what is the oslo stock exchange osl 
the oslo stock exchange osl is norway s premier stock exchange the exchange is located in the capital city of oslo and is the region s major regulated market for securities trading investors can trade different assets such as equities bonds and exchange traded products etps on the osl the exchange s market capitalization as of may 13 2022 was roughly 295 55 billion 1 founded in 1819 the exchange was acquired by euronext in 2019 the exchange is part of the norex alliance making it attractive to foreign investment understanding the oslo stock exchange osl the oslo stock exchange is the major stock market in norway it is commonly referred to as oslo b rs and is norway s only regulated securities exchange as noted above the osl is the country s premier exchange and is located in the capital city of oslo different financial products are traded on the exchange including equities bonds exchange traded funds etfs etps derivatives and certain funds 2 as of april 2024 332 companies listed equity shares on the exchange 3 these companies represent many sectors notably energy seafood and shipping 2 while a majority of the securities listed on the osl are norwegian public limited companies foreign companies also participate in the exchange investors have the opportunity to invest in the oslo obx index through the oslo stock exchange it is made up of the 25 most liquid securities on the exchange 4 the obx index is revised twice each year based on the market data on the first monday after the third friday each march and september 5the oslo stock exchange is fully electronic the automated trading system was established in 1999 6 trading takes place monday to friday between 9 00 a m and 4 20 p m local time 1 there are seven national holidays during which the exchange is closed along with one partial trading day each year 7trading on the oslo stock exchange takes place in norwegian kroner 1history of the oslo stock exchange osl the osl was established in 1819 as the christiana b rs it was designed to give merchants a place where they could meet and trade news and commercial goods such as lumber it wasn t until 1881 that it became an official stock exchange and began to list and trade securities the exchange changed its name to oslo b rs in the early 1900s 8as brokerage firms increased in popularity in norway in the late 1990s traders lost the need to meet in person to facilitate their transactions as a result the osl went private becoming a limited liability company llc in 2001 8 the oslo b rs vps holding asa which was established as a result of the merger of the oslo b rs and vps holding officially assumed ownership of the exchange in 2007 910as part of an effort for nordic exchanges to attract more international investment the oslo stock exchange joined the norex alliance in 2000 norex also includes the stock exchanges of stockholm copenhagen and iceland and provides a common trading platform and streamlined regulations for participants 11the nasdaq and euronext put in competing offers to assume control of the oslo stock exchange in a bid to expand their global footprint although the exchange s major shareholders supported the bid by nasdaq the offer was withdrawn in may 2019 after the country s finance ministry approved a competing bid by euronext 12 the acquisition was completed in june 2019 13companies must meet certain requirements and must disclose data regarding ownership and history shares and market value to list on the oslo stock exchange markets associated with the oslo stock exchange osl the oslo b rs vps holding asa facilitated trading on four other marketplaces in addition to the exchange these markets are called the oslo axess merkur market nordic abm and oslo connect 14oslo axess was established in 2007 as a regulated licensed market under the oslo exchange intended to promote the growth of small companies that do not yet meet the requirements for listing on the oslo stock exchange 15merkur market was launched in 2016 as a multilateral trading facility mtf for small and medium enterprises which provides the opportunity for privately held limited companies and equivalent foreign counterparts to be traded in oslo 15 boasting one of the fastest admission processes in europe merkur market indicates that a qualified applicant can be trading in their marketplace in as little as two weeks in 2005 the osl established nordic abm as an alternative bond market 16 while nordic abm is not a regulated market or multilateral trading facility oslo stock exchange sets the rules fees and registration process for bonds that request to be registered on the nordic abm oslo connect is an over the counter otc derivatives marketplace that is regulated as a multilateral trading facility participants in oslo connect must sign an agreement with oslo b rs and a cooperating clearinghouse 