E-Commerce Ecosystem Regulations Enter Discussion Phase

Trade Minister Budi Santoso stated that the government is revising Trade Ministerial Regulation (Permendag) No. 31 of 2023 on the digital platform-based trading ecosystem (e-commerce) and general marketplaces. “But I cannot yet reveal its contents, as it is currently under discussion,” Budi Santoso said on the sidelines of the National Consumer Day (Harkonas) 2026 celebration in Jakarta on Sunday, 10 May 2026, quoted from Antara. The policy revision follows recent complaints from UMKM players about the high administrative and logistics costs charged by the digital trading platforms they use. Trade Ministerial Regulation (Permendag) No. 31 of 2023 also regulates business licensing, advertising, guidance, and supervision of business actors in electronic trading systems. Furthermore, Budi said the revision of the regulation is intended, among other things, to strengthen protection for local products, including micro, small, and medium enterprise (UMKM) production, consumer protection, and priority promotion of local products on e-commerce and/or marketplaces. “First, to protect consumers. Then also how the rights obtained by sellers or local products are increasingly prioritised in promotions or sales through e-commerce,” he said. In this way, Budi explained, the government will improve the digital trading climate. “We will fix the e-commerce together, involving business actors, platform owners, and sellers. But it’s not finished yet. Still under discussion,” he stated. He also assured that all related stakeholders are involved in the discussion of the Permendag revision, from platforms to sellers. “It must be mutually beneficial so that everything runs smoothly. After all, e-commerce also needs sellers. Sellers also need e-commerce. But how they can work together, and each party’s obligations must be mutually beneficial, so that the ecosystem runs well,” Budi remarked. “Of course, there are many instruments that we are reviewing again. We review them again, we process everything.”