Last September, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited London to discuss deeper co-operation, leading to the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal . This pact focuses on three pillars: a Transatlantic Taskforce for future markets (including digital assets), artificial intelligence infrastructure and government alignment; as well as quantum computing acceleration.
This comes as companies like Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI and CoreWeave are investing into the UK. Together these tech giants have pledged £31 billion to boost the UK’s artificial intelligence infrastructure and cutting-edge tech.
The UK government has responded by announcing the future appointment of a Digital Markets Champion. And the FCA continues to play a vital role in further nurturing promising startups in the three focus areas included in the new deal.
In the meantime, there are several leading digital assets firms like R3, Archax, or Quant which the UK is proud to include in its cohort of tech companies. Leading AI firm DeepMind hails from London, as do Synthesia and Wayve. Whilst Quantinuum and Riverlane are examples of leading quantum tech firms with headquarters in the UK.
If you are from the United Kingdom, there is every reason to be proud. But what about other countries?
With a U.S. president who openly admires Hungary’s Orbán, and a ready pool of engineers, why hasn’t Hungary proposed its own version of the Tech Prosperity Deal yet?
Hungary’s Legendary Tech Legacy: Pioneers in Computing, Quantum & Digital Assets
It was a Hungarian who invented the Rubik’s Cube. But while the cube became a cultural icon, it was Hungarian-born polymaths and engineers whose ideas shaped the foundations of computing, algorithms, quantum theory, and even early neural network concepts.
Some of those leading figures include John von Neumann, often called the “father of modern computing”. Dennis Gabor invented holography which relies on wave optics and quantum principles. Tamás Roska was the co-inventor of Cellular Neural Networks (CNN).
That’s before we mention renowned investors such as Hungarian-born global finance icon George Soros. Thomas Peterffy, founder of Interactive Brokers also emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary before creating the leading online brokerage. In 2020 Interactive Brokers opened a regional hub in Budapest, adding to the software development team already working in Budapest since 2007. The company has also listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.
These roots show why Hungary has the intellectual DNA to pursue ambitious bilateral deals like the UK has.
Quantum Computing in Hungary: Foundations, Key Players & 2026 Growth Potential
Hungary has much to be proud of when it comes to technology and finance. The country’s engineers are renowned across the globe, many of them work in key roles at leading tech companies.
Several members of the team at QANplatform, the leading quantum-resistant layer 1 hybrid blockchain platform, have Hungarian roots.
Other leading figures include Ádám Gali and Péter Domokos who work at the Wigner Research Centre for Physics (HUN-REN Wigner Fizikai Kutatóközpont in Hungarian). The Centre is Hungary’s largest and most prominent physics research institute.
Named after the Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian – American physicist Eugene (Jenő) Wigner (who contributed foundational work to quantum mechanics and computing), it was established in January 2012. Ádám Gali leads a Hungarian group within an international project that aims to develop quantum metrology methods. Péter Domokos leads a project that is looking to establish and operate a well-controlled experimental system for testing an integrated, compact, quantum-microwave-optical frequency converter designed within an international project.
Two notable Hungarian firms provide hardware to the quantum computing sector: Bonn Hungary Electronics Kft. (BHE), specializing in microwave and low-noise electronics essential for qubit control, and Femtonics Kft., a leading manufacturer of advanced multiphoton laser scanning microscopes used in quantum sensing and optics experiments.
There is space for growth. The foundations are strong for scaling quantum computer innovations in Hungary.
AI in Hungary 2026: Renewed National Strategy & Leading Startups Driving Innovation
In September 2025, the Renewed National AI Strategy 2025-2030 was adopted by the Hungarian government. The document is structured around six distinct pillars, including implementing EU AI Act rules, building computing capacity, boosting AI skills, enabling secure data flows, fostering excellence and encouraging widespread adoption.
In February 2025 the government appointed former Minister for Innovation and Technology, László Palkovics as the Hungarian Government’s Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence, to help boost adoption. László announced the ZalaZone Foundation in October 2025. The project is aimed at creating an automotive Silicon Valley in one of Hungary’s regions.
Key goals include creating 1 million higher-value, AI-supported jobs by 2030.
Hungary boasts several standout companies with strong artificial intelligence capabilities.
aiMotive, acquired by Stellantis in December 2022, is one of the world’s largest independent automotive technology powerhouses working on level-agnostic automated driving solutions. Founder László Kishonti continues to run the company post-acquisition. aiMotive is listed as the 8th most prominent Hungarian startup on startupranking.com today.
Colossyan, founded by three Hungarians, turns text, PDFs and PowerPoints into training videos narrated by interactive AI avatars. Dominik Máté Kovács, one of the original founders and the CEO, is currently based in London with a large research and development team in Budapest.
Turbine virtualizes biological experiments with AI to accelerate drug discovery and enhance clinical translatability. The company was founded by Szabolcs Nagy, now CEO, Kristóf Szalay, now CTO, and Dániel Veres, now Chief Scientific Officer. Szabolcs is also a deep tech ecosystem builder at Startup Hungary, while Daniel and Kristof regularly attend events in places like California.
SEON is one of the most recognized Hungarian firms within the AI space. The Fraud Fighters at SEON use AI and machine learning to detect fraud. The company was founded by Tamás Kádár in 2017 and grew in popularity after raising $94 million in funding in 2022.
