Bulgaria’s banks: Transition to euro will see some interruptions to online and mobile banking services
Bulgaria’s major banks have issued advisories that the period up to and around January 1 2026 transition to the euro as the country’s currency will see some disruptions to online and mobile banking services.
Banks already have been sending messages to their customers about the period in which their electronic payment services will be unavailable. These may last varied amounts of time during that period.
As The Sofia Globe previously reported, between 9pm on December 31 and 1am on January 1, a technical reset of systems (cards, POS terminals, ATMs) will take place with temporary system outages, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria (ABB) said in a media statement about the country’s transition to the euro.
Regarding online and mobile banking, banks have advised: “Plan your online banking operations in advance, make important transfers and payments before the times and dates specified by your bank”.
United Bulgarian Bank (UBB)
On its website, UBB offered several tips.
Plan ahead for your online banking needs – complete any important transfers and payments before 2pm on December 30 2025.
Carry cash on New Year’s Eve – in leva or euro, as both currencies will be accepted for cash payments in January 2026.
If you have upcoming trips or major expenses, consider making advance payments to avoid any inconvenience.
Update your mobile banking app – make sure you have the latest version of the UBB Mobile application installed.
Take care of your home and car – pay your utility bills for electricity, water, internet, local taxes, and insurance by December 28 2025, or purchase a “vignette” road tax sticker by December 29 2025, to enjoy a stress-free holiday season.
“In connection with the transition to the euro, all banks in Bulgaria, including UBB, will implement temporary interruptions of their digital and card services to ensure a smooth and secure changeover. The duration of these interruptions may vary between banks, but we all share the same goal – the safety and convenience of Bulgarian citizenns,” UBB said.
Here are the planned interruptions at UBB:
UBB Mobile and UBB Online – On December 30 2025, until 2pm, you will be able to make transfers and top up card accounts via UBB Mobile and UBB Online.
After 8.30pm on December 30 2025, access to digital channels will be temporarily closed. During this period, it will not be possible to check your card balance, make transfers, or top up card accounts through the digital channels.
Clients with mobile banking and enabled push notifications will continue to receive alerts for completed transactions, and the updated balance after each transaction will be visible in them. This functionality will also be available on December 31 2025. Access to the digital channels will be gradually restored after 5am on January 1 2026. After that you can also ask Kate for latest information regarding the conversion.
Card transactions on ATM, POS terminals and online purchases (including Apple Pay and Google Pay wallets) – short interruptions from 9pm on December 31 till 1am. on January 1 are expected.
During these periods, cards, ATMs and POS terminals in Bulgaria will not work, so please keep cash handy, the bank said.
ATM Withdrawals and Deposits – After 1am on January 1 2026, ATMs withdrawals will be only in euro, while cash-deposits will be possible only in leva until January 31 2026..
UBB branches will be closed from 12.30pm, December 30 2025, until January 04 2026. “Please complete any necessary operations before then,” UBB said.
Branches will reopen on January 5 2026, with standard working hours. You can convert your cash in leva to euro free of charge at the fixed rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 leva till end of June2026.
DSK
DSK Bank has not yet provided on its website precise times for the disruption of its digital banking systems. It only states that the reconfiguration will begin on December 31 at about 4pm. and will continue “at least until the end of January 1.” That is, DSK’s mobile banking will not be available for about a day and a half.
Unicredit Bulbank
In connection with the adoption of the euro and the required adaptation of its digital channels, Bulbank Online and Bulbank Mobile will operate in a temporary passive mode from the evening of December 30 2025 until January 3 2026, Unicredit Bulbank said on its website.
The passive mode will be activated at the end of the day on December 30 2025, with active operations gradually restricted.
On New Year’s Eve, during the technical conversion, Bulbank Online and Bulbank Mobile will be completely unavailable. After the completion of the main conversion activities of accounts and products into euro, the systems will remain in passive mode until January 3, ensuring proper data loading and synchronization.
Services available during passive mode: Clients will retain access to informational menus already converted in euro, including account, deposit, and card balances; credit limits, utilized amounts, and available funds; card transactions and push notifications; and account movements and transaction history.
The following services will not be accessible during this period, Unicredit Bulbank said: all types of payments – domestic and international; requests for new or existing products and services; the “My Car” functionality.
On January 3 and 4 2026, the gradual restoration of activities in the digital channels will begin, including payments and service requests, the bank said.
It said that it will be mandatory to update Bulbank Mobile to version 5.0.0. Older versions will not allow access to functionalities after login and will display a mandatory update message. Devices must run on Android 7.0 or higher or iOS 12 or higher.
Postbank
Preparations for the switchover of the systems will begin on the last working day of 2025, and it is expected that in the first hour of the new year, customers will have access to basic banking services, ensuring smooth card payments and ATM withdrawals, Postbank said.
During the migration of the banking system, it is important to know the following:
After a short reconfiguration interval, which will begin at 10.30pm on December 31 2025, the card systems will be reactivated in the first hour of the new year. They will be available after 1am on January 1 2026, when customers will be able to freely make card payments in euro.
Contactless payments via the ONE wallet (for Android), Apple Pay, and Garmin Pay will remain active except during this short system reset period. For Android devices, payments will be possible with the main card loaded in the app by placing the phone close to the NFC reader of the POS/ATM without opening the app.
Postbank ATMs will be loaded with both leva and euro on December 30 2025, thus ensuring that customers will be able to withdraw and deposit levs until the last hours of the year, and after 1am on January 1 2026 all ATMs will dispense and accept only euro.
The technical switchover to the new currency on the bank’s digital banking platforms will begin on December 30 2025. and, according to plan, all online services and operations in mobile and internet banking, as well as the ONE wallet digital wallet, will be restored on January 2 2026, Postbank said.
Postbank said that after December 29 2025, online registration for internet banking and new registrations for ONE wallet will be temporarily restricted, with services resuming on January 2 2026. Opening accounts in leva will be possible until December 29 2025.
Postbank’s financial centres will be open until noon on December 30, the last business day on which payment transactions in leva will be carried out. The first working day in the new year 2026 will be January 5, when customers will also have access to digital express banking zones.
“For added convenience, Postbank recommends that its customers ensure they have sufficient cash and funds available on their active cards when preparing for the New Year holidays and days off.” They will be able to load their cards until 12 noon on December 30, after which transfers will no longer be possible.
Postbank reminded its customers that the lev will continue to be legal tender throughout January and can be used for cash payments.
“The bank will maintain active communication with its customers to keep them informed in a timely manner of all details related to the process of introducing the euro,” Postbank said.
(Photo: Skitterphoto, via Wikimedia Commons)
For reliable official information on Bulgaria’s transition to the euro, the Association of Banks in Bulgaria has a Q and A, in English.
The official evroto.bg website has an English-language version, while the European Commission made available on July 8 a Q and A on Bulgaria’s changeover to the euro.
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