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We have no doubt that hiding behind the name of "sharing economy" we mostly find a capital-intensive market economy rather than a sharing or collaborative economy. The substantial amount of funds raised by companies belonging to this "new economy" based on an old idea - why own it ? - is evidence of that. The two companies which are amongst the most emblematic of the so-called "sharing economy" are Uber -valued at US$ 62.5 billion- and Airbnb -valued at US$ 25.5 billion. These companies of course have strategies to expand throughout the world but above all are tempted to create new monopolies. We may therefore doubt that we are in a real sharing economy. However, there is no question that such companies will have a key part to play in our economic environment. The global sharing economy was worth US$ 15 billion in 2014 and is projected to reach US$ 335 billion by 2025 (Fig.PwC). San-Francisco, New-York, London, Paris and Boston are the 5 biggest creator of "sharing-economy" start-ups in the world. Transport and travel sectors are currently the areas activity which are under intense competitive pressure from these new businesses. The success of this economic model, through digital platforms, is in fact easy to understand: people can exchange goods and services in a few seconds, 24 hours per day at a fair price. And the providers of such goods and services can supplement their incomes or even make a living out of these activities. Everyone seems to be a winner, except the states which have difficulties to collect the taxes related to these operations. Is this "sharing economy" just a fashion trend or is it a fundamental trend based on the idea that we may consume better with less ? It is too early to give a final answer. But the impact of this "sharing economy" on the mainstream economy is already visible.

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