India E-Commerce Market Anticipates First Regulations

Legislators in India are drafting legislation which would create a level playing field for Indian startups against companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. The potential law would also require companies to house company data exclusively in India.

While India’s annual e-commerce revenue does not match the United States' or China's yet, Morgan Stanley values Indian e-commerce at $200 billion in a decade. Growth is set to accelerate and continue at this rate for the underdeveloped market, while other more seasoned markets are expected to slow in the years to come.

The legislation is still in the drafting phases and will be reviewed further by another round of consultations from various stakeholders. The bill has been criticized for trying to end the highly discounted pricing policies e-commerce giants often take to sweat out smaller competition.