Is Your Data Worth Money? The 7 Monetizable Data Assets
The European data market exceeds €115 billion. Discover the 7 data families your SME can monetize — and which ones are dormant within your organization.
Is Your Data Worth Money?
The 7 Monetizable Data Assets
11 slides · swipe or use the arrowsThe Challenge
80% of Your Data is Dormant
Nearly 80% of industrial data is never exploited. It's a resource, not a cost.
┌ European Commission, 2022 (IP/22/1113)
The Market is Real
> €115 Billion in Europe
The European data market exceeds €115 billion in 2025 (+11.6%/year). Giants are already paying cash: Reddit → Google, ~ $60M/year.
┌ EU Commission, European Data Market study 2025 · CBS, 2024
The Framework
7 Families of Monetizable Data
Your data almost always falls into one of these categories.
- ① Transactional (purchases, payments)
- ② Behavioral (browsing, usage)
- ③ Operational (production, logistics, inventory)
- ④ Sensors / IoT
The Framework (cont.)
...the last 3
Which one is dormant within your organization?
- ⑤ Geolocation / Mobility
- ⑥ HR / Aggregated Workforce
- ⑦ Content / Media
An Example Per Family
It's Not Theoretical
- Transactional → Tesco (Clubcard)
- Content → Shutterstock ($104M in AI licensing in 2023)
- IoT → John Deere / Climate FieldView
- Geo → Placer.ai (foot-traffic)
┌ PetaPixel / Reuters, 2024
Direct or Indirect
Two Ways to Monetize
Sell the data (license, API) — or sell a service built on it (insights, scoring). The indirect approach sometimes yields more, with less risk.
The Framework Has Just Opened
Data Act: B2B Data is Now Regulated
Since September 12, 2025, B2B data sharing is entitled to 'reasonable compensation'. A now-defined playing field.
┌ European Commission, Data Act (Regulation 2023/2854)
The Proof (in Numbers)
What Data 'Is Worth'
A data breach costs an average of $4.88M — or $173 per intellectual property record. Data has a price.
┌ IBM, Cost of a Data Breach 2024
Safeguard
Personal Data? Be Cautious
Monetizing personal data requires prior legal review. Prioritize aggregated/anonymized data to start with peace of mind (GDPR).
┌ → see the GDPR guide 'What You Are Legally Allowed to Sell'
Key Takeaways
Your Data is an Asset
First step: know which data, and how much.
- Your dormant data has value
- The market is real and growing
- The B2B legal framework has just opened
Questions about monetising or buying data?
Talk to an expert — no strings attached.
The full guide
Most SMEs are unaware that their data has market value. Yet, nearly 80% of industrial data is never exploited (European Commission, 2022): it's a resource, not a cost. The European data market exceeds €115 billion in 2025 and grows by 11.6% annually (European Data Market study). Major players are already monetizing their data in cash — Reddit signed an agreement with Google for approximately $60 million per year, and Shutterstock generated $104 million in AI licenses in 2023.
To determine if your data is valuable, categorize it into one of the 7 monetizable families: (1) transactional (purchases, payments), (2) behavioral (browsing, usage), (3) operational (production, logistics, inventory), (4) sensors / IoT, (5) geolocation / mobility, (6) HR / aggregated workforce, (7) content / media. Each family has its buyers: Tesco values its transactional data through Clubcard, John Deere its sensors via Climate FieldView, Placer.ai its foot-traffic geolocation.
There are two main ways to monetize: the direct route (sales, licenses, APIs) and the indirect route (insights, scoring, augmented products). The indirect approach sometimes yields more, with less legal risk. Regarding the legal framework, the European Data Act (applicable since September 12, 2025) recognizes 'reasonable compensation' for B2B data sharing: the B2B landscape is now clearly defined.
What is the concrete value? The average cost of a data breach reaches $4.88 million, or $173 per intellectual property record (IBM, 2024) — a proxy for what data 'is worth'. However, be aware: monetizing personal data requires a legal feasibility study; prioritize aggregated and anonymized data to start. The first concrete step is to identify which of your data is monetizable and what its value is: launch a free assessment of your 7 assets on d-nvest.
Sources
- Commission UE — European Data Market study 2024-2026 (2025)
- Commission UE — Data Act (IP/22/1113, 2022)
- IBM — Cost of a Data Breach 2024
- CBS News — Reddit / Google data deal (2024)
Educational content — not legal or financial advice. Figures carry their source and year.