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 is supposed to join the Eurozone by 1 January 2025. 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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