HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
|
|
16th October, 2025
MNB calls in bank guarantee over HQ renovation
The MNB has invoked the bank guarantee of Raw Development, the main contractor for the renovation of the central bank’s headquarters on Szabadság tér.
|
16th October, 2025
Uniform Ft 25,000 fine for fare dodgers
Starting October 16, the MÁV Group will impose a flat Ft 25,000 surcharge on passengers traveling without a valid ticket or pass, regardless of whether the fine is paid on the spot or later.
|
15th October, 2025
Lázár’s “new” trains not to arrive before 2029
Despite Minister János Lázár’s triumphant announcement that Hungary will soon have “new motor trains,” the vehicles in question are actually used trains from Switzerland, and they will not begin service until 2029 at the earliest, Telex reports.
|
15th October, 2025
OTP shares unfazed by big donation
The OTP share price was apparently unaffected by the news that the lender will contribute Ft 20 billion to the renovation of the Grassalkovics Castle in Gödöllő, Világgazdaság reports.
|
14th October, 2025
Last Hungarian hostage released by Hamas
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Monday morning that Omri Mirán, the last Hungarian hostage held by Hamas, had been freed and handed over to the Red Cross.
|
14th October, 2025
RingPay enters Hungary
Contactless “ring” payments have arrived in Hungary, RingPay, the provider of the new service, announced on Monday.
|
13th October, 2025
Tisza courts top private-sector executives
Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, has held talks with István Kapitány, former global vice president of Shell and one of Hungary’s most successful business leaders.
|
10th October, 2025
Krasnahorkai wins Nobel Prize for Literature
Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai was named on Thursday the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, 23 years after the honour was bestowed on another Hungarian writer, Imre Kertész.
|
9th October, 2025
Lázár may lure carmaker to Pécs
Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár announced that efforts are under way to attract a major industrial investor to Pécs, in partnership with the city and the University of Pécs.
|
8th October, 2025
Head doctors arrested in bribery case
Two head doctors suspected of taking bribes in a Budapest hospital were arrested along with a social worker by Budapest Police on October 1, following two years of collecting data.
|
7th October, 2025
More Hungarians planning to vote
More people than in recent months say they will vote in the next election, according to the latest poll conducted by the Republikon Institute in September.
|
6th October, 2025
NAV uncovers SZÉP card cash-out scheme
The tax authority NAV has uncovered a large-scale fraud involving SZÉP card accounts.
|
3rd October, 2025
Tesco tests Premier brand
Food retailer Tesco has launched its first Premier store in Hungary, opening the unit in Csepel, Budapest’s 21st District, as part of a pilot project.
|
2nd October, 2025
Rail line sacrificed for CATL factory
State railway company MÁV will close the Debrecen-Nagykereki railway line on October 19 to make way for land required by Chinese battery maker CATL, according to transport expert Dávid Vitézy.
|
1st October, 2025
Household savings falling
Hungarians’ average savings shrank to Ft 1.8 million this year from Ft 2.3 million in 2024, according to the latest Biztos Jövő survey by K&H.
|
29th September, 2025
Hundreds protest at Orban estate
Independent MP Ákos Hadházy organised another visit to Viktor Orbán’s father’s Hatvanpuszta estate on Saturday, drawing hundreds of participants two months after his previous demonstration.
|
29th September, 2025
Third District waste collection restarts
Lomtalanítás, the annual collection of large unwanted household waste, resumed in Budapest’s Third District on Saturday, having been interrupted by a wildcat strike on September 24 by employees of waste collection concession holder MOHU, a subsidiary of MOL. Following negotiations between district mayor László Kiss and MOHU, extra collection rounds are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday for residents who held back their rubbish at the district’s request.
|
25th September, 2025
Strike halts waste collection across Budapest
Garbage collection in Budapest halted on Wednesday morning, due to a spontaneous, unannounced wildcat strike by several hundred MOHU employees at the Ecseri út depot in Budapest, who expressed unhappiness over shortages of cleaning kits, work clothes, boots, and spare parts for garbage trucks.
|
25th September, 2025
Rába rejects 4iG’s public offer
Rába’s board of directors has decided not to recommend that shareholders accept 4iG SDT’s mandatory public offer for all outstanding shares in the auto parts maker, despite acknowledging the bidder’s “presence, international connections and industry synergies” as potential stabilising factors.
