Australian Securities Exchange

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is a multi-asset class exchange formed in 2006 by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange, combining cash equities with one of Asia’s largest derivatives operations. 
The exchange was the first to go public among global exchanges in 1998 and had a market cap of $9.9 billion in April 2019.
The ASX ranked as the 21st largest derivatives exchange in 2021, according to the Futures Industry Association's annual survey of the world's largest exchanges measured by volume. The exchange reported a volume of 199 million contracts, down 11.39% from the previous year.
== History and Merger ==
The Australian Stock Exchange, founded in 1987, announced its agreed cash-and-stock offer for the SFE on March 27, 2006, seven years after an abortive takeover was blocked by domestic antitrust officials and the futures exchange walked away from a rival offer.
The offer of 0.51 stock exchange shares for each SFE share valued the futures exchange at A$2.3bn, and was priced at 31.5 times 2006 earnings and a 25 percent to its average level over the previous 30 days. The transaction closed on July 26, 2006, and the new ASX was officially formed in December 2006.
The legacy exchanges have a track record for innovation, and were among the first to demutualize, list their shares and switch to all-electronic trading, which ASX offers on a 24-hour basis. 
In 1998, the ASX became the first large exchange to demutualize and list its shares, while the SFE demutualized in September 2000 and listed on the ASX in April 2002. The stock exchange traces its roots back to the creation of the Sydney Stock Exchange in 1871, which was combined in 1937 with a number of regional bourses to form the the Australian Associated Stock Exchanges. The SFE was started in 1960 as the Sydney Greasy Wool Futures Exchange, changing its name to the SFE in 1960.
In December 2019, the ASX said it planned to launch a new index called the "S&P/ASX All Technology Index" on February 21, 2010. The new index is a smaller version of the U.S.'s Nasdaq composite index, and is part of a push by the ASX to become an international venue for technology stocks.
==SGX-ASX Merger Failure==
In late October 2010, it was announced that the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the Australian Securities Exchange had entered into a merger agreement creating Asia's second largest exchange group behind Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. SGX offered the equivalent of US$8.8 billion for ASX. However, the Australian government, led by prime minister Julia Gillard, stepped in and blocked the deal in April 2011, on national interest grounds. Australia's Treasurer Wayne Swan said the deal would harm its position as a financial center and would pose regulatory challenges to Australian regulatory sovereignty. It also was opposed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Reserve Bank of Australia. 
There were several other reasons the deal was rejected. One was that the 23.5 percent ownership stake in SGX that was held by Temasek, Singapore's government-owned investment agency. In the eyes of the Australian government, that potentially could have weakened Australia's position as a regional financial hub and would not improve Australia's access to Asian markets. The Australian government also was concerned over clearing and settlement issues with a foreign-owned exchange and was uncomfortable with a smaller foreign equity market purchasing a much larger domestic exchange. ASX's market capitalization for all entities listed on the exchange at the time was $1.5 trillion, ranked 11th in the world, versus $672 billion on SGX, which was ranked 21st. The logic was that a smaller equity market would not have provided any advantage for Australian listed companies, or capital raising efforts in Australia. 
== Structure and Regulation ==
The exchange operates under a self-regulatory regime, overseen by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
The parent ASX Ltd is listed on its own exchange, and incorporates a clearinghouse for exchange-traded and OTC cash and derivative products.
Australia's treasurer, Scott Morrison, ended ASX's monopoly on equity clearing in Australia in 2016, following the liberalization of share trading in 2011, which enabled ASX's rival exchange Chi-X to compete with the ASX in executing share trades.
The ASX is a member exchange of the World Federation of Exchanges.
The ASX is a Primary Member of CCP Global, the global association of Central Counterparties (CCP), which represents 42 members who operate more than 60 individual CCPs across EMEA, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region.
ASX opened a Hong Kong office on October 1, 2015, headed by ASX's Asia business development manager, James Keeley. The opening of the new office was designed to coincide with the establishment of a direct connection hub for ASX in Hong Kong.
== Key People ==
File:Helen_Lofthouse_Executive_General_Manager,_Derivatives_and_OTC_Markets_Australian_Securities_Exchange_(ASX).jpg|Helen Lofthouse, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director
File:Blair_Beaton_Chief_Strategy_Officer_of_Australian_Securities_Exchange_(ASX).jpg|Blair Beaton, Group Executive, Listings
File:Dan_Chesterman_Chief_Information_Officer_of_Australian_Securities_Exchange_(ASX).jpg|Dan Chesterman, Group Executive, Technology and Data
File:Daniel_Moran_Group_General_Counsel_and_Company_Secretary_Australian_Securities_Exchange_(ASX).jpg|Daniel Moran, Chief Compliance Officer
File:Andrew_Tobin,_CFO_ASX.jpeg|Andrew Tobin, Chief Financial Officer
File:Hamish_Treleaven_Chief_Risk_Officer_Australian_Securities_Exchange_(ASX).jpg|Hamish Treleaven, Chief Risk Officer
*Jane Franks, Chief People Officer
*Johanna O'Rourke, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary
*Diona Rae, Chief Operating Officer
*Clive Triance, Group Executive, Securities and Payments
*Tom Whiteley, Chief Information Officer
*Darren Yip, Group Executive, Markets
== ASX Board ==
*Damian Roche, Chairman
*Helen Lofthouse, Managing Director and CEO, Executive Director
*Yasmin Allen, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*Vicki Carter AM, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*Melinda Conrad, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*David Curran, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*Peter Nash, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*Luke Randall, Independent, Non-Executive Director
*Dr. Heather Smith PSM, FAIIA, Independent, Non-Executive Director
== Product Development ==
The SFE complex spans futures and options in equity, interest rate, agricultural and energy products, with volumes rising from 72.4m to 82.8m in fiscal 2007. The average fee per contract dipped from A$1.45 to A$1.39. Volumes in the smaller legacy ASX complex of futures and options dipped from 23.1m to 22.9m.
