About the Journal

1. Introduction and Publisher

The Journal of Financial and Monetary Studies (JFMS) is an international, peer-reviewed, hybrid-access academic journal published by the Banking Institute (BI) of the Bank of the Lao PDR (BOL) — the central bank of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The journal is hosted on an Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform at https://jfms.lci.la

The Banking Institute was established as the principal research and training arm of the Bank of the Lao PDR. The BOL discharges its statutory functions across the full spectrum of financial sector regulation: monetary policy, prudential supervision of financial institutions, oversight of payment and settlement systems, and its roles as secretariat to the National Committee on Securities and the National Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism. The JFMS provides a dedicated scholarly forum that mirrors and serves this broad mandate.

2. Aims and Scope

JFMS publishes original, high-quality research that advances knowledge across the full breadth of financial and monetary studies, with particular emphasis on topics relevant to central banking, financial sector regulation and development in Lao PDR, the Greater Mekong Sub-region, ASEAN, and emerging and developing economies more broadly. The journal welcomes theoretical, empirical, policy-oriented, and comparative legal contributions.

The thematic scope of JFMS is organised around five interconnected pillars that reflect the BOL's regulatory and policy mandate:

Pillar 1 — Monetary Stability

  • Monetary policy frameworks, instruments, and transmission mechanisms
  • Inflation dynamics, price stability, and inflation targeting
  • Exchange rate policy, management, and foreign exchange markets
  • Money supply, credit cycles, and monetary aggregates
  • Central bank independence, governance, and communication
  • International monetary cooperation and currency arrangements
  • Monetary policy in small, open, and dollarised economies

Pillar 2 — Safety and Soundness of Financial Institutions

  • Prudential regulation and supervision of banks and non-bank financial institutions
  • Basel framework implementation in developing economy contexts
  • Capital adequacy, liquidity management, and stress testing
  • Credit risk, market risk, operational risk, and enterprise risk management
  • Deposit protection schemes and bank resolution frameworks
  • Corporate governance of financial institutions
  • Systemic risk, macroprudential policy, and financial stability assessment
  • Microfinance, savings cooperatives, and inclusive finance regulation

Pillar 3 — Safe and Modern Payment Systems

  • National payment system oversight, regulation, and reform
  • Real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and retail payment infrastructure
  • Digital payment services, mobile money, and e-wallets
  • Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and distributed ledger technologies
  • Cross-border payment efficiency and remittances
  • Payment system interoperability and standardisation
  • FinTech regulation, regulatory sandboxes, and innovation frameworks
  • Cybersecurity and operational resilience of financial infrastructure

Pillar 4 — Capital Markets and Securities

  • Securities market regulation, development, and investor protection
  • Stock exchange development in frontier and emerging markets
  • Corporate bond markets and government debt management
  • Collective investment schemes and asset management regulation
  • Market conduct, disclosure, and insider trading enforcement
  • Capital market integration within ASEAN and regional frameworks
  • Green bonds, sustainable finance instruments, and ESG disclosure

Pillar 5 — AML/CFT and Financial Integrity

  • Anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) policy
  • Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and mutual evaluation
  • Risk-based supervisory approaches to financial crime
  • Beneficial ownership transparency and financial intelligence
  • Virtual asset regulation and crypto-asset AML/CFT compliance
  • Financial sanctions, proliferation financing, and national risk assessment
  • RegTech and SupTech solutions for financial integrity monitoring

Beyond these five pillars, JFMS also welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that connect financial and monetary studies with economic development, public administration, law, governance, and technology policy, provided the financial or monetary dimension is central.

3. Target Audience

JFMS serves academics, researchers, central bank economists, financial sector regulators, policymakers, development finance practitioners, and graduate students working in finance, economics, law, public administration, and related disciplines. The journal is especially attentive to research that bridges academic theory and practical policy application in developing economy contexts.

4. Publication Frequency and Format

JFMS publishes two issues per year: Issue 1 in June and Issue 2 in December. Accepted manuscripts are published online as soon as they are finalised, ahead of formal issue assignment, under an 'Online First' arrangement. All content is published in full-text PDF and HTML formats.

