Standards/laoqr
LaoQR
Overview
LaoQR is Laos' national QR-code payment standard, promoted by LAPNet (Lao Payment Network) under guidance from the Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL) [1, 2, [la-cro]]. LaoQR was initiated late 2022 as part of broader Lao payment-modernisation, with the BoL coordinating implementation across Lao commercial banks. Currently 14 Lao banks participate in the LAPNet/LaoQR network — including major players BCEL (Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao, state-owned), ACLEDA Bank Lao, Kbank Lao (Kasikorn), BIC, APB, LVB, Indochina, JDB, and others.
LaoQR's structural distinction: cross-border integration with khqr (Cambodia) since August 2023 — a Lao-Cambodia cross-border QR payment system signed via MoU between the two central banks in 2022. Phase 2 of cross-border QR launched December 2025, enabling both-sides scanning (previously one-directional) [3]. Beyond Cambodia, LaoQR has expanded to cross-border with Vietnam — Vietnamese mobile-banking apps from VietinBank, Sacombank, BIDV, Vietcombank, BVBank, Nam A Bank, TPBank can scan LaoQR codes at LAPNet's 14-bank merchant network. UnionPay International is also accelerating QR-code-payment-network interconnection across Southeast Asia, with LaoQR as a participating standard. Together with promptpay-qr, duitnow-qr, khqr, bhutan-qr, LaoQR exemplifies the mainland-Southeast-Asia + South-Asia cross-border-QR mesh that has emerged since 2021.
History
Background — Lao payment landscape LA:
- Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL) — central bank.
- LAPNet (Lao Payment Network) — interbank payment infrastructure.
- Cash-dominant economy; growing mobile-banking penetration.
2022 — BoL-NBC MoU for cross-border payments [2]:
- BoL + NBC (National Bank of Cambodia) sign MoU in Phnom Penh.
- Cooperation in financial innovation + digital payment systems.
Late 2022 — LaoQR national standard promoted [1]:
- LAPNet initiates national QR-code standard under BoL guidance.
August 2023 — Phase 1 KHQR-LaoQR cross-border launches [2]:
- Lao-Cambodia cross-border QR payment system live.
- 8 Lao commercial banks participating initially: BCEL, ACLEDA Bank Lao, Kbank Lao, BIC, APB, LVB, Indochina, JDB.
- Users pay in local currencies (Lao kip and Khmer riel) via QR.
Vietnam-Laos cross-border QR connectivity [vietnam-plus]:
- Vietnamese banks (VietinBank, Sacombank, BIDV, Vietcombank, BVBank, Nam A Bank, TPBank) can scan LaoQR.
- Reciprocal Vietnam-side acceptance.
14 Lao banks LA:
- LAPNet network expands to 14 commercial banks.
December 2025 — Phase 2 cross-border launches [3]:
- Both-sides scanning enabled (previously one-directional only).
- Full bidirectional QR interoperability between Laos + Cambodia.
Technical specification
LaoQR is a BoL-coordinated LAPNet-operated national QR standard with regional cross-border integration [1, 2]:
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Operator | LAPNet (Lao Payment Network) |
| Regulator | Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL) |
| Currency | LAK (Lao kip) |
| Participating banks | 14 Lao commercial banks |
| Cross-border partners | Cambodia (khqr), Vietnam (multiple bank apps) |
| Phase 1 KHQR-LaoQR | August 2023 |
| Phase 2 (bidirectional) | December 2025 |
| Regional integration | UnionPay International SEA QR-network interconnection participant |
Cross-border architecture [2]:
- LaoQR + KHQR + reciprocal Vietnamese-bank participation.
- Local-currency settlement (LAK ↔ KHR ↔ VND).
Use cases
Domestic merchant payments [1]: 14-bank merchant-acceptance network within Laos.
Cross-border tourist payments from Cambodia [2]: Cambodian visitors with KHQR-enabled wallets pay at Lao merchants.
Cross-border tourist payments from Vietnam [vietnam-plus]: Vietnamese tourists with participating-bank-app QR scanning at Lao merchants.
Lao tourists in Cambodia/Vietnam [3]: Reciprocal acceptance (since Dec 2025 Phase 2 bidirectional).
P2P transfers LA: Via LAPNet rails.
Implementations & ecosystem
Operator: LAPNet (Lao Payment Network).
Regulator: Bank of the Lao PDR (BoL).
14 Lao banks: BCEL (state, largest), ACLEDA Bank Lao, Kbank Lao (Kasikorn Thailand), BIC, APB, LVB, Indochina, JDB, plus others.
Cross-border partners:
- NBC + ACLEDA + Cambodian banks (KHQR/khqr).
- Vietnamese banks: VietinBank, Sacombank, BIDV, Vietcombank, BVBank, Nam A Bank, TPBank.
UnionPay International: SEA-wide QR-network interconnection participant.
Fun facts
- 2022 BoL-NBC MoU was the foundation for KHQR-LaoQR cross-border: A diplomatic-banking partnership that produced a real cross-border QR rail within a year (Aug 2023).
- Lao kip ↔ Khmer riel local-currency settlement: Both small emerging-market currencies; eliminates USD intermediation friction for Lao-Cambodia trade and tourism.
- Phase 2 bidirectional (Dec 2025): Initial KHQR-LaoQR was one-directional; Phase 2 made it bidirectional. Illustrates the iterative deployment pattern for cross-border QR.
- 14 Lao banks: Substantial coverage of Lao commercial banking.
- Vietnamese-bank-app interop: Tourist-payment value — Vietnamese visitors are major source of Lao tourism.
- Joins the SEA cross-border QR mesh: With promptpay-qr TH, duitnow-qr MY, sgqr/PayNow SG, khqr KH, LaoQR, twqr TW — SEA has effectively built a multilateral cross-border QR mesh.
- UnionPay International role: Chinese card-network UnionPay actively expanding SEA QR-network interconnection — making LaoQR more accessible to Chinese tourists' UnionPay-affiliated wallets.
Comparison
| Feature | LaoQR | khqr KH | promptpay-qr TH | duitnow-qr MY | bhutan-qr BT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | LAPNet (BoL-coordinated) | NBC/ACLEDA | NITMX/ITMX | PayNet | RMA |
| Launch | Late 2022 | 2020 (atop Bakong) | 2017 | 2017/2019 | 2020 |
| Cross-border partners | KH (Aug 2023), VN | 6 countries | SG/MY/JP/VN/ID | SG/TH | India BHIM-UPI |
| Phase 2 bidirectional | Dec 2025 | n/a | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Population | Laos (~7.5M) | Cambodia (17M) | Thailand (70M) | Malaysia (33M) | Bhutan (770K) |
Status
Active, regionally-integrated [1, 3]:
- LAPNet + BoL operators.
- 14 Lao banks.
- KHQR-LaoQR cross-border (Aug 2023 Phase 1, Dec 2025 Phase 2 bidirectional).
- Vietnamese-bank cross-border participation.
- UnionPay International SEA network participant.
Sources
- 1 Bank of the Lao PDR
- 2 KHQR-LaoQR cross-border — Khmer Times
- 3 Phase 2 cross-border QR — Laotian Times
- vietnam-plus Vietnam-Laos cross-border
- [la-cro]
reports/countries/LA-laos.md
Deployments
Found in the following country reports (grep across reports/countries/):
- KH — KH-cambodia.md
- LA — LA-laos.md
- TH — TH-thailand.md