site.btaBulgaria Transitions to Euro: What to Know about Availability of Bank Services

The transition to the euro on January 1, 2026, requires the adjustment of commercial banks’ systems in the country. As a result, in the last days of 2025 and the first days of the new year, some banking services will be temporarily unavailable, according to information on the official websites of financial institutions in Bulgaria. Account balances will be automatically converted from levs to euros, and IBANs will remain the same, so no prior preparation or action is required from clients.

The main technical interruption, affecting customers of all banks, is scheduled from 9:00 p.m. on December 31 to 1:00 a.m. on January 1. During this period, it will not be possible to pay with a physical card at POS terminals or online, nor to withdraw cash from ATMs. Technical interruptions are similar for most banks in the country, with minor differences in the exact timing of system adjustment.

Most banks advise clients to have cash on hand around New Year’s in case they need it at the time of interruptions.

Bulgaria will have a period of dual circulation of levs and euros throughout January.

Clients should also note that interbank transfers, including those to the budget, will be possible only until the middle of the business day on December 30.

BTA reviewed the information published by Bulgarian commercial banks regarding the upcoming technical interruptions for certain key services.

DSK Bank: Payments with cards at POS terminals and ATM withdrawals will not be possible from 9:00 p.m. on December 31 to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. The bank’s electronic channels (mobile banking, online banking, etc.) will stop working at 4:00 p.m. on December 31, with access gradually restored from the end of January 1 until the end of January 2. Payments for utility bills/local taxes will be suspended at 5:30 p.m. on December 29 and will be gradually resumed from January 2, 2026, after confirmation by the respective utility provider that the conversion has been completed in their billing system.

United Bulgarian Bank (UBB): Payments with cards at POS terminals and online (including apps), as well as ATM deposits and withdrawals, may experience brief interruptions between 9:00 p.m. on December 31 and 1:00 a.m. on January 1. Online and mobile banking will not be accessible after 8:30 p.m. on December 30, with restoration beginning gradually at 5:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

UniCredit Bulbank: Temporary interruptions in card, ATM, and POS terminal services are possible from 9:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. Payments through the bank’s mobile and online apps to other banks will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on December 30, 2025, and to UniCredit Bulbank accounts until 7:00 p.m. (except for budget transfers, which are until 2:00 p.m.). ATM deposits in levs will be possible until 10:00 a.m. on December 30, 2025, and from January 4, 2026, only in euros.

Postbank: After a short adjustment period starting at 10:30 p.m. on December 31, 2025, card systems will be reactivated in the first hour of the new year. They will be fully accessible after 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026, when clients can freely make card payments in euros. Postbank ATMs will be stocked with both levs and euros on December 30, 2025, and after 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026, all ATMs will only dispense and accept euros. The technical transition in the bank’s digital banking platforms will start on December 30, 2025, with all online and mobile banking services, as well as the ONE wallet, expected to be fully restored by 12:00 p.m. on January 2, 2026. Payments for local taxes and fees may be temporarily unavailable from 5:00 p.m. on December 29, 2025, to January 5, 2026.

First Investment Bank (Fibank): Card payments, ATMs, and POS devices will be unavailable due to technical adjustments from 10:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. After 1:00 a.m., these services will be fully restored. Mobile and web banking via My Fibank will be temporarily unavailable during the same period, with all services gradually restored after 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

Central Cooperative Bank (CCB): Temporary interruptions for card payments, online purchases, digital wallets, POS terminals, and ATMs are planned from 9:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. Access to digital channels (CCB Mobile and CCB Online) will be suspended from 2:30 p.m. on December 30, 2025, with restoration on January 2, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. Utility bill payments can be made until 2:00 p.m. on December 30. After midnight on January 1, 2026, ATMs will dispense only euros, while deposits in levs will be accepted until December 29, 2025. Gradual restoration of ATM functionality is planned for January 1, if necessary.

ProCredit Bank: A brief interruption of card payments/withdrawals is scheduled from 11:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025. Mobile and online banking will be fully unavailable from 2:30 p.m. on December 30, 2025, until January 2, 2026.

TBI Bank: Card payments will stop at 8:00 p.m. on December 31, with restoration after midnight on January 1, 2026. From midnight on December 29, certain mobile app functionalities will be gradually suspended, with full access restored on the evening of January 2.

Investbank: POS card payments will not function from 10:00 p.m. on December 31 to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. ATM cash withdrawals in levs are possible until 10:45 a.m. on December 30, after which ATMs will be unavailable for conversion. From 2:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026, ATMs will resume dispensing only euros. Internet and mobile banking will be fully unavailable from 12:00 p.m. on December 30 until 12:00 p.m. on January 3, 2026, after which access will be restored.

International Asset Bank: POS and online card payments will not function from 9:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025, to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026. ATMs will also be temporarily unavailable during this period. Electronic channels (Asset Online and Asset Mobile) will be down from 1:30 p.m. on December 30, 2025, to 1:30 p.m. on January 1, 2026, with services gradually restored after successful conversion.

Bulgarian-American Credit Bank (BACB): Brief interruptions for card payments are expected from 11:30 p.m. on December 31, 2025, to midnight on January 1, 2026. ATMs will be unavailable from 9:00 p.m. on December 31 to midnight, after which they will dispense only euros. In January 2026, ATMs will accept deposits in levs only, with euro deposits starting in February. POS terminals will also be unavailable during the same period, after which they will process only euro payments. Online banking platforms and mobile apps will be accessible until 5:00 p.m. on December 30, with orders accepted until 2:30 p.m. Full access and functionality will be restored after 12:00 p.m. on January 2, 2026.

Municipal Bank: ATM withdrawals and POS payments in stores will be available until 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The transition process for card services, ATMs, and POS terminals will begin at 9:00 p.m. on December 31 and continue until 1:00 a.m. on January 1. ATM deposit functions will be restored at 8:30 a.m. on January 5, 2026, accepting only euro banknotes. Remote access channels (online and mobile banking) will be unavailable from 2:00 p.m. on December 30, 2025, with transactions executed the same day or on the first business day, January 5, 2026. Online and mobile banking will be accessible again at the end of January 1, 2026.

D Commerce Bank: From December 31, 2025, to January 3, 2026, banking systems will be adjusted for euro operations. Cards will not work at ATMs, POS terminals, or online during technical conversion, with expected temporary interruptions from 9:00 p.m. on December 31 to 12:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026. After the conversion, cards and ATMs will operate in euros only. Deposit ATMs will accept levs until December 31, and euros starting January 1. Digital channels (D Bank Online and D Mobile) will be inaccessible from 3:00 p.m. on December 30 until the end of January 3 due to technical preparation for the new currency.

Texim Bank: POS transactions on December 31, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. will be under system conversion to euros, potentially causing temporary disruptions. Full restoration is expected by 12:15 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

Tokuda Bank: A technical interruption is expected starting December 31, 2025, with card operations restored in the first hours of 2026, after which only euro payments will be accepted. ATMs, preloaded with levs and euros, will automatically dispense only euros from January 1, 2026. Technical adjustments in internet banking begin December 30, with full online service restoration expected by January 3, 2026.