The kuna (Croatian for marten) was the currency of the Republic of Croatia from May 30, 1994 to December 31, 2022 and was issued by the Croatian National Bank. One kuna was equal to 100 lipa (Croatian for linden tree). The international currency code was HRK; in Croatia the abbreviation kn was mostly used. The kuna was convertible and considered a stable currency. On January 1, 2023, the currency in Croatia was converted to the euro.
The name comes from the medieval use of marten skins as fur money for trading and paying duties in the Croatian provinces of Slavonia and Littoral (now Kvarner and Istria). This fur money was first mentioned in 1018 in the small town of Osor on the island of Cres as a means of payment for Croats. The fur money could be used to pay duties and taxes. A small monument in the form of a marten commemorates this today.
From this initially the Banovac (plural Banovci; Latinized Denarius Banalis) developed as a Croatian silver coin of stable value, which was minted in Slavonia by the Croatian viceroys (Banus) from the middle of the 13th century to the end of the 14th century. As a reference to the fur money, the Banovac showed the marten as a coin image, which developed into an important heraldic symbol of the Croatian countries (still in the coat of arms of Slavonia today).
Referring to the coin design and the name of the banovac, during World War II the currency of the Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945) was called the kuna and the fractional coin was the banica (1 kuna = 100 banica).
After the independence of the Republic of Croatia and the start of the Croatian war, the Croatian dinar served as a transitional currency from 1991 until the kuna was introduced in 1994.