--- title: "White-Label Digital Banking for Bulgarian EMIs | BNB Licence" description: "Launch an e-money app in Bulgaria: euro accounts, cards, Bulgarian-language onboarding and the IT sections of your BNB EMI application." url: "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" lang: "en" image: "https://crassula.io/static/images/og/crassula-default.d7d01fb8a962.jpg" alternates: "en": "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" "de": "https://crassula.io/de/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" "es": "https://crassula.io/es/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" "fr": "https://crassula.io/fr/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" "x-default": "https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/bulgaria-emi/" index: "https://crassula.io/llms.txt" --- Bulgaria · EMI # A white-label banking app for e-money institutions licensed in Bulgaria On 1 January 2026 every lev balance in Bulgaria turned into euro overnight, at 1.95583 to one. An e-money app launching now starts in the euro area from day one, with no lev legacy to carry. We supply the app, the account ledger and the back office, and your team in Sofia handles the licence and the customers. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [Digital Banking →](https://crassula.io/solutions/digital-banking/) Your market**Bulgaria**EMI - Branded iOS, Android and web apps - Bulgarian and English interface, plus other languages - Euro e-money accounts with SEPA transfers - Cards issued through your card partner Rails your customers can use **SEPA Credit Transfer****SEPA Instant****SWIFT****Card payments****Internal transfers** What the regulator asks about your IT**7** Case Studies ## See what teams build with Crassula. ![Multipass](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-multipass.7fb14a8eede7.png) - Multi-currency accounts - Cross-border payments - BaaS connections Live on Crassula ### [Custom financial products for global businesses.](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) Global business accounts, multi-currency payments and cross-border solutions, supported by Crassula APIs and BaaS connections. [Read case study: Multipass](https://crassula.io/cases/multipass/) ![LuxPay](https://crassula.io/static/images/solutions/cases/logo-luxpay.7d1fa138b9ba.png) - IBAN · SEPA - Card issuing - KYC onboarding Live on Crassula ### [A connected banking platform for modern financial services.](https://crassula.io/cases/luxpay/) Account details, SEPA payments, card issuing, KYC onboarding and multi-currency exchange in one financial product. [Read case study: LuxPay](https://crassula.io/cases/luxpay/) Digital Banking · EMI ## What a Bulgarian EMI can put in front of customers ### A euro account in the pocket Customers open an e-money account on their phone, top it up and pay out to any SEPA IBAN. The balance, fees and history are shown in Bulgarian or English, whichever they pick. ### Cards linked to the e-money balance Virtual cards right after sign-up and plastic on request, with freeze, limits and PIN handled in the app. The issuing contract sits between you and your card partner. ### Business accounts for local companies Onboarding for OOD and AD companies with owner checks through connected providers, several users per company and payments that wait for a second approver. ### Electronic meal voucher programmes If you work with an electronic meal voucher operator, Bulgarian law wants its funds in a safeguarding account of their own. The ledger keeps those balances apart from other e-money so each account reconciles on its own. ### Spending pockets without interest Sub-balances for bills or a holiday, held as e-money and labelled clearly, because a Bulgarian EMI may not pay interest or any benefit linked to how long money sits there. ### What this licence does not cover - Deposits, or interest and time-based rewards on e-money. The Law on Payment Services and Payment Systems forbids both. - Loans funded from the money customers hold with you. - A lighter registration-only start. The Bulgarian law has no small EMI route, so every issuer needs the full BNB licence and EUR 350,000 of initial capital. Your market ## What the regulator asks about your IT Each requirement, what the platform gives you for it and who owns it after launch. 1 Application documents in Bulgarian, with a Bulgarian translation of every foreign-language document (BNB Ordinance No 16) Technical descriptions of the platform in plain English, structured so your translator can turn them into Bulgarian without guessing. You, with our input 2 Registered office and head office in Bulgaria, where management actually sits Back office roles for the Sofia management team to approve customers, limits and exceptions, with each action logged. You 3 Safeguarding on a separate account at an EU bank or a central bank, the only method the law allows A ledger that shows what is owed to each e-money holder, reconciled to your safeguarding account and exported for your finance team. Your finance team 4 Card payments safeguarded no later than five business days after issuing the e-money Card top-ups recorded with their settlement status, so pending funds and safeguarded funds are visible side by side. Your finance team 5 ICT controls, incident handling and business continuity under DORA, written into the licence conditions Architecture, hosting, access control, backup and incident procedures documented for your file and your register of information. You, with our input 6 Due diligence under the Law on Measures against Money Laundering Onboarding questionnaires per client type and identity checks through connected providers, with the evidence kept on each customer file. Your AML officer 7 Strong customer authentication for login and payments Two-factor confirmation in the apps for sign-in and payment approval. Crassula Bulgaria ## Payment rails and providers Rails your customers can use SEPA Credit Transfer SEPA Instant SWIFT Card payments Internal transfers **24/7**real-time processing, no batch window **60+**payment and provider integrations connected **150+**companies run on Crassula **15+**languages the platform speaks Bulgaria ## Dates to plan around Rules that change what you have to build, in the order they apply. 