The changeover, without the noise

The lev didn't lose value. It changed its name.

Eko Mraz AD is an administrative services company in Plovdiv. Since January we have spent a remarkable share of our working hours helping small businesses untangle one subject: what the euro changeover actually changed, what it did not, and which of the stories circulating about it are simply false. This page is the answer, with the numbers that control.

THE ONLY RATE THERE IS Statutory arithmetic — not an offer, not a service, no commission exists

Amount

÷ 1.95583 — fixed, six digits, no spread

Exact result

51.129188 €

Legally rounded (2 decimals)

51.13 €

The rounding rule is mathematics, not mood: look at the third decimal — below five, the second stays; five or above, it goes up by one. Anything "rounded" further than that wasn't rounded. It was taken.

Part one

Five facts that settle most arguments

One rate, foreverThe conversion rate is 1.95583 leva per euro, applied at full six-digit precision. There is no buy side, no sell side and no better deal — anyone quoting a different number for the changeover is quoting fiction.
Automatic and freeBank accounts, salaries, loans, pensions and company capital converted automatically on 1 January, at no charge, with the rounding applied in the citizen's favour. Nobody needed to request it, sign anything, or pay anyone.
One month of two currenciesLeva and euro were both legal tender only from 1 to 31 January 2026. Since February the euro is the only currency — but that deadline was about spending leva in shops, not about exchanging them.
Exchange has no real deadlineCommercial banks exchanged cash leva free of charge until 30 June 2026 (large sums on notice); post offices continue to the end of 2026. And the Bulgarian National Bank exchanges leva indefinitely, free. Leva under a mattress are not expiring — whoever says otherwise wants something.
Contracts continueThe changeover is not grounds to renegotiate anything. A contract in leva became the same contract in euro at the fixed rate — same terms, same dates, same obligations. "Because of the euro we must update your agreement" is a sentence to walk away from.

Part two

Two prices on every label, until the year ends

From 8 August 2025 through 31 December 2026, merchants must show prices in both currencies — in equal-sized type, clearly, on shelves, in online shops, menus, catalogues and advertising. Invoices and accounting documents are outside the rule. The point of the window is exactly what you think it is: with both numbers printed side by side, a quiet price increase dressed up as "conversion" has nowhere to hide.

What correct looks like

Both prices, same size, one honest division by 1.95583
Third decimal below five → second decimal unchanged
Third decimal five or more → second decimal up by one
The two figures on the label agree with the two on the receipt

What to challenge

A euro price that doesn't equal the lev price divided by the rate
"Rounding" upward to the nearest 5 or 10 cents
One currency printed large, the other in apology-sized type
A "conversion fee" of any size, anywhere, for anything

For merchants, the same rule is a shield

A shop whose labels, receipts and records all follow the statutory arithmetic has nothing to fear from an inspection or a complaint — the division either checks out or it doesn't. The fines live entirely on the other side of that line, and so does the customer's trust.

Part three

The changeover never asks you for money

Every currency switch in history has pulled the same small circus of fraud behind it, and Bulgaria's was no exception. All of it collapses against one sentence: the changeover is automatic, free, and nobody legitimate will ever contact you about it.

"Your leva expire — convert now through us"They do not expire. The national bank exchanges them indefinitely, free. The invented deadline exists to make you move money quickly and badly.Hang up.

"We offer a better rate than 1.95583"There is no better rate, because there is no market — the rate is fixed by law. "Better" means the money leaves and nothing comes back.Hang up.

"The bank needs your card details to convert your account"Accounts converted by themselves on 1 January. No bank asked anyone for codes, cards or confirmations — the people asking are not banks.Hang up, then call your bank yourself.

"Because of the euro, your contract must be re-signed"Continuity is the law: the same contract carried on in euro at the fixed rate. A re-signing "because of the euro" is a renegotiation wearing a costume — read what changed, because something did.Don't sign. Compare first.

Part four

What Eko Mraz is — and what it is not

Eko Mraz AD is a private company in Plovdiv providing administrative and documentation services to small businesses: keeping records in order, preparing document sets, checking that labels, receipts and paperwork say what the law requires — the euro transition being this year's largest example of exactly that work.

What we do not do

Exchange currency, in any amount, in any direction — exchange belongs to banks, post offices and the BNB
Lend money, arrange credit or act as any kind of financial institution
Accept, hold or transfer funds belonging to any other person
Provide audit or tax advice — where a question belongs to an accountant or auditor, we say so
Contact anyone unsolicited about the euro, their accounts or their contracts — and neither does anybody legitimate

Non-bank financial institutions in Bulgaria are registered with the Bulgarian National Bank, and investment firms are licensed by the Financial Supervision Commission. We are neither, and nothing we do requires us to be. Before giving money to any company that offers financial services, check it on the regulator's own register — the FSC even publishes a list of companies falsely claiming licences, and it is worth knowing that list exists.

Our office

Bul. 6-ti Septemvri 144a, central Plovdiv. We receive visitors by appointment — please write or call first.

Contact

Tell us in a few lines what needs checking or putting in order. Written enquiries get a written answer.

Enquiries

Email: reply@ekomrazad.com
Phone: +359 88 702 0992
Languages: Bulgarian, English

Office

Company: Eko Mraz AD
Address: Bul. 6-ti Septemvri 144a
Tsentralen district, Plovdiv 4000
Bulgaria
Note: By appointment. Please write or call first.