Discover News and Prices Raise finance Trade Personal investing Resources Home > Personal investing > Contributor > London Stock Exchange Contributor London Stock Exchange Our story London Stock Exchange is one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges. It can trace its history back to the coffee houses of 17th century. At the confluence between issuers and investors, the Exchange operates today the world’s most international capital market. 2500+ companies and sovereigns covering over 100 countries tap into our markets to meet their financing needs and our state-of-the-art systems process over a million electronic trades every day. London Stock Exchange’s markets include the Main Market – London’s flagship venue for equity, debt and exchange traded products, offering businesses access to Europe’s most liquid pool of capital – and AIM – the world’s leading market for small and growing companies. Trading participants access London Stock Exchange markets via a range of secure, low latency interfaces, including the Order book for Retail Bonds (ORB), which since its launch in 2010 allows private investors to trade bonds in small denominations. London Stock Exchange also offers a range of real-time and reference data services, facilitating the trading and reporting of over £1 trillion of securities by 400 members annually. London Stock Exchange is part of London Stock Exchange Group, which incorporates a range of pan-European trading, technology, post-trade and index businesses. Social Media Twitter Linkedin Useful links Log to your account Explore companies on our markets Download reports and statistics You can register for a London Stock Exchange account. Already have an account? Log in here Register More articles 350.48 What are stocks and shares? Contributor: London Stock Exchange | When you trade on our markets you invest in specific securities, such as shares. London Stock Exchange offers trading shares in companies, from the very biggest to those showing potential for rapid growth. Shares, which are also known as equities, are the basic unit of investment i Learn more What should you consider before investing? Contributor: London Stock Exchange | Financial markets provide a marketplace for you to buy and sell assets like shares, bonds, currencies, derivatives and even physical products like commodities. London Stock Exchange offers a marketplace for those securities. Learn more Why investing matters? Contributor: London Stock Exchange | Everyone has financial goals. You may want to fund your retirement, help your children with their education or with important life events, such as buying a home. Learn more DisclaimerPrivacy and cookie statementConflict of interest policy & UK bribery actAccessibilitySitemapContactSection 172 (1) statementWhistleblowing View our other sites Select © 2021 London Stock Exchange. All rights reserved. Cookie Control View our privacy and cookie policy (Opens in a new window) Cookie Control Link Icon Choose cookies