History
Meet the original fintech.
In 1969, we were upstarts with a radical idea: an electronic network for trading stocks.
It was the beginning of a revolution that helped shape the financial markets we know today. And that pioneering spirit still drives us—inspiring innovations that improve client performance, create more efficient and accessible markets, and support a system of investments that benefit people, communities, and businesses all over the world.
Highlights from over a half century of market innovation
Our story isn’t just about what we’ve achieved. It’s also about the part we’ve played in the digital transformation of global securities markets.
View the timeline
| 1969 | The Instinet Communication System, the market’s first ECN, goes live. |
| 1971 | NASDAQ launches the world’s first fully electronic stock market. |
| 1977 | Instinet introduces the first US stock quote montage, the Green Screen. |
| 1984 | NYSE SuperDOT system allows orders to be routed electronically directly to specialists. |
| 1986 | Instinet launches the first point-in-time cross in the US. |
| 1987 | Automated NYSE Small Order Execution System (SOES) is introduced. |
| 1992 | The Financial Information eXchange (FIX) real-time electronic communications protocol is introduced. |
| 1993 | Instinet OMS is among the earliest order management systems for equities. |
| 1997 | SEC Order Handling Rules remake the competitive structure of the US equity markets, boosting electronic trading and beginning the market’s tech revolution. |
| 1999 | As new trading venues fragment the US equity market, Instinet launches Helix, a pioneering smart-routing technology. |
| 2001 | IBM researchers publish a paper that shows algorithmic strategies consistently outperforming human traders. |
| 2005 | The SEC’s Regulation National Market System (Reg NMS) is implemented, driving more volume into electronic markets and spurring growth of dark pools and high-frequency trading. |
| 2006 | Instinet launches Chi-X Europe to little fanfare; within five years, it becomes the largest pan-European trading platform. |
| 2009 | Instinet’s BlockMatch dark MTF debuts, providing European traders with opportunities to execute larger sized orders at lower implicit cost and with less market impact. |
| 2012 | As global regulations impacting liquidity, risk provision, and order management increase market complexity, Instinet becomes the global execution arm of Nomura. |
| 2014 | More than 75 percent of stocks traded on US exchanges originate from automated systems. |
| 2015 | In anticipation of MiFID II unbundling rules, Instinet Europe Limited becomes the first broker to register with the FCA as a payment institution. |
| 2017 | Instinet acquires BlockCross ATS, adding another unique block trading capability to its platform. |
| 2019 | Instinet marks its 50th anniversary with "Fintech at Fifty," celebrating its role as a transformative force in the global securities markets. |
| 2020 | Nomura and Wolfe Research Announce their Strategic Alliance, allowing Instinet trading clients to access and leverage the insights of Wolfe’s industry-leading equity analysts. |
| 2022 | Instinet acquires FIS Execution Services, adding Fox River alpa-signal technology to its suite of algorithmic strategies. |
| 2022 | Building on the growing interest in conditional order types in APAC markets, Instinet’s BlockMatch dark venue model is introduced in Asia as an Alternative Trading Pool. |
| 2023 | Instinet launches conditional order management platform BlockCross in Asia, completing its global rollout. |