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"We are delighted to report about our pivotal role in the launch of the Central Bank of Hungary's (Magyar Nemzeti Bank, MNB) pilot retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) project. This project is the first live retail CBDC pilot project in the European Union, placing Hungary and Perfinal at the cutting-edge of digital currency innovation."

The National Bank of Hungary (MNB), working with eight Hungarian banks and eleven insurers, developed a distributed ledger technology (DLT) based home insurance scheme, to coordinate data sharing about mortgage insurance policies. The paperless and transparent data transfer will reduce administrative work and reconciliations. Data sharing will be General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant, so the homeowners will have to provide consent, and only the insurer and the bank will have the right to see the data, and not the central bank. https://www.mnb.hu/sajtoszoba/sajtokozlemenyek/2025-evi-sajtokozlemenyek/blokklanc-alapu-digitalis-csatorna-a-bankok-lakasbiztositok-kozt-csokkennek-az-ugyfelterhek

Magyar Nemzeti Bank has collaborated with the Sovereign Official Digital Association (SODA) to issue non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on a private blockchain. By successfully participating in financial literacy quizzes, Hungarian coin collectors and NFT enthusiasts are being awarded central bank-issued tokens and then swapping and trading them on the Money Museum mobile application. This is part of a contest to win a set of limited edition commemorative coins. As any member of the public can use the blockchain to collect, swap and register their ownership of the coins, this type of activity - though gamified - this is arguably a central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot.

TransferWise will launch the Visa Direct-powered service in Spain, with plans to follow up in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania and then scale it throughout Europe and worldwide in 2020.

The Central Bank of Hungary (MNB) has published a book that summarizes the theoretical considerations, the most important practical issues, the motives behind the potential creation of this new instrument and the opportunities offered by central bank digital currency (CBDC). It also covers CBDC monetary policy, financial stability, and cash flow impacts, as well as the issues of infrastructural implementation.

"On International Museum Day, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank, the central bank of Hungary, launched the Money Museum mobile application. The new application has two main functionalities: on the one hand, it provides a new channel for displaying useful content related to the Money Museum and finances in general in order to enhance the interactive museum experience; on the other hand, it is an innovative opportunity to test blockchain-based technology. Utilising this, the MNB has created a dedicated platform for NFT (Non-Fungible Token) issuance and coin registration, which can be considered as a novelty among central banks."

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) and the Money Compass Foundation launched a new version of the Student Safe mobile app, to increase financial literacy and strengthen digital financial inclusion among 8 to 14 year-olds. The new app, operated by the MNB and involving commercial banks, is now able to handle real money in the form of an MNB-issued central bank digital currency (CBDC). By successfully completing quizzes children can collect "tallérs" that can be redeemed for webshop (eMAG) vouchers. In addition, the new app allows users to transfer funds to bank accounts, and make QR-code payments. Parents can also send their children forints or student tallérs. https://penziranytu.hu https://perfinal.com

SODA CEO and co-founder Chris Ostrowski and I wrote an article for CoinDesk on the "test and deploy" approach to retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) project management. The "test and deploy" aims at narrow use cases, allowing for an abbreviated and more agile product development cycle, with rapid iterations through the proof-of-concept, prototype and pilot phases. This allows retail CBDC to be issued to real end users in a safe and controlled manner to offer insight into user demand and experience.

Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) published a white paper on its Student Safe central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot project, which was launched in ... and phased out in February 2025. The aim was to create a CBDC environment that is not only secure and regulated, but also flexible and user-friendly. The Student Safe offered free of charge and secure digital payment solutions to support the financial inclusion of 8-14 year olds. It provided users with the opportunity to learn the theory and practice of digital finance basics through a combination of quizzes and mobile banking functions. Going forward, the MNB will examine possible motivations and emerging use cases that could be relevant to the Student Safe user base or to another group of consumers.