00:00One product, but two price tags.
00:03Bulgaria is going through a historic shift.
00:05At the start of 2026, it swapped its currency, the LEV, for the euro.
00:10But the country is divided over the switch.
00:21Half of all Bulgarians were against joining the eurozone,
00:24according to Eurobarometer polling from 2025.
00:28Bulgaria is in the midst of political turmoil.
00:31It's facing its eighth parliamentary election in just five years.
00:34Far-right politicians have been stirring up anti-euro fears on social media
00:38as part of their campaign, calling for a referendum on the return of the LEV.
00:43Worries that the adoption of the euro would drive up prices
00:46have also fueled skepticism.
00:49You don't always push yourself, you don't always push yourself.
00:51Everything will push yourself.
00:53There are people, there are people.
00:55You don't always push yourself.
00:56You don't always push yourself.
00:58You don't always push yourself.
00:59You don't always push yourself.
01:00For now, vendors have to display prices in both the LEV and the euro
01:04to prove that they are using the correct exchange rate.
01:07According to the latest data, prices are actually rising more slowly than before.
01:12In January, inflation was at 3.6 percent, the lowest figure in nine months.
01:17Inflation in January is lower in January 26th, is lower than inflation in January 25th.
01:24I think that's a very simple way to put it.
01:26At this startup hub in Sofia, the mood towards the euro is more favorable.
01:31The majority of businesses welcome the switch, including Volterra, a startup producing heat pumps.
01:36In 2026, we will go to the market to raise additional financing, and hopefully we will get a better reception
01:45because of the euro adoption.
01:47Volterra receives funding from the European Union.
01:49Being part of the eurozone has lifted a burden on the team.
01:53Before that, all our expenses and accounting was done in levels.
01:58So we had to go through conversions, and this takes away from my time.
02:04According to the European Central Bank, small and medium-sized companies in Bulgaria could save around 500 million euros in
02:11exchange fees,
02:12a boost to one of Europe's smallest economies.
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