Guidance for Policymakers on Data, Identity, and Emerging Market Structures
This paper is a working paper for discussion within the studio
Digital assets—ranging from identity credentials and behavioural data to verified records and tokenised payments—now underpin access to services, finance, and economic participation. Yet their movement across systems remains poorly understood, governed by fragmented rules that treat identity, data, payments, and AI as separate domains. This paper introduces a lifecycle-based Market Design Framework for Digital Assets that maps how digital assets evolve across six stages: Source, Transformation, Custody, Presentation, Exchange, and Usage. Each stage reveals distinct incentive structures, governance responsibilities, and market dynamics, showing how digital assets gain or lose trust, portability, and economic value as they move. Through case studies—including government-issued credentials, platform-generated data, and stablecoin–identity bundles—the paper demonstrates how different custodial models shape user mobility, platform incentives, and market formation. The framework provides policymakers with a practical tool for understanding digital asset flows and designing interventions that promote interoperability, competition, and inclusion in emerging digital markets.
Download the working paper here:
digitalasset-marketdesignPDF.pdf
Back to Studio Discussions, Reports and Publications
‣ (members only)
V0.1