Lukas Tursa for Capital.bg: We come to the bond market with 6.5-7.5% interest rate offering

Lukas Tursa, MB, Funding, Investments & Communications, was invited by the leading business media in Bulgaria – Capital, to share key insights into the savings and investment market. He revealed more details on our new bond issue and explained the benefits of this type of investment. Read more:

Mr. Tursa, last year, tbi bank entered the top 10 of the largest banks in Bulgaria. How is the bank performing in 2025?

Our business is growing strongly in all markets, and we are expecting another successful year. The loan portfolio has grown 22% in H1 2025. The bank’s total assets are growing at a similar rate. On the savings side, our total customer deposits exceeded the 3 billion BGN milestone. We continue to grow in both areas above the market trend. 

Our free daily banking package – mobile super app and neon card, has been a huge success in Bulgaria. Nearly 400 thousand customers already have access to unlimited free instant transfers in euros and leva, free utility payments, some of the best savings tools and propositions, and many more. Everyone can download, register, and start banking with tbi bank app within 5 minutes. 

We also continue to help merchants sell more through our digital solutions. tbi bank is presented in over 34,000 merchant stores, supporting customers to get their desired products under the best conditions. 

Behind all these great numbers stand our constant efforts to build products that meet our customers’ and partners’ needs. We maintain strong financial results, and we deserve once again to be ranked number one in efficiency and profitability among banks in Bulgaria (K10, 2025). 

These good results and a successful business model attracted the investors’ attention. One of the largest private equity funds in the world, Advent International, is acquiring tbi bank. What should we expect from the bank from now on? 

We are proud to receive Advent’s trust and confidence in our business model and team. They see the growth potential in the markets we operate. Their experience and resources in the international banking area will be priceless for our journey toward becoming a leading regional challenger bank. Together, we will continue to keep our growth by building even more convenient digital solutions for our beloved customers and merchant partners, and providing the market with competitive offers and propositions. 

Talking about offers, what will happen with interest rates for deposits in Bulgaria after entering the Eurozone?

We expect the ECB to keep the base rate within 1.5-2.5% range for the next few years. In Bulgaria, the deposit market should follow a similar interest rate range at the higher end. My advice for customers is to look through comparative platforms, where they can find and choose the best proposition in terms of value and convenient channel. Of course, for people looking for higher fixed-rate returns and diversification, there are some alternatives like corporate bonds. 

How are bonds different from deposits? 

The main difference is that deposits are guaranteed by the state (up to 100k euro), while corporate bonds are not. This is why when investing in bonds, one should be comfortable with the issuer, know its business, financial results, and especially its profitability. 

When you choose a term deposit, you can deposit much lower amount and select a maturity according to your needs, starting from 1 month to 3 years. On the other hand, investment in corporate bonds usually requires locking a larger amount with maturities ranging from 1 to 10 years.  Of course, you will be compensated with much higher return. Bonds are usually traded on Stock Exchange which allows owner to sell them earlier or buy more.  

Traditionally bonds issued by banks regarded more reliable  vs corporate. Reasons: banks business model is more stable, and they are constantly supervised by regulators.  

The good news is that both instruments offer a predictable cash flow income over chosen investment period. 

Recently, you announced that the bank is planning a new bond offer at the beginning of November. Can you reveal some details? 

Yes, we plan to launch a new public bond offering. The subscription starts on 3rd of November and ends on the 7th. Investors can send their orders through their brokers or by contacting tbi bank directly. The minimum investment amount is 100,000 euro. The maturity of the new bond will be 3 years (36 months), but the bank has the right to repay it one year earlier. The interest rate for bonds will be determined during the subscription process, but will not be lower than 6.5% and higher than 7.5%. Based on our strong business growth and financial results, we believe investment in our bonds offers a great balance in terms of returns and risk. 

Do you plan to do other activities in the bond market this year? 

tbi bank was very active on the bond market from the beginning of the year. In March, we successfully issued a EUR 34M bond issue (3,5-year maturity at 7.6% yield). Also, we have already repaid earlier an EUR 10M bond in September. Another call option for our EUR 20M bond issued in 2024 is coming in December. With the new bond issue, we are closing our borrowing in the capital market for this year. 

What other savings instruments and products do you offer for a wider audience? 

tbi bank offers products tailored to diverse customer savings and investment needs. For more conservative savers, we are offering some of the best deposit propositions on the Bulgarian market – up to 3% for USD and up to 2% for EUR and BGN in the mobile app. To address the needs of Bulgarians, looking for higher returns and comfortable with fx risk, earlier this year, we launched deposits in Romanian Lei with up to 6.5% annual interest rate. 

One of the products we are the proudest of is our Kasichka – a micro-savings account in our super app that provides customers with 1% interest while maintaining 24/7 access to their money. Customers simply love that combination of flexibility and return. This is why Kasichka savings portfolio has doubled since the beginning of 2025. 

Due to all these tools, products and offers, we aim to be the best place for Bulgarians’ savings. I can invite customers to download our mobile app and enjoy our smooth digital journey. For people who prefer personal contact, we welcome customers to our dedicated savings office, where they will receive personal service from our experts. 

*Source: Capital.bg / 29.10.2025