Bulgaria’s central bank: Close to half of leva withdrawn, 3.1B euro put into circulation
As of January 9, about 48 per cent of leva have gone out of circulation, central Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said in a report posted on its website on January 10.
Euro banknotes and coins worth a total of more than 3.1 billion euro have been put into circulation, according to the BNB reported, posted 10 days after Bulgaria adopted the euro as its currency.
In order to ensure access to the exchange service, the cash offices of BNB and the territorial divisions of Cash Services Company are working overtime and will exchange leva into euro on January 10, 17, 24 and 31 2026, the report said.
Some of the commercial banks in the country also are providing emergency service on Saturdays in January 2026, it said.
The Association of Banks in Bulgaria posted on January 9 a list, in Bulgarian, of bank branches opening on Saturdays this January.
The BNB January 10 statement said that during the first six months of 2026, banks will exchange unlimited amounts of leva banknotes and coins for euro at the official exchange rate, free of charge.
For amounts over 30 000 leva, a three-day advance request is required. Depositing and exchanging leva into a client’s account in euro is also free of charge.
Banks are obliged to carry out free exchange for both their customers and non-customers, without restrictions on the type and amount of banknotes and coins exchanged, BNB said.
In the case of exchange by those who are not customers of respective bank, identification is carried out on the basis of a valid identity document up to 5 000 euro. Above this amount, identification and declaration of additional circumstances, including the origin of the funds, are required in accordance with legal requirements.
Large-scale coin exchanges are carried out in bank branches with specialized equipment, and processing requires time, BNB said, adding that banks provide information and direct customers to branches with the appropriate equipment.
BNB said that it carries out inspections within its competence on each report received related to the process of exchanging leva into euro.
“The violations found so far in the banking sector are isolated and are corrected on being detected in accordance with the applicable regulatory framework,” the report said.
“In individual cases of unlawful charging of fees, the amounts charged have been promptly corrected and refunded, therefore, at the present time, there are no cases of harm to citizens,” it said.
BNB expressed its gratitude to the media and the public for the reports submitted “and will continue to rely on their assistance in identifying irregularities related to the activities of the banking sector”.
The sale of euro coin starter kits ended on December 30 2025, in accordance with regulatory requirements, the report said. From January 1 2026, the public and businesses can purchase euro coins through their servicing banks according to the procedure determined by the respective bank, BNB said.
(Photo: European Commission Audiovisual Service)
