# Blink

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/blink
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [BISERA6 (instant BGN) — BORICA AD](https://www.borica.bg/en/products-and-services/BISERA6)
- [Instant payments in Bulgaria — BORICA AD](https://www.borica.bg/en/latest/novini/instant-payments-in-bulgaria-3-years-after-the-first-transaction_en)
- [Instant payments in Bulgaria — EPC](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/news-insights/insight/instant-payments-bulgaria)

## Overview

**Blink** is **Bulgaria's national domestic instant-payment scheme**, operated by **BORICA AD** on top of **BISERA6** (Bulgaria's BGN clearing system) <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>. Blink enables real-time interbank transfers in **Bulgarian leva (BGN)** in under **10 seconds**, 24/7/365. The scheme launched in 2021 (with **Postbank as the first certified bank**) and processed **22+ million payments in 2024 (+102 % YoY)** — making it one of the fastest-growing national instant-payment schemes in Europe <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>. Blink now accounts for **20.36 % of all BGN transfers** through the BISERA payment system (up from just 3.51 % in 2022), with **>90 % of Bulgarian bank accounts** reachable <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>.

A structurally significant addition came in **early 2023** when Blink launched **Mobile Lookup** — a phone-number-to-IBAN proxy directory enabling **P2P payments by mobile number** without IBAN entry <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>. This brings Blink up to parity with phone-number-addressed peers like [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) (MD), [RoPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ropay) (RO), and [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) (ES). Separately, **December 2024** saw the launch of **instant EUR payments via BISERA** — connecting Bulgaria's domestic rail to **TIPS** (the Eurosystem instant-payment infrastructure), in anticipation of Bulgaria's upcoming euro adoption.

## History

**Background — Bulgarian payment landscape pre-2021** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- **BORICA AD** — Bulgaria's national payment infrastructure operator, licensed by Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).
- **BISERA6** — domestic BGN credit-transfer clearing system.
- **BISERA** — SEPA EUR clearing system.
- Pre-Blink: BGN transfers between banks took hours-to-days via batch ACH.

**2021 — Blink launches** <sup>[2][2], [Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- BORICA introduces Blink as Bulgaria's first instant-payment scheme.
- **Postbank** becomes the **first Bulgarian bank certified** to conduct Blink instant payments.
- Other banks quickly follow.

**End of 2022 — Mobile Lookup project upgrade** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Blink upgraded with **Mobile Lookup infrastructure** — phone-number-to-IBAN proxy directory.
- Foundation for P2P payments by mobile number.

**Early 2023 — First Blink payments by mobile number** <sup>[2][2], [Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- Mobile Lookup goes live for end-users.
- Bulgaria joins the phone-number-addressed instant-payment club.

**December 2024 — Instant EUR via BISERA, connected to TIPS** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- BORICA extends BISERA to instant EUR payments.
- Connected to **TIPS** (TARGET Instant Payment Settlement) — Eurosystem's instant rail.
- Positions Bulgaria for upcoming euro adoption.

**2024 macro statistics** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- **22+ million Blink payments** in 2024.
- **+102 % YoY** growth.
- **20.36 % of total BGN transfers** through BISERA (up from 3.51 % in 2022).
- **>90 % of Bulgarian bank accounts** reachable via Blink.

**National marketing campaigns** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- "Blink via mobile number and you can win" — recurring consumer-adoption marketing campaign by Bulgarian National Card and Payment Scheme.

## Technical specification

Blink is **a BORICA-operated instant-payment scheme on BISERA6** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **BORICA AD** (Bulgarian payment infrastructure) |
| **Regulator** | **Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)** |
| **Underlying rail** | **BISERA6** (BGN credit-transfer clearing) |
| **Settlement** | **Under 10 seconds**, 24/7/365 |
| **Currency** | BGN (Bulgarian lev); EUR (since Dec 2024 via BISERA + TIPS) |
| **Identifier (P2P)** | IBAN; mobile number (via Mobile Lookup, since early 2023) |
| **Scheme model** | SEPA-aligned (BISERA6 is "based on SEPA schemes") |
| **Reach** | >90 % of Bulgarian bank accounts |

**Mobile Lookup infrastructure** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Phone-number-to-IBAN proxy directory.
- Users register their phone number → linked to a bank account.
- P2P transfers initiate via phone-number selection rather than IBAN entry.
- Same architectural pattern as [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) MD, [RoPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ropay) RO, [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) ES.

**TIPS connection (Dec 2024)** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- Bulgaria's BISERA connected to **TIPS** for instant EUR settlement.
- Anticipates Bulgaria's planned **euro-adoption** target.
- Cross-border EUR reach via TIPS member networks.

**BISERA6 limits** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- Amounts up to **BGN 999,999,999.99** per payment.
- Bulk, instant, and budget payments supported.

## Use cases

**P2P transfers** <sup>[2][2], [Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>: Send funds between banks in under 10 seconds. With Mobile Lookup (since early 2023), no IBAN entry required.

**Business payments** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>: Real-time B2B and B2C transfers — replaces batch ACH for time-sensitive payments.

**Cross-border EUR (since Dec 2024)** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>: Instant EUR via BISERA-TIPS connection — particularly valuable for Bulgarian-EU corporate flows ahead of euro adoption.

**Payroll, supplier payments, refunds** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>: Instant settlement replaces 1-3-day batch cycles.

**Mobile-number P2P** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Friend-to-friend transfers without exchanging IBANs.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **BORICA AD** (licensed by Bulgarian National Bank).

