
Moody's affirms Hungary's investment-grade sovereign rating
Moody's Ratings affirmed Hungary's investment-grade sovereign rating at a scheduled review on Friday.
The National Economy Ministry said in a statement that all three big credit rating agencies put Hungary in the investment-grade category, thanks to the stable foundations of the country's economy.
Employment remains high, real wages are increasing dynamically, and domestic tourism should have another record year in 2025. International confidence is regularly confirmed by bond issues. Most recently, the Hungarian Development Bank's (MFB) EUR 1bn bond issue, with a 4.375pc coupon, drew significant international interest.
The government is using Hungary's resources to support families and domestic SMEs, and is working to achieve the highest possible economic growth and to improve the credit rating outlook from the current negative to stable. It is implementing Europe's largest tax reduction programme and has introduced markup caps on food and non-food products, which is expected to further increase household consumption, the ministry said.
In order to achieve sustainable GDP growth, the government aims to boost investments through expanding a scheme announced earlier to set up 100 new factories to 150 manufacturing bases and providing special support to domestic SMEs. The Demjan Sandor Programme aims to scale up SMEs with HUF 1,400bn in funding, including grants, preferential loans, a HUF 100bn capital scheme and HUF 130bn support for technology upgrades, the ministry said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Budapest Times
14 hours ago
- Budapest Times
Government announces rapid rail link between Liszt Ferenc International Airport and Nyugati Station
Márton Nagy, National Economy Minister, has announced a government decision to build a EUR 1bn rapid rail link between Liszt Ferenc International Airport and Nyugati Station, in Budapest. Minister Nagy said the government had also decided on the construction of a new cargo airport at a cost of between EUR 400m and EUR 1bn. Both investments will be completed in a concession framework, he added. The rail link would require the addition of a new line only between the airport and the capital's District X. The concession tender could be called within six months and is expected to draw interest from both foreign and Hungarian investors. Minister Nagy noted that passenger traffic at Liszt Ferenc had climbed by an annual 14pc, on average, in recent years, and reached a record 17.6 million in 2024. Annual passenger numbers could exceed 20 million by 2030 and reach 35 million by 2040, he added. Minister Nagy said cargo turnover at the airport would soon reach the full capacity of 400,000-450,000 tonnes a year. The government is weighing 5-6 possible locations for a new cargo airport, greenfield and brownfield, he said. The site must be remote from residential areas to ensure non-stop operation and be close to railway and road infrastructure, he added. As most cargo at Liszt Ferenc comes from Asia, including 43pc from China, the project is expected to draw the interest of investors from China, the Middle East, Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan, he said. Fielding questions, Nagy said a HUF 100bn dividend paid by Liszt Ferenc operator Budapest Airport would improve the budget balance. He added that the government expected an annual HUF 20bn-30bn in dividends from the airport.


Budapest Times
2 days ago
- Budapest Times
Hankó: Government values all Hungarian talent
Balázs Hankó, the minister for culture and innovation, said the Hungarian government values all Hungarian talent and is committed to running a talent management system that supports and improves Hungarian talent around the world. Speaking at the 'Talent's Talk 2025' event in Vienna, Minister Hankó said the government has allocated 400 million forints (EUR 990,000) for the next academic year's Stipendium Peregrinum scholarship scheme for Hungarian students who have applied to the world's best universities. Meanwhile, Minister Hankó said the Pannonia scholarship programme has given more than 3,000 young Hungarians the chance to gain experience at Europe's and the world's leading universities over the past semester. The government has also increased funding for young Hungarian researchers this year to 40 billion forints from 19 billion, the minister said. He noted that Hungary's aim is to have a university among the world's top 100 institutions by 2030, and for Hungary to be among the ten most innovative countries in the European Union.


Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Budapest Times
Moody's affirms Hungary's investment-grade sovereign rating
Moody's Ratings affirmed Hungary's investment-grade sovereign rating at a scheduled review on Friday. The National Economy Ministry said in a statement that all three big credit rating agencies put Hungary in the investment-grade category, thanks to the stable foundations of the country's economy. Employment remains high, real wages are increasing dynamically, and domestic tourism should have another record year in 2025. International confidence is regularly confirmed by bond issues. Most recently, the Hungarian Development Bank's (MFB) EUR 1bn bond issue, with a 4.375pc coupon, drew significant international interest. The government is using Hungary's resources to support families and domestic SMEs, and is working to achieve the highest possible economic growth and to improve the credit rating outlook from the current negative to stable. It is implementing Europe's largest tax reduction programme and has introduced markup caps on food and non-food products, which is expected to further increase household consumption, the ministry said. In order to achieve sustainable GDP growth, the government aims to boost investments through expanding a scheme announced earlier to set up 100 new factories to 150 manufacturing bases and providing special support to domestic SMEs. The Demjan Sandor Programme aims to scale up SMEs with HUF 1,400bn in funding, including grants, preferential loans, a HUF 100bn capital scheme and HUF 130bn support for technology upgrades, the ministry said.