BUD Alumni Newsletter
We are happy to bring you the first alumni newsletter of 2025. This edition gives you a selection of the Budapest senior team's conference and media presence in 2025 so far.
Let me also take this opportunity to invite you to this year's first BUD Alumni Academy session. This virtual session will be about LinkedIn profile optimization and personal brand building, date TBD.
A kind reminder that you can find the links for the various Alumni websites at the bottom of this page, where you can navigate through useful Alumni information including LAB Talks or you may update your profile.
Warm regards,
Balazs
Coming up & Reminders
Global Newsletter
The Panorama Newsletter goes to both Alumni and Staff on a bi-annual basis
WWAD 2025, Thursday 9th October
Stay tuned for WWAD 2025 Announcements!
Zsófi gave keynote about energy transition at the ESG & Friends conference in Sofia
– Zsófia Beck
In her presentation of the title Energy Transition: The biggest challenge for economies and countries, she started from a global perspective, then highlighted where the gaps are for trasition e.g., in financing, technology, national and corporate levels to reach our targets. After looking at the two – by now – very different ways the US and the EU are approaching the issue of energy transition, she deep-dived into Bulgaria’s situation and goals, while making a comparison with the other Central and Southeastern European countries. „Challenging times are ahead, but success is not out of reach if the focus is on the right investments in network, generation, and efficiency, while adjustments are made in the regulatory scheme to serve its purpose,” she said.
Lucija gave an interview to Bloomberg
– Lucija Vidiš Roić
Lucija gave the interview to Bloomberg about Trump's tariffs' uncertainty and cost cutting. In the interview she explained that cutting costs is a priority for a third of CEOs in 2025 – according to a new survey by BCG among more than 570 CEOs of the world's leading companies. It points to the collision of economic and geopolitical uncertainties with the need for strategic investments - especially in light of political changes in the United States. Almost 40 percent of these leaders do not feel prepared for market shocks in 2025, and what they are doing to adapt to the new circumstances, revealed Lucija.
Laci spoke about embedded finance at Erste Bank's conference
– László Juhász
Laci gave a keynote recently at the annual Bankspiration conference of Erste Bank. He spoke about embedded finance to several hundred banking executives. In his presentation Banking Beyond Borders: Unlocking value of embedded finance, Laci made use of a slate of foreign examples to differentiate between embedded and non-embedded financial services. He outlined a market forecast while explaining why financial service providers need to act now: because of shifting consumer behavior, an easier adoption due to software development, and the recent foray of some big tech firms into this field. He also explained why such a move would be beneficial to customers and the financial institutions alike. He noted that retail and e-commerce are driving expansion while there is much room locally for banks to take advantage of that. He deep-dived into the particulars of implementation and closed with a note on the role of AI agents.
Are AI Agents among us already? Interview on Spirit FM
– Zoltán Bakonyi
Zoltán Bakonyi joined Spirit FM's series exploring various AI-related topics to discuss AI agents—their functions and how they can assist in our daily work.
Could a Trump presidency bring lower energy prices in Europe?
- Balázs Kotnyek
Balázs summarized his thoughts about the Trump government’s possible impact on the European energy sector in the op-ed section of Portfolio, a leading Hungarian media outlet. For non-Hungarian readers, here are the main points: Europe can build more renewables if USA limits import of Chinese technology, and we can access it with better conditions. Assuming of course, that EU does not copy the US. The European Green Deal can become a leading energy transition support scheme if the American IRA is cut back, and this can motivate innovation and investments in areas where USA does not do so anymore. But we should make it more efficient, learning maybe how IRA was set up. European offshore wind can get a new momentum if Trump freezes new licences in the USA. We need to continue removing obstacles that have hindered the industry for long. Energy prices can be lower than they would be otherwise if Trump speeds up LNG export and production by removing all federal constraints.
You can read the article by clicking here.
Interview on Spirit FM
– László Juhász
Laci gave an excellent interview to Spirit FM about the closely-watched plans of the new US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on a slate of countries. He put the plans into perspective, provided a breakdown of the possible regional impact, and explained how the tariffs would redraw the global trade routes’ intensity. Please spare 10 minutes and listed to the interview here on YouTube. Laci's part starts from 11.30 minutes into the recording.
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