No, Bombay Stock Exchange Limited, commonly known as BSE, is not a government company. It is a privately-owned, publicly listed company which operates as a for-profit stock exchange. Founded in the year 1875, BSE is the oldest stock exchange in Asia and the tenth oldest in the world. Furthermore, it is the sixth largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation.

BSE provides an efficient and transparent market to trade various kinds of financial assets like equities, currencies, commodities, mutual funds, derivatives, debt instruments and more. Its shareholders include institutional investors. BSE is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Here is a quick overview of BSE

Company History

Bombay Stock Exchange was founded on 9^th July 1875 by a group of brokers led by a businessman named Premchand Roychand. In the year 1956, BSE became the first stock exchange in India to receive permanent recognition from the Government of India under the Securities Contracts Regulation Act. BSE introduced its flagship SENSEX index in the year 1986.

On 14^th March 1995, the exchange introduced the BSE On-Line Trading system, shifting from floor trading to screen-based electronic trading. BSE was demutalised and corporatised under SEBI guidelines on 19^th May 2007. On 30^th December 2016, BSE established the India International Exchange, which is India’s first international stock exchange.

On 3^rd February 2017, BSE became the first stock exchange in India to go public through the IPO and got listed on NSE.

Current Status

BSE is presently a leading Indian stock exchange, with over 5,000 listed companies, massive market capitalisation and diversified offerings in equities, derivatives, mutual funds, debt and more. BSE SME platform is India’s largest SME platform which lists over 250 companies. Furthermore, BSE StAR MF is the largest online mutual funds platform in India, with over 27 lakh transactions per month and almost 2 lakh new SIPs each month.

BSE’s equity index, the SENSEX, is the most widely tracked stock market benchmark index in India. It is also traded internationally on foreign stick exchanges like EUREX and the stock exchanges of BRICS nations.

Indian Clearing Corporation Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSE. It functions as the central counterparty for trades on BSE’s platform.

Future Outlook

BSE Limited’s future prospects are positive, driven by India’s robust economic growth, increasing market participation, strategic expansions and technological advancements. The exchange is seeking to increase its share across segments like equities, derivatives, debt and others.