**Regulator / supervisor**: **Bulgarian National Bank (BNB)**.

**Participating banks (>90% of Bulgarian bank accounts reachable)** <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- **United Bulgarian Bank (UBB)** — largest, KBC-owned.
- **DSK Bank** — OTP-owned.
- **UniCredit Bulbank** — UniCredit-owned.
- **Eurobank Bulgaria (Postbank)** — Eurobank-owned; **first certified Blink bank**.
- **First Investment Bank** — largest domestic.
- **Bulgarian-American Credit Bank (BACB)**.
- **Fibank**.
- Other Bulgarian banks.

**Cross-rail integration**:
- **BISERA6** for BGN.
- **BISERA** for EUR (with TIPS connection Dec 2024).
- **TARGET-BNB** for RTGS settlement.

**No public open-source SDK** has been identified — Blink integration via participating banks.

## Fun facts

- **From 3.51 % to 20.36 % share in 2 years**: Blink's share of total BGN transfers grew **~6×** between 2022 and 2024 — among the steepest growth curves of any European instant-payment scheme.
- **+102 % YoY in 2024**: Doubling-each-year growth rate.
- **First-bank-certified: Postbank**: Postbank (Eurobank Bulgaria) was the first Bulgarian bank certified for Blink — a structurally notable first-mover advantage in a foreign-bank-dominated Bulgarian banking sector.
- **Foreign-bank-dominated Bulgarian banking**: Top 5 Bulgarian banks: UBB (KBC/Belgium), DSK (OTP/Hungary), UniCredit Bulbank (Italy), Postbank (Eurobank/Greece), First Investment Bank (domestic). Blink interoperates across this foreign-controlled banking landscape.
- **Euro-adoption preparation via TIPS**: Bulgaria's TIPS connection (Dec 2024) is a deliberate step toward **eurozone membership** — Bulgaria has targeted euro adoption.
- **National marketing campaign with sweepstakes**: "Blink via mobile number and you can win" — the Bulgarian National Card and Payment Scheme actively markets Blink adoption with consumer giveaways. Compare with [TWQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/twqr)'s 100 % transit-fare-rebate and [Raast P2M QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/raast-p2m-qr)'s PKR 3.5B subsidy as comparable adoption-incentive programs.
- **Naming convention**: Blink (Bulgaria) vs. [BLIK](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/blik) (Poland) — easily confused but **structurally different products**. BLIK is Poland's 6-digit-code-based wallet-mediated payment scheme launched 2015; Blink is Bulgaria's BORICA-operated BGN instant-payment rail launched 2021. Distinct in operator, architecture, and history.
- **Mobile Lookup phone-IBAN directory**: Same architectural pattern as [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) MD, [RoPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ropay) RO, [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) ES, [PayNow QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/paynow-qr) SG.
- **20.36 % share in 2 years from launch**: Suggests Blink is on track to become Bulgaria's dominant payment mode within a decade — comparable to [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum)'s trajectory in Spain.

## Comparison

| Feature | Blink (BG) | [BLIK](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/blik) (PL) | [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) (MD) | [RoPay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/ropay) (RO) | [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) (ES) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | 2021 | Feb 2015 | Mar 2024 | Nov 2024 | Oct 2016 |
| Operator | BORICA AD | PSP (bank consortium) | National Bank of Moldova | Transfond (bank consortium) | Bizum SL (bank consortium) |
| Currency | BGN (+EUR via TIPS Dec 2024) | PLN | MDL | RON | EUR |
| Identifier | IBAN + mobile (since 2023) | 6-digit code + mobile | Mobile phone | Mobile phone | Mobile phone |
| Underlying rail | BISERA6 | Polish Express Elixir | NBM instant | Plăți Instant | Iberpay SCT Inst |
| % of national flows | 20.36 % (2024) | Dominant | n/a | New | High |
| EUR cross-border | TIPS (Dec 2024) | TIPS-integrated | SEPA (Oct 2025) | EPC-compatible | EPC SCT Inst |

**Closest peer**: [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) (MD) — similar small-economy 2020s-launch trajectory, similar mobile-lookup overlay, similar SEPA-integration drive.

**Naming gotcha**: **Blink (Bulgaria) ≠ [BLIK](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/blik) (Poland)** — easily confused; structurally distinct.

## Status

**Active, fast-growing** <sup>[2][2], [Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup>:
- **22+ million transactions** in 2024.
- **+102 % YoY** growth.
- **20.36 % of BGN transfers** (up from 3.51 % in 2022).
- **>90 % bank-account reach**.
- **Mobile Lookup** since early 2023.
- **Instant EUR via TIPS** since December 2024 (euro-adoption preparation).

**Outlook**: Continued growth toward majority share of Bulgarian transfers; euro adoption will likely accelerate EUR/Blink integration; possible cross-border integrations with adjacent EU instant-payment rails via SEPA Instant.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.borica.bg/en/products-and-services/BISERA6 "BISERA6 — BORICA AD"
[2]: https://www.borica.bg/en/latest/novini/instant-payments-in-bulgaria-3-years-after-the-first-transaction_en "Instant payments in Bulgaria — BORICA AD"
[3]: https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/news-insights/insight/instant-payments-bulgaria "Instant payments in Bulgaria — EPC"

- [1] [BISERA6 — BORICA AD][1]
- [2] [Instant payments in Bulgaria — BORICA AD][2]
- [3] [Instant payments in Bulgaria — EPC][3]
- <sup>[Bulgaria report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)</sup> `reports/countries/BG-bulgaria.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **BG** — [BG-bulgaria.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/BG)