Bulgarian lev
The lev (Bulgarian: лев, plural: лева, левове / leva, levove; ISO 4217 code: BGN; numeric code: 975) is the currency of Bulgaria. In old Bulgarian, the word "lev" meant "lion"; the word "lion" in the modern language is lаv (IPA: [ɫɤf]; in Bulgarian: лъв). The lev is divided in 100 stotinki (стотинки, singular: stotinka, стотинка). Stotinka in Bulgarian means "a hundredth" and in fact is a translation of the French term "centime." Grammatically, the word "stotinka" comes from the word "sto" (сто; a hundred).
| лев (Bulgarian) | |
|---|---|
The first Bulgarian banknote, 1885 | |
| ISO 4217 | |
| Code | BGN (numeric: 975) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Unit | |
| Plural | levove, numeric: leva |
| Symbol | The abbreviation лв. (lv.) is used |
| Nickname | kint |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | stotinka |
| Plural | |
| stotinka | stotinki |
| Symbol | |
| stotinka | ст. (st.) |
| Banknotes | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 leva |
| Coins | 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 st., 1 lev, 2 leva |
| Demographics | |
| Date of introduction | 4 June 1880 |
| User(s) |
|
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Bulgarian National Bank |
| Website | www |
| Mint | Bulgarian Mint |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 14.3% (2022) |
| Pegged with | Euro (€) = 1.95583 leva |
| EU Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) | |
| Since | 10 July 2020 |
| 1 € = | BGN 1.95583 |
| Band | 15.0% de jure; 0.0% de facto |
Since 1997, the lev has been in a currency board arrangement with initially the Deutsche Mark at a fixed rate of BGL 1000 to DEM 1. After the introduction of the euro and the redenomination of the lev in 1999, this has resulted in a fixed rate to the euro of BGN 1.95583 : EUR 1. Since 2020, the lev has been a part of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II). When all the conditions are met, Bulgaria is supposed to join the Eurozone by 1 January 2025. In November 2023, Bulgarian euro coin design has been revealed and approved by the Bulgarian National Bank.