Alternative Data Market: Big Data Sources, Real-Time Analytics & Market Forecast

According to IMARC Group's latest research publication, global alternative data market size reached USD 8,889.1 Million in 2025. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 1,81,103.5 Million by 2034, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 35.18% during 2026-2034.

How AI is Reshaping the Future of Alternative Data Market

• Automated Data Collection and Processing: AI-powered web scraping tools and extraction systems gather massive unstructured data volumes from social media, public records, and IoT devices, then convert raw data into structured, analysis-ready formats, dramatically reducing manual effort.
• Advanced Pattern Recognition and Predictive Analytics: Deep learning models identify complex correlations and hidden patterns within alternative datasets that human analysts miss, enabling financial institutions to generate sophisticated forecasts and make data-driven investment decisions with unprecedented accuracy.
• Real-Time Sentiment Analysis and Natural Language Processing: Machine learning algorithms process millions of social media posts, news articles, and consumer reviews to gauge real-time public sentiment about products, brands, and market trends, providing investors immediate actionable insights.

Explore Detailed 2026 Market Forecasts Today

Alternative Data Industry Overview:

The alternative data market is rapidly maturing as financial institutions discover competitive advantages through non-traditional information sources. Investment firms now spend millions annually acquiring diverse datasets—hedge funds reportedly allocate up to several million dollars per vendor relationship. Around 63% of investors plan to increase alternative data spending, with nearly half of buy-side professionals identifying as medium-frequency users who've employed these datasets for two years or longer.

Alternative Data Market Trends & Drivers

Artificial intelligence and machine learning breakthroughs are fundamentally transforming how alternative data gets processed and analyzed across industries. Over 70% of alternative data providers now integrate AI and machine learning for data processing, enabling faster extraction of insights from complex, unstructured datasets.

Financial institutions are rapidly expanding their alternative data capabilities to gain competitive advantages in increasingly efficient markets. BlackRock's USD 3.2 Billion acquisition of Preqin in early 2024 signals the strategic importance of alternative data platforms in private markets, where assets are expected to reach USD 40 Trillion by decade's end.

The regulatory landscape and data governance frameworks are evolving to address privacy concerns while enabling legitimate alternative data applications. Major privacy regulations including GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California, and China's Personal Information Protection Law mandate that businesses secure proper consent, anonymize personal data, and maintain transparent data handling practices.

Leading Companies Operating in the Global Alternative Data Industry:

• 1010Data Inc. (Advance Communication Corp.)
• Advan Research Corporation
• Dataminr Inc.
• Eagle Alpha
• M Science
• Nasdaq Inc.
• Preqin
• RavenPack
• The Earnest Research Company
• Thinknum Inc.

Alternative Data Market Report Segmentation:

By Data Type:

• Mobile Application Usage
• Credit and Debit Card Transactions
• Email Receipts
• Geo-location (Foot Traffic) Records
• Satellite and Weather Data
• Social and Sentiment Data
• Web Scraped Data
• Web Traffic
• Others

Credit and debit card transactions represent the largest segment, as they provide high-frequency, real-time transactional data offering crucial insights into consumer spending patterns, preferences, and brand loyalty.

By End Use Industry:

• Transportation and Logistics
• BFSI
• Retail and ECommerce
• Energy and Utilities
• IT and Telecommunications
• Media and Entertainment
• Others

BFSI represents the largest segment owing to heavy dependence on alternative data for credit risk profiling, fraud detection, investment strategies, and personalized product offerings that improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Regional Insights:

• North America (United States, Canada)
• Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Others)
• Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others)
• Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Others)
• Middle East and Africa

North America exhibits a clear dominance in the alternative data market, holding over 68.9% market share, due to sophisticated financial markets, advanced technology infrastructure, and deep quantitative-research talent pools.

Recent News and Developments in Alternative Data Market

May 2025: First Rate launched its innovative Alts Data Management solution to transform wealth management operations, leveraging over 15 years of alternative asset expertise. The platform simplifies managing complex alternative investment data, enhancing efficiency and insight for wealth management firms through powerful tools to streamline data handling and improve portfolio analysis.

April 2025: Equifax expanded its dataset and dashboard offerings on Google Cloud Marketplace, enhancing business decision-making with advanced consumer segmentation, household financial insights, and specialized suites for automotive, financial services, and higher education sectors.

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