There are approximately three months left until Bulgaria enters the eurozone and the official currency change. Financial expert Georgi Zahariev gave valuable advice on “This Saturday and Sunday“ on bTV on how to act with our personal finances during this period. According to him, – the most important thing is for people not to rush to exchange euros and crowd in front of exchange offices, because this is a guarantee of monetary loss.
He explained that currently we will pay a commission for this service, while from January 1, 2026, if the amount is in a bank account – it will be converted automatically without fees. “It is good to start setting aside money now, because around Christmas we spend more“ added the expert.
He commented that he already observes a tendency for Bulgarians to invest in various financial instruments:
„First, it is important to decide what risk we are willing to take. The higher the return a person wants, the greater the risk they must take. If we want to get rich quickly, we must be prepared to lose money. All Bulgarians are already turning to this. In the past, saving was a sufficient method to achieve financial goals. However, in the last 4-5 years, inflation has been avalanche-like and this has raised the cost of living many times over. Investing is the new form of saving“.
According to him, there is serious activity on the property market, precisely because of the upcoming adoption of the euro. „I see risks, prices are skyrocketing, without any fundamental reason for this. We are afraid of missing out (FOMO syndrome), we are afraid that in 1 year the properties will be twice as expensive. There are many overvalued properties, I don't know if it's a bubble, because incomes are increasing, but it is important for a person to proceed with a deal if he understands the mathematics behind it and has done his calculations well“.
The financial analyst commented that there is money in Bulgaria and this is shown by the growth of bank deposits and the increase in salaries. According to him, the middle class in the capital is about 20%.