|
23rd September, 2025
Hungarians spend more online abroad than at home
For the first time, Hungarian bank card holders spent more on foreign e-commerce sites than on domestic webshops in the second quarter of 2025, as the Ft 1,111 billion total value of foreign purchases surpassed the Ft 1,016 billion spent at home, according to fresh data.
|
23rd September, 2025
Gellért Bath to close for multi-year renovation
The Gellért Bath adjacent to the hotel of the same name will close from October 1 for a 2.5-3-year renovation, the city-owned thermal baths manager announced.
|
22nd September, 2025
Rituals opens first Hungarian store
Dutch lifestyle brand Rituals opened its inaugural Hungarian store on September 17, marking its 1,400th outlet worldwide, Blikk reported on Friday.
|
22nd September, 2025
Renovated Keleti station reopens
Keleti train station resumed operations on Sunday afternoon after being closed for renovations, MÁV CEO Zsolt Hegyi announced on Sunday evening.
|
19th September, 2025
Former Interior Ministry HQ sold at auction
State asset manager MNV has sold the former HQ of the Interior Ministry in central Budapest for Ft 51 billion, according to the website of MNV, Portfolio writes.
|
19th September, 2025
Heavy fines for not wearing seat belt
Hungarian police will be imposing heavier fines for those who fail to use seat belts from Thursday.
|
18th September, 2025
Absence of cleaning staff disrupts SK On factory
Cleaning services at SK On’s EV battery factory in Komárom stopped on September 12, when cleaners failed to report for work and did not return in the following days, employees told Telex.
|
18th September, 2025
Car-free weekend ahead in Budapest
A car-free weekend will be arranged in downtown Budapest on Saturday and Sunday, the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) announced yesterday.
|
17th September, 2025
Storm claims 30% higher this summer
Insurers have paid out Ft 13.1 billion on 101,000 claims for storm damage that occurred between May and August, insurance association Mabisz reports.
|
17th September, 2025
Time Out Market opening in Budapest
Budapest’s new culinary destination, Time Out Market, will officially open on Saturday in the renovated Corvin Palace at Blaha Lujza tér.
|
16th September, 2025
Duelling leaflets campaign begins
The Tisza Party launched a nationwide leaflets campaign on the weekend, setting forth its tax reduction plans in response to a Fidesz campaign accusing Tisza of planning to raise taxes.
|
16th September, 2025
Forint at three-year high against dollar
The euro was traded at around Ft 389.7, and the dollar at Ft 331 on Monday, as the forint reached its strongest position against the US currency in three and a half years.
|
15th September, 2025
Tesla expands charging network
Tesla has finished building its first V4 Supercharger station in Pécs, though a technical issue is delaying its launch by a few days, Villanyautósok.hu reported.
|
12th September, 2025
Households’ securities holdings hit record high
The total value of domestic securities held by households – which include government securities, bonds, investment fund units and equities, rose by 1.3% month-on-month to a record Ft 29 trillion in July, according to data from the MNB.
|
12th September, 2025
MÁV connects to two Ukrainian cities
State railway company MÁV will connect Hungary with Berehove and Uzhhorod with direct train services from Friday.
|
11th September, 2025
Wizz Air to exit Vienna by next March
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced the complete closure of its Vienna base by March 15, 2026, following a strategic review of its operations, Airportal reports.
|
11th September, 2025
Richest 10,000 households’ net worth Ft 4b each
The wealthiest 10,000 Hungarian households are estimated to have average assets of Ft 4 billion, according to research by Apelso Wealth Management presented on Wednesday.
|
10th September, 2025
Siófok is top summer destination
Siófok retained its top spot as the most popular domestic holiday destination this summer, followed by Budapest and Eger, according to booking data from Szallas.hu.
|
10th September, 2025
MÁV phases out ticket website
State railway company MÁV has shut down the popular Elvira timetable search website, it was announced on Tuesday.
|
9th September, 2025
Interior Ministry’s former HQ for sale
State asset manager MNV has announced the auction of the former Interior Ministry headquarters partly located on Széchenyi tér by the Danube in central Pest.
|
8th September, 2025
Another casino for Garancsi and Habony
A new online casino, xcasino.hu, received a licence valid from September 1, 2025, until March 31, 2056, Sportfortuna.com reports, citing the public registry of the Gambling Authority.
