Balgarianovinite.com The number of counterfeit Bulgarian lev banknotes seized in the last quarter of 2025 amounted to 4,927 pieces, which is nearly 14 times more compared with the same period of 2024. This transpired from the latest BNB’s Issue and Cash Operations Review, published on the central bank’s website. By comparison, during the October–December period in 2024, the counterfeit banknotes seized by BNB totalled 352.
Of the 4,927 counterfeit Bulgarian banknotes seized in the last quarter of 2025, 4,909 had been in circulation. On a quarterly basis, an increase in seized counterfeit money is also reported, with their number rising by 2,031 compared to the third quarter of 2025.
During the period under review, the largest number of seized counterfeit banknotes were those with a denomination of BGN 50 – 4,785 pieces, or 97% of all seized counterfeit banknotes.
During the last quarter of 2025, an increase was also recorded in the number of seized banknotes from currencies other than the Bulgarian lev. The number of counterfeit euro banknotes seized during the period was 1,455 (including 168 that had circulated in the cash economy), which is 4.5 times more compared to the last quarter of 2024, when 324 counterfeit euros were seized. The number of counterfeit US dollars seized amounted to 3,105 (including 69 that had circulated in the cash economy), compared to 122 during the same period of the previous year, 2025.
The period October–December 2025 was the last quarter before Bulgaria introduced the euro as legal tender. After the end of the dual circulation period of the lev and the euro, from February 1 this year, the euro became the sole legal tender in Bulgaria.
By the end of 2025, levs in circulation had reached BGN 19.7 billion. In the last quarter alone, they decreased by BGN 7.45 billion, or 27.4% compared to the previous quarter. The largest decrease during the last quarter of 2025 was recorded in December, a drop of BGN 4.08 billion. Compared to the end of 2024, the total value of cash in circulation declined by 36%, or BGN 11.3 billion over one year. Seized Counterfeit Banknotes in 2025 Q4 Increased 14 Times From a Year Earlier 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-26 09:48:50 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