The ICA – Building and Promoting the Importance of Cash Across the World

The International Currency Association has a busy year ahead, with the upcoming Global Currency Forum taking place this April, a major study on the social value of cash in the making, an expansion of the Cash Matters social media campaign and, in the most recent development, the arrival of several new members from the minting community.

The Director General, Frane Maroevic – a veteran in communications and public affairs but a newcomer to cash – took up his position in January 2025. One year into the role, Currency News™ spoke to him about his view of the cash industry and its future, and about what the ICA will be focusing on in the coming months and years.

Frane Maroevic speaking at the MAP conference in Istanbul last November.

Q: Firstly, could you tell us a little about your background.

A: I came from a completely different background to cash. I spent most of my career working in media and public relations, starting almost 30 years ago at the BBC World Service in London, which is where I learned the craft of journalism. In the 1990s, I worked as a spokesperson for the European Commission in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. As I’m originally from Croatia, I was very happy to work in a neighbouring country that suffered greatly during the war in the 1990s. I came originally on a one-year contract, but I ended up staying for ten years, working on peace building, reconciliation, institution building.