SIX Swiss Exchange: Pioneer For More Than 20 Years

SIX Swiss Exchange was the first exchange to switch from floor trading to electronic trading, and became a pioneer because of the Swiss Value Chain.

On 16 August 1996, exactly 20 years ago, the last trading pit at SIX Swiss Exchange was closed. Since then, trading, clearing and settlement have been conducted with a single mouse click. The launch of a fully electronic trading system catapulted the Swiss Exchange to the cutting-edge and helped it assume a clear role as leader.

Start of a new era for the Swiss financial center

The trading changeover started in 1995. At the mid-point of 1995, the three floor-based stock exchanges in Geneva, Basel and Zurich merged to form SIX Swiss Exchange (then called SWX). On 8 December of the same year marked the start of the replacement of floor trading with electronic trading. After three-and-a-half years of project work, electronic trading started initially with the segement of foreign shares. Based on the success and the experience of the first migration stage, Swiss shares and options were subsequently switched over on 2 August 1996, and finally bonds on 16 August 1996.