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Indonesia’s Antitrust Watchdog Raises Monopoly Concerns Over TikTok-Tokopedia Merger

By  |  May 29, 2025

Indonesia’s competition regulator has flagged concerns that the acquisition of Tokopedia, the country’s largest e-commerce platform, by TikTok could lead to monopolistic practices and reduced market competition, according to Reuters.

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    The deal, finalized in January 2024, saw TikTok — owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance — acquire a 75.01% stake in Tokopedia from local tech conglomerate GoTo for $840 million. Following a months-long investigation, the antitrust agency reported that the merger had led to a notable increase in market concentration. This could potentially result in price hikes and limited choices for consumers due to the dominant market position now held by the merged entities, per Reuters.

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    Although TikTok declined to comment on the findings and Tokopedia has yet to respond to media inquiries, the antitrust agency has moved forward with outlining conditions to mitigate potential abuses of market power. These include ensuring transparency in payment and logistics systems and prohibiting unfair practices such as self-preferencing or predatory pricing.

    Related: TikTok Charged by EU Over Alleged Breach of Digital Services Act

    To maintain oversight, the agency is also requiring the companies to submit quarterly reports for the next two years. These reports must detail payment and logistics partner agreements both before and after the acquisition. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 10.

    The scrutiny comes months after Indonesia banned online shopping on social media platforms, a move that led TikTok to shut down its TikTok Shop service in the country. The ban was introduced to protect smaller businesses and safeguard user data.

    Indonesia’s antitrust agency has the authority to issue sanctions or fines if it determines that competition laws have been breached.

    Source: Reuters