He earned the distinction by disrupting an industry
Csányi took over the largest bank in Hungary and immediately shook things up
He brought in new technology and fired a bunch of managers
which had only been free from socialism since 1989
his OTP Bank Group is not just a force to be reckoned with in Hungary
it is also one of the largest financial service firms in Central and Eastern Europe
The 63-year-old Hungarian has a net worth of $1 billion
His family moved to Budapest when he was 14 years old
He studied economics at the Finance and Accounting College (now called the Budapest Business School)
he took a job as an as an economist in the Department of State Revenue at the Ministry of Finance
Csányi started his banking career when he was offered a job as the head of a department at the Hungarian Credit Bank
he became a successful and influential banker
As his country transitioned from socialism
Csányi's appointment was helped along by his political connections
He fired a bunch of veteran managers left over from the era of socialism
and overhauled the bank's risk analysis methods for granting loans
He also made OTP into a valuable credit resource for local businesses in the 1990s
Csányi first became a wealthy man when the government sold its share in OTP in 1997 and 1999
He was a billionaire in Hungarian currency at that point
Roughly 5% of the bank shares were acquired by management for a low price
that trades on the Budapest stock exchange
Over the years he has sold off shares in order to invest in other areas
This was the first piece of what would become an agricultural empire
the largest vertically integrated agricultural and food company in Hungary
Csányi owns 100% of the company worth $300 million US
a conglomerate comprised of engineering and construction companies operating in the Central and Eastern European gas
the company finished work on the Hungarian-Slovakian pipeline
Csányi's stake in OT Industries is worth about $60 million
Sándor Csányi is Hungary's first billionaire and he's likely to remain so for awhile
The Hungarian economy isn't in the best shape
Shares of OTB bank rose steadily in value after the government reduced the bank tax
Bonafarm Group and OT Industries also had a very good year
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