Many retail investors have faced this dilemma: they want real-time market data and depth information but find them locked behind institutions like Bloomberg and Reuters. Annual usage fees of tens of thousands of dollars directly discourage ordinary investors, not to mention the need to sign long-term contracts and the risks of data inaccuracy. This situation fundamentally stems from severe information asymmetry.

The business model of traditional financial data providers is essentially a monopoly. They control the data sources, set high entry barriers, and earn huge profits through "scarcity." Do you need data? Fine, pay the "toll" first. This model has persisted for decades until blockchain started to change the game.

A new idea has emerged: making data flow more freely. Imagine anyone being able to contribute their own data sources (such as exchange quote information), and after network verification, they earn rewards. Conversely, anyone wanting to use the data can pay on-chain fees directly, billed per use, with no redundant costs and no hidden agreements. What does this shift mean? It transforms information from a scarce commodity into a circulating public resource.

Essentially, this is not just a cost reduction but a restructuring of the power dynamics. The old financial information oligopoly relied on control, while the new model depends on openness and verification. One relies on a few controlling the many; the other creates an ecosystem where participants get what they contribute. The former fears the transparency and participatory nature that the latter inherently possesses.

When data truly flows and retail investors can access what was once restricted at reasonable costs, the rules of the financial information game will be completely changed. This transformation has only just begun.