SWIFT/BIC codes in Laos

Bank SWIFT codes for Laos

This overview contains 32 banks and financial institutions in Laos. You will need such a code mostly when making payments across borders.

Pick a bank from the list to view its head office code and any branch codes. Further down you can read how codes from Laos are built, how to send money there at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

Bank or transfer service for Laos?

A bank transfer to Laos can cost rather more than the fee suggests. On top of the fee, intermediary banks may deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank often applies a rate below the real market rate.

That exchange rate margin tends to be the biggest cost item, even though it is not listed as a fee. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate; the gap is what conversion costs you.

For a lot of routes, a specialist provider is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. Before your next transfer to Laos, take a minute to compare what arrives via GoldexPay rather than accepting the first rate you see.

Tracking a payment to Laos

A SWIFT payment to Laos usually needs one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or just before a weekend or public holiday usually start a business day later.

When a payment takes longer than expected, the sender should contact their own bank and ask for the status or the UETR – the receiving bank often cannot see a payment that has not arrived. Save the payment confirmation.

Banque Pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public and its SWIFT codes

In our directory, Banque Pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public has the largest number of SWIFT/BIC codes in Laos. The head office uses COEBLALAXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Banks differ in how many codes they register. Unless a branch code is given, COEBLALAXXX is fine for a payment to Banque Pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public.

What the letters in a Laos BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long. It starts with a four-letter bank code, followed by two letters for the country and two characters for the location.

You can recognise a code from Laos from the fifth and sixth characters – those always form the country code of Laos. If the country letters point to another country, the code belongs to a bank in another country – worth double-checking.

The optional last three characters stand for a specific branch; XXX means the head office. For most transfers the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

Check the code before you pay

The best place to find the correct BIC is a document from the bank itself, such as a statement or the account page in online banking. When the code you were given differs from our list, stop and ask.

We collect SWIFT/BIC codes from publicly available data and check them regularly. Institutions reorganise, change names and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Treat our data as a reference; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Watch out for invoices with changed bank details, especially when they come by email. A real SWIFT code says nothing about whether a request is genuine – scammers use the codes of real banks.

Receiving money in Laos from abroad

To receive an international payment in Laos, the person paying you has to have more than the SWIFT code. Share the account holder’s name, the IBAN or account number, your bank’s SWIFT code and your address, which some banks require.

Find your bank in the list above to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. You can add the name and city of your bank as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

Do not be surprised if the amount credited is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, a markup on the rate applies. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

International payments to Laos and the BIC

To pay into Laos you usually need the BIC – Laos is not a SEPA country. Without it, your bank will not process the payment at all.

Not every country uses IBAN numbers – where there is none, the local account number is enough. The receiving bank often provides instructions for incoming international payments. International transfers can pass through correspondent banks and fees can be taken along the way.