## IMF Office in Laos

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [IMF Office in Laos](https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/lao)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/countries/resrep/lao/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/countries/resrep/lao/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/countries/resrep/lao/bundle-manifest.json)

### Resident Representative for Lao People's Democratic Republic

Jochen Schmittmann  
Resident Representative

### Office Information

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

### At a Glance: Lao's Relations with the IMF

- Current IMF membership: 191 countries
- Lao People's Democratic Republic joined the Fund in July 05, 1961
- Quota: SDR 52.90 million
- [Outstanding Purchases and Loans: ECF Arrangements SDR 6.80 million](http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/tad/exfin2.aspx?memberKey1=570&date1key=2010-10-29)
- The last Article IV Executive Board Consultation was on November 15, 2013

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### Resident Representative: Jochen M. Schmittmann
- 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.

### Activities, partnerships, and services
- 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

### Regional context and recent update
- 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.

### Lao PDR and the IMF

- [Lao PDR and the IMF](https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/lao#LAO%20and%20the%20IMF)

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## References

- [Read the Report](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/reo/apac/issues/2026/04/16/regional-economic-outlook-for-asia-and-pacific-april-2026)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/countries/resrep/lao_