site.btaCentral Bank Reports Increase in Number of Counterfeit BGN 50 Banknotes in Q2 of 2023

A total of 1,247 counterfeit banknotes circulating in the country's currency were registered and seized in Bulgaria in the second quarter of 2023. Most of them were of BGN 50 denomination - 1,155 pieces, which is nearly six times more compared to the first quarter of 2023, when the number of registered and detained counterfeit BGN 50 banknotes was 200 pieces, the central bank reported here Tuesday.

In the second quarter, 67 pieces of BGN 20 banknotes, 17 of BGN 10, 5 of BGN 5 and 3 of BGN 100 were also detected and seized. 

There were 577,418,158 banknotes denominated in BGN in circulation in the country at the end of July. On a monthly basis, they increased by 0.984% (568,019,173 pieces at the end of June).

The largest number of banknotes in circulation were again those with a denomination of BGN 50 - 237,495,580 pieces, followed by BGN 100 banknotes - 121,005,309 pieces and those with a denomination of BGN 20 - 106,409,933 pieces.

At the end of July, the value of banknotes in circulation was BGN 27,072,364,980, with an increase of 0.982% compared to the end of June (from BGN 26,585,266,955).