Nine Months in the Eurozone: What Changed for Investors

Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 and became the 21st member of the euro area. For companies trading with the rest of the eurozone, that removed currency conversion costs and the last question mark over the lev, which had already been fixed to the euro under a currency board.

Borrowing has stayed cheap through the switch. According to Bulgarian National Bank data reported by Bulgarian Properties, the average interest rate on new euro housing loans was 2.46% in the first quarter of 2026, and banks kept the conditions that previously applied to loans in leva.

Investment has picked up too. Preliminary central bank figures put net foreign direct investment at €2.17bn in the first half of 2026, against €292.7m in the same period of 2025.