Bulgaria: Household Lending Outpaces Deposits in October, Central Bank Reports 21% Growth in Loans
New BNB figures for October 2025 show that lending to households continues to rise at a noticeably faster pace than deposits
Rumen Porozhanov. Photo: BGNES
The payment of the guaranteed deposits in Bulgaria's troubled Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB) and its daughter bank Victoria (formerly Credit Agricole Bulgaria) would start in November, said Bulgaria's caretaker Finance Minister Rumen Porozhanov, quoted by BTA.
The payments on deposits of up to BGN 196 000 (EUR 100 000) will start after the completion of the bank evaluation and the decision on its future.
According to Porozhanov, there is a BGN 1.6 B deficit in the guarantee fund and there are two options to cover it – either by state bonds or direct state liquidity support.
“Either way the government will need parliamentary approval,” Porozhanov said.
Scope Ratings has completed its latest review of Bulgaria and confirmed the country’s long-term credit rating at A- with a stable outlook, alongside short-term ratings of S-1/Stable
At the turn of the year, Bulgaria is preparing to enter 2026 without an approved state budget
In Bulgaria, the common perception that investing is reserved for the wealthy remains widespread, but recent analysis by Freedom24 shows that households can begin investing with modest amounts of 50–100 BGN (approximately €25–50) per month
The euro has been in use since 1999 as a non-cash accounting unit and since 2002 as physical currency.
Pension insurance contributions will not increase in 2026, while pensions themselves will be updated from 1 July under the Swiss indexation formula, resulting in an expected rise of 7–8%.
The digital euro is a crucial tool for strengthening Europe’s financial and strategic independence and will complement physical cash amid the rapid digitalisation of payments.
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