The Bank of the Lao PDR reported that Deputy Governor Soulisack Thamnouvong called for joint governance mechanisms between Chinese and Association of Southeast Asian Nations financial authorities to address cybersecurity and systemic risks arising from artificial intelligence and rapid digitalization. Speaking at the 2026 China-ASEAN Financial Conference, he also highlighted opportunities to expand financial access and market connectivity across the region. The conference brought together more than 170 participants from 63 institutions across 12 countries and regions. The deputy governor joined the launch of an AI and finance cooperation project and a regulatory roundtable on using AI to support bilateral local-currency cooperation between China and ASEAN.