Payments/LA
Lao People's Democratic Republic
ISO LA · 3 schemes
Summary
- LaoQR is the national QR payment standard
- LAPNet (Lao National Payment Network) operates infrastructure
- Cross-border QR with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China
- BCEL dominates digital banking with EZyKip for tourists
- ASEAN RPC connectivity initiative member
Banking landscape
Central Bank
- Name: Bank of Lao PDR (BOL)
- Website: https://www.bol.gov.la/
- Role: Monetary policy, payment systems oversight
Major Banks (2024)
| Rank | Bank Name | Type | Digital Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BCEL | State-owned | BCEL One App |
| 2 | Lao Development Bank | State-owned | LDB Mobile |
| 3 | ACLEDA Bank Lao | Private | ACLEDA App |
| 4 | Kasikornbank Lao | Private | K-Pay Lao |
| 5 | JDB Bank | Private | JDB Mobile |
Market Structure
- BCEL: Dominant digital banking player
- LAPNet: National payment network operator
- Seven banks: QR interoperability active
- ASEAN: Regional payment connectivity
Payment infrastructure
National Payment Systems
| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaoQR | LAPNet | QR Standard | Active |
| LAPNet | BOL | Payment network | Active |
| BCEL Gateway | BCEL | Merchant | Active |
LAPNet Role
- Lao National Payment Network
- Cross-border settlement operator
- QR interoperability infrastructure
- Bank of Lao PDR supervised
Cross-Border QR Active
| Country | System | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | PromptPay | April 2024 |
| Vietnam | VietQR | Active |
| Cambodia | KHQR | December 2025 (Phase 2) |
| China | UnionPay | December 2024 |
QR code standards
LaoQR (National Standard)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | LaoQR |
| Operator | LAPNet |
| Banks | 7+ participating |
| Cross-border | 4 countries active |
LaoQR Features
- National interoperable QR standard
- Merchant-presented QR codes
- Real-time settlement via LAPNet
- Cross-border connectivity
Thailand-Laos QR (April 2024)
- Phase 1 (April 2024): Lao users scan Thai PromptPay QR in Thailand
- Phase 2 (June 2024): Thai users scan LaoQR in Laos
- Operators: NITMX (Thailand), LAPNet (Laos)
- Settlement banks: Kasikornbank (TH), BCEL (LA)
Vietnam Cross-Border
- Seven Vietnamese banks enabled
- Vietinbank, BIDV, Vietcombank, Sacombank, TPBank, BVBank, Nam A Bank
- Scan LaoQR codes in Laos
- Greater Mekong Subregion initiative
Cambodia-Laos (December 2025)
- KHQR scan LAOQR system
- Eight commercial banks in Laos
- BCEL, ACLEDA Bank Lao, Kbank Lao, BIC, APB, LVB, Indochina, JDB
- Bidirectional scanning
Mobile payment apps
| App | Provider | LaoQR | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCEL One | BCEL | Yes | Full banking |
| EZyKip | BCEL | Yes | Tourist app |
| ACLEDA App | ACLEDA | Yes | Banking |
| K-Pay Lao | Kasikornbank | Yes | Mobile payments |
BCEL Digital Services
- BCEL One app for residents
- EZyKip for foreign tourists (Visit Laos Year 2024)
- 400+ BCEL ATMs with QR withdrawal
- Online payment gateway
EZyKip Tourist App
- Designed for foreign visitors
- QR code ATM withdrawals
- 0% fee at BCEL ATMs
- Visit Laos Year 2024 initiative
Schemes
| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaoQR | National QR | LAPNet | 7+ banks | laoqr |
| Cross-border | International | ASEAN | 4 countries | — |
| UnionPay | Card/QR | UPI | Active | — |
Sources
- BOT - Thailand-Laos QR Launch
- GMS - Laos Vietnam QR
- Laotian Times - BCEL Tourist App
- Laotian Times - Cambodia Phase 2
- Vietnam News - Seven Banks QR
- UnionPay - Laos QR
- B2B Cambodia - Cross-Border Overview
- Fintech Times - Laos Landscape
- BCEL - Online Payment
- EPI - UPI BCEL
Full country report
Schemes
Standards
Primary · 1