China’s Alibaba promises to make life easier for smaller firms

After record fine, China’s largest e-commerce firm says it will lower entry barriers for merchants on its platform; shares rise.

Alibaba’s CEO Daniel Zhang says he does not expect any material impact from changes to its practice of forcing merchants on its e-commerce platforms to sign up exclusively with it, after an anti-trust probe by Chinese regulators found the firm had abused its dominant market position. Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, China’s largest e-commerce company, will introduce measures to lower entry barriers and business costs faced by merchants on its platforms, Zhang told an online conference for media and analysts on Monday. China on Saturday imposed a record 18 billion yuan ($2.75bn) fine on Alibaba amid a crackdown on technology conglomerates, signalling a new era after years of a more laissez-faire approach.