Sounds like it's too good to be true is the exact same thing Vitalik thought about ETH when he came up with the concept.
I think people weren't looking at what teh market was demanding but rather focusing on what they wanted in HIVE functionality.
Sure is a no brainer when you think about it.. I simply think nobody was really thinking about it. This whole idea was born out of my own need to decentralize account as collateral lending contracts which up until that point was somthing nobody thought of either.
It's innovation driving innovation mixed with an honest observation of market trend over the past few years.
I'm certain this is possible, certainly wouldn't bother making a proposal and doing all the prior research into the feasibility of the whole thing if I didn't.