parallel market

plural parallel markets

1. Synonym of grey market.

   The parallel market in plants is growing and rare cacti are in high demand.

   2025 March 10, Isabella Kaminski, “A cacti-smuggling case with a prickly end: the novel way courts are making poachers pay”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   1 more example

   An online parallel market for an unlicensed weight-loss drug is being fuelled by TikTok fitness influencers and Telegram sellers, a Guardian investigation can reveal.

   2025 October 11, Sarah Marsh, “TikTok influencers fuelling parallel market for unlicensed weight-loss drug”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms: grey market

2. businessA parallel money market where participants can borrow or lend to each other without passing through traditional discount houses.