The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CENTRAL
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
E
N
T
R
A
L
More clues leading to the result CENTRAL
- Important as he is to them
- Major, lent car, travelling around
- Money — holding krona ultimately in both hands is key
- Like position of moderate, as shown in recent rally
- In the middle of the red line
- Essential couple of coins, one not English
- Most important money reaches Arab League leaders
- Key element of decent rallies
- Charlie learnt to dance for chief
- Most important position of power within company?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Key" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case key = central.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CENTRAL mean?
CENTRAL adjective- Being in the centre.
- Having or containing the centre of something.
- Being very important, or key to something.
- Exerting its action towards the peripheral organs.