The Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank will receive a monthly salary of 15,726 euros from the beginning of 2026. This is provided for in the adopted budget of the Central Bank, which comes into force on the day of the official adoption of the euro in Bulgaria. The deputy governors of the institution will sign for 13,480 euros, and the other members of the Governing Council will receive 4,493 euros per month.
The increase is justified by an annual survey of the levels of remuneration in commercial banks in our country. According to the BNB Law, remuneration in the state regulator cannot be lower than those of managers with similar functions in the private sector. The study reported that the BNB's income lags behind the market competition by over 12 percent.
While the bank's official information emphasizes a 5.1 percent reduction in operating expenses, the institution's investment program is showing explosive growth. Nearly 90 million euros are planned for investments for 2026, which is an increase of 173 percent year-on-year. These funds will be directed primarily towards modernization and preparation for full integration into the Eurosystem.
Employee salaries are also increasing. Management staff at the Central Bank will receive an average of 6,383 euros, specialists - 3,107 euros, and support staff - 1,770 euros. For comparison, the minimum wage in Bulgaria is now 620.20 euros, which means that the governor of the BNB will receive over 25 times more than the lowest-paid workers in the country.
The high levels of remuneration in the BNB once again raise the question of the willingness of the top management to hold political positions. At current salaries, it is unlikely that any of the governors will accept the post of acting prime minister, where the remuneration is significantly lower. The budget also includes an additional 129 thousand euros to ensure the new levels of remuneration for the Governing Council.
The institution will also pay 256 thousand euros for the length of service of its employees, with each year of service adding 1 percent to the salary. Despite the lack of an adopted regular state budget for 2026, the BNB budget is already a fact, guaranteeing the peace of mind and the high standard of the country's financial elite.