IMF Office in Laos

Source details

Jochen Schmittmann
Resident Representative

Contact Information: 856-21-267 787
Jochen Schmittmann, Resident Representative

Jochen M. Schmittmann is the Regional Resident Representative for the IMF Resident Offices in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR.
Prior roles held by Jochen M. Schmittmann:
- Deputy Head of the IMF’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Tokyo.
- Desk Economist on the Japan team.
- Mission Chief for the Federated States of Micronesia.
- IMF’s Resident Representative in Singapore, covering Singapore, Malaysia, and Asian financial markets.
- Positions in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific, Western Hemisphere, Finance, and Monetary and Capital Markets departments.
- Member of the team managing the IMF’s investments.
Research and academic credentials:
- Published on behavioral finance, climate finance, currency hedging, labor markets, and the economic impact of demographic change in Asia.
- Holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from Goethe University Frankfurt.

The IMF Office in Lao PDR supports:
- The work of the IMF in Lao People's Democratic Republic, including activities of the IMF Resident Representative Office.
- Dissemination of IMF reports and Executive Board documents that deal with Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Listed partner and relevant institutions:
- Asian Development Bank
- National Economic Research Institute
- Country Analytical Work
- IMF Resident Offices Around the World
- IMF Training for Government officials
- Technical Assistance Office for the LAO PDR and Myanmar

Event/publication dated: April 16, 2026.
Key assessment:
- Asia’s economic resilience is being put to the test by the war in the Middle East and ensuing energy shock.
- Higher fuel prices are raising inflation and squeezing budgets.
- The situation exposes the region’s reliance on imported energy and the need to protect people and speed up reforms.