Bulgarians Urged to Watch Exchange Rate Amid Euro Adoption and Loan Concerns
The adoption of the euro in Bulgaria is not expected to cause fast loans to become more expensive
According to data published on the Bulgarian National Bank’s (BNB) official website, household lending surged by 20.7% year-on-year by the end of March, while household deposits rose by 11.4%.
At the end of March, the total number of loans issued to households and NPISHs (Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households) increased by 2.3% year-on-year to reach 2.896 million. The value of these loans reached BGN 48.372 billion—up 20.7% compared to March 2024. While the number of such loans saw a slight quarterly decline of 0.1%, their total value grew by 4.3%. Loans ranging between BGN 100,000 and 250,000 accounted for the largest share at 27.8%.
Loans to Non-Financial Enterprises:
As of the end of Q1 2025, non-financial enterprises held 154,000 loans—a slight annual increase. The total value of these loans rose by 9.7% year-on-year to BGN 50.031 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, loan numbers grew by 2.9% and their value by 1.9%. The sectors with the highest loan shares were:
Trade: 26.6%
Manufacturing: 21.6%
Real estate operations: 11.7%
Notably, loans exceeding BGN 1 million formed the bulk of the loan portfolio in this sector, accounting for 75.9%.
Loans to Financial Enterprises:
At the end of March, financial enterprises had 1,129 loans, marking a 10.5% annual increase. The value of these loans rose 13.4% to BGN 8.739 billion. Quarter-on-quarter, the number of loans increased by 2.1%, and their total value by 3.2%. Nearly all (99.2%) of these loans were valued above BGN 1 million.
Aggregate Loan Data:
Overall, loans across households, financial and non-financial enterprises rose by 2.2% in number and 14.7% in total value on an annual basis.
Deposit Trends:
Total deposits in the three sectors increased by 1.1% in volume and 10.5% in value year-on-year.
Households and NPISHs held 8.991 million deposits at the end of March—up 0.9% annually. Their total value climbed to BGN 90.836 billion, an 11.4% increase. Compared to December 2024, the number of deposits slightly decreased by 0.2%, while their value rose by 1.6%. Deposits between BGN 50,000 and 100,000 made up the largest share at 19.2%.
Deposits by Non-Financial Enterprises:
These stood at 646,300 by the end of March, a 3.5% increase year-on-year. Their value totaled BGN 46.799 billion, marking an 8% annual rise. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of deposits increased by 0.6%, while their value dropped by 0.3%. The dominant sectors by deposit share were:
Trade: 25.1%
Manufacturing: 14.1%
Construction: 9.4%
Deposits over BGN 1 million comprised 60% of the total in this category.
Deposits by Financial Enterprises:
These totaled 8,074 in number, up 7.1% year-on-year. Their overall value reached BGN 4.577 billion—a significant 18.3% annual increase. From the previous quarter, deposit numbers grew by 1% and their value by 11.6%. High-value deposits above BGN 1 million dominated, accounting for 89.9%.
Sector | Loans (YoY Change) | Deposits (YoY Change) | Most Common Size |
---|---|---|---|
Households & NPISHs | BGN 48.4B (↑20.7%) | BGN 90.8B (↑11.4%) | Loans: BGN 100K–250K (27.8%)Deposits: BGN 50K–100K (19.2%) |
Non-fin. Enterprises | BGN 50.0B (↑9.7%) | BGN 46.8B (↑8.0%) | Loans: > BGN 1M (75.9%)Deposits: > BGN 1M (60%) |
Fin. Enterprises | BGN 8.7B (↑13.4%) | BGN 4.6B (↑18.3%) | Loans: > BGN 1M (99.2%)Deposits: > BGN 1M (89.9%) |
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