Microsoft's Business Software Ecosystem Comes Under U.K. Antitrust Scrutiny

By Edith Hancock

The U.K.'s competition watchdog said it would investigate Microsoft's position in the business software ecosystem, as the company and Amazon Web Services both offered remedies to the regulator on a broader probe over their cloud services offerings.

The Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday that it would kick off its probe in May due to concerns about Microsoft's position in business software.

The Microsoft investigation comes as it and Amazon Web Services offered commitments to the regulator linked to a probe on its position in the cloud services segment. The regulator was originally checking whether the companies should receive a designation as companies with so-called strategic market status under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.

The companies offered commitments to the regulator linked to how they handle data transfer fees and interoperability.

"We're using the regime in a flexible, pragmatic way to deliver real impact, as quickly as possible, for UK customers," Sarah Cardell, the CMA's chief executive, said.

"We recognize that the CMA will continue to review and assess additional issues relating to our products and services, including in the business software market," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are committed to working quickly and constructively to address these issues, including by providing all the information the CMA needs to move forward with its reviews," Smith added.

Amazon said in a statement online that it has worked closely with the CMA as it examined competition in cloud services. "We welcomed the opportunity to show that we are delivering competition, innovation, and value for UK customers and the broader UK innovation economy," they said.

Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 31, 2026 08:11 ET (12:11 GMT)