Aquis Exchange: Best Pan-European Equities Trading Exchange 2023

Aquis Exchange pioneered the subscription-based model for multilateral trading facilities (MTFs) of pan-European shares in London and Paris. The company has three distinct business lines: Aquis Exchange, the MTF operator; Aquis Technologies, the exchange tech developer; and Aquis Stock Exchange (AQSE), the home of growth-stage companies across the UK. Aquis forges close connections with company boards prior to and post their IPO listing. Aquis Stock Exchange believes that one of the best ways to support their growth is through fair and proportionate rules that don’t put smaller companies at a disadvantage.  It is also committed to protecting growth companies from aggressive short selling by third-party players. As a fully regulated growth exchange, Aquis brings public markets together to provide companies with scale-up capital when it’s most needed. The exchange is helping companies go public earlier, at the £10-100m valuation bracket. Aquis expanded its offering from lit book to dark pool trading by acquiring the MTF business line of Swiss investment banking company, UBS. Since its launch in 2022, Aquis Matching Pool has shown remarkable success. Aquis Exchange continues to gain traction and an increasing share of the market. As of December 2022, AQSE supported 107 companies with a combined market value of £1.8bn. It also had more new entrants than its larger peer, AIM. Aquis is dual listed on its own and the AIM market. The CFI.co judging panel presents Aquis Exchange — a repeat programme winner — with the 2023 award for Best Pan-European Equities Trading Exchange.