Born in Karcag in 1965, he earned his secondary school diploma in Áron Gábor Secondary School in 1983, and he went on to graduate from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences in 1989.
He worked as an economist at the No. 43 State Construction Corporation in Budapest, and in 1990 at the Eastern-Hungarian Water Management and Planning Enterprise in Szolnok. Between 1995 and 1997, he was a visiting instructor at the Szolnok Economic College, and an honorary college professor.
Between 1998 and 2001, he served as Minister of State for Policy at the Ministry of Finance, and from 2001 to 2002, he held the position of Minister of Finance. Between 2010 and 2012 he was Minister of State, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, and then he became Minister without Portfolio responsible for the relations with some international financial organisations. From March 2013 to 2018 he was Minister of National Economy. From March 2017 to 2022 he was President of the National Competitiveness Council. Between 2018 and 2024 he served as Minister of Finance. Since 4 March 2025, he has been the Governor of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank.
From 1990 to February, 2025 he was member of Parliament in representation of Fidesz. He was an elected member of Parliament for the 8th constituency of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County between 1998 and 2014, then he was the elected member of Parliament in an individual electoral district for the Budapest 4th constituency between 2014 and 2022. Between 1994 and 2003 and from 2005 to 2013, he was one of the vice presidents of Fidesz.
Roles in public life: Since 1997, the vice-president of the Hungarian-Kazakh Friendship. From 2000, member of the Chivalric Order of St John. From 2001 to 2011, presbyter of the Reformed Church congregation in Karcag, and a member of the Rákóczi Association. From 2003 to 2015, Chair of the Nagykun Civil Association. Member of the Hungarian Athletic Club. From 2012 to 2025, co-president of the Joint Venture Association, the Hungarian-Kazakh Intergovernmental Committee for Economic Cooperation and the Hungarian-Korean Joint Economic Committee. From 2013 to 2025, the president of the Board of Trustees of the Annamária Szalay Media Foundation. From 2021 to 2023, the president of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Rudolf Kalman University. From 2021 to 2025, the president of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Civic Education.
He is married, a father to four children.
4 March 2025