EXIM Hungary presents prestigious awards to its partners

On March 4, EXIM Hungary held its traditional awards ceremony, where the institution recognized the outstanding performance of Hungarian financial institutions. The winners of the EXIM Awards played a particularly significant role in 2024 in making EXIM-refinanced loan and leasing facilities available to as many Hungarian businesses as possible.

The EXIM Awards gala was held on Tuesday evening, March 4, at the prestigious venue of Haris Park. The ceremony was opened by a speech from Márton Nagy, Minister for National Economy, followed by a welcome address to the participants by Kornél Kisgergely, Chairman of the Board and CEO of EXIM Hungary.

“The government’s priority is to strengthen Hungarian SMEs and increase their productivity, with a turnaround in lending being a key factor. The retail loan portfolio grew among the top performers in the EU in 2024, and there are already positive signs in corporate lending. Under the Demján Sándor Programme, growing demand for the Széchenyi Card suggests that corporate lending may continue to strengthen. The reduction of the programme’s investment loan interest rates—which fell from 5 percent to 3.5 percent in November and then to an even more favourable 3 percent this year—is significantly boosting businesses’ appetite for borrowing. EXIM Hungary’s financing programmes also contribute significantly to the expansion of corporate lending, thereby further strengthening the competitiveness and growth potential of the Hungarian SME sector,” emphasized Márton Nagy, Minister for National Economy.

EXIM Hungary currently cooperates with 40 financial institutions, which play a key role in ensuring that the company’s financing solutions reach as many economic operators as possible. Loan and leasing facilities provided through partner institutions are of particular importance in EXIM Hungary’s lending activities. In recognition of their achievements, EXIM Hungary presented awards to its outstanding partners in seven categories during the evening.

The list of the winners:

• EXIM Hungary achieved a number of results during the year that were decisive not only for supporting businesses but also for the development of the Hungarian economy as a whole. The Bank of the Year 2024 award was awarded for the second year in a row to MBH Bank Plc., which contributed the most to achieving this goal.
• The Green Refinancing Partner of the Year 2024 award went to OTP Bank Plc. The award received special attention this year, as EXIM Hungary attaches great importance to promoting projects that support sustainability goals, thereby supporting the government’s energy transition efforts and improving the energy efficiency of businesses.
• The winner of the Treasury Partner of the Year 2024 award is, once again, Erste Bank Hungary Plc. The main criterion for the award was the effective support provided to EXIM Hungary’s strategy for attracting funds to stimulate the economy.
• Euroleasing Plc. won the Leasing Company of the Year 2024 category. Leasing arrangements are at the forefront of SME financing, with leasing companies attracting a large number of customers to EXIM products by offering flexible and versatile financing solutions in a wide range of industries. This is why it is important for the company to recognize the performance of its partners working in this field.
• Efficient processes play a significant role in the lending activities of financial institutions, reducing administrative burdens and speeding up the granting of loans. VFS Hungary Plc. was therefore awarded the certificate for the Financial Institution Operating at the Highest Quality for the first time this year.
• High-quality business and professional collaborations are crucial for EXIM Hungary, as the effective work of its partner institutions is essential to ensure that its favourable financing solutions reach Hungarian businesses. The 2024 Urbán Zoltán Memorial Award, named after EXIM Hungary’s former CEO who passed away in 2017, was presented to Erzsébet Pucsek, business banking advisor at K&H Bank Plc., who achieved outstanding results in promoting joint work in the previous year.
• The other category of individual awards, the Professional Partner of the Year 2024 award, went to Réka Hámori, chief economist at the Hungarian Banking Association. The award, presented for the first time this year, went to the person who, through her work, encouraged strategic collaboration between EXIM Hungary and the financial institutions.

“EXIM Hungary has been committed to supporting Hungarian companies in achieving their international and competitiveness goals for more than three decades, while actively contributing to the strengthening of the Hungarian economy. However, none of this would have been possible without our partners, who helped EXIM Hungary place loans and raise funds through a significant number of transactions in 2024. The aim of the EXIM Awards is to celebrate our successes together and recognize the outstanding work of our partners. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for working with us throughout the year for the success of Hungarian companies, and I would like to congratulate this year’s winners in particular,” said Dr. Adrienn Berta, Deputy CEO for Business Operations of EXIM Hungary.

Eximbank primarily finances its customers through its Hungarian commercial banking partners, through refinancing arrangements. In the Baross Gábor Loan Programme, which played a decisive role in most of last year, 99% of the loan agreements were concluded through refinancing partners. EXIM Hungary’s successful programmes would not have been possible without the dedicated work of its banking partners, so the award is not only a recognition but also an expression of gratitude to them. The financing products of the recently launched Demján Sándor Programme are also primarily accessible to businesses through their own account-holding banks.

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