BSE is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, with over 4,100 listed companies and a total market capitalisation of Rs 419 lakh crore.
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Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), completes 150 years today--9 July 2025. The iconic journey of the BSE that began humbly under a banyan tree in 1855, is now a giant market exchange.
In its nascent stage what was not a stock market then, traders would gather under the tree in South Mumbai to buy and sell cotton. This informal trading laid the foundation for what would become Asia's first stock exchange.
As the number of traders grew over time, the Native Share and Stock Brokers' Association was formally established on July 9, 1875, which eventually became the BSE. One of BSE's key founders was Premchand Roychand, who was popularly known as the "Cotton King of Bombay".
What is an interesting detail that, the association happened three years before the Tokyo Stock Exchange was founded, making BSE the oldest stock exchange in Asia.
According to reports, the Native Share and Stock Brokers' Association initially had 318 members, and the admission fee was just one rupee.
In 1986, BSE launched India's first stock index, the Sensex, with a base of 100. Sensex crossed the 1,000 mark for the first time in 1990, 5,000 in 1999, 20,000 in 2007, and 80,000 in 2024, with highest 85K level touched in September 2025.
The land where BSE currently stands was purchased in 1928, and construction of the building began in 1930. After India's Independence, BSE received official recognition in 1957 under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA). The present BSE building -- known as the Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers -- was constructed in 1970. It was named after Phiroze Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, who served as the chairman of BSE from 1966 to 1980.
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