site.btaAverage Interest Rate on House Purchase Loans Falls Further in March M/M

In March 2025, the average interest rate on house purchase loans decreased further, while the average interest rate on consumer loans increased, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) said on Tuesday.

The average interest rate on lev-denominated loans for house purchases stood at 2.46% in March, down by 0.02 percentage points (pp) on February and down by 0.10 pp on a year earlier. The Annual Percentage Rate of Charge (APRC) on these loans stood at 2.80% in March, down from 2.82% in February and down by an average of 2.85% on March 2024.  The APRC comprises all the interest payments on a loan, as well as all fees, commissions and other charges a client must pay in order to obtain the loan.

The volume of new business on lev-denominated loans for house purchase rose by 12.1% in March compared to February, reaching BGN 887.8 million. The increase on an annual basis was 11.5%. In March compared to February, renegotiated loans and loans for refinancing declined by 6.8% to BGN 166.7 million. Compared to March 2024, renegotiated loans and loans for refinancing increased by 11.9%.

In March 2025, the average interest rate on lev-denominated consumer loans stood at 8.93%, the BNB said.

Deposits

In March 2025, the average interest rate on new lev-denominated deposits with agreed maturity in the households sector stood at 0.93%. The average interest rate decreased by 0.01 pp compared with February and increased by 0.20 pp on March 2024.

The average interest rate on new euro-denominated deposits with agreed maturity in the households sector stood at 1.43% in March, up by 0.13 pp on February and 0.26 pp on an annual basis.