If we set aside whatever any of us expected from the Interstellar Initiative(s), I think that something interesting has happened here.
What we see is a regional economy that's based on an unusual, local cargo that's only available (or in demand) in the new region. Demand and prices for the cargo and materials shouldn't vary much due to faction state changes, the way they do in the bubble for Void Opals and other commodities. (You'll know what I mean there if you've watched mineral prices rise and fall.) The closest analogue I can think of is Imperial Slaves, legal in some systems but illegal in others, and all originating from the Empire.
I think a regional economy like this one is an actual New Thing. That might be the most interesting result of the whole endeavor... because if this is possible, then what other unique regional economies might we see?