1. **17 Jan 2025** DORA applies to Bulgarian EMIs. The 2025 amendments to the payments law tie the licence conditions on ICT and incident reporting to DORA. 2. **5 Aug 2025** Amendments to the payments law take effect. A safeguarding account may now also be held at a central bank, not only at a bank. 3. **1 Jan 2026** Bulgaria adopts the euro. Lev balances convert at 1.95583, the EMI capital requirement reads EUR 350,000 and the BNB review fee becomes EUR 5,000. 4. **1 Jan 2027** Payee name checks and equal charges for instant and regular euro transfers apply in Bulgaria, one year after the euro arrived. 5. **9 Apr 2027** Bulgarian EMIs that offer euro transfers must be able to send and receive them instantly. 6. **Around 2028** PSD3 and the Payment Services Regulation are expected to apply, with e-money moving under the payment institution framework. EMI ## Writing an EMI application for the BNB? Bring us in before the translation starts. The file goes to the BNB in Bulgarian, so every late change to the IT sections costs a second round of translation. We set up a working environment first and write the technical parts around it, so the text you translate is the text that stays. [Talk to us about your application](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) Crassula provides technology and documentation support. We do not provide legal or regulatory advice and cannot guarantee the outcome of an application. 1. 01 ### A platform you can demonstrate A configured environment to show the regulator, not slides. 2. 02 ### The technical part of your application, prepared IT architecture, authentication, ICT risk and DORA, outsourcing and continuity sections, written in English for translation into Bulgarian. 3. 03 ### Providers lined up Banking, safeguarding and KYC providers from our network, matched to your licence. ![A customer checking her banking app in a café.](https://crassula.io/static/images/features/people/everyday-1200.e86174e595f2.webp) Digital Banking ## From idea to a Sofia launch Picture a team that wants to give Bulgarian freelancers a euro account with a card, opened in ten minutes and run entirely in Bulgarian. They form an OOD, pay in the capital and send the BNB their application with a branded demo environment already running. The BNB has three months to decide. When it asks for more documents, the team has up to two months to provide them, and a fresh three-month period starts once they arrive. The team uses that time to agree a safeguarding account with a bank and test card issuing with its partner. After the licence, it opens sign-ups in Bulgaria and notifies its passport for Romania and Greece. Background reading: the [Bulgaria EMI and PI guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/bulgaria-emi-pi/) and our overview of [EMI licensing in the EU](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/electronic-money-institution/). Guides ## Read the licence guides ![Bulgaria EMI and PI License in 2026: BNB Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/bulgaria-emi-pi/sofia-domes-preview-960.46ba9450a97e.jpg) ### [Bulgaria EMI and PI License in 2026: BNB Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/bulgaria-emi-pi/) ![Electronic Money Institution (EMI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/electronic-money-institution/emoney-coin-preview-960.54bbaf747450.jpg) ### [Electronic Money Institution (EMI) License in 2026: The Complete Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/electronic-money-institution/) ![White-Label Mobile Banking in 2026: The Ultimate Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/white-label-mobile-banking/mobile-banking-pebble-preview-960.412714bbfaf1.jpg) ### [White-Label Mobile Banking in 2026: The Ultimate Guide](https://crassula.io/solutions/mobile-banking-app/guides/white-label-mobile-banking/) ![PSD3 and PSR in 2026: The Complete Transition Guide](https://crassula.io/static/images/guides/psd3-psr/psd3-prism-preview-960.fdc84015d1d8.jpg) ### [PSD3 and PSR in 2026: The Complete Transition Guide](https://crassula.io/guides/licenses/psd3-psr/) [**Explore all guides**Licensing, payments, cards and core banking, explained by our team.](https://crassula.io/guides/) Bulgaria · EMI ## FAQ The questions teams ask us before a first call. [**Not covered here?**Bring your question to a demo with our team.](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) What does the BNB charge to review an EMI application? EUR 5,000 since 1 January 2026, under BNB Ordinance No 16. Before the euro it was BGN 10,000. Opening a branch abroad is entered in the BNB register for EUR 1,000 per branch. Can we file our documents in English? No. Ordinance No 16 asks for the application documents in Bulgarian, and any document in another language must come with a Bulgarian translation. Formal documents from abroad must also be legalised. Our technical sections are written in English and built to be translated. How long does the BNB take? The law gives the BNB three months from the application. If documents are missing, it sets a deadline of up to two months to supply them, and then has another three months to decide. Plan for a longer total than the headline figure. What happened to e-money held in lev when Bulgaria joined the euro? Lev balances were converted to euro on 1 January 2026 at the fixed rate of 1.95583. A new EMI issues e-money in euro from the start, and the platform keeps every balance and fee in euro. How must we safeguard customer money in Bulgaria? On a separate safeguarding account at a bank licensed in an EU member state or at a central bank. Unlike some countries, Bulgaria does not offer insurance or investment in liquid assets as an alternative. Where must our team be based? The registered office and head office must be in Bulgaria, at the place where the company is actually managed, and part of the payment business must be carried out there. Engineers and support can sit elsewhere, since the platform runs in the cloud. Bulgaria · EMI ## What a Bulgarian EMI can put in front of customers Tell us your licence and country. We will map the rails, providers and documents you need. [Request demo](https://crassula.io/request-demo/) [**Know what you pay**One setup fee and a monthly plan with accounts and transactions included.*See pricing →*](https://crassula.io/prices/) [**Start with the API**Documented endpoints for accounts, payments, cards and customers.*Explore the API →*](https://crassula.io/features/api/)