The Commerce Guild, also known as the Commerce Guilds, was a large-scale interstellar conglomerate active in the galaxy. It included agricorps, retailers, service providers, and the Mining Guild, among other commercial entities, and was a primary competitor of the Corporate Alliance. The Guild was headquartered on Felucia, but was largely controlled by the Gossams of Castell.
During the Clone Wars, the Commerce Guild, like many other interstellar conglomerates, lent its covert support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, earning it representation in the Separatist Senate and the quasi-executive Separatist Council. Nevertheless, after the Separatists were defeated and Presidente Shu Mai was killed by Darth Vader on Mustafar, it reversed course and supported the Galactic Empire.
The Commerce Guild, sometimes referred to as the Commerce Guilds, was a conglomerate formed when several galactic-scale corporate organizations such as agricorps, retailers, arms manufacturers, shipbuilders, service providers, and the Mining Guild banded together in a desire for safety, and to ease trade. It became headquartered on Felucia, but was controlled by the Gossams of Castell. In the time before the First Battle of Geonosis, it became one of the five most powerful companies in the galaxy, and Shu Mai—a Gossam who was only concerned with power, wealth, and status—used aggressive and unscrupulous tactics to increase her power in the Guild. Ultimately, no one stood in her path to become presidente of the Commerce Guild.
Despite being a competitor to the Corporate Alliance, the Commerce Guild joined the Alliance as well as several other conglomerates in pledging its support and its army to Count Dooku and his Confederacy of Independent Systems shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, joining in their effort against the Galactic Senate as long as they were not openly involved in the Confederacy's affairs during the early period. Presidente Mai sat on the Separatist Council for the duration of the conflict, while Amita Fonti represented the Guild in the Separatist Senate. Although the Guild was not an open backer of the Confederacy, Mai's OG-9 homing spider droids were deployed to fight in the war.
In 19 BBY, the Separatist Alliance was defeated and Mai was killed by Darth Vader on Mustafar. Despite her death, the Guild continued to operate after the war, working with the new Galactic Empire. The Commerce Guild's representative in the Imperial Senate was a major supporter of the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill. Agents of the Guild attempted to purchase the Phylanx Redux Transmitter during an auction on Cantonica.