'bani' (plural of 'ban') originates from Romanian, specifically the word 'ban', which in Romanian denotes a small monetary unit (originally a coin).

'ban' in Romanian is historically connected with the medieval title 'ban' used in parts of Eastern Europe (from Slavic and regional usage); the term was later applied to certain coins and then to the currency subunit, giving the plural form 'bani'.

Initially associated with a title or regional term in medieval usage, the term came to be used for coinage and then for the monetary subunit; today 'bani' denotes small units of Romanian currency or, as a loanword, 'money' in Albanian contexts.