During the Investor.bg Banking Today conference, held on May 13 at the Inter Expo Center, Prof. Raul Eamets emphasized that Bulgaria is practically already linked to the euro due to the currency board. Eamets, a former member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Central Bank and chief economist at Bigbank, questioned the opposition to the euro, noting that since 1997, Bulgaria's financial dynamics have mirrored those of eurozone countries. He stressed that Bulgaria does not independently control its inflation or other economic processes.

Addressing the broader European economic landscape, Eamets highlighted growing political and structural challenges. "There is growing uncertainty. We do not know when the wars will end. At the same time, Germany faces many challenges - it no longer has cheap energy, it faces huge competition from China, and it also has demographic problems. If Germany has problems, we all have problems," he stated.

Zhivko Todorov, Deputy Chairman of iBank, argued that Bulgaria is prepared to enter the eurozone, noting that the largest banks are under the supervision of the European Central Bank and adhere to its regulations. He explained that the reduction in mandatory minimum reserves from 12% to 1% will not directly impact lending but could be utilized in case of increased loan demand.

Todorov also touched upon the challenge of implementing ESG standards in banking, a sentiment echoed by Tsvetanka Mincheva, CEO of UniCredit Bulbank. She emphasized that the banks have long prepared for eurozone entry and pointed to the costs - estimated at 300 to 400 million leva ? required to meet regulatory and operational standards.

Assen Yagodin, Postbank's Deputy CEO, noted that January 1 could see heightened interest in credit resources as external investors may seek local partners to launch projects. Meanwhile, Ilian Georgiev of Bulgarian-American Credit Bank underscored that despite lower loan interest rates in Bulgaria compared to Europe, potential benefits could arise from changes in mandatory reserves.

The discussion then shifted to the digital euro. Biser Manolov, Chairman of RYVYL(EU), explained the distinction between wholesale and retail digital euros. The wholesale variant focuses solely on central and commercial banks, aiming to streamline global settlement processes. Martin Bogdanov, Paysera Bulgaria's Chairman, warned that while Europe is pushing for local payment methods, established giants like Visa and Mastercard remain formidable competitors.

Despite conservative consumer behavior, Kiril Surgov of EasyPayment Services noted an upward trend in digital payments, reaching 20% for some products. However, Bulgaria still lags behind in digitalization, primarily due to political instability, said Bogdanov.

The panelists also discussed electronic identification, with Tanya Yavasheva of Infonotari highlighting 2026 as a transformative year for electronic services in the EU. She cautioned that companies relying on proprietary systems will need to adapt to the new, unified EU standards.

The closing session addressed business financing. Teodor Angelov from the Bulgarian Development Bank pointed out communication barriers between entrepreneurs and lenders, stressing the need for clearer guidelines. Rumen Iliev of LaunchhubVentures emphasized the importance of understanding investor expectations when seeking funding.

Hristo Stoyanov from the European Investment Fund (EIF) underscored the need for a diversified venture fund ecosystem, with plans to introduce scale-up funds across the region. The EIF also aims to establish equity funds for infrastructure projects, including digital infrastructure, smart grids, and data centers. According to Pavel Lisev of the Fund of Funds, the focus is on tracking the progress of 3,500 projects supported during the 2014-2020 framework to identify effective financing instruments and areas for improvement.