The history of LSEG

Our word is our bond. True in 1801. Just as true today.

London Stock Exchange is one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges and can trace its history back more than 300 years. LSEG was created in October 2007 (as the London Stock Exchange Group) when London Stock Exchange merged with Milan Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana.

A brief timeline of LSEG

  • 1698
    At Jonathan’s Coffee House, John Castaing begins issuing a list of stock and commodity prices called ‘The Course of the Exchange and other things’.

    1801
    The first regulated exchange comes into existence in London and the modern Stock Exchange is born.

    1986
    The UK market is deregulated in the ‘Big Bang’.

    1995
    FTSE Group is created, with London Stock Exchange holding a 50 per cent stake. LSEG will go on to acquire the remaining 50 per cent of the business in 2011.

    1995
    AIM, London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market, is founded. Focused on dynamic smaller companies, it will become the world’s most successful growth market.

  • July 2001
    London Stock Exchange becomes a public company listed on its own market.

    October 2007
    London Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana merge, creating London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

    September 2009
    MillenniumIT, a Sri Lanka-based technology solutions provider serving the global capital markets industry, is acquired.

    December 2009
    LSEG acquires a majority stake in Turquoise, the pan-European equities trading platform, which it owns in partnership with leading global investment banks.

  • November 2010
    LSEG launches LSEG Foundation, which focuses on supporting selected charity initiatives around the world.

    May 2013
    LSEG completes the purchase of a majority stake in LCH Group (at that time known as LCH.Clearnet), a leading global multi-asset class clearing house.

    January 2014
    The FTSE 100 Index celebrates its 30th anniversary.

    December 2014
    LSEG completes the acquisition of Frank Russell Company, a US-based financial services provider whose assets include the Russell Indexes business.

    May 2015
    FTSE and Russell Indexes come together as FTSE Russell.

    September 2016
    CurveGlobal, an interest rate derivatives venture between LSEG, a number of leading dealer banks and the Chicago Board Options Exchange is launched.

    January 2017
    LSEG completes the acquisition of Mergent, a leading US-based provider of business and financial information on public and private companies.

    August 2017
    LSEG completes the acquisition of The Yield Book and Citi Fixed Income Indices, a fixed income analytics platform and index business, from Citigroup.

    October 2017
    The FTSE 250 Index celebrates its 35th anniversary.

    December 2018
    LSEG increases majority shareholding in LCH to 82.6 per cent.

    2018
    SwapClear, LCH’s interest rate derivatives clearing service, processes over $1,077 trillion in notional – the first time over $1 quadrillion has been cleared in one year.

    January 2019
    LSEG acquires a 5.2 per cent stake in Euroclear.

    June 2019
    LSEG acquires Beyond Ratings (now LSEG Sovereign Sustainability Solutions), a highly regarded provider of ESG data for fixed income investors.

    June 2019
    Shanghai-London Stock Connect, the first-ever fungible cross-listing mechanism enabling international investors to access China A-shares from outside Greater China, welcomes its first issuer, Huatai Securities.

  • January 2021
    LSEG completes the all-share acquisition of Refinitiv to create a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider.

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