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Nasdaq

“Can a legacy stock exchange transform into the dominant financial technology and regulatory infrastructure platform powering global capital markets?”

Founded1971
HQNew York, New York, USA
Latest roundPost-IPO Secondary
IndustryInfrastructure / Payments
The story

Founded in 1971 as the world's first electronic stock market, Nasdaq evolved from a pure exchange operator into a diversified financial technology and infrastructure company. The 2008 merger with OMX accelerated its transformation into a global exchange technology provider. Over the 2010s and 2020s, Nasdaq systematically acquired analytics, compliance, and regulatory technology firms, culminating in the landmark $10.5B acquisition of Adenza in 2023. Today, Nasdaq derives the majority of its revenue from technology and analytics SaaS solutions rather than transaction fees, positioning itself as infrastructure for global capital markets rather than simply a trading venue.

Last 12 months
2023-11
In the November 2023 recap →
2025-09
2025-02
In the February 2025 recap →
Product timeline
1971
Nasdaq launched as the world's first electronic stock market, operated by FINRA (then NASD).· pivot
2002
Nasdaq became an independent company, separating from NASD oversight.· pivot
2008
Nasdaq merged with OMX Group to form NASDAQ OMX, expanding into Nordic and Baltic exchanges and exchange technology.· acquisition
2015
Nasdaq acquired Dorsey, Wright & Associates and International Securities Exchange, expanding analytics and options trading.· acquisition
2021
Nasdaq completed acquisition of Verafin, a financial crime management solutions provider, for approximately $2.75B.· acquisition
2023
Nasdaq acquired Adenza (AxiomSL + Calypso Technology) for $10.5B, significantly expanding its fintech/regulatory technology portfolio.· acquisition
2024
Nasdaq divested its Nordic power trading operations and continued repositioning as a technology and analytics company beyond exchange operations.· pivot
Regulated entities
1
regulatory licence held by Nasdaq
Licence types, jurisdictions and registered entities are in the Embedded Finance Index report.
The stack
0 layers disclosed in Nasdaq’s embedded-finance stack
Accounting gap: none

Nasdaq — frequently asked

Where is Nasdaq headquartered?

Nasdaq is founded in 1971 and headquartered in New York, New York, USA.

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