The geographical structure of Bulgaria’s external debt has changed significantly since 2002, the Bulgarian National Bank announced. In the past, most government bonds were owned by American pension funds. Now, 80% of the bonds are owned by European banks and pension funds. About 16% of the government bonds are bought by Bulgarian investors.
Over 80% of Bulgaria’s external debt is in Euros, 8% is in US dollars and the rest is in Bulgaria Leva and other currencies. Bulgaria enjoys significant interest among investors and pays interest rates typical of a rich country. Most new loans are borrowed to refinance old debts and net debt is not growing, which is one of the conditions for Eurozone membership, the Bulgarian National Bank further notes.
The international rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P Global Ratings) has affirmed Bulgaria's 'BBB/A-2' long-term and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings. The rating outlook remains positive. If a stable..
In the next 3 to 5 years, Bulgaria will experience a shortage of more than 250,000 specialists with higher education. For the past 8 years, Bulgaria has missed the opportunity, which a number of EU countries have taken advantage of, to conclude an..
The Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has ordered banks in the country to apply a minimum set of 6 indicators for monitoring credit standards when granting and renegotiating loans secured by residential real estate . The aim is to..
Clear
Partly Cloudy