Ecosystem economics

(Section: Ecosystem and Network)

1) What is "ecosystem economics"

Ecosystem economics are the rules and mechanics by which participants (operators, content providers, payment/CUS, affiliates, developers, regulators, communities) create, exchange and monetize value. In the center is a multi-side market with external network effects and a technical fabric (API/events) that reduces transaction costs.

2) Value and money flow map

User → Operator: revenue/service fees.
Operator → Providers/aggregators: royalties/RevShare for content and services.
Operator ↔ Payment/CCM/risk: commissions for authorization/clearing, fines for chargebacks/fraud.
Operator ↔ Affiliates/Partners: CPA/CPL/RevShare, co-marketing.
Operator → Infrastructure: cloud/CDN/edge, data/oracles.
All ↔ Regulator/Audit: licenses, reporting, compliance.
Community/developers ↔ Platform: grants, marketplace royalties, statuses.

3) Revenue models (revenue mix)

RevShare/royalties:% of GGR/turnover metrics; flat, tiered, hybrid.

API tariffs: by volume/features/region, "pay-as-you-grow."

CPA/CPL/CPI: payment for targeted action, often with anti-fraud clauses.
Marketplace: fees for installing/using extensions.
Premium options: SLA upgrades, priority limits, private channels.
Data-as-a-Service: aggregates/signals without PII, with use contracts.