The lawyer called the possible ban on loyalty programs for marketplaces "illegal".

A possible ban on banning marketplaces from using loyalty programs is illegal. Lawyer Andrey Alyoshkin announced this on November 21.

"From the point of view of the law, this cannot be prohibited — it is the marketplace's policy to attract customers by setting an acceptable price," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Aleshkin added that the fact that the discount and bonus systems practiced by online platforms do not suit other economic players is not a justification for potential restrictions. According to the expert, the approval of this initiative can only satisfy the banks, from whose managers it came, while the interests of consumers will not be taken into account.

"The market is the market, and as a consumer, I don't want to overpay. There should be loyalty programs. It is impossible to pursue a policy against the consumer in favor of banks," he concluded.

Local destination: Marketplaces have pointed to inadequate penalties in the new bill

What amounts are we talking about and can this affect the range and prices?

The founder of Wildberries (WB), Tatiana Kim, pointed out on the same day that some financial organizations are allowed "their own marketplaces, loyalty programs, while the platforms are "trying to take away the right to their own banks." She stressed that the initiative described in the message of the heads of Russian banks, which was forwarded to the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, could lead to an increase in inflation.

Economist Maxim Chirkov, speaking with Izvestia on November 21, said that the state should play the role of a "mediator" in the issue of relations between Russian traditional banks and marketplaces. According to him, a "similar non-discriminatory" request from banks is legitimate, but if it is granted, marketplaces will have to inflate prices.

On November 20, the press services of Wildberries and Ozon stated that the ban on investments in discounts and bonuses on marketplaces proposed by large banks could lead to an increase in the price of goods for millions of Russians. It was noted that discounts, bonuses and loyalty programs are an important tool for stimulating demand and active interaction with customers.

On the same day, the heads of Russian banks made a proposal to ban direct discounts and bonus programs for marketplaces. At the same time, as specified in a letter sent by them to the chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, an exception is planned to be made for their own products of marketplaces and socially significant categories of goods.

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