Kuwait’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has introduced a regulatory framework for restaurant and ready-made food delivery services, setting limits on platform commissions and fees and cancelling side agreements and exclusive arrangements.
According to a Kuwait Times report, the move is the first of its kind at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) level.
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The report said that Ministerial Decision No. 10 of 2026 was issued to protect consumers, support the national commercial sector, and create a fair and transparent environment.
The ministry issued the order after close monitoring and in-depth analysis of developments in the restaurant and ready-made food delivery market.
The assessment revealed monopolistic practices and unfair tactics by certain entities in the sector, disrupting free competition and harming merchants and consumers.
These include unjustified commission hikes, exclusive conditions, a lack of transparency in fee calculations, and discriminatory technical mechanisms that affect fair visibility within applications.
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By GlobalDataThe regulatory framework was prepared following three months of intensive consultations with stakeholders, including electronic platforms, restaurant owners and delivery companies.
The ministry also confirmed that the ministerial decision is binding and serves as the legal basis for regulating restaurant and ready-made food deliveries conducted through electronic platforms.
The rules include oversight mechanisms and a defined penalty system, ranging from warnings to closure and licence revocation.
All licensed companies operating electronic platforms for food delivery must amend their licence activity to “Management of Delivery Services via Electronic Platforms”, under international classification no. 532013, within two months of the regulation taking effect.
The decision fixes the fees and commissions imposed on restaurants and ready-made food outlets for three years, as a corrective measure to restore market stability, enable planning and protect SMEs.
Additionally, service providers must adopt a single annual tariff approved by the ministry, outlining fees, commissions, maximum limits and calculation mechanisms.
Platforms must also document all fees in clear written contracts, adopt annual price lists, avoid price changes during the year and treat unlisted fees as legally null and void.