|
5th September, 2025
Emag revenue tumbles amid overhaul
The Hungarian unit of Romanian online retailer Emag reported a 38% year-on-year decline in revenue to Ft 38 billion in the 2024-25 financial year ending March 31.
|
4th September, 2025
Aldi prepares new approaches
Aldi Hungary has made changes to store operations, including relocating refundable bottle collecting machines outside sales areas at its own expense to improve cleanliness and reduce queues, CEO Bernhard Haider told Világgazdaság in an interview.
|
3rd September, 2025
US fast food chains eye Hungarian market
Representatives of 11 well-known US brands will visit Budapest on September 16 to present their expansion plans and meet potential Hungarian partners, the US embassy said in a statement.
|
2nd September, 2025
Popeyes eatery chain coming soon
The Fusion Group has signed an exclusive agreement to bring Popeyes eateries to Hungary, the fast-food chain said on Monday.
|
1st September, 2025
Pilis sets entry rules for new residents
From September 1, the town of Pilis in Pest county, will impose tough restrictions on who may establish residence there.
|
29th August, 2025
Merkel to present memoirs in Budapest
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to arrive in Budapest on October 1 to present the Hungarian-language edition of her memoirs, published in German earlier this year.
|
28th August, 2025
Heads roll at SAP Hungary amid alleged sex scandal
CEO Szabolcs Pintér of SAP Hungary has stepped down with immediate effect, the company confirmed to Telex.
|
27th August, 2025
No EV battery projects planned
There are no negotiations currently under way on the establishment of new EV battery manufacturing plants in Hungary, Foreign Affairs and Trade state secretary Levente Magyar said in a written response to a parliamentary question from an opposition MP.
|
26th August, 2025
Enchem drops Körösladány project
Enchem, a South Korean firm with a base in Komárom, has abandoned plans to build a battery solvent recycling plant in Körösladány, a small town in Békés county, HVG reports.
|
25th August, 2025
Democratic Coalition to launch 106 candidates
The Democratic Coalition will field candidates in all 106 parliamentary constituencies because there are hundreds of thousands of people who want a change of government but will never vote for a right-wing party, president Klára Dobrev announced on Sunday.
|
22nd August, 2025
Sátoraljaújhely sets restrictions on new arrivals
Sátoraljaújhely has drawn up a list of requirements that any would-be new resident of the town in northeast Hungary must satisfy.
|
21st August, 2025
Ministry looks into airbase theft
The defence minister launched an internal inquiry immediately after the theft carried out at Kecskemét air base in late July, well before media reports appeared, the ministry announced in a Wednesday statement.
|
19th August, 2025
Banks may undercut 3% loan scheme
Some lenders could soon offer rates below the 3% available under the state-subsidised Home Start housing loan programme, Balázs Sándorfi, head of personal finance website Bankmonitor, told RTL.
|
18th August, 2025
EC clears state aid for Sunwoda battery plant
The European Commission has approved €264 million Hungarian state support for the €1.4 billion EV battery factory that China’s Sunwoda is building in Nyíregyháza.
|
18th August, 2025
MOL opens café in Nyugati station
MOL’s Fresh Corner café brand has opened a new outlet at Budapest’s Nyugati train station, marking another step in the company’s push beyond its filling-station network.
|
15th August, 2025
Third bus fire in 2 days sparks political row
A bus caught fire on Alkotás út in downtown Buda yesterday, the third such incident in just two days.
|
14th August, 2025
Highest heat warning issued
HungaroMet’s latest forecast has prompted Hungary’s national chief medical officer to issue a third-degree heat warning, the highest alert level, for the entire country from midnight Thursday to midnight Sunday.
|
13th August, 2025
Trump recalls Orbán advice ahead of Putin meeting
At a White House press conference on Monday, US President Donald Trump recounted an earlier conversation with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
|
12th August, 2025
Court rejects SungEel’s expansion
The expansion permit for SungEel’s EV battery recycling facility in Bátonyterenye, Nógrád county has been annulled following a legal challenge by the town council, investigative news website Átlátszó reports.
|
11th August, 2025
Glitch shuts down health services website
The website of Hungary’s health service EESZT became inaccessible on Friday morning due to a technical problem, but was restored early on Sunday.
