On November 25th, the 2025 Annual Press Conference of the Shanghai Data Exchange was held in Shanghai. The conference brought together authoritative figures, corporate leaders, and industry experts in the field of data trading from China to discuss in depth the latest trends, development prospects, as well as future opportunities and challenges in the data trading market.
At the event, Frost & Sullivan (referred to as 'Frost & Sullivan') jointly with LeadLeo, Shanghai Data Exchange, and the National Engineering Laboratory for Big Data Circulation and Trading Technology released the '2024 China Data Trading Market Research Report'. The report provides a detailed analysis of the trading conditions in global and Chinese data trading markets and offers important perspectives on future market development trends. Wang Chenhui, Managing Partner and President of Frost & Sullivan Greater China and co-founder and President of LeadLeo, was invited to attend the event and deliver a speech.
Globally, data trading markets are booming. In 2023, the global data trading volume reached approximately $126.1 billion, and it is expected to grow to $177.9 billion by 2025 and to reach $370.8 billion by 2030.
In 2023, the North American data trading market accounted for 44.5% of the global market size, still holding an important position. In 2023, the Asian data trading market grew rapidly, accounting for 27.4% of the global market and becoming one of the leading forces in the global data trading market. Enterprises and governments in Asia are actively investing in data infrastructure to drive innovation and economic growth. China's dominant position in the Asian data trading market highlights its significant role in the global data trading landscape.
In summary, the global data trading market in 2023 exhibited a pattern where North America led, Asia followed closely, and other regions developed rapidly. This trend not only reflects the acceleration of global digital transformation but also indicates the increasing importance of data as a new factor of production in the global economy.
Source: Frost & Sullivan report
Focusing on the domestic market, the scale of China's data trading market was about 153.69 billion yuan in 2023, and it is expected to grow to 284.09 billion yuan by 2025, and is expected to reach 715.9 billion yuan by 2030. Data has become a core element driving economic development, and the importance of data trading markets is becoming increasingly prominent. The government actively plays a leading role, injecting strong momentum into the vigorous development of the data industry. Taking Shanghai as an example, through a series of proactive measures such as subsidies and rewards, it vigorously encourages enterprises to participate in the development of the data industry, effectively reducing the innovation costs and risks for enterprises and greatly stimulating their innovation vitality.
The Data Bureau has also achieved remarkable results in promoting the construction of public data open platforms. Localities are actively building public data open platforms, widely aggregating rich public data resources from various fields such as government affairs, transportation, and healthcare. This has greatly facilitated the acquisition and use of data by enterprises and the general public, effectively promoting the circulation and application of data.
Source: Frost & Sullivan report
In terms of data assets being included in financial statements, the report predicts that driven by multiple factors such as policies, innovative data applications, and increased activity on data trading platforms, the market size for including data assets in financial statements is expected to reach 48.73 billion yuan in 2024 and grow significantly to 827.78 billion yuan by 2030. The status of data assets within the corporate financial system is increasingly rising, providing new and strong support for corporate development. Since the official implementation of the 'Interim Provisions on Accounting Treatment Related to Enterprise Data Resources,' data assets have been explicitly included in the balance sheet of enterprises. This policy not only provides enterprises with an internal driving force to broaden financing channels, increase market value, and optimize financial indicators but has also been actively promoted by data asset ecosystem participants such as data exchanges and financial institutions in the external environment. Under the collaborative action of all parties, enterprises' understanding and application of data assets are continuously deepening, driving a significant increase in the amount included in financial statements for data assets in 2024.
Source: Frost & Sullivan report
Finally, Wang Chenhui stated: 'Looking ahead, the prospects for China's data trading market are bright. With further policy improvement, continuous technological progress, sustained market demand release, and accelerated data assetization, China's data trading market will play an increasingly important role in promoting economic growth, optimizing resource allocation, and facilitating industrial upgrading. It will inject strong momentum into the high-quality development of China's digital economy.'
