Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

BNB decreases base interest rate by 0.01%, Bulgaria's gross external debt rises

Photo: BNT

As of October 1, the base interest rate in Bulgaria is 1.81%. The rate has been declining for the 12th consecutive month, this time by 0.01% compared to September 2025. The base interest rate in Bulgaria, which is used to calculate the annual interest on liabilities, remained at zero for many years, but at the end of September 2022, a series of increases began.

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian National Bank reported that Bulgaria’s gross external debt (public and private) grew by 20.9% year-on-year to EUR 53.783 billion at the end of July. For comparison, at the end of July 2024, the country's gross external debt stood at EUR 44.480 billion- EUR 9.303 billion lower. The gross external debt now represents 47.9% of the projected GDP, compared to 42.9% of GDP a year earlier.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BNT



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The Bulgarian National Bank has published clarifications on how the single currency will be written

In its “Questions and Answers” section on the introduction of the euro, the Bulgarian National Bank has published a clarification on how the single currency should be denoted and written in accordance with EU regulations. The name of the..

published on 11/14/25 10:01 AM

Bulgaria's government approves 2026 draft budget

The government approved the draft Law on the 2026  State Budget, as well as the Updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast for the 2026–2028 period. In connection with the introduction of the euro on January 1, 2026, all figures have been prepared in..

published on 11/13/25 3:35 PM

BNB Governor: Banks in Bulgaria are ready for the euro

Citizens should remain calm about the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria from January 1, 2026, as the Bulgarian National Bank and commercial banks are ready for all processes related to the currency conversion and distribution of euro banknotes. This..

published on 11/4/25 2:28 PM