Overview
- The Province of Buenos Aires opened an ex officio fiscalization and formally imputed Mercado Libre on Thursday after reviewing published terms across the company’s MELI ecosystem, including Mercado Pago.
- Authorities identified more than ten contract provisions they say violate Argentina’s Consumer Defense Law, citing examples such as vague fee rules, tacit acceptance of unilateral changes, clauses shifting fraud liability to users, exclusive‑jurisdiction terms, and automatic account compensation.
- Mercado Libre has five non‑extendable business days to file a written descargo in La Plata and may propose specific changes to the clauses to close the administrative file.
- If the company does not offer adequate fixes the Province may advance to sanctions, including a fine of up to ARS 1,815 million, a step that would raise regulatory pressure on large digital platforms and fintechs.
- The probe follows 2,396 consumer complaints logged in the first four months of 2026 and sits alongside earlier competition tensions involving Mercado Pago and bank consortia such as MODO, which together deepen scrutiny of the platform’s market power and contracting practices.