Residents of a Bulgarian Village Stick to Leva as Town ATM Runs Out of Euros

In the Bulgarian village of Nevestino, the transition to euros has hit a practical obstacle as the town’s sole ATM, located at the entrance to the Municipality, has already run out of cash. The euros that were loaded into the machine on December 31 have all been withdrawn, leaving locals to rely primarily on levs for their daily shopping. Shops, however, are fully equipped to accept both euros and levs, and residents can also use debit cards or Easypay services for transactions.

Deputy Mayor Yordan Glogov told Bulgarian National Radio that the continued use of levs is expected to persist at least through the end of January. “People are shopping with levs everywhere. Until they clear their levs, things will stay like this. Most will probably exchange their levs when the first pensions are paid in euros, which should help,” he said. Glogov also noted that the ATM situation is gradually improving, but for now, residents must plan their purchases accordingly.

Source: BNR