As the concluding event of its 100th anniversary celebrations, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) hosted its flagship international event, the Lámfalussy Lectures Conference, for the tenth time in January 2025. Reflecting on the geoeconomic challenges of today, the jubilee edition of the conference was held under the theme "The Age of Geoeconomics: Evolution of Central Banking."

The event was officially opened by György Matolcsy, Governor of the MNB, followed by keynote speeches from Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB); Jeffrey D. Sachs, economist and professor at Columbia University; and Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary. The conference panel discussions featured distinguished financial and economic experts who explored two key contemporary central banking topics:

  • The new challenges facing monetary policy amid geopolitical tensions
  • The interaction between monetary and fiscal policy


Additionally, a high-level roundtable discussion was held with previous Lámfalussy Award recipients, honoring the professional legacy of the conference’s namesake, Alexandre Lamfalussy.

Based on the recommendation of the MNB's professional committee, the Lámfalussy Award, named after the "father of the Euro," was presented to Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, in recognition of her outstanding professional achievements and efforts in shaping a stable, innovative, and sustainable European future. Christine Lagarde has served as President of the ECB since November 2019. Prior to this, she was the Managing Director of the IMF and had previously held roles as France’s Minister of Economy and Finance and Minister for Foreign Trade.

The Popovics Award, named after the first Governor of the MNB, was presented to Csaba Kandrács, Deputy Governor of the MNB. In addition to his significant contributions to the supervision of Hungary’s financial institutions and consumer protection, his professional achievements include membership in the Presidential Committee on Sustainable Development (of which he is a founding member) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and his role in the European Banking Authority (EBA), where he was elected to a member of the EBA Management Board.