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Home , Budapest Stock Exchange, Long (finance), Position (finance)

Zsolt Katona is the new CEO of the Exchange

Budapest, 10 May 2012

The Board of Directors of the Budapest appointed Zsolt Katona to be the new Chief Executive Officer of the from 15 May 2012. He is a professional with over two decades of executive experience in the financial and the stock exchange fields. He started his career over 20 years ago at one of the founding broker firms of the then reawakening BSE and has been connected to the Stock Exchange by many links ever since. He has been directing the services unit of the ING Group in different positions in the past 17 years while also filling several positions related to the Hungarian stock exchange and the capital in the meantime. He was a member of the Supervisory Board of the BSE between 2002 and 2011, including a 3-year period when he was the Chairman of the BSE Supervisory Board, and he was also a member of the Supervisory Board of the Central House and Depository (KELER) between 2003 and 2004. In the last one and a half years, he has been participating in the work of the Consultation Body of the BSE, the task of which was to co-ordinate and harmonise interests in relation to the projected replacement of the trading system of the BSE. In connection with his appointment, Zsolt Katona said: “I made my first stock exchange deals in the “good old days”, at the beginning of the 90's, at the open-outcry trading floor in Váci Street, so my ties to the BSE do really go back a way. It gives me great pleasure that I can call my friends and acquaintances working at the Stock Exchange my colleagues now, and I am sure that we will work together successfully with this team of experienced and valuable professionals in the future as well.” “Zsolt Katona brings a lot of experience to the Budapest Stock Exchange,” said Michael Buhl, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the BSE. “Apart from his strong capital markets track record, Zsolt is a well- respected individual in the industry, enjoying the support of the broad market. We were aiming at finding someone with Zsolt’s capabilities and experience, and I am very glad that he is on board now. We will continue the efforts to work closely together with all market participants and strengthen the of the Budapest Stock Exchange as an internationally recognized .” Zsolt Katona would like to concentrate on two main areas in his work: primarily, on the execution of the decision passed at the general meeting of the Stock Exchange held at the end of April, that is the replacement of the trading system and the introduction of the market making system. The new CEO is optimistic about the expected effects of the proposed changes as he anticipates that new groups will become available to the BSE through the application of the trading system. The new trading system can result in the increase of trading turnover at the Stock Exchange from 2013 already, whereas the introduction of the market making system can bring stability, greater competitiveness, the better execution of orders, and thereby the stronger satisfaction of clients, which can also increase trading volumes. Zsolt Katona considers the establishment of a closer relationship between the Stock Exchange and the market participants, owners, issuers and economic policy decision makers as his other main task. In his opinion, the strategy of the owner of the Stock Exchange, the CEESEG Group, is determinant for the future of the BSE, however, he emphasises that the successfulness of the group coupling the stock exchanges of Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague and Vienna can only be founded on strong national stock exchanges. Zsolt Katona added: “Although you can trade the of serious, successful companies at the Hungarian Stock Exchange, I think it is definitely necessary that new success stories of Hungarian companies enter the Stock Exchange and that the variety of traded securities be extended, and thereby the national Stock Exchange can be strengthened further.”

Budapest Stock Exchange, H-1364 Budapest, PO Box 24 T 1 429 6864, F 1 429 6823 [email protected], www.bet.hu

Zsolt Katona is the new CEO of the Budapest Stock Exchange

Zsolt Katona (1966) Marital status: married, 2 children

Education 2003 University of Lincoln (MBA) 1989 College for Foreign Trade

Professional experience 1995-2012 Heading the investment services and capital markets units of ING Group, in different positions: 2002-2012 Executive Director (ING Rt. / ING Bank NV Branch) 1998-2002 CEO (ING Baring Securities Rt.) 1995-1998 Deputy Executive Director (ING Baring Securities Rt.) 1991-1995 MID Broker Ltd. – Head of securities sales and trading

Other activities 2003-2012 member of the Board of the Association of Investment Service Providers 2002-2011 member of the Supervisory Board of the Budapest Stock Exchange, chairman till 2005 2005-2010 member of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation for Self-Reliance 2003-2004 member of the Supervisory Board of KELER (Central Clearing House and Depository) 1997-2012 member of the Supervisory Board of ING Pension Funds

Further information: Angéla Torgyik Phone: +36 1 429 6864 Email: [email protected], [email protected]

About the Budapest Stock Exchange The CEE Stock Exchange Group (CEESEG), which comprises of the stock exchanges of Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague and Vienna, is the largest stock exchange group in the region. CEESEG simplifies access to markets and trading with the aim to increase liquidity on the local exchanges. The CEESEG stock exchanges cooperate with 12 stock exchanges in Central and Eastern and are recognised throughout the world for this unique expertise.

Budapest Stock Exchange, H-1364 Budapest, PO Box 24 T 1 429 6864, F 1 429 6823 [email protected], www.bet.hu