We are leaders, not followers

The Bourse de Luxembourg – known today as the Luxembourg Stock Exchange or LuxSE – was officially incorporated in 1928 and established its first home at 11 Avenue de la Porte-Neuve.

The first trading session at LuxSE is inaugurated, paving the way for over 95 years of excellence.

Over the first two decades of LuxSE’s existence, we put our focus on European issuers with securities denominated in local European currencies. In 1953, we opened up to global markets by welcoming the first bond in USD issued by the World Bank, now one of our most longstanding issuers.

LuxSE welcomes the first fund listing to our exchange – an investment fund from France’s Finance Union.

History is made when the world’s first ever Eurobond is listed on our exchange from Autostrade. It is the first international bond to be issued in a currency that is not native to the issuer’s country of origin.

The first bond denominated in European Currency Unit (ECU) is listed on our exchange by SOFTE, marking the first listing since the introduction of ECU in 1979. ECU was subsequently replaced by the euro in 1999.

Samsung brings the first Global Depositary Receipt (GDR) to LuxSE, which is a certificate issued by a depositary bank in more than one country for shares in a foreign company.

The first computer-aided trading system is introduced and installed at LuxSE.

LuxSE launches a new and automated trading system.

As the world prepares for a new millennium and the European Union introduces the euro currency, LuxSE launces the LuxX index composed of nine Luxembourg companies - Aperam, ArcelorMittal, Brederode, Luxempart, Reinet Investments, RTL Group, SES, Socfinaf and Socfinasia.

Malaysia Global Sukuk Inc. makes LuxSE the first European exchange to list a sukuk bond – a sharia-compliant bond that abides by Islamic religious law.

LuxSE takes its first-mover mentality to the next level with the launch of Europe’s first exchange-regulated multilateral trading facility, the Euro MTF – a new type of market introduced by the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFiD).

The birth of what is now known as sustainable finance takes place as LuxSE becomes the first exchange in the world to list a green bond issued by the European Investment. That same year, LuxSE and Euronext enter into a cooperation that introduces the possibility of cross-membership between exchanges, allowing trades in Luxembourg to be generated through Euronext’s UTP platform.

True to its nature of being an exchange of firsts, LuxSE becomes the first exchange in Europe to list a dim sum bond – a renminbi-denominated bond issued outside of China. Since then, we have become the prime listing venue for dim sum bonds in Europe.

LuxSE moves to its new HQ at 35A Boulevard Joseph II in Luxembourg City. The building adheres to stringent sustainability criteria and is certified by Valideo, a voluntary Sustainable Construction Certification.

LuxSE launches the Luxembourg Green Exchange (LGX), the world’s first platform created exclusively for green bonds. Since then, LGX has expanded to include a vast selection of sustainable instruments from all over the world.

What are now pillars in LuxSE’s annual event calendar, the first Ring the Bell ceremony takes place at LuxSE in front of our famous golden bell.

As the topic of gender equality gets its rightful place in international conversations, LuxSE officially launches She@LuxSE, a platform for our employees to exchange views on how men and women can work and grow together, support each other and make better decisions.

LuxXPrime, a dedicated window for smaller-sized investments on the trading platform of LuxSE, makes Luxembourg more interesting for retail investors. Launched in cooperation with our prime liquidity provider EUWAX AG, LuxXPrime offers retail-sized bond trading in a distinct selection of liquid securities, including green, social and sustainability bonds.

The United Nations recognises LGX for its role in ‘Financing for Climate Friendly Investment’ during its prestigious United Nations Global Climate Action Award. Other milestones reached by LGX that year include the launch of the LGX Academy to strengthen sustainable finance education, and the LGX DataHub, a unique centralised database bringing structured sustainability data to the world.

LGX hits the 1,000 sustainable bonds mark in May and celebrates its 5th anniversary in September 2021. The platform expands its scope with the Climate Bonds – LGX Climate-Aligned Issuers section in partnership with the Climate Bonds Initiative, and the LGX DataHub expands its coverage to close to the entire universe of the world’s listed sustainable debt securities.

LuxSE admits the first security tokens, which are financial instruments issued on a distributed ledger, on its Securities Official List (LuxSE SOL) in January 2022. Important steps are also taken by LGX in advancing gender finance with the introduction of a specific flag for gender-focused bonds on LGX in May 2022, following the signing of an MoU with UN Women on promoting gender finance and gender-lens investing.

LuxSE becomes a founding partner of the Luxembourg Women in Finance Charter in March. During its annual Stock Exchange Day, LuxSE celebrates the 60-year anniversary of the first Eurobond listing on our exchange by Autostrade. The LGX DataHub is selected by ICMA to power and feed its sustainable bond database, and the first digitally native security admitted to trading in the EU is listed on LuxSE by the World Bank.