Sofia, February 6 (BTA) - At the end of December 2020,
circulating currency reached 21,241.0 million leva, up by
2,136.1 million, or 11.2 per cent, from the end of December
2019, the Bulgarian National Bank reported. The increase was
10.2 per cent, year-on-year.

In the last quarter of 2020, the cash in circulation increased
by 1,356.7 million leva, or 6.8 per cent, compared with
end-September. The increase was 2.4 percentage points higher
than the like period in 2019. The biggest increase of cash in
circulation within the last quarter of 2020 was reported in
December, 929.1 million leva, 4.6 per cent more than in
November.

At the end of December 2020, the share of banknotes in the total
 value of circulating currency was 97.71 per cent.

The average value of a circulating banknote at the close of 2017
 was 37.89 leva, up 0.21 leva for the last quarter of the year
and 0.95 leva (2.6 per cent) from the end of December 2019,
reflecting a faster growth of 50 and 100 leva banknotes in cash
circulation.

By the end of December 2020, the share of regular-issue coins in
 the value of circulating currency was 2.28 per cent. The
average value of a circulating regular-issue coin at the close
of 2020 was 0.18 leva, unchanged from the end of December 2019.

The banknotes circulating by the end of December 2020 numbered
547.7 million, up by 32.7 million (6.3 per cent) from the end of
 September 2020.

The 50 leva banknote took up the largest share in the number of
circulating banknotes at the end of 2020, with 177.3 million
notes in circulation.

For a period of one year, the number of circulating banknotes
increases by 43.3 million, or 8.6 per cent, while their value
grew by 2,118.3 million leva, or 11.4 per cent. The trend
persisted of a growing share of high-denomination banknotes of
50 and 100 leva in the cash in circulation.

A total of 2,722.1 million regular-issue coins were circulating
at the end of 2020, up by 123.4 million coins or 4.7 per cent
from the end of December 2019. During the same period, the total
 value of the regular-issue coins in circulation grew by 24.1
million leva (5.2 per cent).

At 790.5 million coins, 1 stotinka (0.01 leva) coins were the
most numerous among circulating regular-issue coin denominations
 by December 31, 2020, representing the largest share in the
total number of regular-issue coins (29.04 per cent).

In the last quarter of 2020, a total of 213 circulating
counterfeit Bulgarian banknotes reached BNB's National Centre
for Analysis, increasing by 59 from the preceding quarter. A
total of 184 counterfeit euro banknotes were caught, 36 US
dollar banknotes, and six banknotes in other foreign currencies.
 NV/ZH