Thailand’s trade regulator has issued new guidelines for e-commerce platforms, further tightening scrutiny on pricing and business conduct, as Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy struggles to keep its fast-growing digital market competitive.
The Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) said the new framework came into force on March 25 after being published in the Government Gazette and applies to multi-party platform businesses that connect operators with merchants, logistics providers, advertisers and payment services.
The rules aim to clarify how authorities will interpret the Commercial Competition Act when assessing conduct that may restrict or distort competition.
According to the guidelines, the regulator will examine both pricing and non-pricing behavior.
While the Commission pointed to practices such as parallel pricing, unfair price differences and excessive fees charged to business partners, it also warned against sudden fee changes that could unfairly shift costs to vendors and other counterparties.
TCCT said such cases will be evaluated based on business justifications and other commercial factors.
Regarding non-pricing conduct, the rules target increasingly controversial practices in global digital markets, including the use of algorithms to limit the visibility of certain sellers, giving preferential treatment to a platform’s own products or affiliated sellers, extorting designated service providers, and misusing partner data to benefit a platform’s rival business.
The regulator said enforcement would be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account contractual arrangements, market conditions and the wider legal context. Violations may lead to civil fines or criminal sanctions under Thai competition law.
According to local media reports, TCCT Secretary General Visanu Vongsinsirikul said the rules are designed to give businesses clearer guidelines on how the regulator will monitor behavior on digital platforms.
The Commission added that it will continue to engage with industry participants to improve understanding and promote compliance.
The move comes as Thailand looks to expand its digital economy and attract more technology investment.
In March 2025, Thailand approved 90.9 billion baht ($2.7 billion) investment in data centers and cloud services, while global technology firms such as TikTok, Google, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft announced major digital infrastructure plans in the country.
The guidelines show Thailand is shifting from a growth-first approach to a more rules-based model for digital trade. The biggest risk for major platforms may not be an outright ban of certain apps, but greater exposure to complaints about fees, their own preferences, and data usage.
