Government plans E-Commerce Bill for overseas online platforms
The proposed law aims to increase accountability among online marketplaces and sellers, although no tabling date was given.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to regulate overseas e-commerce platforms serving Malaysia through an E-Commerce Bill during his Budget 2027 presentation in Parliament on Oct 9.
The proposal is due to go before a future parliamentary sitting, Anwar said, without setting a date. Its aim is to make sellers and online marketplaces more accountable for their activities.
Anwar said complaints by small traders about insufficient oversight of foreign companies entering the Malaysian market were being taken seriously. He said the government was speeding up enforcement and legal measures aimed at protecting local MSMEs against unfair competition and ensuring the safety of goods bought by consumers.
Cross-border platforms are facing growing scrutiny. Among them is China's Pinduoduo, which has attracted Malaysian consumers with products priced very low.
Local retailers say competing with cheap imported goods is difficult. Those imports are subject to different requirements for regulation, taxation and compliance.
