The Agency Effectiveness Working Group
Presents a Webinar on:

Market Studies: Economist’s Perspective

Tuesday, March 16th, 2021
08:00-9:00 (Washington, DC – Eastern Daylight Time)
13:00-14:00 (Brussels – Central European Time)
21:00-22:00 (Tokyo – Japan Standard Time)

The ICN Agency Effectiveness Working Group is organizing an economics teleseminar on March 16th, 2021. Join our panel of Agency and NGA economists where the panellists will each be discussing their recent experiences in conducting market studies by bringing the economic perspective to the forefront. Please see below a short description of the market study each panellist will cover.

The Portuguese Competition Authority: Fintech

In October 2018, the Portuguese Competition Authority published an issues paper on
technological innovation and competition in the financial sector in Portugal. The study assessed market entry conditions for Fintech companies and provided several recommendations to mitigate existing barriers to entry and expansion. More recently, the Authority launched an extensive sector inquiry to Fintech operators to collect their views on recent market developments and the persistence of barriers to entry and expansion. Together with this sector inquiry, in which 88 operators participated, the Authority assessed the degree of implementation of its previous recommendations and revaluated existing market conditions for new entrants. The Authority found that obstacles to the development of competition and innovation persist in the Portuguese financial sector, and that the full implementation of most of the measures recommended is still pending.

The Competition & Consumer Commission of Singapore: Online Travel Booking

The CCCS market study on online travel booking in Singapore examined the commercial arrangements and practices (including price and non-price parity clauses, search rankings and ownership, drip pricing, and pre-ticked boxes) adopted by online travel booking platforms through surveys and interviews conducted with industry stakeholders and consumers. The recommendations sought to encourage all consumer-facing businesses to adopt transparent pricing practices to enable consumers to accurately compare prices and make informed purchasing decisions. Following the study, the CCCS has also undertaken an ex-ante quantitative evaluation of the consumer benefits from the study’s recommendations.

Panellists:

ANA SOFIA RODRIGUES
Chief Economist, Portuguese Competition Authority

TAN HI-LIN
Director, Policy & Markets, Competition & Consumer Commission of Singapore

Moderator:

PROF. AMELIA FLETCHER
University of East Anglia