The Moldovan e-commerce sector is expanding. Quality internet access is widely available and the population regularly increasingly uses mobile banking apps and payment cards.
The government has developed a national digitization roadmap, which focuses on development of e-commerce, promotion of online stores, attraction of international e-commerce actors, and facilitation of cashless payments. The National Bank of Moldova introduced an instant payment system called MIA in 2024. This helped further in the adoption of cashless payments by Moldovans.
Moldovans shop online primarily for clothing, shoes, electronic appliances, food, and travel. The total amount of purchases made online by Moldovans in 2024 is estimated to have reached USD 724 million, an almost 40 percent jump from the previous year. Over 98 percent of localities have access to a fixed fiber optic connection and high-speed mobile Internet coverage is also 98 percent.
With a growing number of users, social networks have been playing an important role in sales strategies.
China-based e-commerce websites have gained in popularity and are providing a boost to online purchases. Other international e-commerce websites are popular among Moldovans, primarily for online purchases of consumer electronics, with French and UK-based e-commerce gaining popularity in Moldova for clothing and footwear. There are websites that help deliver products purchased online from a wide range of U.S. retailers to Moldova.
Moldova has a law on e-commerce regulating the main aspects of transactions over the Internet and introducing such terms as electronic contract. Changes to the law were passed in line with Moldova’s EU Association Agreement/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) focusing primarily on personal data protection.