Australian Treasury futures dominate the SFE complex, which has been expanded to include a New Zealand government bond contract. The SFE SPI 200 equity-index is the fourth most heavily traded contract. Agricultural futures include wool and live cattle.
The ASX also offers wool futures and options in an agricultural complex which includes wheat, barley, canola and sorghum. Financial products include futures on the benchmark S&P ASX 50 and 200 indexes.
ASX offers clearing of over-the-counter interest rate swaps through its ASX Clear clearing house. 
In November 2014, ASX purchased a 49 percent stake in Yieldbroker, a firm that operates electronic markets in trading Australian and New Zealand debt securities and interest rate derivatives. Yieldbroker’s markets include Australian government and semi-government bonds, treasury notes, corporate bonds, floating rate notes, New Zealand government bonds, interest rate swaps, overnight index swaps, forward rate agreements and bank bills. ASX invested $65 million in the deal.
In April 2015, ASX signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the China Futures Association to collaborate and promote the development of China's derivatives market. The initial term of the MOU was five years.
== Technology ==
On June 8, 2010, ASX announced that they had deployed a new hosting solution with Equinix in Chicago to offer their U.S.-based clients direct access to the Sydney Futures Exchange and its suite of products. 
In February 2015, ASX launched an overhaul of its technology systems, replacing its entire trading and post-trade systems over a 1 - 2 year period. The first change was switching the exchange's equities and derivatives systems from one provided by Nasdaq OMX to another provided by Cinnober. The first phase wss expected to cost $35 million over two years.
In December of 2017, ASX said it would replace its CHESS equities clearing and settlement system (introduced in 1994) with a blockchain-style distributed-ledger platform developed with Digital Asset Holdings LLC, the software firm led by former JPMorgan Chase & Co. banker Blythe Masters. The exchange said it would go live with the new equity post-trade system by the first quarter of 2021.
On June 30, 2020, ASX said it would delay the replacement of its CHESS system by one year, making the new target launch date April 2022.
In November 2021, ASX said its DLT-as-a-Service platform, called Synfini, was "production-ready" and that 20 firms were already exploring Synfini, which uses the same technology as ASX’s flagship CHESS replacement but is offered as a cloud service. 
In November of 2022, ASX shelved the seven-year-long CHESS blockchain project after an independent audit by Accenture reported issues, including latency and technical constraints surrounding its API and challenges relating to “achieving scalability, resiliency, and supportability.” According to ASX, the project incurred a pre-tax loss of roughly $170 million (~$255 million AUD), which the company wrote off. 
In August 2024, ASIC, Australia’s market regulator, sued ASX, alleging it made “misleading and deceptive” statements about the blockchain project. In the lawsuit, ASIC said there had been a “collective failure” by ASX’s board and management when it tried to transfer its ageing systems for settling trades to a blockchain-based platform.
== Sustainability at ASX ==
Information about ASX's corporate commitment to sustainability can be found here. 
== Office Locations ==
Australia	
Exchange Centre 
20 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000 
Australian Liquidity Centre (ALC) 
Broadcast Way, Gore Hill NSW 2065 
Level 4, North Tower, Rialto, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 
Level 40, Central Park, 152-158 St George's Terrace, Perth WA 6000
Asia
Exchange Centre 
Level 43, Champion Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central Hong Kong 
Ph: +852 2158 9166 
Mob: +852 559 74722
Europe
Exchange Centre 
Level 17, Dashwood House, 69 Old Broad Street, London EC2M 1QS 
Ph: +44 207 256 4155 
Mob: +44 7864 623155
North America
North American Business Development 
155 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 4250 Chicago IL 60606 
Ph: +1-312-803-5840 
Mob: +1-312-953-5038
== Contract Volume ==
Year	Total Annual Volume	Percent Change
2021	199,239,748 	(-) 11.39%
2020	224,853,882 	(-) 13.68%
2019	260,478,736 	5.03%
2018	248,003,922 	(-) 0.18%
2017	248,449,405 	1.6%
2016	242,625,869 	3.6%
2015	234,181,853 	(-) 4.1%
2014	244,070,858 	(-) 6.8%
2013	261,790,908 	.7%
2012	259,966,030 	15.4%
2011	225,353,623 	111.8%
2010	106,385,077 	29.4%
2009	82,200,578 	--
==2016==
Exchange 	Volume 	Percent Change
ASX 	102,039,243	(-) 4.2%
ASX 24 	140,586,626	10.2%
ASX Group	242,625,869	3.6%
== References ==
Category:Exchanges
Category:Australian Exchanges
Category:MarketsWiki Page of the Day
Category:Australian Securities Exchange
Category:CCP Global Primary Members