Wildberries founder Tatiana Kim reacted sharply to the initiatives of the largest banks to prohibit marketplaces from providing discounts when paying with their own bank cards. According to her, such requirements have nothing to do with fair competition and are aimed solely at weakening the positions of Ozon and Wildberries— the leaders of online commerce.
Kim claims that credit organizations have been actively lobbying in recent months: they have been sending letters to the State Duma, holding closed meetings with regulators, and trying to enforce restrictions that would prohibit marketplaces from participating in their own loyalty programs. She believes that banks are trying to ban what they themselves actively practice in their ecosystems — from their own marketplaces to cashback programs and discounts linked to salary cards and mortgage products.
According to the head of Wildberries, many banks have already tried to create their own online trading platforms, but have not achieved success. Despite this, financial organizations require that marketplaces be limited, which have built a supply model with a minimum number of intermediaries and reduced the cost of goods for the end customer.
Kim emphasized that marketplaces perform a socially significant function: they enable millions of entrepreneurs to sell their goods across the country, including regions where traditional retail does not reach. Limiting discounts, in her opinion, will hit not only businesses, but also customers who are used to lower prices.
The regulators' position looks more cautious. The head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, previously stated that linking discounts to cards of a particular bank can indeed be a hidden form of competition. She noted that the rules of fair access to platforms need to be clarified.
The head of Sberbank, German Gref, also voiced his point of view, who believes that marketplaces underpay significant amounts of taxes by providing discounts due to "non-market conditions." According to him, this practice violates the balance of the competitive environment.
Ozon and Wildberries claim that a complete restriction of such discounts will lead to higher prices, faster inflation and a narrowing of opportunities for small businesses. In turn, banks believe that the only acceptable model is a single product price, regardless of the payment method.
Thus, the dispute between marketplaces and banks continues to gain momentum and is becoming one of the key topics for discussion at the government and industry committee levels. The result may significantly change the structure of the Russian online market.
