Bulgarian lev

Bulgarian lev
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
User(s)	Bulgaria; Formerly:; Independent Macedonia (briefly in 1944); Democratic Federal Macedonia (1944–1945);
Issuance
Central bank	Bulgarian National Bank
Website	www.bnb.bg
Mint	Bulgarian Mint
Website	www.mint.bg
Valuation
Inflation	14.3% (2022)
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,^[3] 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 with initially 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). When all the conditions are met, Bulgaria should join the Eurozone as soon as the price stability criterion is met. In November 2023, Bulgarian euro coin designs have been revealed and approved by the Bulgarian National Bank.^[4]

^ The nickname for lev can be both kint (masc) and kinta (fem), inflected accordingly for plurals and numerical values (kinta, kinti); stotinka – which literally simply means hundreth (diminutive) – is usually shortened to stinka.
^ Bank, European Central (10 July 2020). "Communiqué on Bulgaria".
^ "Lev - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
^ "The design of future Bulgarian euro coins has been approved". Radio Bulgaria. Retrieved 27 January 2024.

[1] The nickname for lev can be both kint (masc) and kinta (fem), inflected accordingly for plurals and numerical values (kinta, kinti); stotinka – which literally simply means hundreth (diminutive) – is usually shortened to stinka.

[2] Bank, European Central (10 July 2020). "Communiqué on Bulgaria".

[3] "Lev - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2014.

[4] "The design of future Bulgarian euro coins has been approved". Radio Bulgaria. Retrieved 27 January 2024.

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