Competition and Markets Authority
The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's primary competition and consumer protection regulator, enforcing antitrust law, reviewing mergers, and regulating digital markets under powers including fines up to 10% of global turnover.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Competition and Markets Authority does
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the United Kingdom's primary competition and consumer protection regulator, constituted as a non-ministerial government department operating under the Department for Business and Trade. Established on 1 April 2014 under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, the CMA succeeded the Competition Commission and absorbed consumer enforcement functions from the Office of Fair Trading. Its mandate encompasses enforcing competition law, reviewing mergers and acquisitions, conducting market studies, regulating digital markets, and protecting UK consumers from unfair commercial practices such as drip pricing, hidden fees, and misleading reviews.
The CMA's statutory powers were significantly expanded by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), which received Royal Assent in 2024 and grants direct fining authority of up to 10% of a company's global turnover plus the ability to designate firms with "Strategic Market Status" (SMS). Recent landmark actions include conduct requirements on Google's AI Overviews and search ranking (publisher opt-out and fair ranking within six months), an SMS investigation into Microsoft's business software ecosystem, and a settlement with AWS on cloud egress fees that avoided an SMS designation. The CMA operates the CMA Connect consultation platform (connect.cma.gov.uk), built on Delib's Citizen Space software, to host public consultations, market-study sign-ups, webinars, and stakeholder events.
The CMA is publicly funded and does not generate commercial revenue; its regulatory and enforcement services are provided at no direct cost to the public. Its stakeholder base spans UK consumers, UK businesses subject to regulation, and Parliament, to which it is accountable via the Department for Business and Trade. Leadership comprises Chief Executive Sarah Cardell, Senior Director of Consumer Protection Hayley Fletcher, and a senior team including Directors and Assistant Directors running dedicated enforcement units. The organisation employs 501–1,000 staff based in London.
Competition and Markets Authority firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Competition and Markets Authority
- Legal name
- Competition and Markets Authority
- Website
- https://connect.cma.gov.uk
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's primary competition and consumer protection regulator, enforcing antitrust law, reviewing mergers, and regulating digital markets under powers including fines up to 10% of global turnover.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Competition and Markets Authority industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Competition and Consumer Protection Regulation
- NAICS
- Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Competition/Antitrust & Market Conduct Regulators (BPAIAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Competition Policy, State Aid & Public Procurement Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAO)
Keywords
Where Competition and Markets Authority is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Competition and Markets Authority business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Publicly funded UK regulatory body operating under the Department for Business and Trade, with enforcement powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA)
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Competition and Markets Authority product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a non-ministerial UK government department that promotes competition and protects consumers. It conducts market studies, reviews mergers and acquisitions, enforces competition and consumer law (including under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024), and imposes conduct requirements and fines (up to 10% of global turnover) on businesses operating in the United Kingdom.
Product overview
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a UK government regulatory body that promotes competition and protects consumers. It does not offer commercial products or services in the traditional sense. The CMA's activities include market studies, consumer protection enforcement, merger reviews, digital markets regulation under the Strategic Market Status (SMS) regime, and competition enforcement across sectors including healthcare, technology, retail, and infrastructure. The CMA Connect platform (citizencspace) is the CMA's own consultation and public engagement portal, not a commercial product offering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Market Studies and Investigations
Quantifiable outcome
- £889,200 fine imposed on StubHub UK for drip pricing violations
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Competition and Markets Authority
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Competition and Markets Authority technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Competition and Markets Authority partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- News Media AssociationcoreThe News Media Association, a UK trade group, welcomed the CMA's decision requiring Google to attribute and allow opt-out for publisher content in AI search, calling it a significant step toward fair compensation for premium content.
- UK Publishers (News Media Association)coreThe CMA mandated that Google allow publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI-powered search features. The News Media Association welcomed this as a significant step toward fair compensation for premium content and potential precedent for other jurisdictions.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorFollowing engagement with CMA, AWS agreed to reduce cloud egress fees and improve multi-cloud interoperability for UK customers, allowing CMA to avoid designating AWS with SMS while monitoring cooperation.
