From Novinite
Bulgarians save mostly in foreign currencies
By end-September 2010 the Bulgarian households’ savings were mostly in EUR, data of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) shows, the Sega daily informs. For the July-September 2010 period 47% of household deposits were in EUR while 44% were in BGN, according to the statistics. The central bank provided no information on why Bulgarians prefer the foreign currency. Data of the Moite Pari financial portal shows deposit interest rates have stabilised in the past few months following a gradual downfall that lasted for almost a year. Currently, bank clients can take advantage of six-month deposits in BGN offering a 6.5-7% interest. The profitability of deposits in EUR is usually 1% lower than that of deposits in BGN and is about 5-6% at present. Some banks have extended promotions that offer 6.5-7% interest.
By end-September 2010 the Bulgarian households’ deposits amounted to BGN 26 billion, which is an increase of BGN 1.7 billion compared to the beginning of the year. The bank sector’s profit reached BGN 584 million by end-November 2010.