OTP, BME to Cooperate on Cybersecurity

Hungary's largest financial institution, OTP Bank has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) covering instruction, research and recruitment in the area of cybersecurity, the lender said in a statement.

In the framework of the cooperation, OTP's experts will participate in the university's cybersecurity training programmes and contribute to students' practical instruction. The sides will also prepare joint R+D projects and cooperate on the organisation of seminars and thesis advising.

In the press release, Charaf Hassan, rector of BME, stated that the agreement signed with OTP Bank creates an opportunity for the university’s expertise and the financial sector’s practical experience to work together to strengthen digital security in Hungary.

Bence Borókai, OTP Bank’s Group-Level Cybersecurity Leader at OTP Bank, noted in the press release that it is a strategically significant step to include the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in their university partnerships alongside ELTE and the National University of Public Service, thereby further expanding OTP Bank’s cybersecurity research and development ecosystem.

The expert added that this collaboration will strengthen the research and development of innovative security solutions that more effectively support fraud prevention as well as the prevention and mitigation of threats originating in cyberspace.

OTP Bank already cooperates with the Eötvös Lórand University (ELTE) and the Ludovika University of Public Service.