Balgarianovinite.com As of January 9, the total volume of Bulgarian leva in circulation stands at BGN 16.1 billion, meaning that 48% of available cash in leva has been withdrawn from circulation, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) reported on its website on Saturday.
The process of exchanging banknotes and coins from leva to euro following Bulgaria’s accession to the euro area on January 1 is being carried out in accordance with the applicable regulatory framework and the adopted operational plans, the BNB said.
Euro banknotes and coins with a total value of over EUR 3.1 billion have already been put into circulation, the country’s central bank noted.
To ensure access to the exchange service, the BNB’s counters and the branches of Cash Services Company AD will operate on an extraordinary basis on Saturdays — the 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st of January — carrying out exchanges of leva into euro. Some commercial banks in the country are also providing exceptional service on Saturdays throughout January.
During the first six months of 2026, banks will carry out free exchanges of lev banknotes and coins into euros in unlimited amounts at the official exchange rate (BGN 1.95583 to EUR 1). For amounts exceeding BGN 30,000, a prior request of three working days is required. Free exchange also applies to depositing and converting leva into a client’s euro account, the BNB noted.
Banks are obliged to provide free exchanges both to their own clients and to non-clients, without restrictions regarding the type or amount of banknotes and coins exchanged. For exchanges by non-clients of a bank, identification is carried out using a valid identity document for amounts up to EUR 5,000. Above this limit, identification and declaration of additional circumstances, including the source of funds, are required in accordance with legal requirements.
The exchange of coins in large quantities is carried out at bank branches equipped with specialized machinery, as processing takes technical time. Banks provide information and direct clients to branches with the necessary equipment.
The BNB conducts checks within its competence on any reports related to the process of exchanging leva into euro. Violations identified so far in the banking sector are isolated and corrected upon detection in accordance with applicable regulations. In individual cases of improperly charged fees, the amounts charged have been promptly corrected and refunded; therefore, there are currently no cases of citizens being disadvantaged, the BNB added.
In January, payments can still be made in leva, but from February only euro may be used. 48% of Bulgarian Leva Cash Withdrawn as Euro Exchange Continues 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-10 18:38:03 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law