Last week, entrepreneurs received 412 soft loans totalling UAH 1.8 billion from authorised banks under the state programme “Affordable Loans at 5-7-9%”, including 330 loans from public sector banks for about UAH 1.2 billion. Since the beginning of 2024, entrepreneurs have received 14,645 loans worth UAH 55.2 billion under the Programme, including 11,101 loans worth…
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (Republican Party) and Richard Blumenthal (Democratic Party). The Head of Government of Ukraine noted that continued bipartisan support of the United States was crucial for Ukraine in the future. He also thanked the Senate for voting for the initiatives that were essential for…
In June, Bulgaria saw a notable increase in the total number of overnight stays in hotels and other accommodation, reaching 3.5 million, which marked a 5.9% rise from the previous year, according to the National Statistical Institute. The overall number of overnight stays grew by 6%, while hotel occupancy rates also improved, climbing by 2%,…
The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) anticipates a gradual slowdown in annual inflation during the second half of the year, as outlined in Issue 2 of its quarterly publication, “Ikonomicheski pregled” (Economic Review), available on the central bank’s website. According to the report, private consumption and rising unit labor costs, particularly in the context of labor…
Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko called on Western allies to speed up the allocation to Ukraine of a $50-billion loan, arguing that delays in arms deliveries had led to a rising budget deficit. The minister spoke in a comment to the Financial Times. According to him, the slow supply of weapons, especially from the United States,…
According to Associate Dr. Rumen Draganov, director of the Institute for Analyzes and Forecasts of the Information Environment in Tourism, Bulgaria is poised for a strong tourist season this year. Draganov forecasts that the number of foreign tourists will surpass 13 million, marking a 5% to 7% increase from 12.5 million in 2019, the last…
The Bulgarian Parliament has approved the regulations for replacing the lev with the euro, even though Bulgaria has not yet met the criteria for joining the Eurozone. The process for the currency transition is now outlined, despite the country’s current political challenges. Preslav Kitipov, chairman of the Association “Institute of Certified Financial Consultants”, and financial…