London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG) is a United Kingdom-based stock exchange and financial information company headquartered in the City of London, England. It owns the London Stock Exchange (on which it is also listed), Refinitiv, LSEG Technology, FTSE Russell, and majority stakes in LCH and Tradeweb. History The London Stock Exchange was founded in Sweeting's Alley in London in 1801. It moved to Capel Court the following year. In 1972, the Exchange moved to a new purpose-built building and trading floor in Threadneedle Street. Deregulation, sometimes known as "big bang", came in 1986 and external ownership of member firms was allowed for the first time. In 1995, the Alternative Investment Market was launched and in 2004 the Exchange moved again, this time to Paternoster Square. Between April and May 2006, having been rebuffed in an informal approach, Nasdaq built up a 23% stake in the Exchange. The stake grew to 29% as a result of the London exchange's share consolidation. Nasdaq has since sold its investment. In 2007, the Exchange acquired the Milan-based Borsa Italiana for €1.6bn (£1.1bn; US$2bn) to form the London Stock Exchange Group plc. The combination was intended to diversify the LSE's product offering and customer base. The all-share deal diluted the stakes of existing LSE shareholders, with Borsa Italiana shareholders receiving new shares representing 28 per cent of the enlarged register. On 16 September 2009, the London Stock Exchange Group agreed to acquire Millennium Information Technologies, Ltd., a Sri Lankan-based software company specialising in trading systems, for US$30m (£18m). The acquisition was completed on 19 October 2009. On 9 February 2011, TMX Group, operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange agreed to join forces with the London Stock Exchange Group in a deal described by TMX head Tom Kloet as a 'merger of equals' (though 8/15 board members of the combined entity will be appointed by LSE, 7/15 by TMX). The deal, subject to government approval would create the world's largest exchange operator for mining stocks. In the UK, the LSE Group first announced it as a takeover, however in Canada the deal was reported as a merger. The provisional name for the combined group would be LTMX Group plc. On 13 June 2011, a rival, and hostile bid from the Maple Group of Canadian interests, was unveiled for the TMX Group. This was a cash and stock bid of , launched in the hope of