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Bulgarian Banks Post Nearly 1 Billion Euros Profit in First Half of 2025
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Photo: Stella Ivanova
By the end of June 2025, the banking sector in Bulgaria had recorded a net profit of 1.97 billion leva (1 billion euros), according to the latest figures released by the Bulgarian National Bank. This marks an increase of 158 million leva, or 8.7%, compared to the same period in the previous year.
Net interest income of Bulgarian banks reached 2.8 billion leva - 29 million leva more than at the end of June 2024. Revenue from fees and commissions also rose, amounting to 849 million leva, up by 8.8% on an annual basis.
Gross loans and advances on a quarterly basis climbed by 2.9 billion leva to a total of 131.7 billion leva. The loan portfolio of the banking system alone expanded by 3.3 billion leva, reaching 117.4 billion leva. The most significant growth was observed in household lending, which increased by 2.7 billion leva, or 5.3%, compared to March 2025. This surge was largely driven by mortgage lending, which alone contributed 2.4 billion leva to the increase. Loans to non-financial companies also rose, albeit more modestly, by 617 million leva.
At the same time, the banking sector experienced a slight uptick in non-performing loans and advances. At the end of June, they amounted to 3.9 billion leva - up from 3.8 billion leva three months earlier. As a proportion of the gross loan and advance total, non-performing exposures accounted for 2.99%, slightly higher than the 2.96% recorded at the end of March. The net value of these troubled loans stood at 1.9 billion leva in June, compared to 1.88 billion leva at the end of the previous quarter.
Deposits in the banking system also saw growth in the second quarter of 2025, rising by 3.8 billion leva, or 2.3%, and reaching 170.6 billion leva by the end of June. Household deposits contributed 2.4 billion leva to this growth. Deposits by credit institutions rose by 1.1 billion leva, while those from general government sources increased by 724 million leva, representing a notable 18.2% rise. Conversely, deposits from non-financial corporations and other financial institutions declined by 314 million leva (0.6%) and 137 million leva (2.9%), respectively.
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