May the 3rd, 2023 – There are some rather obscure institutions in Croatia, and when you begin living any form of real life here, you’ll run into several of them. And by run into them, I mean wait in lines in them. One instiution that is worth familiarising yourself with is FINA, or the Financial Agency.
A brief history of FINA
FINA has been around for around half a century, but has only had its current name since 2002. It has played a key role in many reforms, from the pension reform to the payment reform, and it has regional centre in the cities of Osijek, Zagreb, Rijeka and Split.
What actually is FINA?
Are these offices banks? Tax office branches? Some sort of legal entity? Kind of, but no, but also yes. FINA is Croatia’s leading financial and electronic service provider. It deals with business information, cash operations, payment transactions, education, e-business services of various kinds, financial mediation, payment transactions and so on. It has quite the portfolio.
FINA isn’t a bank (although it might look like a small one at first glance), but it does have close cooperation with the Croatian National Bank (CNB/HNB) and other banks operating in Croatia. It describes itself as a public company which operates according to the stringent rules which regulate the activities of the free market, and it is also a government partner.
