additional approximately HUF 9.4 billion loan loss provision in the third quarter of 2026, the largest...

Fitch Sees Hungary’s Deficit Narrowing but Debt Burden Rising

Hungary’s budget deficit is expected to narrow and growth to accelerate in 2027, but rising debt and fiscal vulnerabilities continue...

MNB Cites Global Uncertainty Behind September Rate Hold

Global economic uncertainty constrained Hungary’s monetary policy room for maneuver, the National Bank of Hungary’s (MNB) Monetary Council agreed at...

MNB International Reserves Fall to EUR 62.1 bln in September

The National Bank of Hungary’s (MNB) international reserves stood at EUR 62.061 bln at the end of September, down EUR...

K&H Bank and Mastercard Extend Strategic Partnership Through 2030

K&H Bank and Mastercard have extended their exclusive strategic partnership through 2030, with plans to expand personalized digital financial services...

OTP Forecasts Hungary’s GDP Growth at 1.7% in 2026, 2.5% in 2027

Hungary’s economy could expand by 1.7% this year and 2.5% in 2027, with household consumption driving growth in 2026, according...

Hungary Posts EUR 481 mln Trade Deficit as Import Volumes Jump 13%

Hungary recorded a EUR 481 million goods trade deficit in August as import volumes rose 13% year-on-year while export volumes...

Bayer Construct Gets Default Ratings After Bankruptcy Protection Filing

Scope Ratings has assigned default ratings to Bayer Construct following its bankruptcy protection filing, citing financial pressure linked partly to...

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...