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In addition to Dr. György Matolcsy, Barnabás Virág, President of the Budapest Stock Exchange, Vice President of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank and Richárd Végh, CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange also gave a presentation at the event.

In his opening speech, György Matolcsy spoke about the growth opportunities of the future, based on potential success sectors such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, creative industries, data processing, IT and the green transition. The Governor reiterated his call for respect for the independence of the central bank and called for a return to the successful economic policies of the 2010s.  In his view, a return to equilibrium growth, competitiveness reforms, productivity growth and high value-added investment-oriented economic policies are needed, as a country's macroeconomic situation cannot be permanently out of step with its productivity and competitiveness levels.

"The BSE performed exceptionally well in 2023 by international standards and maintained its positive trend at the beginning of this year. The world is entering an era of large and rapid transitions, with increasingly fierce competition in energy production, data technologies and skilled labour. For the Hungarian stock exchange and the Hungarian economy to be the winner of this great transformation, we need to maintain price stability, strong technology-adaptation capabilities, successful energy transitions and knowledge capital accumulation. With the return of positive real interest rates, a new phase in the financing climate has opened up, which, in addition to efficient lending, will increasingly enhance the role of capital raising."

said Barnabás Virág, President of the Budapest Stock Exchange and Vice President of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank.

During the awards gala, nominees were recognised in a total of 25 categories, including outstanding achievements such as the most active equity trading company of the year and the most active equity issuer of the year. The awards were based on the opinions of a professional jury of Exchange Advisory Board members and the market performance of the participants, while the online platform for the online trading of the year was decided by online votes from users.

"The year 2023 was an outstanding success for the Budapest Stock Exchange: the BUX index rose 38 percent, equity market capitalisation reached HUF 15,000 billion, 7 new equity issuers entered the market and a total of HUF 1,560 billion of bonds were raised. We also celebrated all these successes by rewarding the most outstanding market players. We believe that a strong capital market is necessary for the sustainable competitiveness of the Hungarian economy, and that we can only achieve this by working together in partnership."

said Richárd Végh, CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange.

MBH Bank Nyrt. won the Investment Service Provider of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious awards. The bank has also had a successful year as an issuer, being named Mortgage Bond Issuer of the Year (MBH Jelzálogbank Nyrt.) and the proud recipient of the Private Placement of the Year award.

As last year, OTP Bank Nyrt. won the title of the highest-turnover share issuer of the year, ahead of runner-up Richter Gedeon Nyrt. and bronze medallist MOL Nyrt. OTP also won the Issuer Transparency Award and the Investment Service Provider of the Year Award for the largest share issue of the year, the latter shared with Concorde Értékpapír Zrt.

Concorde also won the Analyst Workshop of the Year Award and came third in the list of the largest turnover stockbroking firms of the year. WOOD & Company was again the winner of this year's award, while ERSTE Befektetési Zrt. took second place.

The BSE has also awarded a new prize for analysts: the Special Equity Analyst Award went to Attila Vágó, Chief Analyst at MBH Alapkezelő.

The biggest new equity launch of the year went to Shopper Park Plus, which was launched in the Premium category in 2023. ALTEO Nyrt. won the award for the company with the highest long-term share price increase, while OPUS Global Nyrt. won the award for the company with the highest share price increase in the Premium category.

In connection with the BSE's mid-cap market, Xtend, Stradamus Zrt. was awarded the title of BÉT Xtend Market Advisor of the Year. OXO Technologies Holding Nyrt. was awarded the BÉT Xtend Special Prize, while STRT Holding Nyrt. was named Issuer of the Year on the BÉT Xtend market.

The awards for social responsibility, which are also highly prestigious, were also presented to Magyar Telekom Nyrt. for the Responsibility, Sustainability and Corporate Governance Award and the Investor Awareness Award to the Pénzmesterek / ÖPOSZ for the dissemination of investor awareness.

Erste Befektetési Zrt. was awarded the title of the most active futures trader of the year and Erste Befektetési Zrt. was awarded the title of the most active BUX index trader of the year. Raiffeisen Bank Zrt. was awarded the title of the largest foreign exchange futures trader of the year.

This year, the jury was replaced by a professional jury and the organisations nominated for the Domestic Equities Trading Platform of the Year category were again voted for by the public online. This time, the trading system Raiffeisen Online Broker received the most votes.

About the BÉT Legek awards and event                                                                                            

Every year for more than twenty years, the Budapest Stock Exchange has organised the BÉT Legek, an event that rewards the most outstanding annual performances of the domestic capital market. The awards are decided by a professional jury of members of the Exchange's Advisory Board. In most categories, results will be based on a quantitative methodology (e.g. turnover data) and the best performers will be awarded. The winner of the Home Equity Trading Platform of the Year category will be determined on the basis of the entries received and the users' evaluation.