Laos has moved to tighten controls on cryptocurrency purchases through foreign platforms, ordering banks and payment providers to block card transactions linked to exchanges that are not licensed by the central bank.
The Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) issued the notice on 31 July to commercial banks and payment service providers nationwide after finding that customers were using payment cards, particularly international cards, to buy cryptocurrency on unauthorized foreign platforms.
According to the notice, customers using these platforms are not protected by Lao regulations if problems arise. Banks and payment providers must therefore check their systems and block payment channels and Merchant Category Codes linked to cryptocurrency trading.
The measure targets...
The pork shortage is putting pressure on Vientiane’s meat markets as African swine fever (ASF) spreads across Laos and authorities restrict the movement of pigs and pork.
State media have...
Attapeu authorities have detailed five years of corruption investigations and financial irregularities, including a major treasury case involving more than LAK 90 billion (USD 4 million) in payments made...
Lao migrant workers sent an estimated USD 500.7 million back to Laos during the first seven months of 2026, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
The ministry...
Vietnam has become Laos's second-largest foreign investor, with more than 400 projects worth a combined USD 8 billion approved, according to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vietnam ranks second...
Laos and China have launched a new digital payment link that allows Chinese visitors to pay Lao businesses using China’s digital yuan, without needing to exchange cash into Lao...
A 100-megawatt (MW) solar project in Bolikhamxay is moving ahead, with developers meeting local communities on 18 September to discuss the planned plant.
The project will cover 140.23 hectares in...
Khammouane has signed a concession agreement worth more than USD 1.2 million to develop a stretch of land in Ban Pha Laem, Thakhek District, into a new nature tourism destination called Khounnamphone.
The provincial committee signed the agreement with KK Tourism Development Sole Co., Ltd. on 23 September. The company already operates several attractions in the province, including Tha Farang, Vang Sikham, Xiangliap Cave, and The Lotus Camp Resort.
The project will divide the site into 20 zones over the next 50 years. Five zones will support tourism development, while 15 will remain conservation areas.
The project has a total investment value of USD 1,207,350, including USD 500,000 in registered capital. The...
Laos expects to welcome between 5 and 6 million international tourists in 2026, with Chinese visitors projected to account for around 2 million of that total, according to government estimates.
The numbers will be...
Laos hosted the Mekong Tourism Forum 2025 in Luang Prabang from 24 to 27 June, spotlighting the proposed ASEAN Rail Tourism Corridor (ARTC) as a key initiative to boost regional travel and connectivity.
Held...
The Nam Theun 2 Development Fund approved more than LAK 343 million (USD 15,300) on 24 September for a forest restoration project in Nakai District, Khammouane Province.
According to provincial media, the project will establish a forest restoration center in Nakai that will produce more than 30,000 seedlings a year. The center will supply seedlings for tree planting and forest rehabilitation across 16 village clusters, with local communities taking part in the work.
The project is part of a wider package...
Laos is preparing to compete in 12 sports at the 14th ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur next October.
The Lao team has proposed entering athletics, swimming, powerlifting, boccia, women’s goalball, men’s blind football,...
Laos continues working to develop chess among younger generations.
A group of young Lao players has returned from Singapore with 12 medals after gaining international experience against competitors from across Asia and beyond.
Team Laos...
Cats spend much of their day sleeping, stretching in the sun, at times hunting, or just watching the world go by. For a group of Lao artists, those habits have become the inspiration for art.
Life feels busier than ever, and Laos is no exception. Seven artists in Laos have turned to cats to explore what many people seem to be searching for today: a little more freedom, self-acceptance and joy in the ordinary moments of everyday life.
Their exhibition, Like a Cat's Tiny Life, running until 31 July at The Tamper Coffee & Studio in Vientiane, brings together paintings, illustrations and photography that ask a simple question: what can people learn from slowing down?
Why Cats?
“All seven of us wanted to create a small space filled with warmth through stories about cats. We wanted people to experience life through the artists’ small perspectives on cats,” artist Fanta Keomanila told The Laotian Times.
For him, cats represent independence.
He described them as animals that follow their own way, sleeping and resting when they choose and finding happiness in simple moments such as watching birds or lying in the warm sun, rather than conforming to...
