Bulgarian National Bank
Encyclopedia
Central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is a public institution that usually issues the currency, regulates the money supply, and controls the interest rates in a country. Central banks often also oversee the commercial banking system of their respective countries...
of the Republic of Bulgaria with its headquarters in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. The BNB has been established on 25 January 1879. It is an independent institution responsible for issuing all banknote
Banknote
A banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...
s and coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s in the country, overseeing and regulating the banking sector and keeping the government's currency reserves. The BNB is also the sole owner of the Bulgarian Mint
Bulgarian Mint
The Bulgarian Mint , established in 1952, is solely responsible for the production of legal tender coins in Bulgaria. It is owned by the Bulgarian National Bank....
.
The current governor is Ivan Iskrov
Ivan Iskrov
Ivan Iskrov is the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank since October 2003. His work was recognized with Commander of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian government.- Biography :...
.
Headquarters
The Bulgarian National Bank's headquarters in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
are located on the central Battenberg Square. The current edifice was commissioned to the noted architects Ivan Vasilyov and Dimitar Tsolov and built between 1934 and 1939 in the strict and non-decorative Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style of the time. It spreads over an area of 3,700 m² and has four overground and three underground storeys. The inner decoration is the work of Ivan Penkov and Dechko Uzunov
Dechko Uzunov
Dechko Uzunov was a Bulgarian painter. He was born in Kazanluk and died in Sofia at the age of 87....
.
See also
- Economy of BulgariaEconomy of BulgariaThe economy of Bulgaria functions on the principles of the free market, having a large private sector and a small, but strong public sector. Bulgaria is an industrialised upper-middle-income country according to the World Bank with a gross national income per capita of US$ 5,490 in 2008...
- Bulgarian levBulgarian levThe lev is the currency of Bulgaria. It is divided in 100 stotinki . In archaic Bulgarian the word "lev" meant "lion".It is speculated that Bulgaria, as a member of the European Union will adopt the Euro in 2015 .- First lev, 1881–1952 :...
- Commemorative coins of BulgariaCommemorative coins of BulgariaCommemorative coins have been issued in Bulgaria since 1965 by the Bulgarian National Bank, headquartered in Sofia, and minted by the Bulgarian Mint ....
- List of banks in Bulgaria