Geopolitics, Economics, AI and Quantum Computing: HBLF Financial Summit
(From left) Moderator Borbála Czakó, HBLF honorary president, German Ambassador Julia Gross, British Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Davidson and André Erdős, vice president of the Hungarian UN Association.
The Hungarian Business Leaders Forum organized its 24th Financial Summit, “Games People Play: Geopolitics, Global Economic Challenges, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing,” on Feb. 16 at K&H Bank’s Headquarters in Budapest.
The conference shed light on conflicting economic and policy interests that are increasingly prevalent today. As technology and the widespread use of artificial intelligence continue to shape daily lives, the economy, and physical security, it is crucial to interpret global political events and changes within the European Union and overseas.
To help navigate this complex landscape, the conference brought together a lineup of ministers, economists, C-suiters, business leaders, ambassadors, and international specialists. The speakers provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities the ever-evolving global landscape presents.
András Bácsfalvi, the HBLF board member responsible for the financial summit, opened the event, followed by Attila Gombás, board member and K&H Deputy CEO. Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy, a keynote speaker, urged the launch of a program to support the purchase of electric cars at the European Union level and shared details about the ongoing global economic changes regarding the automotive industry along with its possible impacts and consequences.
In the panel discussion titled “Global Politics Through the Lenses of Ambassadors,” former Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador André Erdős (vice president of the Hungarian UN Association), German Ambassador Julia Gross, and Andrew Davidson, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy in Budapest, shared their thoughts. Borbála Czakó, the former Hungarian Ambassador to London and honorary president of HBLF, moderated the roundtable.
The program continued with the “Economy, Security and Artificial Intelligence” panel, moderated by EY partner András Bácsfalvi, with the participation of Ádám Balog, president of Rheinmetall, Éva Hegedüs, president and CEO of Gránit Bank, György Jaksity, founder of Concorde Securities Zrt., and Ferenc Vágujhelyi, president of the National Tax and Customs Administration.
Paolo Sironi is IBM’s global research leader in banking and financial markets.
AI and Productivity
Paolo Sironi, IBM’s global research leader in banking and financial markets, shared the results of research into artificial intelligence and productivity by the IBM Institute for Business Value during a presentation called “Transparency in the Age of AI.”
The Asia panel (also moderated by Bácsfalvi) featured Dávid Németh, a senior analyst at K&H Bank, Botond Feledy, a lawyer and foreign policy expert with the Center for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency CEO István Joó (also a Government Commissioner for Investment Promotion and the Implementation of Priority Large-scale Investments), and Marcell Tatai-Szabó, BDO Hungary’s FDI partner.
(From left) Moderator András Bácsfalvi, Dávid Németh (K&H Bank), Botond Feledy (Center for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy), István Joó (Hipa), and Marcell Tatai-Szabó (BDO Hungary).
Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky was another keynote speaker and covered the development of the Hungarian armed forces, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Following a two-decade-long tradition, the 24th HBLF Financial Summit was an exceptional platform for knowledge, networking, and collaboration. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry leaders and explore innovative solutions to address the pressing economic and geopolitical issues of our time.
The event finished with the thoughts of István Stumpf, university professor, former constitutional judge, and chancellor minister.
Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky spoke about the development of the Hungarian armed forces, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The Hungarian Business Leaders Forum is a non-profit organization founded on the personal initiative of the United Kingdom’s King Charles III when he was still Prince of Wales in 1992. It is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, and responsible business practices that benefit business and society to achieve social, economic, and environmentally sustainable development in Hungary. With a strong focus on collaboration and knowledge sharing, the HBLF brings together influential leaders from various sectors to address critical challenges and positively impact the future of the Hungarian business sphere.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of March 8, 2024.
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