Brazil hosts 4th BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum

BRICS+ countries advance joint initiatives to share key cases, discuss digital market regulation and strengthen global antitrust cooperation.

Antitrust authorities from BRICS countries will participate in the 4th BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum, held in Rio de Janeiro on November 27 and 28. The event is co-organized by CADE (Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense), the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and FGV Direito Rio (CTS-FGV).

The debates will cover major cases and investigations from each country. The meeting will be strategic for competition authorities to share recent developments in antitrust enforcement and jointly address regulatory challenges specific to digital markets.

Among the topics to be discussed, the following stand out:

• Evolution of harm theories applied to digital platforms
• Innovative antitrust remedies adopted by BRICS countries
• Alignment of regulatory approaches within the bloc

Previous edition: 3rd BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum in Brazil

Participants

• Gustavo Augusto, President of CADE (Brazil)
• Teresa Moreira, Director of Competition and Consumer Policies at UNCTAD
• Fanshurullah Asa, Chair of the Indonesian Competition Commission
• Itumeleng Lesofe, Acting Manager of Market Inquiry Division at the South African Competition Commission
• Adilya Vyaseleva, Deputy Head of FAS Russia
• Alexandre Ferreira, Program Director at the Brazilian Ministry of Finance
• Globally renowned academics and experts

Study by the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre

One of the highlights of the Forum will be the presentation by Professor Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, on the disruptive effects of digitalization in global food markets.

The report, titled “From farm to future: competition, financialization and digitalization in global grain value chains”, analyzes major trends affecting farmers, consumers and the global grain trade.

The study identifies two main drivers:

• Financialization: deep integration between commercial and financial infrastructure
• Information asymmetry: traders accessing exclusive data that strengthens their competitive advantage

Alexey Ivanov – Director of BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre

A new approach to competition analysis

“The study offers an innovative approach through the lens of global processes. Traditionally, antitrust analysis of grain markets focuses on horizontal competition. However, to understand the dynamics in BRICS countries, we are conducting a vertical competition analysis that examines relationships among producers, traders, infrastructure operators and financial intermediaries, from farm to port and all the way to the consumer.”

Professor Alexey Ivanov – Director of BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre

Researchers pay special attention to the activities of global grain traders, assessing how economic and technological shifts reshape value chains.

Global ABCD+ oligopoly and competition risks

According to the authors, the global grain market has long been dominated by an oligopoly of major agricultural traders known as ABCD+ (ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company + COFCO, Olam and others). This concentration makes the sector vulnerable to:

• Sharp price fluctuations
• Speculative behavior
• Negative impacts on producers and consumers

Brazilian case: soybean moratorium and its impacts

The study gains additional relevance after a landmark decision by CADE. In August, the Brazilian authority suspended the soybean moratorium — a private agreement created two decades ago to protect the Amazon Forest — and opened an investigation into major exporters over possible violations of the Brazilian competition law.

“The soybean moratorium case is a striking example of how competition law is being tested in new and unconventional areas. The report shows how financialization and digitalization are reshaping global value chains, creating competition concerns that go beyond traditional market definitions. The action taken by the Brazilian regulator is an important case study within this global phenomenon”, Alexey Ivanov highlighted.

See also

• CADE takes part in international agenda on competition defence
• Visit the official event website: 4th BRICS+ Digital Competition Forum