The Bank of the Lao hosted a consultative meeting with the Lao Microfinance Association to review the association’s 2024 activities and agree the direction for its 2025 work plan. Participants included relevant central bank departments responsible for supervising banks and non-bank financial institutions, the Deposit Protection Office, and the association’s board and management. A report from the association’s president covered operating conditions, achievements, and key implementation challenges for microfinance institutions, including expanding branches and service units into rural areas, increasing registered capital, and differences in lending capacity across institutions. Discussion also focused on encouraging deposit-taking microfinance institutions to join the Deposit Protection Office and promoting financial institutions’ membership in the Lao PDR Credit Information Bureau as a way to reduce lending risk.
Bank of the Lao 2025-01-20
Bank of the Lao convenes Lao Microfinance Association annual review and discusses the 2025 work plan
The Bank of the Lao held a consultative meeting with the Lao Microfinance Association to review 2024 activities and set the 2025 work plan. Discussions addressed microfinance institutions' challenges, such as branch expansion, capital increases, and lending capacity disparities. The meeting also emphasized encouraging deposit-taking institutions to join the Deposit Protection Office and promoting membership in the Lao PDR Credit Information Bureau to reduce lending risks.