Have you ever been to IKEA and wondered if you could buy its stock for dividends? I think many people have had this thought. But when you open your brokerage app and search, you’re stunned — you can’t find IKEA, nor its parent company INGKA. Why? Because the core ownership behind this Swedish giant is hidden within a Dutch private foundation structure, and it’s not publicly listed at all.

This is like an invisible wall. There are plenty of European companies with extremely strong cash flows and rock-solid stability — from the Dutch semiconductor supply chain, high-tech logistics, to those highly stable real estate bonds. But trying to buy into them from Asia? You’d have to fly over, open a local bank account, deal with the complicated EU tax and KYC procedures, and finally endure the exorbitant cross-border bank fees.

In total, 99% of ordinary investors worldwide are actually blocked from access to Europe’s most premium assets. It’s not just a money issue; it’s an inequality of information and access.

Recently, I realized this wall is starting to crumble. I’ve been studying a project called DUSK, and many think it’s just another Layer 1 blockchain. But in reality, it’s more like a “dissolvent of financial boundaries.” By reorganizing financial infrastructure through blockchain, it’s breaking down the natural barriers to asset access — enabling global investors to connect more directly and at lower costs to assets that were once “impossible” to reach.

This is true financial democratization.