Electronic Banking in Bulgaria – State and Perspectives

The aim of this publication is making analyses and evaluation of the current situation of the electronic banking, offered by the commercial banks in Bulgaria, and to draw the perspectives of its future development. A detailed inquiry was made of the basic forms of the electronic banking – telephone, PC-, Internet and GSM-banking, offered by the commercial banks. The distribution of electronic channels was evaluated according to several criteria: type of clients, subject of the definite channel (juridical and physical persons); operations (informational or active), to which access is allowed and level of expenses for getting the service; way of stimulating the consumers of electronic channels in comparison with those of the classic channel (i.e. banking on a desk), level of security and protection, guaranteed by the systems for electronic banking. As a result of the analyses some conclusions were reached regarding the situation on the Bulgarian banks’ market in regard of offering of different forms of electronic banking and were shown the perspectives for their future development. The Internet banking, offered by 56% of the banks, and the GSM-banking, the access to which for the moment is hardly reachable prove to be with the biggest potential.