The Bulgarian National Bank has lowered the base interest rate for the second consecutive month. As of August 1, it stands at 3.53%, down from 3.63% in July. Since the end of 2023, the base interest rate has been gradually falling. From February 2016 to September 2022, the base interest rate was 0.00%. On October 1, 2022, the rate went up to 0.49%.
As of June 30, the net profit of the banking system for 2024 was EUR 0.9 billion, representing a 7.1% increase compared to the first six months of 2023, according to BNB statistics. Over a quarter of the income comes from fees and commissions. Banks earned EUR 1.6 billion from interest on loans in the first half of the year and paid out EUR 290 million in interest on deposits. Bank assets increased by over EUR 1 billion or 1.2% in the first half of 2024. Losses have risen by EUR 46 million to EUR 139 million, representing a 50.1% increase compared to the first six months of 2023.
Bulgaria has taken on new foreign debt of 3 billion euro and 1.5 billion US dollars, the Finance Ministry has announced. The triple tranche of Bulgarian bonds has sparked great interest among investors, allowing the country to secure extremely..
The political crisis is not affecting the economy in the short term – within 1-2 years , says Assoc. Prof. Krassen Stanchev from the Institute for Market Economics. “The political crisis is affecting those who are highly regulated – mostly big..
The Council of Ministers has approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Bulgaria and Smart Solar Technologies AD to implement a priority investment project for a "Solar Panel and Cell Manufacturing Plant." This project will be..
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