20 Kip

The Banque Nationale du Laos was established in 1954 following the Geneva Accords, which effectively ended French Indochina and left Laos formally independent but economically fragile. This early series — produced by Security Banknote Company in Philadelphia — reflects the heavy American financial involvement in Laos during the late 1950s, when U.S. aid accounted for the overwhelming majority of the government's operating budget.

SBNC was a relatively minor player in the sovereign banknote printing trade, and Lao notes from this period occasionally show ink register inconsistencies that suggest limited experience with high-security intaglio work at the time of production.