Bulgaria Nears Completion of Leva Withdrawal as 81% Taken Out of Circulation
As of February 6, 2026, Bulgaria continues to make steady progress in withdrawing the national currency, the leva, from circulation.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (L) shakes hands with visiting World Bank Country Director for Central Europe and the Baltic Countries Ms Mamta Murthi in Sofia, Bulgaria, 23 January 2015. Photo BGNES
The World Bank said on Friday Bulgaria could meet and even exceed economic growth forecasts this year.
The Bank will assist Bulgaria’s efforts to bolster economic growth, the Country Director for Central Europe and the Baltic Countries Ms Mamta Murthi said after talks with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Sofia, according to the government's press office.
The World Bank Group said in its Global Economic Prospects report released last week that Bulgaria’s economy will expand by 1.1% in 2015, a smaller increase compared to the 1.4% growth rate predicted for last year.
The government has forecast real economic growth of 0.8% in the 2015 budget bill.
Borisov said that improving the business climate, transport infrastructure, the quality of the workforce and maintaining macroeconomic stability are among the priorities of the coalition government that took office in November.
On Tuesday, representatives of the Bulgarian government and businesses held their ninth annual meeting in Sofia, focusing on potential opportunities for spurring the country's economic growth.
Ms Murthi and Borisov also discussed opportunities for boosting regional economic development.
Bulgaria has taken on new debt amounting to 150 million euros through the issuance of government securities, according to results published on the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) website.
In December 2025, Bulgaria’s industrial sector showed modest growth following two consecutive months of decline, yet on an annual basis, production fell for the 13th month in a row.
In December 2025, Bulgaria’s total exports of goods rose by 2.5% compared to the same month a year earlier, reaching 6.7364 billion leva (€3.44 billion), after a contraction of 4% in November.
Villages surrounding Plovdiv are increasingly hosting Nepalese workers, brought in by local entrepreneurs to address Bulgaria’s persistent labor shortages.
The first month following the introduction of the euro and the period of dual circulation with the lev has now ended, providing a clearer picture of how the transition is unfolding.
The annual campaign for filing personal income tax returns under Article 50 of the Personal Income Tax Act is underway
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