The lesser-known beginnings A conversation with György Surányi about the start of his academic career, financial reforms and his first term as Governor of the Central Bank

Abstract

The phase of György Surányi’s professional career following 1995 – and, above all, his second term as Governor of the Central Bank – is widely known and well documented. However, we know far less about the nearly two decades that preceded this: how he turned towards finance and research as a university student; what intellectual environment shaped him at the Institute for Financial Research; how he became involved in the preparations for the two-tier banking system; what he learnt at the World Bank about debt crises; and what role he played in the economic reforms immediately preceding the transition to a market economy. Our conversation therefore deliberately focuses on this lesser-known phase of his career, tracing his career path right up to his first term as Governor of the Central Bank in 1990–1991.