site.bta89% of Bulgarian Leva Banknotes and Coins Withdrawn from Circulation

About 89% of the Bulgarian leva banknotes and coins which were in circulation at the beginning of 2025 have been withdrawn, with BGN 3.4 billion in cash remaining outside the vaults of the Bulgarian National Bank as of March 13, the central bank reported.

Bulgaria adopted the euro as its official currency on January 1, 2026. As of February 1, the euro is the sole legal tender in the country.

On February 27, when such data were last provided, the withdrawn leva banknotes and coins accounted for 87%, while BGN 3.9 billion remained among the population.

Thus, about BGN 500 million have entered the vaults of the Bulgarian National Bank over the past two weeks.

Euro banknotes and euro coins in circulation (net issuance, representing the difference between euro banknotes and coins withdrawn from and deposited with the Bulgarian National Bank) currently amount to a total value of more than EUR 8.0 billion, compared with EUR 7.5 billion on February 27.