Banking in Bulgaria

Banking in Bulgaria has 0% tax on interest earned. Savings rates are at 3.5% GBP, as high as 7-8% for EUR / BGN.
Depending on the bank, you will not incur ATM withdrawal fees (from their own ATMs).  Foreign ATM fees are standard, with fees ranging between 0.20 - 0.90 BGN.

You can open up savings accounts in multiple currencies.  Internet banking is widely available, but you will need to get a Digital Signature set up - most banks will assist you with this, but be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops.

When set up, banking in Bulgaria is generally excellent.  First Investment Bank has chains open till 10pm in the large Malls.  They are open even on weekends!

CCB (Central Cooparative Bank) offers free POS transactions overseas (no loading the transaction and you also get the official Visa rate - no exchange loading either).

I'd say compared to the UK, the bureaucracy is worse, but the possibilities / savings / interest rates are better.

At the time of my research and based on my experience, First Investment Bank is great, as is CCB.  Alpha Bank has amazing currency conversion rates.  Avoid DSK (DS Kasa) like the plague.  They charge for everything and the bureaucracy there is as horrendous as you can imagine.  Unicredit - not far off.  Post bank is second class also, although not quite as bad.

You can apply for Visa / Maestro debit cards online with CCB and FIB. No credit checks etc. performed. You just walk in and get your card within 5 days.  Online applications are Bulgarian only at this time.  They do cater for foreigners also.

http://ccb.bg/en/zaiavka_onlinehttp://www.fibank.bg/en/page/1067/tab/1069

You can get an Android app which tells you where the ATMs for your bank are located, based on your current location.  The app name is 'mobi bank'.

Card usage in Bulgaria has exploded of late.  You may also consider signing up for ePay (https://www.epay.bg/) once you have an account.  It is much like the Bulgarian PayPal, allowing you to easily pay your bills online (which you can do in a multitude of ways), as well as other users.

Overall, banking / electronic payment services have moved forward extremely quickly in the past few years.

Your cash is also secure up to 50,000 EUR in case the bank folds.

Hi snowbord!

Thank you very much for your contribution

Armand