Alexey Fedorov: The Development of the Platform Economy Is Impossible Without Balanced Regulation

Today, the digital economy is developing much faster than traditional regulation. Therefore, when preparing new legislative solutions, it is critically important not to transfer existing legal frameworks to new economic models without assessing possible consequences. Unfortunately, there is currently a tendency to apply uniform approaches to fundamentally different types of digital platforms. Meanwhile, marketplaces, commodity exchanges, and electronic platforms for public procurement perform different economic functions, operate under different legal models, and shape the competitive environment through entirely different mechanisms.

Marketplaces today represent one of the largest infrastructures of electronic commerce: the total turnover (GMV) of the marketplace and e-commerce market in Russia exceeded 13 trillion rubles by the end of 2025. Competition here is not based solely on product price; it is built on service quality, delivery speed, assortment, logistics solutions, seller ratings, customer experience, and many other factors. This model ensures a high level of competition among sellers and continuous improvement in service quality.

Therefore, attempts to extend regulatory mechanisms historically developed for organized exchange trading to marketplaces require a highly balanced approach. Members of the RF CCI Council for the Development of E-Commerce believe that such decisions should be made only after a comprehensive assessment of their impact on the market and broad professional discussion.

Particular attention should be paid to proposals to treat exchange prices or prices formed on certain electronic platforms as a universal benchmark of competitive market price. In my view, such an approach does not fully take into account the specifics of e-commerce. Prices on marketplaces are formed under conditions of continuous competition among thousands of sellers, change almost in real time, and are determined by a whole set of market factors. Therefore, the mechanical application of exchange pricing principles to the platform economy may lead to legal uncertainty and create risks for further industry development.

The RF CCI Council for the Development of E-Commerce consistently advocates the development of a modern regulatory framework for the platform economy; however, such regulation must be flexible, technologically neutral, and take into account the real characteristics of various segments of the digital market. Only in this case can a balance be maintained between the development of fair competition, the protection of business and consumer interests, and the continued growth of Russian e-commerce.

In conclusion, it is important to note that expert analysis of the proposed changes with the participation of businesses, industry associations, the academic community, and government authorities is essential. Such dialogue will help form high-quality regulation that will promote the development of the digital economy rather than limit its potential.