Debrecen's economic development may be entering a new phase: after large-scale investments, the emphasis is increasingly on reinforcing local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), addressing housing and infrastructure challenges, and accelerating the services sector and technological development. This consensus emerged from presentations and roundtables at the Debrecen Economic Forum.
In his welcome remarks, Papp László, Mayor of Debrecen (City with County Rights), stressed that further convergence requires not only major corporate projects but also the restoration of municipal economic autonomy. He argued that a self-sustaining urban development strategy could help Debrecen reach the development level of Western European cities with similar endowments.
Service centers, high-tech and multiplier effects
Tamás Kórász, co-head of KPMG's advisory business, said Central and Eastern Europe — including Hungary and Debrecen — could be among the winners in the coming years as investor sentiment improves, country risks decline and European ties strengthen. Debrecen's industrial base — automotive, e-mobility, battery industry and pharmaceuticals — can generate important multiplier effects, but the growth remains fragile.
Kórász noted that banks now examine financing structures, supply chains, governance and ESG compliance more comprehensively. He argued that development hinges on bringing in higher value-added service centers, digital capabilities, automation and artificial intelligence, since companies that do not invest in technology will fall behind competitively.
EU funds and the urgency of preparing applications
Zsuzsa Csépány, regional director at Goodwill Consulting, warned that a large volume of EU funds may be released in the coming period, but these funds will not automatically or exclusively flow to SMEs. New calls are expected no earlier than September–October, so the next two to three months are critical for preparing investments, developments and application documentation.
She emphasized that preparation is time-consuming, especially for projects that boost efficiency and require significant technological investments. Csépány urged immediate action so that projects are ready when the funding windows open.
She also pointed out that future calls will increasingly use blended instruments — non-repayable grants alongside preferential or interest-free loans — and will focus on digitalisation, energy efficiency, green investments, innovation and R&D. She highlighted opportunities in cyber security and national champion programmes, noting that projects of roughly HUF 1.4 billion can be implemented for micro, small and medium enterprises.
Financing, late payments and supplier risk
Péter Szilágyi, head of risk management at Coface, said that although insolvency numbers in Central and Eastern Europe did not rise materially last year overall, there were significant differences by country and sector. In Hungary, the decline seen previously amounts more to normalization. However, in the Coface client base up to the end of May 2026, the number of late-paying partners rose by 40 percent, and the value of overdue receivables increased by 23 percent compared with the same period in the previous year, pointing to worsening trends.
Szilágyi stressed that not only banks matter in corporate financing: supplier credit in the economy is roughly one-and-a-half times the stock of bank corporate loans, so suppliers’ risk management and disciplined customer assessment have become central. Construction, freight transport and mixed wholesale remain the highest-risk sectors, and companies must continuously monitor their customers’ liquidity and payment behavior.
Preparing SMEs: competitiveness, digitalisation and AI
At the forum’s SME financing roundtable, participants agreed that the next period will hinge on predictable economic policy, the actual arrival of EU funds and the return of entrepreneurial investment appetite. József Barkó, head of OTP Bank’s Eastern Hungary Region, said the banking system is ready to finance SMEs — for equity topping-up, working capital or investment loans — but recent weakness lay more in demand from entrepreneurs than in lending supply.
Barkó added that the effects of major investments are already visible in Debrecen’s region, especially in industrial and logistics construction; however, wage pressure and labor market tensions mean local SMEs must respond with efficiency improvements and stronger corporate culture.
Zoltán Márton, CEO of Creditexpert, observed that EU funds can also boost companies that join value chains as suppliers or service providers. He urged firms to prepare deliberately for the financing wave because current subsidized loan schemes may not remain unchanged in the long run.
Zoltán Rammacher, marketing head for retail and SME clients at K&H Bank, said a more stable environment could prompt mindset shifts among SMEs, but many are not ready to suddenly scale up financing, cash flow and operations when a large order or investment arrives.
The panel’s common message was clear: SMEs should not wait. They must plan, improve efficiency and invest in innovation, digitalisation and even artificial intelligence — failing to act promptly risks losing competitiveness.
