Economy

Laos Cuts 7-Day Base Interest Rate to 7% as Economic Risks Persist

The Bank of Laos (BOL) has cut its seven-day base interest rate from 8 percent to 7 percent a year as inflation remains below the government’s 8 percent target. The Monetary Policy Committee approved the cut at its meeting on 20 August, where it reviewed monetary policy, economic conditions, fuel...

Prime Minister Calls for Tighter Oversight of Boten SEZ Amid Development Challenges

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has called for stronger management of the Boten Special Economic...

Laos-China Railway Trade Surges as Cross-Border Freight Hits New Highs

Trade along the Laos-China Railway continued to grow sharply in the first half of...

Laos Identifies Two New Rare Earth Target Areas Across Four Provinces

Laos has completed field surveys and identified two major potential rare earth target areas...

Laos Studies USD 1 Billion Vientiane-Lidu Industrial Park in Pakngum

On 13 August, Laos agreed to study the development of a new industrial park...

Minimum Wage Increase Planned for This Year

From 1991 to 2015, the minimum wage has increased a total of 7 times in Laos. According to the Department of Labor Regulation, an 8th change is set...

Euler Hermes: Growth Is Firm, But Fundamentals Remain Weak in Laos

Euler Hermes, an Allianz company, has released a brief country economic report on Laos. The following is an excerpt from the report: ECONOMIC OVERVIEW Solid growth...

Savannakhet Reaches Population of 1 Million

Savannakhet Province is now officially the province with the largest population in Laos, according to a report released by the provincial statistics bureau on...

Vang Vieng Expressway to be Extended to China

The Vientiane to Vang Vieng expressway is now to be extended to China, according to a recent announcement by Yunnan Construction Engineering Group. The first...

New Law to Ensure Fair Compensation for Relocated Populations

A new law will pave the way for fairer and faster compensation payouts for landowners that lose their property to development projects, according to...

Vietnamese Companies Invest Over 5 Billion USD in Laos

Vietnamese businesses have found much success in Laos primarily due to excellent commercial opportunities, market scale and operation quality in the landlocked nation. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment,...