These companies exemplify how Hungarian talent is driving real-world AI impact. They are developing AI solutions from autonomous mobility and generative content to biotech and fraud prevention. They do this while often maintaining strong Budapest hubs.
There is space for growth. With the Renewed National AI Strategy providing a clear roadmap and a deep pool of engineering talent, Hungary is well-positioned to scale its AI ecosystem further, whilst potentially attracting even more international investment and partnerships.
DisruptionBanking reached out to Imre Hild, CEO of Obuda Uni Venture Capital Zrt, the leading venture capital firm, in Budapest who shared how with “Hungary being a small market with plenty of STEM talents, it has to develop channels of professional international cooperation with the greater AI/Quantum hubs of the world to provide access to the latest research and uses of the technology to craft our national advantage. We, as investors at Obuda Uni Venture Capital are definitely working on enabling this”.
Digital Assets & Blockchain in Hungary: MiCA Rules, Nick Szabo Legacy & Top Startups
You can’t talk about digital assets and Hungary without mentioning Nick Szabo. The brains behind the term “smart contracts,” Nick proposed “Bit Gold” in 1998 which is almost an exact blueprint for bitcoin. The son of two Hungarian immigrants to the U.S., Nick was one of the original cypherpunks and is well known amongst the crypto community globally.
Blockchain Hungary is the organization that represents the industry. Rita Halász, founder and vice president of the association, has been one of the leading figures in the digital assets space in Hungary since 2018. DisruptionBanking reached out to Rita who shared how “the challenge for Hungary in the coming years is in what business models and corporate processes blockchain or tokenization solutions can be viable.”
Hungary has transposed EU digital assets regulation, MiCA, into national law through Act VII of 2024 (Crypto-Assets Act), designating the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary) as the sole competent authority for licensing, supervision, and enforcement of CASPs.
Hungarian Web3 & Crypto Startups: Global Awards & Recognition in 2025-2026
Last year there was a Hungarian startup in the digital assets space that gained considerable international attention. CryptoSoft, a member of the Hungarian Fintech Association, earned recognition in the Web3 category at the Europe FinTech Awards in London in July 2025. In October the company had a double win for two of its projects at the Global FinTech Awards, also in London. Then in November the startup won the Web3 category and was named Startup of the Year at the US FinTech Awards.
Gábor Hellner, the founder and CEO of CryptoSoft, only started the company in August 2022 and has already achieved considerable international recognition. The firm specializes in the management of distributed, Web3 and Blockchain-based systems, cryptocurrencies and DeFi ecosystems, artificial intelligence-based solutions and Big Data sets, which we even use and implement in an integrated system.
Dlabs and Mosaic Alpha, linked through the two co-founders Attila Vidákovics and Péter Molnár, is one of the leaders in the Web3 space in Hungary today. AttilaVidákovics, the CEO, was recognized as Blockchain Personality of the Year in Hungary in 2022 and gained a Central European Business Award in 2023 for his advocacy of blockchain and decentralization via Mosaic Alpha. Dlabs provides consulting and enterprise solutions on blockchain platforms.
FortunX, a platform that helps shoppers automatically collect crypto, was founded by Roland Lesku and Krisztián Lesku. FortunX is an emerging, innovative player in the blockchain space which has the potential to grow in the future.
Another leading firm is CoinCash, which offers retail investors access to digital assets.
Rita added how she hopes “that more companies with crypto asset service licenses will soon appear in Hungary, so that companies can integrate cryptocurrencies into their own financial processes, which could have a significant economic impact.”
The Rise of Fintech in Hungary: Budapest as Central Europe’s Hub & Global Collaborations
Fintech is also gaining in strength in Hungary today. This has been spurred by leading fintech companies like Wise, Revolut, PayPal, Stripe, Adyen, or N26 opening substantial operations in Budapest.
The local market has benefited from these investments. Since the 2010s companies like Ergomania, Sprintform and R34DY have been flying the flag for Hungarian fintech. Their leaders are prominent at events in Europe, the U.S., Singapore, and Japan.
One of the things that Hungary has done in the past has been to collaborate with the Singapore Fintech Festival. Several Hungarian fintech firms were at the leading fintech event in November 2025 with Zoltán Ács, the President, and Dr. András Rung of Ergomania.
In December 2020 the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) signed a Co-operation Agreement (CA) to strengthen cooperation in FinTech innovation between Singapore and Hungary. Reigniting this collaboration could give Hungarian tech firms, as well as Hungarian SMEs, the much-needed exposure they need to reach a global audience.
Rita explained how the current trend of “made in EU solutions” is certainly helping companies from Hungary. However, she believes that “in addition to the corporate community dealing with digital tools, there is also a need for actors who form a bridge between the technological and business ecosystems.
“So that Hungarian technological competence does not only appear as technical excellence, but also becomes commercially scalable, and evolves into internationally competitive solutions.”
Can Hungary capitalize on the rich tech talent it has and use the relationship it has with the U.S. to lead in emerging technologies? With Trump-Orbán ties and Fulbright expansions in STEM, 2026 could see a Budapest-Washington tech bridge.
Author: Andy Samu
See Also:
The Rise of the Retail Investor with Mosaic Alpha | Disruption Banking
