February 2026
Important Industry Development: China Recognizes Data as a Balance Sheet Asset
Recent publications and policy discussions in China, including analyses from late 2025, continue to emphasize a key shift. Regulators and experts now view high-quality data as a valuable economic asset that companies can formally record on their balance sheets.
China has led the world in this area since introducing guidelines in recent years that allow enterprises to account for data resources as intangible assets or inventory. Growing adoption in 2025 shows how verifiable data can boost company valuations, support financing, and drive participation in a structured data economy.
This global trend validates the strategic importance of data governance. Organizations that establish clear provenance, integrity, and ownership of their data will gain a competitive edge as accounting standards evolve.
How Aqua Protocol Supports This Transition
Aqua Protocol directly supports this transition. It provides decentralized, verifiable data chains that create unforgeable life stories for data without relying on central platforms. Companies using Aqua can produce high-quality, auditable data assets that meet emerging regulatory requirements while maintaining full sovereign control and privacy.
We closely track these developments because they align with our mission to build secure trust systems for sovereign data ownership.
Stay tuned for more insights on how these changes create opportunities for resilient, independent digital infrastructure.
Source
"Accounting for Data Assets" by Xingchao Gao, Junhao Liu, and Hai Lu.
- Publication Date: December 13, 2025 (with revisions noted up to late December).
- Abstract Summary: The paper provides survey and empirical evidence on China's new accounting rule for recognizing and disclosing data resources as assets on balance sheets. The authors highlight limited adoption (only about 2% of firms reporting data assets in 2024) despite the perceived value.
- Link: Available on SSRN at papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5164215