- Just Eat, Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity, Pasta EvangelistsminorCMA launched investigations into five companies for suspected fake and misleading online reviews under new DMCCA powers. These are among the first enforcement actions targeting fake reviews that became illegal in April 2025.
- Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity, Just Eat, Pasta EvangelistsminorFive companies under investigation for fake and misleading reviews - the first enforcement actions under DMCCA powers granting CMA authority to fine up to 10% of global turnover.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Competition and Markets Authority competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- European Commission DG Competition: The EU's competition directorate enforces Articles 101/102 TFEU and the Digital Markets Act. Highly comparable to CMA in mandate (mergers, antitrust, consumer protection, digital gatekeeper regulation) and often co-operates with or overlaps CMA jurisdiction in UK-EU cross-border cases.
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission: The US federal competition and consumer protection agency, operating across antitrust, merger review, and consumer enforcement. Closest US analog to the CMA, with shared DNA in market studies, conduct remedies, and tech-sector scrutiny.
- U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division: Federal US competition enforcer for civil and criminal antitrust. Directly comparable in merger review and cartel enforcement remit, frequently coordinating or competing with the CMA on transatlantic Big Tech matters.
- Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office): Germany's national competition authority, with sector inquiry and abuse-of-dominance powers. Strongly comparable to CMA in EU member-state enforcement posture, digital markets oversight, and cross-border case coordination.
- Autorité de la concurrence (France): France's national competition and consumer authority. Comparable to CMA in merger control, antitrust enforcement, and opinion-driven sector advocacy, particularly on digital and platform regulation.
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): Australia's combined competition and consumer protection regulator with civil penalties and merger review powers. Direct functional peer to CMA, often cited alongside CMA in digital markets and consumer enforcement analysis.
- Competition Bureau Canada: Canada's federal competition agency with merger review and civil enforcement powers. Comparable to CMA in mandate structure, cross-border cooperation, and digital markets scrutiny.
- Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC): Japan's national competition enforcer covering antitrust, merger review, and consumer protection. Functionally parallel to CMA in mandate and increasingly aligned on digital platform regulation.
Others
- Ofcom (UK communications regulator): UK sector regulator for communications and broadcasting, holding comparable statutory enforcement powers within its domain. Adjacent rather than direct competition regulator, but shares the UK public-regulator operating model and increasingly overlaps CMA in digital markets enforcement.
- Financial Conduct Authority (UK): UK financial services conduct regulator with statutory enforcement and fining powers. Not a competition peer, but a sibling UK public regulator with parallel enforcement architecture and post-Brexit policy relevance to CMA's wider remit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Competition and Markets Authority social profiles
Digital presenceCompetition and Markets Authority financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Competition and Markets Authority leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Competition and Markets Authority funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Competition and Markets Authority M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Competition and Markets Authority
What does Competition and Markets Authority do?
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a non-ministerial UK government department that promotes competition and protects consumers. It conducts market studies, reviews mergers and acquisitions, enforces competition and consumer law (including under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024), and imposes conduct requirements and fines (up to 10% of global turnover) on businesses operating in the United Kingdom.
Is Competition and Markets Authority a public or private company?
Competition and Markets Authority is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Competition and Markets Authority founded?
Competition and Markets Authority was founded in 2014. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Competition and Markets Authority based?
Competition and Markets Authority is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Competition and Markets Authority make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are Competition and Markets Authority's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are European Commission DG Competition, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Bundeskartellamt (German Federal Cartel Office), Autorité de la concurrence (France), Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Competition Bureau Canada and Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC). Others are Ofcom (UK communications regulator) and Financial Conduct Authority (UK).
Does Competition and Markets Authority have an API?
No public API is recorded for Competition and Markets Authority.
What industry is Competition and Markets Authority in?
Competition and Markets Authority's product category is Competition and Consumer Protection Regulation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAOAD, Competition/Antitrust & Market Conduct Regulators, with a secondary code of BPADANAO, Competition Policy, State Aid & Public Procurement Regulatory Cooperation. Its NAICS code is 92615.