Palestine Exchange (PEX) was established in 1995 as a private company aimed at promoting investment in Palestine, the PEX held its first trading session in February 1997. In 2010, PEX transformed itself to become the second publicly traded Arab stock exchange entirely owned by the private sector. PEX operates under the supervision of the Palestinian Capital Market Authority, and provides investors with a fair, transparent and fully automated trading venue. It focuses on attracting a wide range of regional and global investors including those among the Palestinian Diaspora. The PEX is financially sound and able to weather a volatile world as demonstrated by its performance relative to other MENA exchanges during the global financial crisis. Since inception, the Palestine Exchange has leveraged the latest technology to ensure maximum transparency, integrity and investor protection. Both trading and CDS systems are NASDAQ OMX products and are tightly coupled. As of 31 October 2017, the PEX listed 48 companies with a total market capitalization of some US3.816$ bn. Listed companies are divided into five sectors: banking and financial services, insurance, investment, industry, and services. Shares and bonds trade in Jordanian dinars and US dollars. PEX is Classed as "Frontier Market" by FTSE Russell and as a stand-alone country within both MSCI and S&P indices. The Palestine Exchange maintains an international presence via membership in several key organizations. PEX is a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the Federation of Arab Stock Exchanges, the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS), the Forum of Islamic Stock Exchanges, the Africa & Middle East depositories Association (AMEDA), and the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA).
