Euronext

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Euronext is a cross-border exchange, and the first Pan-European securities exchange. Euronext was born in 2000 by merging the Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam exchanges. Then in 2002, the Portuguese stock exchange was added, followed later by a London securities exchange (but not the London Stock Exchange).

In April 2007, Euronext merged with the NYSE Group to form NYSE Euronext. And by 2008, the combined exchange listed almost 4,000 securities with a total market capitalization of more than $30 trillion.

When Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) bought NYSE Euronext in 2013, the two powerhouses were split once again. Still, Euronext remains one of the largest exchanges in the world. In June 2014, Euronext launched its own IPO, and once again became a standalone entity.

The Euronext exchange system opened up the European stock market, allowing companies to list their securities in multiple markets that fall under a single umbrella. For example, a stock listed on the Euronext Paris exchange can also list on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. To further facilitate trading, they use the euro as the primary trading currency.

Companies traded on the Euronext exchanges include Air France–KLM, Coca-Cola European, and L’Oréal.