5. Language of Publication

Manuscripts must be submitted in English or in Lao. Structured abstracts must be provided in English. Those who need English or Lao translation of the manuscripts may use the JFMS Translation Service (see more).

6. Indexing and Abstracting

JFMS is committed to achieving broad international indexing to maximise the discoverability and impact of published research. The journal is actively pursuing or intends to apply to the following abstracting and indexing services:

6.1  Target Databases

  • Asian Citation Index (ACI) — Priority target for regional visibility
  • Scopus (Elsevier) — Subject to meeting content and citation criteria
  • Web of Science (Clarivate) — Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) as initial pathway
  • EconLit (American Economic Association)
  • Google Scholar
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  • EBSCO (Business Source Complete)
  • ProQuest
  • Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory
  • CrossRef (for DOI registration)

6.2  Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

JFMS assigns a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to every published article through CrossRef membership. DOIs provide permanent, stable links to published content and are essential for citation tracking and indexing.

6.3  Indexing Quality Requirements

JFMS's pursuit of Scopus and WoS indexing is guided by the respective selection criteria, which include: a consistent publication schedule, a rigorous peer review process, a broad international authorship and editorial board, accurate bibliographic metadata, and compliance with publication ethics standards. The journal's editorial policies have been designed with these criteria in mind.

7. Archiving and Preservation Policy

The long-term preservation of published content is a core commitment of JFMS. The journal implements the following archiving arrangements to ensure the permanent availability of published articles:

  • CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe): Distributed dark archive activated in the event of journal discontinuation
  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe): Distributed preservation network
  • PKP Preservation Network: Integrated with the OJS platform for automated preservation
  • BOL Institutional Repository: All published content is simultaneously deposited in the Bank of the Lao PDR's digital repository
  • CrossRef DOI registration: Ensures permanent resolvability of article identifiers

In the event that JFMS ceases publication, all archived content will remain permanently and freely accessible through the above preservation networks.

8. Accessibility and Inclusion

JFMS is committed to making published content accessible to the widest possible audience, including readers with disabilities. Published HTML full-text is structured to be compatible with screen readers and assistive technologies. Authors are encouraged to provide detailed figure captions and alternative text for graphical content.

JFMS actively encourages submissions from scholars from developing and emerging economies, from early-career researchers, and from underrepresented communities. The journal's no-APC policy is intended in part to lower financial barriers to publication for researchers without access to institutional publishing funds.

The editorial board values research that addresses issues of financial inclusion, equitable access to financial services, and the regulatory challenges of developing economies. Such research is within the journal's scope and is actively encouraged.

9. Advertising and Sponsorship Policy

9.1 Prohibition of Paid Commercial Advertising

To maintain the highest standards of objectivity and scholarly integrity, JFMS does not accept or carry paid commercial advertising in any form. This includes, but is not limited to, promotional materials from commercial corporations, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, or commercial publishers. The journal's digital platform and published volumes remain strictly dedicated to academic and policy research.

9.2 Institutional and Partnership Sponsorship

As a Diamond Open Access journal, JFMS relies on institutional funding and strategic, non-commercial financial support from domestic and international partners (such as central banks, international financial institutions, and designated academic partners) to guarantee its long-term operational sustainability.

Sponsorship may be accepted to support general operations, platform maintenance, or the hosting of specific academic events and special issues, subject to the strict approval of the Editorial Management Team and the Core Editorial Structure.

9.3 Protection of Editorial Integrity and Independence

Under no circumstances shall financial support or sponsorship relationships influence, affect, or compromise the academic independence and editorial integrity of JFMS. The journal enforces a strict separation between its financial sponsorship structure and its editorial operations:

  • Zero Influence on Decisions: Sponsoring partners have no authority, input, or influence over manuscript selection, peer-review outcomes, or any final editorial decisions. All manuscripts undergo the same rigorous, independent Double-Blind Peer Review process governed solely by academic merit and scientific quality.
  • Full Transparency and Disclosure: All sponsorship agreements, institutional partnerships, or financial support related to specific issues will be prominently and transparently disclosed in the relevant volume and on the official JFMS portal.
  • Adherence to Ethical Codes: All editorial board members, reviewers, and sponsors must strictly comply with the journal’s Conflict of Interest policies to prevent any form of institutional or commercial bias.