Service Outage at One of Bulgaria’s Largest Banks

A number of customers of one of Bulgaria’s commercial banks—United Bulgarian Bank (UBB)—experienced disruptions in card payments and ATM withdrawals due to technical problems, the bank confirmed.

According to a statement provided to the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), the issue was not the result of external interference but stemmed from an internal system upgrade. UBB assured clients that their personal data and funds remain fully protected.

The disruptions affect primarily cardholders with cards issued before the bank’s merger with Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria. In response, cash deposits and withdrawals at UBB branches are currently fee-free for affected clients. The bank also pledged that these customers will receive appropriate compensation and emphasised that resolving the issue remains a top priority.

The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) confirmed that it was notified of the incident within the legally required time frame. Based on information submitted so far, the central bank stated that the incident does not pose a threat to data or system security. However, BNB added that after receiving UBB’s final report on the causes, it may request the implementation of additional safeguards to prevent future incidents.

“There are temporary disruptions in payments and withdrawals using cards issued by UBB prior to the merger with Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria, as well as at UBB POS terminals and ATMs. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The technical difficulties are due to system upgrades and are not related to any external interference. Client data and funds are safe. Deposits and withdrawals at UBB branches are free of charge for the affected cardholders until the issue is resolved. Affected clients will be appropriately compensated. Our current focus is on resolving the technical problem,” UBB said in a statement.

“The initial notice submitted by United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) refers to an incident affecting card payments and POS/ATM services. Based on the available information, the incident is operational in nature and not security-related. Once the final report is submitted and the root cause is clarified, the bank may be requested to implement additional measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," the BNB said in its position.