Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)

What Is the Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)?

The Stuttgart Stock Exchange, or Börse Stuttgart, is Germany's second-largest securities market (after the Frankfurt Stock Exchange), handling around 40% of all securities trades in the country. Established in 1861, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange trades in equities, bonds, investment funds, and participation certificates.

Understanding the Stuttgart Stock Exchange (STU)

The Stuttgart Stock Exchange was founded in 1861. It briefly closed from 1914 until 1919 due to World War I, and also experienced a period of closure during the Great Depression and World War II. In 2004, it became the first German stock exchange to limit commissions. By 2008, all asset classes were traded electronically.

In the modern era, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange is considered the leading exchange for retail investors in Germany. Retail investors can trade equities, securitized derivatives, bonds, investment fund units, and profit participation certificates. The exchange prides itself on having the highest quality of execution and the best prices.

The exchange had a trading volume of 68.5 billion euros across all asset classes in 2019, and it is ranked ninth among European exchanges in trading volume. According to the website of the Stuttgart Stock Exchange, the exchange offers high liquidity and execution certainty, high pricing quality, active limit monitoring and intelligent order types, a transparent fee model, and trading subject to supervision under public law.

In September 2019, the exchange launched the Börse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX), a fully regulated market for bitcoin-euro trading, with plans to offer ethereum, litecoin, XRP euro trading pairs, and tokenized assets. BSDEX is the first regulated token trading platform in Germany.

This exchange is open to all users with German residency. Users must hold a German bank account, be at least eighteen years old, and be a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA). Considered a blockchain pioneer in Germany, Börse Stuttgart created a scientific advisory board for blockchain technology and tokenization in 2019.

Stuttgart Stock Exchange and Startbase

Also in September 2019, the exchange announced the launch of an online start-up platform called Startbase, with the goal of unlocking Germany's startups to the rest of the world. Startbase is a way to search and find the entire German startup ecosystem. Offered as a partnership with the German Startups Association (located in Berlin), it is the first digital, English-speaking online platform for startups in Germany.

For a stock exchange, one of the core goals is to support young companies that are trying to raise capital, especially when they are just starting out with their initial public offering (IPO). Startbase is an additional way to invest in the future of Germany as a leading incubator for startups. In addition, investors can create a profile on Startbase and get in touch with startups.