🇱🇦 Sending to Lao People's Democratic Republic¶
LA · LAO · +856 · Southeast Asia
FATF grey list National format SWIFT BIC required
← Back to Country-specific guides
FATF Increased Monitoring
This jurisdiction is on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. FATF does not call for enhanced due diligence on that basis, but asks institutions to take the listing into account in their risk analysis.
Required information¶
For your end users
Lao PDR is on the FATF grey list (jurisdiction under increased monitoring). Apply enhanced due diligence. Double-check the beneficiary's full name, account number, and bank SWIFT/BIC against what the beneficiary bank has on file.
Last reviewed by GIB compliance on 2026-05-21. Reference material only.
-
Currency
-
Typical settlement
2-3 business days typical; longer if compliance review triggered.
-
SWIFT BIC
Required
-
Local clearing
BoL RTGS
Account format¶
How beneficiary account numbers are structured for Lao People's Democratic Republic. Failure to match this format is the single most common reason wires are rejected at the destination.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Format tier | National format |
| Length | Local account number format; no IBAN. |
Routing identifiers¶
Which routing codes the wire-creation API call must include for Lao People's Democratic Republic.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| SWIFT BIC | Required |
| None | Optional |
| Local clearing | BoL RTGS |
Purpose of payment¶
Put a code from the ISO 20022 list in <Purp><Cd> (purpose_code).
Requirement: ISO 20022 code required
GIB check: a missing or unexpected purpose is reported as a validation warning; the wire is not held.
Not yet confirmed
We have not yet confirmed this country's purpose-of-payment requirement against a central-bank or correspondent-bank source. Including a purpose is recommended. We update these guides as we confirm each country.
Standard list applies
Lao People's Democratic Republic doesn't publish a country-specific PoP scheme. Use the ISO 20022 standard purpose codes.
Available codes:
Use the ISO 20022 ExternalPurpose code list or any standard SWIFT field-70 free-text purpose.
Remittance info¶
Extra content the regulator requires inside the free-text remittance field, beyond the purpose-of-payment code.
No special remittance-info requirement — clearly identify the economic reason for the payment.
Operational notes¶
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| FX minimum (USD) | $25 |
| Currencies accepted | LAK, USD, THB |
| Typical settlement | 2-3 business days typical; longer if compliance review triggered. |
| Banking holidays | ↗ Calendar |
Common rejection reasons¶
Documented patterns that cause this country's banks to return wires. Universal reasons (sanctions holds, missing BIC) aren't repeated here.
Beneficiary name mismatch (initials, abbreviations, punctuation, or transliteration differences).
Account number format error.
Missing or invalid SWIFT/BIC code.
Insufficient remittance information.
Sanctions or compliance hold (OFAC / EU / UN / local screening). Enhanced due diligence applies — Lao PDR is on the FATF grey list.
Validate before you send¶
Check identifiers before you submit. The IBAN check runs in your browser (format plus the ISO 13616 MOD-97 check digit). GIB's API checks the IBAN format for countries where an IBAN is required. The BIC lookup searches GIB's BIC directory and needs a dashboard login.
BIC lookup
Loading…
References¶
First-party sources — central banks, FX regulators, ISO registries. Always re-verify against these before pushing volume to a new corridor.
Disclaimer
These country guides aggregate information from central banks, regulators, and industry-standard references. Global Innovations Bank reviews them on a rolling cadence and notes the verification date on each page. Payment-corridor rules change between releases, so we cannot guarantee continued accuracy.
Always verify against the primary sources linked in the References section before going live in a new corridor. Re-check applicable sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UK, UN consolidated, and any state-level requirements) at the time of payment, since designations shift between our refreshes.
For fintech partners on GIB's sponsor-bank rails, these guides do not replace your BSA/AML, KYC, sanctions-screening, or transaction-monitoring obligations under your program agreement with GIB.
Nothing in this material constitutes legal, tax, or regulatory advice, and wire-acceptance decisions remain at the discretion of GIB Compliance and the destination bank.