TRIVIA

Which is the world's largest stock exchange operator by market capitalization?

1. Intercontinental Exchange (Operator of the NYSE)
2. London Stock Exchange Group (operator of the LSE and AIM)
3. HKEX (Operator of the Hong Kong Exchange and the London Metal Exchange)
4. CME Group (operator of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange)

Answer: 

HKEX has been the stock exchange operator with the highest market capitalization since the beginning of this year, when it reached US$74.5 billion, surpassing CME. HKEX has undergone aggressive expansion in recent years. In 2012, it acquired the LME—the world’s leading exchange for copper and other metals—and made an unsuccessful bid to acquire the London Stock Exchange Group in 2019. In late May, HKEX appointed a new CEO—the first who is not of Chinese ethnicity: Nicolás Aguzin, an Argentine and former JP Morgan executive. One of Aguzin’s main tasks will be to continue expanding HKEX, which is already the primary gateway connecting global investors to Chinese companies and the Chinese debt market. In line with this strategy, HKEX acquired a 7% stake this year in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange, which has not yet begun operations. Guangzhou will specialize in “green” asset futures and is expected to become China’s leading market for trading CO2 emissions futures contracts, which the government plans to launch in late June.