At its September meeting, the Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) left the base rate unchanged at 5.50%, marking the first time it has kept the benchmark rate steady following the interest rate cuts over the summer. The central bank announced that, effective January 1, 2028, it will lower its inflation target […]
Last year, nearly three billion electronic payment transactions were carried out in Hungary, up from 2.5 billion the previous year, while the proportion of users of electronic payment solutions and businesses accepting such transactions is also steadily rising. That is according to Miklós Luspay, Director of the Financial Infrastructures and Payment Systems Directorate at the […]
“Euro adoption must be carried out in such a way that it yields more benefits than risks for Hungary’s economy,” according to National Bank of Hungary (MNB) Governor Mihály Varga, speaking at the 64th Itinerant Congress of Economists this week. He underlined that it was necessary to adopt the euro in a manner that would […]
First-half after-tax profit of Hungarian banks slipped 22% year-on-year to HUF 685 billion, data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) on Monday show. Lenders' net interest income increased 7% to HUF 1,836 billion. Net revenue from commissions and fees edged down 3% to HUF 929 billion. Banks' return on equity reached 11.8%, falling […]
The number of voluntary pension fund members reached 1,088,800 in the second quarter of this year, inching up 1% from a year earlier, data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) show. Voluntary pension funds closed the last four quarters with an increase of 12,500 members, meaning that the persistent negative trend of previous […]
The Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) decided to cut the central bank base rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% at a monthly policy meeting on Tuesday. The Council also lowered the central bank's symmetric interest rate corridor by 25 basis points, bringing the O/N deposit rate to 4.50% and the […]
Hungary's state debt relative to GDP reached 75.1% at the end of the second quarter, preliminary data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) show. The state debt ratio rose from 74.6% at the end of 2025. In absolute terms, Hungary's state debt stood at HUF 67,815 billion at the end of Q2, up […]
The average and end-of-month stocks of external assets increased in July, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) reports. The increase was primarily the result of the EUR-denominated government bond issuance by the Government Debt Management Agency, changes in the forint exchange rate, and the decrease in the stock of swaps providing euro liquidity concluded with […]
Given current global economic trends, the annual inflation rate of less than 2% set by the central bank in June remains realistic, said Péter Benő Banai, vice president of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), in the latest episode of the MNB Podcast. According to a press release issued by the MNB on Sunday, Péter […]
The Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) decided to cut the central bank base rate by 25 basis points to 5.75% at a monthly policy meeting on Tuesday. The Council also lowered the central bank's symmetric interest rate corridor by 25 basis points, bringing the O/N deposit rate to 4.75% and the […]
In May, the current account balance closed with a surplus of EUR 81 million, compared with a deficit of EUR 201 million in April, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB). The current account closed the first quarter with a surplus of EUR 251 million, compared with a surplus […]
Consumer prices in Hungary rose by 1.7% year-on-year in June 2026. Relative to the 1.8% observed in May, the annual growth rate of prices was down by 0.1 percentage point. Core inflation, and core inflation excluding indirect tax effects, remained unchanged at 2.0%, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) states in its latest flash analysis […]
Hungary's current account had a EUR 251 million surplus in the first quarter of the year, compared to a EUR 353 million surplus in Q4 2025, and a EUR 1.177 billion surplus in Q1 2025, quarterly data released by the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), and reviewed by MTI, on Monday show. The trade surplus […]
In the first five months of the year the credit institution sector reported an after-tax profit of HUF 485 billion, down by 19% compared to the same period a year earlier, preliminary data released by the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) on Wednesday shows. Interest revenue was up 11% at HUF 2,733 billion while interest […]
The Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) decided to cut the central bank base rate by 25 basis points to 6.00% at a monthly policy meeting on Tuesday. As MTI reports, the Council also lowered the overnight deposit rate by 25 basis points to 5.00% and the O/N collateralized loan rate by […]
