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Laos articles

Each article lists when we published it and the date of the latest data it uses.

All topics · 15 articlesNewest first

Published 12 Nov 2026Data as of 5 Nov 2026 RegulationLaos’s central bank starts checks on sanctions circumvention as the EU says grey-listing raises payment costsThe Bank of the Lao PDR began an inspection and supervision programme on 5 November, starting with five lenders
Published 11 Nov 2026Data as of 19 Oct 2026 RegulationLaos's draft deposit-protection law would tie cover to GDP per capita and bring in all deposit-taking MFIsThe BOL Governor presented a draft Law on Deposit Protection to the National Assembly on 19 October 2026; it has 66 articles in eight chapters
Published 6 Nov 2026Data as of 7 Oct 2026 Credit · Research noteLaos's small firms hold 10.84% of bank credit: collateral, informality and a credit cap shape who can borrowCredit to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises was 10.84% of Lao banking-sector credit at end-September…
Published 29 Oct 2026Data as of 28 Oct 2026 Macro & householdsLaos raises the private-sector minimum wage to LAK 3.4 million a month from January 2027 as inflation eases to 7.7%A Prime Minister's Office notice dated 21 October sets the private-sector minimum wage at LAK 3.4 million a month from January 2027…
Published 27 Oct 2026Data as of 5 Aug 2026 Regulation · Research noteLaos's cross-border borrowing rules: what Decision No. 707/BOL requires of companies that borrow abroadBank of the Lao PDR Decision No.
Published 17 Oct 2026Data as of 22 Jul 2026 Macro & households · Research noteLaos poverty falls to 15.0%, but urban poverty rises and remittance households more than doubleThe national poverty rate fell to 15.0% in the 2024–25 household survey (down from 18.3% in 2018–19), with rural poverty at 18.0%
Published 10 Oct 2026Data as of 7 Oct 2026 CreditLaos central bank caps credit growth at 16% a year as inflation stays above targetThe Bank of the Lao PDR will hold credit growth to no more than 16% a year, vs a current rate of 17.6% cited by the Governor
Published 7 Oct 2026Data as of 5 Oct 2026 Macro & householdsLaos reports 4.8% growth for January–September, above ADB's forecast; inflation still above targetThe government told the National Assembly that the economy grew 4.8% in the first nine months and projects 5.1% for the year, short of its 5.5% target
Published 7 Oct 2026Data as of 1 Oct 2026 RegulationLaos keeps new non-bank lender licences on hold, plans to reopen applications by end-2026The Bank of the Lao PDR plans to resume accepting applications for microfinance institutions, pawnshops and other non-bank lenders by the end of 2026
Published 30 Sep 2026Data as of 29 Sep 2026 Macro & householdsLaos inflation edges up to 7.8% in September as education and utility prices climbConsumer prices rose 7.8% y/y in September (up from 7.7% in August), the third monthly rise in a row
Published 29 Sep 2026Data as of 23 Sep 2026 Macro & householdsADB holds Laos growth forecast and lowers its 2026 inflation forecast to 8%2026 growth forecast 4.0% and 2027 4.5%, both unchanged from July 2026
Published 28 Sep 2026Data as of 24 Sep 2026 CreditAfrican swine fever spreads in Laos, with family farms bearing most lossesSince June the outbreak has spread to 7 provinces, 19 districts, 95 villages; 14,002 pigs had died or been culled as of 24 September
Published 28 Sep 2026Data as of 22 Sep 2026 Macro & householdsLaos migrant remittances reported for January–July as registered workers abroad declineRemittances from Lao workers abroad were USD 500.7 m in January–July (Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare)
Published 28 Sep 2026Data as of 18 Sep 2026 Digital infrastructureLaos links China's digital yuan (e-CNY) to its domestic QR payment networkOn 18 September, at the China-ASEAN financial cooperation conference, Laos and China announced a link between e-CNY and Lao QR payments
Published 28 Sep 2026Data as of 2 Sep 2026 Macro & householdsLaos inflation edges up in August, above the central bank's 2026 target after a rate cutAugust CPI inflation was 7.7% y/y (up from 7.6% in July); the January–August average was 7.9%