Oslo Stock Exchange Bicentenary

Oslo Stock Exchange was founded because of the crushing pressure on the business sector.

In the early 1800s, Norway was a country of farmers and fishermen, and economically speaking times were tough. This had a crushing effect on the business sector. In 1818, a proposal was made to the Norwegian parliament for a commercial exchange to encourage greater commercial activity.

In 1819 the Christiania (Oslo) Stock Exchange opened its first offices. The exchange originally had two purposes: to function as an exchange for foreign currencies and an auction house for “goods, ships and ship chandlery”. Today, Oslo Stock Exchange is the central marketplace for listing and trading of financial instruments in the Norwegian market. It is internationally recognized to be a world leader in the energy, seafood and shipping sectors.