This roundtable convened an expert panel from across international financial institutions to evaluate the macroeconomic outlook for Hungary and the central and eastern Europe region.
Speakers addressed the performance and prospects for Hungary and the CEE region, exploring factors including inflation, employment, balance of payments, fiscal positions and geopolitical risk. The discussion also encompassed structural particularities of the Hungarian economy. These included the impact of banking sector consolidation, opportunities and risks of foreign direct investment-led growth, strategies to diversify exports and competitiveness and financing options for digitalisation and sustainability goals. Sectoral and regional dynamics, including the role of digitalisation in manufacturing and policies aimed at mitigating spatial inequality, were also addressed.
This discussion forms part of a wider project ‘Unlocking Hungary’s post-pandemic growth potential’. This project comprises interviews with Magyar Nemzeti Bank and Hungary’s finance ministry, alongside investors. It features an international conference in Budapest on 16 November, bringing together a highly influential group of asset owners, investment managers, policy-makers, bankers and other financial services providers to join speakers from the official sector. They will provide the international financial community with unique insights into regional macroeconomic developments and the potential to invest in and via Hungary. This project culminates in a report released in late 2023.