The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, disclosed during a stakeholder engagement session held on 17 July 2025, that the Bill to strengthen Malaysia’s legal framework for electronic commerce is expected to be tabled in the Malaysian Parliament during its first session in 2026.
1
The Minister shared that a comprehensive and fair framework accepted by all stakeholders to support e-commerce growth is required as the current enforcement under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and related regulations were meant to be a temporary measure.
Datuk Armizan acknowledged that the Ministry presently has no authority to regulate or monitor foreign platforms that do not have a physical presence in Malaysia and this raises concerns over the influx of foreign products and tax inequality. According to the Minister, once a mechanism is in place for local platforms, a similar approach will be considered for foreign-based operators.
The Ministry, he said, is also concerned over recent increases in platform fees imposed by several e-commerce operators and is exploring a mechanism requiring platforms to consult with the Ministry or relevant agencies before making fee changes that affect users or sellers.
According to the news report, the e-commerce law review has thus far, involved 23 engagement sessions, six roundtable discussions, four benchmarking visits abroad and over 300 respondents, with sessions in Sabah and Sarawak to follow.
2
Our previous Alerts on the e-commerce review can be accessed
here,
here and
here.
Alert by Jillian Chia (Partner), Natalie Lim (Partner) and Beatrice Yew (Senior Associate) of the Intellectual Property Practice of Skrine.