|
11th August, 2025
BBC to revive Hungarian-language news service
The British Broadcasting Company is planning to reintroduce a Hungarian-language news service, similar to its recently launched Polish service, BBC News Polska, the broadcaster confirmed to Media1.
|
8th August, 2025
Global rally lifts OTP, BUX to new highs
The BUX index closed sharply higher on Thursday, with investors buoyed by reports that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may soon enter peace talks.
|
8th August, 2025
American Airlines plans Budapest–Philadelphia link
American Airlines will launch a new direct daily service between Budapest and Philadelphia starting on May 21, 2026, Economy Minister Márton Nagy announced on Thursday.
|
7th August, 2025
Grand Prix drives weekend tourist boom
The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix delivered a significant boost to Budapest’s tourism sector, according to Visit Hungary.
|
6th August, 2025
MVM paid influencers millions from public funds
State-owned energy company MVM has disclosed, in response to a public information request by news website 24, that it employed 14 influencers over the past two years, spending millions of forints in public funds.
|
6th August, 2025
Sziget ticket sales rebound as festival begins
Sziget Festival ticket sales have already exceeded last year’s total, suggesting a reversal of the post-2022 downturn, Tamás Kádár, the event’s chief organiser said on Tuesday.
|
5th August, 2025
Ministry forced to disclose Ft 1bn in pub funding
The Economy Ministry, led by Márton Nagy, reluctantly revealed how much public funding had been spent via the government’s rural pub support plan.
|
5th August, 2025
Russian human rights activist dies in Hungary
Yevgeny Beljakov, a Russian human rights and opposition activist who had lived in Hungary since 2017, died in early July, Telex reports.
|
4th August, 2025
Stricter rules for export of artworks proposed
All artworks will need to be presented in person to the cultural heritage protection authority during export licensing procedures, under a draft amendment to the cultural heritage protection law published on the government website kormány.hu.
|
31st July, 2025
Pepco dismisses exit rumours
Polish discount retailer Pepco has denied any plans to withdraw from the Hungarian market, following reports of store closures in Germany.
|
30th July, 2025
GVH takes action against online retailer
The Competition Authority (GVH) has launched an inquiry into Peak Advisor, the Budapest-based operator of the online store Xiaomishop.hu, on suspicion of unfair commercial practices.
|
30th July, 2025
120 rescued from baths after toxic gas release
A total of 120 people had to be rescued from the Túrkeve thermal baths and the vicinity Tuesday morning because of chlorine poisoning, the website szoljon.hu reported.
|
29th July, 2025
New variant of coronavirus appears
The new Nimbus variant of the coronavirus has appeared in Hungary, having been detected in sewage water, the National Health Care and Pharmaceutical Centre announced on Monday.
|
29th July, 2025
MÁV completes Ft3bn renewal of Rákosrendező tracks
MÁV has completed the Ft 3 billion renewal of the tracks at the Rákosrendező station in Budapest, allowing train services on the Esztergom, Szob and Veresegyház lines to return to their regular schedules, the state railway company announced on Monday.
|
28th July, 2025
Orbán reveals election date on his shirt
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prominently displays the numbers 4.12.2026 on a T-shirt he is wearing in a photograph posted on his Facebook plage, apparently revealing the date of next year’s parliamentary elections as April 12.
|
28th July, 2025
Wendy’s considers return after 23 years
Wendy’s is preparing to re-enter the Hungarian market after a 23-year hiatus, as the American fast-food chain is actively seeking local franchise partners, Franchising magazine has reported.
|
25th July, 2025
US returns 17th-century manuscript
A manuscript stolen 350 years ago has returned to Hungary thanks to the New York district attorney’s office, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in New York Wednesday evening.
|
25th July, 2025
Budapest spas ban entry under 14
Children under 14 years of age cannot enter the Rudas thermal baths in Budapest, and the Széchenyi baths in the City Park will adopt a similar measure from August 1, news website 24 reports.
|
24th July, 2025
Matolcsy’s son disqualified from public tender
The Public Procurement Directorate (KEF) has disqualified Balaton Bútor, a company owned by the son of former central bank governor György Matolcsy, for submitting an unusually low-price offer in a major tender estimated at Ft 50 billion.
|
24th July, 2025
Highest degree heat warning in force
The highest degree heat alert will enter into force throughout Hungary from Thursday at dawn, Disaster Control and the National Health and Pharmaceutical Centre said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
|
23rd July, 2025
MBH to suspend most services due to IT upgrade
MBH will suspend the majority of its banking services between July 31 and August 3, due to a major IT system upgrade, the bank announced.
