Hungarian Scholar Uses Low-Capital Swiss Firm for Multi-Million Asset Deal; New Govt Investigates Orban's Cronies
The family business of Mária Schmidt, a key advisor to Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, acquired a 33% stake in Hungarian real estate firm BIF via a low-capital Swiss company. This cross-border transaction pattern, common among Orban's associates, is drawing the new government's scrutiny.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 09:16
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(Central News Agency) (Central News Agency reporter Kuo Fang-chun, Zurich, 24th) Hungarian scholar Mária Schmidt is a core advisor to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Her family business has long received government funding and, through cross-border investments using a low-capital company established in Switzerland, acquired a major stake in a large Hungarian real estate company. This operational model combining political power is a common tactic among Orban's close associates, attracting the attention of the new government and potentially becoming a focus of investigation.
According to a report by the Swiss media Tages-Anzeiger, prominent Hungarian historian Mária Schmidt has long served as a core advisor to Viktor Orban and is considered one of his closest and most influential allies. Schmidt's family business has also received numerous government contracts and substantial funding over the years.
Reportedly, Schmidt and her children jointly control a privately held real estate group that owns a significant amount of property in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. They established a company named Bfin Asset Management AG in Zurich, Switzerland, with a capital of only 100,000 Swiss Francs (about 4 million NTD), and suddenly bought a 33% stake in the large Hungarian real estate company BIF, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The Schmidt family became the majority shareholder of the real estate group, using the Swiss company for cross-border asset transaction operations.
The report also mentioned that the cross-border transaction model of establishing a Swiss company with low capital, then intervening in Hungarian enterprises, and transferring assets back to key political figures is similar to the past operational methods of other close associates of Orban.
Peter Magyar, the leader of the party that recently won the parliamentary elections, has also told the media that for years Schmidt has been one of the important figures in Orban's government, with Hungarian public funds flowing into her family business and foundations.
Tages-Anzeiger pointed out that the Schmidt family's holding company still holds a partial stake in this Zurich-based company. Therefore, as the Magyar government launches an investigation into the economic networks of the Orban era, these Swiss transactions could become a focus of scrutiny.
CNA interviewed Silvia Honegger, a citizen with dual Swiss and Hungarian nationality, regarding her views on tracing overseas funds. She stated that in the past, various Hungarian media outlets have repeatedly photographed Orban and his close associates entering and leaving luxury hotels by Lake Zurich. Furthermore, for 16 years, Orban has managed personal assets in Switzerland, and his children and grandchildren live in different European and American countries. Switzerland is likely just a transit point for the funds, and the outflowed state funds would be difficult to recover in the short term. (Editor: Tang Sheng-yang) 1150424
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According to a report by the Swiss media Tages-Anzeiger, prominent Hungarian historian Mária Schmidt has long served as a core advisor to Viktor Orban and is considered one of his closest and most influential allies. Schmidt's family business has also received numerous government contracts and substantial funding over the years.
Reportedly, Schmidt and her children jointly control a privately held real estate group that owns a significant amount of property in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. They established a company named Bfin Asset Management AG in Zurich, Switzerland, with a capital of only 100,000 Swiss Francs (about 4 million NTD), and suddenly bought a 33% stake in the large Hungarian real estate company BIF, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The Schmidt family became the majority shareholder of the real estate group, using the Swiss company for cross-border asset transaction operations.
The report also mentioned that the cross-border transaction model of establishing a Swiss company with low capital, then intervening in Hungarian enterprises, and transferring assets back to key political figures is similar to the past operational methods of other close associates of Orban.
Peter Magyar, the leader of the party that recently won the parliamentary elections, has also told the media that for years Schmidt has been one of the important figures in Orban's government, with Hungarian public funds flowing into her family business and foundations.
Tages-Anzeiger pointed out that the Schmidt family's holding company still holds a partial stake in this Zurich-based company. Therefore, as the Magyar government launches an investigation into the economic networks of the Orban era, these Swiss transactions could become a focus of scrutiny.
CNA interviewed Silvia Honegger, a citizen with dual Swiss and Hungarian nationality, regarding her views on tracing overseas funds. She stated that in the past, various Hungarian media outlets have repeatedly photographed Orban and his close associates entering and leaving luxury hotels by Lake Zurich. Furthermore, for 16 years, Orban has managed personal assets in Switzerland, and his children and grandchildren live in different European and American countries. Switzerland is likely just a transit point for the funds, and the outflowed state funds would be difficult to recover in the short term. (Editor: Tang Sheng-yang) 1150424
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA 'First Hand News' APP to instantly grasp the latest news.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.