Forbes releases updated list of richest Hungarians

The ‘trained gas fitter and friend of Orbán’ is currently estimated to have more than 1,240 billion forints in assets, which is easily 3 billion euros even when calculated with the weak forint. A year ago, Forbes estimated the value of the ‘cleverest’ businessman under the sun’s hacked-together company empire at 590 billion forints. Since then, his Opus Global Group, which is listed on the stock exchange, has bought a cement plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina and fruit plantations in Croatia, while other business areas such as the manufacture of wood-burning stoves (Wamsler) are being sold off in a bid to streamline his profile.

OTP boss Sándor Csányi consolidated his position in second place among the richest Hungarians; his fortune swelled to 685 billion forints thanks to the record share price. The third-placed major industrialist Zsolt Felcsuti (estimated assets of 485 billion forints) is described by the trade magazine as a ‘100% self-made man’. His MPF holding company turns over more than 1 billion euros almost exclusively in the export business.

Tibor Veres (Wallis Group, 475 billion forints) just missed the winner’s podium, followed a little further down by György Gattyán (Docler, 365 billion forints), the ‘bridge builder’ László Szíjj (Duna Aszfalt, 335 billion forints), Dániel Jellinek (Indotek Group, 295 billion forints) from the property sector and the major industrialist Gábor Széles (Videoton, 230 billion forints). For the construction giant Market Group, István Garancsi (225 billion forints) is in 9th place and Sándor Scheer (170 billion forints) is in 12th place on the TOP list. The widow of former department stores’ king Sándor Demján, after whom the Orbán government has just named a comprehensive economic development programme, closes this year’s TOP10 with 225 billion forints.

By his own admission, Orbán’s son-in-law István Tiborcz (BDPST, Gránit Bank, Waberer’s) has amassed a good 150 billion forints in assets entirely by his own efforts and is likely to top the list in the near future. There are currently a total of 28 multi-billionaires whose wealth is estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth at least 100 billion forints – this illustrious list is completed by MOL boss Zsolt Hernádi, who realised 1.1 billion forints in earned income (!) alone in 2023 from his work at the helm of Hungary’s largest company.