On 14 April 2015, the first BRICS Expert Dialogue on e-Commerce took place in Moscow. The event brought together representatives of government agencies, expert circles and business structures of the BRICS member countries to discuss ways of promoting e-commerce within BRICS, e-document exchange security and personal data protection, as well as standards and linguistic technologies that can be applied in this sphere.

Addressing the forum, Russian First Deputy Economic Development Minister Alexei Likhachyov noted that BRICS Expert Dialogue on e-Commerce, the first event of its kind in the BRICS's history, was convened upon Russia's initiative. "The idea is to create conditions for barrier-free electronic commerce between BRICS countries, and in the future, to create a single barrier-free e-commerce space with uniform technological standards and a uniform regulatory base," he said.

Mr. Likhachyov emphasised that the trade between BRICS countries is unlikely to increase in a proper manner without remotely accessible e-commerce tools. "Our countries are separated from each other by long distances, so we need to do everything possible to create more comfortable conditions and overcome territorial difficulties for our entrepreneurs," the First Deputy Minister said.

He added that Russia has one of the world's most developed e-commerce markets in terms of procurement for federal and municipal needs. "In 2014, the number of purchases through electronic auctions grew by half compared to 2013, and amounted to $140 billion. We are certainly ready to share our e-commerce experience with our BRICS partners," Mr. Likhachyov said.