Róbert Bolyán has more than 23 years of banking sales experience in the Hungarian market and 4 years in the international field. Róbert is currently coordinating the implementation of social impact banking activities at UniCredit Bank Hungary focusing on microfinance activities, impact financing cases, and financial education initiatives. He is also an internal trainer and mentor, giving financial and lending trainings, not exclusively for social organisations. He believes in lifelong learning.
How did you start your professional journey and what is your current role?
I’ve been working in the banking sector for more than 27 years and at UniCredit for 23 years, mainly in sales and financing. I started my career as a relationship manager, then continued as a branch manager, a regional manager; after that, I had the opportunity to establish the SME segment inside the bank. After 5 successful years in SME, I started working in Vienna as a country manager for UniCredit Holding, responsible for SME activities in 5 countries.
Currently I’m implementing social impact banking activities, negotiating with social enterprises, preparing portfolios and rules, and educating networks inside and outside the bank. It is extremely interesting to establish a new area.
What is social impact banking?
Social Impact Banking is a new area in the banking sector. SIB marks an increase in our level of commitment to build a more inclusive society: identifying, financing, promoting individuals or enterprises that have a real impact on society. For us, Social Impact Banking consists of 4 main sub-areas: microfinance, impact financing, financial education, and volunteer activities.
What motivated you to work in the field of Social Impact Banking?
As I’ve mentioned, this is a new area and way of thinking. Following a 21-year for-profit financing experience, the area of social impact is highly interesting and challenging. How can you deal with social enterprises, startups and foundations, where the financial return is only the second goal?
Do you have any favourite projects?
Yes of course, I have had many great projects in the past. For example, how can you finance an elderly home without asking for a huge entry fee? I also learned a lot when we discussed the financing of a social cooperative startup. I have a favorite project right now: how can we finance a foundation that operates a music-oriented nursery and kindergarten, in need of its own building?
What advice would you give to a company looking for an investment?
It is important to be honest and realistic and have a plan B and C. Assess your strengths and weaknesses well and be persistent in achieving your goals.
Is there anything you would like to add?
My favorite Darwin quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Join us for the 6th Hungarian Impact Day on the 14th October 2021, in Budapest at the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel – where Róbert Bolyán will be one of our speakers!
The 6th Hungarian Impact Day Conference is sponsored by UniCredit Bank Hungary.
Our main aim with this year’s conference is for the participants to gain an insight into the world of ESG funds and impact investments, their relationship, their similarities and differences, and their impact and its possible measurement. True to our mission, with this conference, we strive to stimulate the impact ecosystem, increasing the number of social impact investments in Hungary and its region.
How does ESG differ from impact investment, how do they correlate, when do they go hand in hand and how do they help each other out? How can ESGs remain credible, how can we avoid impact/greenwashing? How can we reach out to more and more investors to reach impact investment? Are ESGs a tool? We strive to find answers to these questions and many more from actors of the financial world.
More info about the 6th Hungarian Impact Day: http://thbe.hu/konferencia/
Get your tickets here: https://impact-design.typeform.com/to/o6q6RZPd#ref=web
