The Bulgarian National Bank raised the base interest rate by 0.35% to 2.17%. The new base interest rate is effective as of March 1. In February the base rate was at 1.82%. The interest rate increase comes against the backdrop of increasing interest levels by the European Central Bank which raised the base rate by 0.5% in February.

The base interest rate is in effect from the first day of each calendar month and equals the simple average of the values of the index LEONIA Plus for the business days of the preceding calendar month. The LEONIA Plus reference rate is a weighted average of the interest rates on all concluded unsecured overnight lending transactions in Bulgarian levs in the interbank market in Bulgaria.