Countries within the BRICS alliance can only safeguard and expand their positions in global markets by intensifying cooperation in competition protection and adopting a more aggressive antitrust policy, said Alexey Ivanov, director of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre at the Higher School of Economics, in an interview with TASS news agency.
Ivanov emphasized that with the expansion of BRICS and the growing threat of global monopolies, the alliance's competition authorities must actively work on establishing new competition policies.
“We can no longer be passive consumers of others’ rules, nor should we simply implement Western-developed concepts and standards. Instead, we must create our own competition policy framework,”
he said.
He added that strengthening internal cooperation within BRICS is key to maintaining and enhancing the group's global market influence. According to Ivanov, 2024 could be a pivotal year for global antitrust policy, and BRICS countries should seize this opportunity to assert and strengthen their leadership in the antitrust arena. He argued that BRICS must promote more inclusive rules, not only for emerging economies but also to "actively combat monopolism and move toward a proactive global competition policy," alongside partners in UNCTAD (the UN Conference on Trade and Development).
A Platform for Fair Competition
Ivanov also noted that one of the key successes of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship in 2024 was the decision of BRICS competition authorities to launch a joint analysis of competition in global grain trade markets. He believes that, with the ongoing expansion of BRICS, further institutionalizing cooperation on competition issues is critical.
“This platform could become an important step toward strengthening cooperation in the antitrust sphere within BRICS,”
he said.
According to Ivanov, this platform could enable the creation of joint digital infrastructure, big data analysis on competition, and the integration of artificial intelligence. He emphasized the need for joint funding to enhance cooperation, drawing inspiration from the OECD Competition Committee, a major cooperation format for Western countries.
“Through active competition policy, BRICS countries can shape the rules of global economic life. In a multipolar world, we could move faster through tighter cooperation and a more proactive, even aggressive, antitrust policy,”
Ivanov stated.
He also highlighted that Russia, through its Federal Antimonopoly Service, is leading the charge on antitrust issues within BRICS.
Digitalization in Antitrust
Ivanov also addressed the topic of digitalization in the antitrust sphere, noting that while it presents challenges, it also offers significant opportunities for competition authorities. He pointed to the potential of the Merger Radar digital tool, which could serve as the first high-level project for BRICS antitrust coordination.
“It’s a system for identifying economic concentration deals and forming preliminary positions on those deals. The tool helps us track economic concentration processes, which don’t always follow the conventional forms—like filing petitions, disclosing information, and purchasing companies,”
Ivanov explained.
He added that the Merger Radar could assist BRICS competition authorities in identifying priority and problematic deals within the alliance.
“We hope that by the next BRICS competition conference, scheduled for September 2025 in Cape Town, we will make progress on this initiative. Perhaps we’ll be able to present some elements of this platform for approval by antitrust regulators or even agree on its full-scale launch,”
he said.
Economic Cooperation Focus
Reflecting on the outcomes of Russia's BRICS presidency in 2024 and the summit in Kazan, Ivanov highlighted that one of the main achievements was the focus on antitrust issues and inclusive economic growth mechanisms.
“Focusing on competition, stimulating economic development, and combating inequality has given a new dimension to BRICS cooperation. The 100th point of the Kazan Declaration emphasized the role of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre in sharing expertise and fostering knowledge exchange between the competition authorities of BRICS countries,”
Ivanov stated.
He also mentioned the potential for developing commodity and raw materials exchange trading within BRICS.
“This is a promising direction, as BRICS includes major producers of grain, fertilizers, fish, and oil, as well as consumers of these resources. However, exchange price benchmarks for these essential goods are either non-existent or based on exchanges in Western countries,”
he noted.
Currently, key benchmarks for grain are set on trading platforms in Chicago and Paris, which are designed for different markets, problems, risks, and opportunities.
“In this regard, developing exchange trading for grain and other critical commodities within BRICS, taking into account the specifics of our economies, is a crucial task,”
Ivanov concluded.
