The Honourable Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, visited Lao Bullion Bank (LBB) and the Laos-International Precious Metals Refinery (LIPMER) on 20 July.

The visit followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on financial cooperation between Laos’ Ministry of Finance and Hong Kong’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau.

At Lao Bullion Bank, Hui was briefed on the bank’s role in supporting efforts to modernize Laos’ domestic gold market through gold savings services, bullion banking, precious metals trading, and connections with international markets.

Discussions also covered the bank’s efforts to develop partnerships with international financial institutions, bullion market participants, and market infrastructure providers to strengthen Laos’ integration into the global precious metals ecosystem.

Hui also visited LIPMER, where he was introduced to the refinery’s operations and its role in developing Laos’ precious metals value chain. The visit highlighted the refinery’s efforts to expand domestic refining capacity, promote internationally recognized refining standards, and increase the value of Lao-produced precious metals.

The visit followed the signing of the government-to-government memorandum of understanding and highlighted efforts to deepen cooperation in financial services and precious metals development.

It also emphasized the importance of cooperation between government institutions and the private sector in supporting economic development and regional market connectivity.