Bulgarian households are suffering a real loss of 230 euros per year due to a significant inflationary gap, according to the "Wealth Leakage Index in Europe" analysis by the fintech company Revolut. The report highlights that with average deposit interest rates of 1.20 percent and an average inflation rate of 3.50 percent, Bulgaria faces the widest inflationary gap in the European Union. As a result, the purchasing power of a household with 10,000 euros in savings shrinks by 350 euros per year.

The total volume of passive bank savings in the country amounts to 56.4 billion euros. If these funds were directed toward diversified capital markets, the economy would receive an injection of 4.4 billion euros annually for growth, and each household could generate 786 euros for every 10,000 euros saved.

Data from a survey of 1,001 Bulgarian respondents reveals a complex picture of consumer behavior, with 23 percent of citizens having no traditional savings at all. For those who manage to set money aside, a number of obstacles exist:

  • 30 percent of those surveyed incorrectly calculate their returns against inflation;
  • 18 percent have no knowledge of the impact of inflation;
  • 5.5 percent believe their savings rate outpaces inflation, while 6.5 percent believe the two indicators are equal.

A significant portion of savers (73 percent) have not changed their bank, driven primarily by trust in a specific institution (28 percent), the belief that the difference in interest rates is negligible (23 percent), or a lack of information on where to find better terms (15 percent). At the same time, 51 percent of consumers use multiple financial applications, which creates fragmentation: 33 percent of them do not know what capital they can set aside for investments, and 22 percent find it difficult to transfer funds between different platforms.

Although the main barriers to investing remain the perception of risk (27 percent) and a lack of financial literacy (26 percent), the study also outlines clear incentives for future action. Half of those surveyed (51 percent) would start investing if they were offered micro-investing with small amounts. Another 35 percent cite transparency regarding risk as a condition, and 21 percent show interest in specialized training within the financial apps themselves.