What was the first stock in the world?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

The earliest officially recognized corporate stock in global economic history was issued by the Dutch East India Company, known as Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, which was established by a charter from the States-General of the Netherlands in 1602. To finance its massive, high-risk maritime trading voyages to Asia, the enterprise pioneered the issuance of transferable shares of capital stock to the general public, effectively creating the world's first permanent joint-stock company. Concurrently, the establishment of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange provided the necessary secondary marketplace where these shares could be freely bought, sold, and traded, giving birth to the modern global capital market system.

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