Acknowledgements

This volume of studies has benefitted from the thoughts and efforts of many experts both at the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), the central bank of Hungary, and its partner institutions throughout Europe and Asia. First and foremost, the editors would like to thank all of the authors for their valuable contributions, as well as their teams and organizations for the cooperation throughout the editing process. Among them, special thanks go to the Bank of Korea (BOK), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Fudan University, the Development Research Center of the State Council of China, the Boao Forum for Asia, National University of Singapore, Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Hungary for their excellent support. Special thanks also go to Governor György Matolcsy and Deputy Governors Mihály Patai, Barnabás Virág and Csaba Kandrács for their encouraging support and professional comments on the volume. The book has also capitalized on the insightful remarks and editorial work of the experts at the MNB’s International Relations Directorate, namely Marcell Horváth, Executive Director, as well as Eszter Boros, Veronika Mikes, Györgyi Puhl, Nóra Anna Sándor, István Péter Szabó and Dávid Szabó. Dániel Károly Szakács also provided valuable assistance. The editors would also like to express their gratitude for the contribution of Norbert Csizmadia, Head of the Board of Trustees of PADME, Kristóf Lehmann, Director for International Monetary Policy Analysis and Training of Economic Sciences at the MNB, and Levente Horváth, Director of the Eurasia Centre at John von Neumann University, as well as his colleagues. Furthermore, thanks go to the experts of the MNB, namely Judit Baranyai Csutiné, Kálmán Árpád Marincsák, Delal Sadik, Balázs Lóránt, Márton Varga, Balázs Sárvári and Renátó Ritter.

The authors owe thanks to Péter Szűcs, Péter Bencsik, István Csonka and all of the contributing colleagues for their thorough work, which has been indispensable for releasing this publication. The editors would like to thank Soma Szabó for his work on the graphic design in this book.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY, MONEY AND SUSTAINABLE GEOECONOMICS

In recent decades, the rise of Asia has become a common argument of geopolitical analysts, economists and decision-makers around the world. Today, economic trends and technological development clearly show that this is not only a popular idea, but a reality unfolding before our eyes. The East Asian giant, China, will not only soon overtake the US as the world’s largest economy, but it is already at the top of the list of global patent applications. Other smaller Asian “heavyweights” such as Singapore and Korea also have comprehensive strategies for digital and green transition.

Although these developments highlight the role of Asia, there is in fact an even larger community of common destiny: Eurasia. The planet’s largest landmass is growing increasingly interconnected, with networks of physical and digital infrastructure, technology hubs, knowledge sharing and people-to-people links. These connections reach back to the age of the ancient Silk Road, but in the face of modern-day challenges, cooperation between Asia and Europe and long-term sustainable development may now be more important than ever. We must now strike a new balance between the East and West, find a new harmony between technology and society, environment and economy, and – last but not least – ensure a stable and efficient international financial system.

This collection of studies aims to make a significant contribution to this thinking: it benefits from the international network of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank, the central bank of Hungary, and the growing professional community of the annual Budapest Eurasia Forum, bringing together a unique group of renowned experts both from Asia and Europe. The book offers a comprehensive understanding of Eurasia as a power hub and a framework for cooperation by highlighting the historical links and similar concepts in the supercontinent, as well as recent megatrends. Among other things, its multidisciplinary approach covers regional cooperation formats, geopolitical strategies, incentives for innovation and investments, smart cities and the future of money.