Hungaryʼs cash flow-based general government, excluding local councils, ran a HUF 244.5 billion surplus at the end of January, the Ministry of Finance said in a detailed reading of data on Thursday, confirming a preliminary flash report on February 8, state news agency MTI reported.

The National Pálinka Council has discovered interesting anomalies in the tax authorityʼs 2018 data about private distilleries, revealing that less than 7,000 of the more than 23,000 distilling machines were used in 2018, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Budapest Metropolitan University (METU), an accredited private institute of higher education, has announced the appointment of Ágnes Tóth as its new CEO, effective from February, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Construction industry association EVOSZ is urging the government to make funding for investments at SMEs available sooner, association chairman László Koji told state news agency MTI.

Tesla, the American automotive company that specializes in electric cars, plans to open a dealership salon in Budapest, near Petőfi Bridge, according to a report on current affairs news portal hvg.hu.

Hungarian electronic music festival Balaton Sound has said it will rerun its so-called “Safety First” initiative, originally launched last year to help young people become more conscious and secure, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Gránit Pólus Group has named Attila Prosits as its business development director, after he headed the capitalʼs WestEnd City Center mall successfully for nearly ten years, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Gránit Pólus Group has announced the appointment of Simona Ioana Ion as property management director of Budapestʼs WestEnd City Center shopping mall, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Wages at Budapest Airport and its subsidiaries are set to increase by 12.8% on average, as the airport reached an agreement with business councils and trade unions about base wages and bonus increases, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Budapestʼs Central European University (CEU) and international network Scholars at Risk have been jointly awarded the 2019 Politiken Freedom Prize for "protecting scholars and the freedom to think, question and share ideas," according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

The Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK) sold HUF 40 billion of bonds maturing in 2026 and 2028, accepting bonds expiring in 2020 as payment at a switch auction on Wednesday, state news wire MTI reported.   

S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday said it raised its long and short-term resolution counterparty ratings (RCRs) on Hungaryʼs OTP Bank and its unit OTP Mortgage Bank from "BBB-/A-3" to "BBB/A-2," state news agency MTI reported.

Long-distance coach operator Flixbus has announced expanding its summer route offers, meaning that from June onwards, it will provide daily connections to more than 20 settlements from Hungary, including destinations on the Slovenian coast and in Istria for the first time.

The organizers of the annual Red Bull Air Race visited Zamárdi, on Lake Balaton, on Tuesday in their search for an alternative venue for this yearʼs event, which has been banned from downtown Budapest, the cityʼs mayor told state news agency MTI.

Hungary has become the 29th country to sign the Declaration creating a European Blockchain Partnership, the European Commission said on its website, ec.europa.eu.

The British Embassy will hold its third Brexit Town Hall meeting for U.K. nationals living in Hungary on Thursday, March 7, updating them on what they need to do to secure their status in Hungary following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union.

Budapestʼs Museum of Fine Arts has acquired a masterpiece by the Flemish Baroque painter Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) for HUF 2.1 billion, with support from the government. The portrait is one of the last masterworks completed by the leading English court painter before his premature death.

Hungaryʼs government will open a foreign trade office in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in the city on Tuesday, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an official visit to Israel. The office is another step forward in the strengthening of ties between Hungary and Israel, Orbán noted.       

The application period for Design Terminalʼs spring 2019 startup mentoring program ended on February 18, attracting applicants from countries as diverse as the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, and Nigeria, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Hungaryʼs government is allocating HUF 6 billion this year and an annual HUF 5.5 bln from 2020 to ensure Hungarian primary school students get to attend a theater, dance, circus or classical music performance once a year, free of charge, Hungarian news agency MTI reported Tuesday.