### Russia's Ministry of Economic Development Unveils Draft Rules for Platform VerificationThe Russian Ministry of Economic Development has published draft normative acts outlining procedures for digital intermediation platforms to verify product listings, sellers, and pickup point owners. These documents, posted on the portal for draft legal acts, implement aspects of the Federal Law No. 289-FZ on platform economy regulation, signed by President Vladimir Putin in July 2025 and set to take effect October 1, 2026[1][2][3].Platforms themselves must conduct these checks, ensuring the accuracy of product card information—including details on interaction systems—before onboarding sellers and pickup point operators. The law establishes a state registry for intermediary digital platforms (IDPs), managed by a government-authorized body, with operations launching no later than November 2, 2026, and rules extending through 2032. Eligibility requires platforms to meet thresholds: average daily audience of at least 100,000 users, over 10,000 active partners, and annual transaction volume exceeding 50 billion rubles[1][2].### Core Provisions of the Platform Economy LawFederal Law No. 289-FZ introduces foundational definitions for Russia's digital landscape, including "platform economy" as property relations from interactions via digital platforms for entrepreneurial or other activities, and "digital intermediation platform" as systems enabling order placement, transactions, and payments between partners and users. The legislation bans product listings for unregistered pharmaceuticals, medical devices, pesticides, or agrochemicals, while granting the government powers to impose further listing requirements, discount rules, and search ranking protocols[1][3].Verification processes integrate with state systems like the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and unified biometric authentication. Platforms must share data with tax authorities for oversight. Discussions with industry stakeholders continue to finalize eight subordinate acts covering registry maintenance and product card validation, such as labeling, conformity certificates, and state registration proofs[1][3]. A transition period until October 2026 allows adaptation, following State Duma passage in July 2025 after amendments shifted the effective date from March 2027[2][4].### Implications for E-Commerce Product Feeds and Catalog StandardsThese mandates elevate product feed integrity to a compliance cornerstone, compelling platforms to audit listings for factual precision before publication. This shifts from voluntary quality controls to mandatory pre-onboarding scrutiny, standardizing catalog data across the ecosystem. Product cards must now embed verifiable details on certifications and origins, reducing discrepancies that erode buyer trust and amplify dispute volumes.Catalog standardization emerges as a direct outcome: uniform requirements for interaction systems and partner credentials foster interoperable feeds, easing cross-platform seller migrations while curbing misinformation. In practice, platforms will deploy automated workflows to scan feeds against registries, aligning with the law's emphasis on state-verified records[3]. For effective implementation of product feed management, you may also require a thorough understanding of a **[product feed - NotPIM](/blog/product_feed/)**.### Elevating Quality and Completeness in ListingsVerification rules target completeness by mandating comprehensive seller and pickup point vetting, directly impacting listing depth. Incomplete or erroneous cards—common pain points in high-volume marketplaces—face rejection, pushing operators toward richer, compliant formats. This could prune low-quality inventory, as platforms filter out unverified partners, ultimately sharpening search relevance and conversion rates through dependable content[1].The focus on pickup points (PVZs) extends scrutiny to logistics nodes, ensuring endpoint reliability ties into product promises, which bolsters overall ecosystem trust without fragmenting supply chains.### Effects on Assortment Rollout SpeedOnboarding delays loom as platforms integrate verification loops, potentially slowing new seller activations and assortment expansion. High-threshold criteria for registry inclusion concentrate oversight on scale players, insulating smaller platforms temporarily but pressuring incumbents to accelerate compliance tooling. Post-2026, faster internal audits could paradoxically quicken rollout for vetted inventory, as pre-approved feeds bypass repetitive checks[2].### Role of No-Code Tools and AI in Compliance AdaptationNo-code platforms will proliferate for verification orchestration, enabling drag-and-drop integrations with state registries and automated data pulls—streamlining what manual processes might bottleneck. AI enters as validator-in-chief: machine learning models can parse product descriptions against certification databases, flagging anomalies in real-time and scaling checks across millions of listings without proportional staff hikes[1]. To manage this process effectively may require the integration of **[artificial intelligence for business - NotPIM](/blog/artificial-intelligence-for-business/)**.This regulatory pivot incentivizes AI-driven content pipelines, where generative tools auto-populate compliant cards from verified inputs, while anomaly detection predicts non-compliance risks. Hypothesis: platforms adopting these early could gain first-mover edges in feed optimization, though initial setup costs may strain mid-tier operators until no-code matures[3]. For data driven AI to be effective, businesses also need to focus on streamlining **[data integration challenges - NotPIM](/blog/data-integration-challenges-whats-holding-your-online-store-back/)**. Vedomosti; RETAILER.ru.***In light of these new regulations, e-commerce businesses operating in Russia will need to prioritize data accuracy and compliance within their product catalogs. This highlights the growing importance of efficient product information management. Solutions like NotPIM provide the tools to streamline feed conversions, enrich product data, and ensure data integrity, thereby helping businesses adapt to these evolving demands more effectively. This proactive approach will be crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and ensuring continued market access.