Lending rules: Laos
What the published rules require for unsecured consumer loans in Laos, in the order a loan is made, and how TS LMS handles each step.
Last reviewed 22 October 2026 · Email me when these rules change
Lender type covered Non-deposit-taking microfinance institution licensed by the Bank of the Lao PDR
- 01
What licence do you need to lend in Laos?
Licence from the Bank of the Lao PDR
What the rules require
The Law on the Bank of the Lao PDR (Amended) No. 47/NA of 19 June 2018 empowers the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) to grant and revoke financial and banking business licences and prohibits conducting finance or banking business without permission. Microfinance institutions are financial institutions under BOL supervision; a non-deposit-taking microfinance institution provides micro-credit, microfinance loans and other financial services and may mobilise capital from domestic and foreign loans with BOL permission. The BOL licence to register a non-deposit-taking microfinance institution is based on the Decree on Microfinance Institutions No. 460/G of 3 October 2012 and BOL Instruction No. 01/BOL of 19 April 2016, and is issued by BOL's Financial Institution Supervision Department.
Effective: being checked against the official text · Rules as of 19 June 2018 · Source: Law on the Bank of the Lao PDR (Amended) No. 47/NA (unofficial translation) · License to Register a Non Deposit-Taking Microfinance (business formality datasheet BoL-FISD-8)
How TS LMS handles it
Products, credit rules and limits are set up for each lender and country. Changes to credit policy and to products need a second person's approval, and every change is kept in the audit log.
- 02
Can loan contracts be signed electronically in Laos?
Electronic contracts and signatures
What the rules require
Under the Law on Electronic Transactions No. 20/NA of 7 December 2012, electronic documents are legally valid and enforceable, compliant electronic contracts are enforceable, and electronic and paper transactions, documents and signatures have equal validity. The Law recognises basic electronic signatures, basic digital signatures and secure digital signatures; a genuine and reliable secure signature, or a certificate from a registered certification services provider, is deemed equivalent to the signature used in paper-based transactions. Excluded documents include wills, documents of title, powers of attorney and contracts transferring land or immovable property; loan agreements are not among the listed exclusions. Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Decision No. 1101/MPT of 29 May 2020 on electronic signatures sets up a two-level certification structure (National Root Certificate Authority and sub-certificate authorities).
Effective: being checked against the official text · Rules as of 7 December 2012 · Source: Law on Electronic Transactions No. 20/NA (unofficial translation) · Decision on Electronic Signatures No. 1101/MPT, dated 29 May 2020
How TS LMS handles it
Where loans are signed electronically, the agreement is stored unchanged and signed only after approval, and the signature record keeps who signed, when, the agreement's fingerprint and the device. Money is released by a second staff member who is not the approver, and not if the payout account differs from the one approved.
- 03
What are the data protection and credit bureau rules in Laos?
Electronic data protection and the credit information company
What the rules require
How TS LMS handles it
Personal data is kept for set periods by type and then removed, and a borrower's request to access their data can be answered from the system. Contacting a borrower's emergency contact requires the borrower's recorded consent.
This page summarises published rules for general information; it is not legal advice. Rules change: check the current text with the authority before acting.