Bulgarian lev
| български 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 |
| Date of withdrawal | 1 January 2026 (upcoming) |
| User(s) | Bulgaria |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Bulgarian National Bank |
| Website | www |
| Mint | Bulgarian Mint |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 2.2% |
| Method | Consumer price index (CPI) |
| 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 |
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).
Since 1997, the lev has been in a currency board arrangement, initially with 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). In November 2023, Bulgarian euro coin designs were revealed and approved by the Bulgarian National Bank. Bulgaria will replace the Bulgarian lev with the euro on 1 January 2026.