The Bank of the Lao P.D.R. welcomed Fazurin Jamaludin as the incoming head of the International Monetary Fund Resident Representative Office in Laos during a meeting with outgoing representative Jochen Schmittmann. The leadership transition provides for continued cooperation between the central bank and the IMF on technical assistance, financial and monetary system development, and banking-sector modernization. The central bank credited Schmittmann with supporting annual macroeconomic assessments, coordinating work between the two institutions and facilitating technical assistance projects. Jamaludin is expected to continue this work and support implementation of Laos’ financial and monetary system development plans.