A bank CEO: ATMs will be filled with euros on the night of 1 January 2026

ATMs will be stocked with euros on the night of 1 January 2026, so that by morning everyone will be able to withdraw euro banknotes. Nikola Bakalov, CEO of one of Bulgaria’s leading banks and a member of the Management Board of the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, told BNR.

He also reiterated the appeal of banking institutions: 'Anyone who has large amounts of Bulgarian levs in cash should deposit them into their account free of charge. On New Year's Eve, these funds will automatically be converted into euros at the official exchange rate of 1.95583 levs per euro.'

'This is the only way to do it without any effort. After 1 January, it will still be free and fixed, but we expect that, in the first few days after New Year's Eve, quite a few people will remember at the last minute that they need to do this and there will be queues of people wanting to exchange leva for euros,' he added.