The Lao secured transactions registry, established in late 2013, enables businesses and individuals “to pledge movable assets such as equipment, crops, livestock or future income as collateral for loans, expanding loan opportunities for the micro, small and medium enterprises that comprise more than 90 percent of the country’s private sector.” The web-based system opened with the express goal of improving access to finance for smaller businesses, particularly those lacking land or buildings to serve as security for loans.