Table:
|  |  | 2019 |  | 2018 |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | NOTE | NUMBER OF OPTIONS | WEIGHTED AVERAGE EXERCISE PRICE ($) | NUMBER OF OPTIONS | WEIGHTED AVERAGE EXERCISE PRICE ($) |
| Outstanding, January 1 |  | 14,072,332 | 56 | 10,490,249 | 55 |
| Granted |  | 3,357,303 | 58 | 3,888,693 | 56 |
| Exercised (1) | 27 | (4,459,559) | 54 | (266,941) | 42 |
| Forfeited |  | (144,535) | 58 | (39,669) | 58 |
| Outstanding, December 31 |  | 12,825,541 | 57 | 14,072,332 | 56 |
| Exercisable, December 31 |  | 2,786,043 | 56 | 4,399,588 | 52 |
Paragraphs:
STOCK OPTIONS
Under BCE’s long-term incentive plans, BCE may grant options to executives to buy BCE common shares. The subscription price of a grant is based on the higher of: • the volume-weighted average of the trading price on the trading day immediately prior to the effective date of the grant • the volume-weighted average of the trading price for the last five consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the effective date of the grant
At December 31, 2019, 7,524,891 common shares were authorized for issuance under these plans. Options vest fully after three years of continuous employment from the date of grant. All options become exercisable when they vest and can be exercised for a period of seven years from the date of grant for options granted prior to 2019 and ten years from the date of grant for options granted in 2019.
The following table summarizes BCE’s outstanding stock options at December 31, 2019 and 2018.
(1) The weighted average market share price for options exercised was $62 in 2019 and $55 in 2018.
Question:
How many common shares were authorized for issuance in 2019?
Answer: 7,524,891