Competition Law Quarterly Asia Pacific

The opening months of 2026 have brought significant developments across the Asia-Pacific region, with the continued evolution and bedding down of merger control regimes, intensifying scrutiny of digital platform conduct and data practices, robust cartel enforcement, and legislative reforms designed to equip regulators with stronger tools to address competition concerns. 

Key developments covered in this edition include:

Merger control reform and expansion

• The commencement of Australia's new mandatory and suspensory merger regime on 1 January 2026 marks one of the most significant reforms to Australian merger control in decades, with additional asset and control thresholds having taken effect on 1 April 2026.
• Across the region, merger regimes continue to evolve, including threshold adjustments in the Philippines, revised merger process guidelines in Singapore, and ongoing potential reform efforts in Thailand. Clearance decisions in Taiwan also reflect the growing importance of sectors related to technology, automation and decarbonisation in merger assessment.

Digital markets and platform regulation

• Regulators are intensifying scrutiny of digital platforms and data-driven conduct.  In Australia, Treasury has released draft legislation targeting unfair trading practices such as dark patterns, drip pricing and subscription traps.  In China, SAMR has taken enforcement action and issued detailed compliance guidance for internet platforms, while in the Philippines and Malaysia, authorities are examining the intersection of competition, data and digital ecosystems through market studies. In addition, in the UAE, the Federal Cabinet has issued a first of its kind, targeted block exemption regime for certain exclusive dealing arrangements intended to curb anti-competitive practices observed in the market for the provision of food promotion and delivery services through digital platforms.

Cartel enforcement

• Enforcement agencies across the region continue to prioritise cartel conduct. The Hong Kong Competition Commission has undertaken significant bid-rigging investigations in the construction sector, while Malaysia’s Competition Commission has upheld record penalties for price fixing. These developments reinforce the continued focus on detecting and deterring collusive conduct.
  Procedural compliance and enforcement powers
• Authorities are placing increased emphasis on strict compliance with procedural requirements. In Indonesia, recent decisions underscore the consequences of even minor delays in merger notification, while in Australia, the new merger regime introduces mandatory filing obligations and significant penalties for non-compliance and penalties for contraventions of prohibitions against false or misleading conduct and cartel conduct (among others) have been doubled across the economy. 

CLQ Editorial team: Angie Ng, Partner; Kailun Ji, Counsel; Adelle Elhosni, Senior Associate; Candice Upfold, Senior Associate; Chelsea Toner, Associate; Danny Xie, Associate; Dee Dee O'Shannassy, Associate; Yiyun Feng, Associate and Aroon Parthasarathy, Associate.