Reading Between The Lines Of The Banking System Assessment

The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) released the results of the banking system overview, which was initiated earlier this year. Pursuant to the report of the national regulator on the outcome of the asset quality review (AQR) and the stress tests, that was announced recently (Report), the domestic banking sector successfully passed this, first-of-its-kind, system–wide assessment. The tests in Bulgaria were extended throughout all 22 locally licensed banks, with the exception of the 6 branches of foreign banks operating in the country. As a result, the domestic exercise had a broader scope than its Eurozone counterpart, which only covered the banking institutions of systematic importance.