Laos: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Decision on Digital Asset Transactions No. 888/MOTC (9 Nov 2021, Ministry of Technology and Communications); Bank of Lao PDR (BOL) as primary licensor and supervisor of crypto trading platforms; three-year pilot licensing regime for VASPs

Laos has a nascent, pilot-stage regulatory framework anchored in a 2021 ministerial decision, with the Bank of Lao PDR authorised to license exchange platforms. Only two VASPs, Lao Digital Assets Exchange (LDX) and Bitqik, hold full licences. As of late 2025, the government announced termination of electricity supply to all crypto miners by Q1 2026, effectively closing the mining sector, while the exchange licensing regime remains in force but enforcement is weak and the framework lacks key prudential safeguards.

Framework: National AI Strategy under development (announced January 2026), informed by UNESCO AI Ethics Readiness Assessment; interim basis is the National Digital Economy Strategy 2021-2030 and Law on Electronic Data Protection

Laos has no dedicated AI law or binding AI regulations in force as of May 2026. The Ministry of Technology and Communications formally launched its UNESCO AI Ethics Readiness Assessment (RAM) Country Report in January 2026 and is using those findings to draft Laos's first National AI Strategy. In the interim, AI-adjacent governance is addressed through the National Digital Economy Strategy 2021-2030 and a general electronic data protection law.

Framework: Law on Electronic Data Protection No. 25/NA (12 May 2017), supervised by the Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC)

Laos enacted the Law on Electronic Data Protection (No. 25/NA) in May 2017, establishing a legal framework for the collection, processing, and protection of personal data in electronic/digital form. The Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) serves as the primary supervisory authority, supported by its provincial departments and the Lao Computer Emergency Response Team (LaoCERT). No major amendments or new comprehensive privacy legislation have been identified as enacted through 2025-2026.

Framework: Law on Payment Systems (2017) implemented by BOL Decision on the Payment Service System No. 511/BOL (19 June 2025), which replaced Decision No. 288/BOL (2020) and Decision No. 1058/BOL (2016); regulator is the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL), via its Payment Systems / Payment System Management Department.

Laos operates a dedicated, in-force licensing regime for payment services and payment-system operators administered by the Bank of the Lao PDR under the 2017 Law on Payment Systems and the 2025 Decision No. 511/BOL. Payment service providers (including money-transfer and e-payment operators) must be licensed by BOL, meet minimum capital and local-ownership/director requirements, and the central bank runs core rails (LaPASS RTGS and the Lao QR standard). There is no dedicated open-banking or buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) framework; those activities are not yet specifically regulated.

Framework: Lao PDR Immigration Law, administered by the Department of Immigration (Ministry of Public Security); Investment Promotion Law No. 62/NA (2024) for investor residency

Laos has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers typically enter on a 30-day tourist e-Visa (extendable once to 60 days) or on a Business Visa (LA-B2) sponsored by a Lao entity, which can be issued for up to 12 months and renewed indefinitely. There is no publicly advertised self-employed or freelance visa category, and no imminent announced plan to create one.

Framework: Law on Prevention and Combating Cyber Crime (2015); Decree No. 327 on Internet Information Management (2014); mandatory social media registration directives (2019, 2020, 2024); draft Law on Cybersecurity under National Assembly review (June 2025), Ministry of Technology and Communications

Laos operates one of the most restrictive online environments in Southeast Asia, combining a 2015 cybercrime law, executive decrees banning criticism of the government online, and mandatory real-name registration for social media users and platforms. Rather than a rights-oriented safety framework, the regime emphasises state surveillance and content control, with a specialised Ministry of Public Security taskforce monitoring social media for 'fake news'. A new comprehensive Cybersecurity Law (79 articles, 11 chapters) was reviewed by the National Assembly in June 2025 and, if passed, would extend these controls with formal emergency-response and registration obligations.

Framework: Law on Cybersecurity (published Lao Official Gazette 20 March 2026); supplemented by Law on Prevention and Combating Cyber Crime (2015) and Law on Electronic Data Protection No. 25/NA (2017); primary regulator: Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) with LaoCERT as national CSIRT

Laos enacted a standalone Law on Cybersecurity, published in the Lao Official Gazette on 20 March 2026 after National Assembly review in June 2025, creating a comprehensive legal framework governing cybersecurity obligations across all sectors. The law complements the 2015 cybercrime law and 2017 electronic data protection law, mandating incident reporting, annual compliance filings, and critical infrastructure protection across five designated sectors. Enforcement authority rests with the MTC, supported by LaoCERT.

Framework: Investment Promotion Law No. 62/NA (28 June 2024, effective 16 December 2024); Law on Enterprise; administered by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) / Department of Enterprise Registration and Management (DERM) for general enterprises, and the Ministry of Finance (absorbing the former Ministry of Planning and Investment from July 2025) for concession investments

Laos generally permits 100% foreign-owned companies across most sectors under the Investment Promotion Law No. 62/NA (2024), with enterprise registration handled by the MOIC's Enterprise Registry Office and typically completed within 10 working days. However, a Controlled Business List restricts or conditions foreign participation in sectors sensitive to national security, public order, culture, and the environment, and sector-specific operating licenses add substantially to the overall timeline. The one-stop shop system is an acknowledged improvement but remains incomplete in practice, with most foreign investors relying on local legal counsel.