The MNB governor is appointed by the president of Hungary based on the proposal of the prime minister, after a hearing before a parliamentary committee. Matolcsy will take a ceremonial oath this Friday, March 1.

There is a two-term limit for the post. His current six-year mandate as MNB governor ends on March 3.

Under the watch of Matolcsy, a former economy minister whose hallmark is unorthodox, albeit effective, policy, the central bank base rate has been brought to a historic low, noted state news agency MTI.

The incumbent has also overseen a reversal in corporate lending trends supported by the MNBʼs Funding for Growth Scheme, and helped coordinate the conversion of retail FX mortgages into forints, reducing household debt by some HUF 1 trillion, MTI added.