Banks association advises of temporary system outages on night of Bulgaria’s transition to euro

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.

Bulgaria’s historic accession to the eurozone also has its technical side, ABB said.

The transition of banking systems to the euro is planned for the period December 31 – January 2.

Each bank will inform its customers about the availability of its digital channels during this period, the association said.

During the days off, customers will be able to use their cards for payments at POS terminals and on the internet.

With the temporary system outages between 9pm on New Year’s Eve and 1am on New Year’s Day, all services will be restored in stages by one hour after midnight.

Each bank will inform its customers with specific details about this time period for the reset of the systems, ABB said.

After this hour, the card systems will switch to standard mode, with all payments being made in euro. From January 1 2026, the ATM network will start distributing euro banknotes.

“For your convenience, we recommend that you ensure sufficient funds on your card before the holidays,” ABB said.

“It is also a good idea to have some cash in leva for New Year’s Eve. Leva banknotes and coins will be usable throughout the month of January, during the dual circulation period,” the association said.

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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