Laos has become the latest nation to begin exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC), announcing upcoming research on the subject in partnership with Japanese distributed ledger technology (DLT) firm Soramitsu. According to an Oct. 3 report from Nikkei Asia, the project is expected to begin this month and follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Laos’ central bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to study the development of CBDC. The study will assess the operations of banks and other financial intermediaries within the financial system, in addition to assessing the broader transactional needs of the Laotian public