Flipkart, owned by Walmart, has been in a lot of trouble recently . The antitrust investigation in India has not yet ended, and now it faces new challenges from regulators.

According to foreign media reports , Flipkart may face a huge fine of US$1.35 billion for allegedly violating foreign investment laws. Indian law enforcement agencies are currently investigating the case and demanding a reasonable explanation from Flipkart and its founder .

An Enforcement Directorate official, who declined to be named, said the case was related to allegations that Flipkart attracted foreign investment and that its affiliate WS Retail sold goods to consumers on its shopping website, which are prohibited under Indian law.

As early as early July this year, Indian law enforcement agencies had sent notices to Flipkart, its founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, and current investor Tiger Global, asking them to explain why they should not face fines for alleged violations of foreign investment laws.

Flipkart and other companies have about 90 days to respond to the notice. WS Retail , the relevant party , ceased operations at the end of 2015. Tiger Global declined to comment on the matter. Meanwhile, Amazon founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal did not immediately comment. Generally , Indian regulators will not issue public notices to parties regarding the case during the investigation.

A Flipkart spokesperson said the company has always complied with Indian laws and regulations . The spokesperson added: "We will cooperate with the authorities and cooperate with their investigation into this case as required."

Indian brick-and-mortar store sellers believe that Flipkart always favors certain sellers on its platform and uses complex business structures to ignore foreign investment laws , which will hurt the interests of local small and medium-sized enterprises in India . For this Indian e-commerce giant , the biggest obstacle in its development may be the control from regulators.

The company is already facing antitrust investigations and strict restrictions in India, and complaints from small sellers in India are increasing. Amazon, another e-commerce giant, is facing the same situation in India.

From this, it can be seen that it is still very important for cross-border e-commerce companies to comply with local laws and regulations when conducting business activities in other countries. As for the outcome of the Flipkart case, we still need to continue to pay attention to it in the future .

Platform Information

Flipkart

Cross-border e-commerce