It was established as "The Native Share & Stock Brokers' Association" in 1875. It is the first to be granted permanent recognition under the Securities Contract Regulation Act, 1956 in the country. Over the past 135 years, BSE has facilitated the growth of the Indian corporate sector by providing it with an efficient capital raising platform. Today, BSE is the world's number 1 exchange in terms of
the number of listed companies (over 5000). It is the world's 5th most active in terms of number of transactions handled through its electronic trading system, and is in the top ten global exchanges in terms of the market capitalization of its listed companies (as of December 31, 2009). The companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange Limited command a total market capitalization of USD Trillion 1.66 as of November, 2010. It is BSE’s pride that almost every leading India has sourced its services in capital raising and is listed with Bombay Stock Exchange Limited. BSE is the first exchange in India and the second in the world to obtain an ISO 9001:2000 certification. It is also the first exchange in the country and second in the world to receive Information Security Management System Standard BS 7799-2-2002 certification for its Bombay Stock Exchange On-Line Trading System (BOLT). Presently, we are ISO 27001:2005 certified, which is an ISO version of BS 7799 for Information Security. The BSE’s index, SENSEX, is India's first and most popular Stock Market benchmark index. Exchange traded funds (ETF) on SENSEX, are listed on Bombay Stock Exchange Limited and in Hong Kong
Futures and options on the index are also traded at Bombay Stock Exchange Limited. With its tradition of serving the community, Bombay Stock Exchange Limited has been undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives with a focus on Education, Health and Environment. The World Council of Corporate Governance awarded BSE the Golden Peacock Global CSR Award for its initiatives in Corporate Social Responsibility. Even in terms of an orderly growth, much before the actual legislations were enacted, BSE had formulated a comprehensive set of Rules and Regulations for the securities market. It has also laid down best practices which were adopted subsequently by 23 stock exchanges which were set up after India gained its independence. BSE, as a brand, has been and is synonymous with the capital market in India. Its index SENSEX is the benchmark equity index that reflects the health of the Indian economy.