|
23rd July, 2025
2 Hungarian films entered in Venice film festival
Hungarian productions, Csendes barát (“The Silent Friend”) by Ildikó Enyedi and Árva (“Orphan”) by Oscar winner László Jeles Nemes, will be in the competition for the Golden Lion trophy at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival due to begin on August 27 and run to September 6, Népszava reports.
|
22nd July, 2025
Keleti station to close for a month
Budapest’s Keleti train station will close for four weeks from August 25, as part of an ongoing renovation, the MÁV group announced on Monday.
|
21st July, 2025
Fifth District to sell properties
Budapest’s Fifth District has put 19 properties up for sale, mostly offices and commercial spaces in central locations, according to corruption watchdog group K-Monitor.
|
21st July, 2025
Gov’t clears way for drilling in protected areas
The government has designated hydrocarbon mining – specifically oil and gas extraction – as a matter of “paramount public interest”, even in ecologically sensitive zones, according to Decree 208/2025 published on Thursday.
|
18th July, 2025
First town uses law to "protect local identity"
Just days before Hungary’s new law on local identity took effect on July 1, the small town of Mezőkeresztes became the first municipality to adopt a local ordinance granting itself the right of first refusal on real estate purchases.
|
16th July, 2025
Hospital denies serving expired meat
Péterfy Sándor Hospital in Budapest has denied reports that severely expired meat was found on its premises, following public concern over a food safety inspection.
|
15th July, 2025
Wizz Air ends Abu Dhabi operations
Wizz Air will shut down its operations in the United Arab Emirates and dissolve its Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary from September 1, as part of a broader strategic shift to concentrate on its core markets in Central and Eastern Europe.
|
14th July, 2025
Sixth District aims to keep Airbnb ban
The Budapest Government Office has formally called on Budapest’s Sixth District to repeal an October 2024 local decree effectively banning short-term rentals from January 2026 by reducing the number of allowable rental days to zero.
|
14th July, 2025
Compensation okayed for Unitravel clients
The Budapest Government Office has authorised the start of compensation payments to customers of the bankrupt travel agency Unitravel, it was announced after a fast-track procedure.
|
11th July, 2025
Fitch Ratings downgrades Wizz Air
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Wizz Air’s long-term rating by one notch, from “BB+” to “BB”, citing a weak financial performance and elevated operational costs in its last financial year, the international credit-rating agency said on Thursday.
|
11th July, 2025
Sziget festival offers new night ticket
A new ticket category, the “Night Ticket by Revolut,” has been launched on the Sziget Festival’s website, offering a lower-cost option for late-night revellers.
|
10th July, 2025
Number of foreign workers at new high
The number of foreign workers has reached a record high this year, surpassing 105,000, with the influx from non-EU countries gaining new momentum in early 2025.
|
10th July, 2025
Revolut seeks EU crypto licence MiCA
Revolut Digital Assets Europe, the cryptocurrency arm of fintech firm Revolut operating within the European Economic Area, is pushing ahead with efforts to obtain a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licence, Revolut told Portfolio.
|
8th July, 2025
Power outages hit 150,000 households
An estimated 150,000 customers were affected by widespread power outages following severe thunderstorms yesterday, state-owned energy group MVM, reported.
|
8th July, 2025
Heavy storm disrupts traffic at Budapest airport
A violent storm temporarily prevented all planes from landing or taking off at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport on Monday, leading to numerous cancelled, delayed or diverted flights.
|
4th July, 2025
Analysts assess impact of 3% mortgage scheme
According to a quick analysis by financial platform Bankmonitor, the new 3% loan for first-time home buyers offers an exceptionally favourable alternative to current market rates, which are in the 6.5-8% range, and will broaden access to credit for tens of thousands of buyers.
|
3rd July, 2025
Orbán announces 3% mortgage for first-time buyers
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced a new scheme for those buying their first home, based on a mortgage rate of 3%.
|
2nd July, 2025
Demand for homes slower in June
After a surge at the beginning of the year, demand for homes in Hungary slowed in June, but supply continued to grow, giving buyers the upper hand, real estate broker Ingatlan.com said in a report.
|
|
|
Contact