Lao kip Lao kip The kip (; code: LAK; sign: ₭ or ₭N; ; officially: ເງີນກີບລາວ, lit. "currency Lao kip") is the currency of Laos since 1952. Historically, one kip was divided into 100 "att" (). In 1945–1946, the Free Lao government in Vientiane issued a series of paper money in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 att and 10 kip before the French authorities took control of the region. The kip was reintroduced in 1952, replacing the French Indochinese piastre at par. The kip (also called a "piastre" in French) was sub-divided into 100 att (Lao: ອັດ) or "cents" (French: Centimes).
Currency substitution Currency substitution Currency substitution or dollarization is the use of a foreign currency in parallel to or instead of the domestic currency. Currency substitution can be full or partial. Most, if not all, full currency substitution has taken place after a major economic crisis, for example, Ecuador and El Salvador in Latin America and Zimbabwe in Africa. Some small economies, for whom it is impractical to maintain an independent currency, use those of their larger neighbours; for example Liechtenstein uses the Swiss Franc. Partial currency substitution occurs when residents of a country choose to hold a significant share of their