International Media Delegation Visits BSE, Rings Historic Closing Bell
Oru Leonard
MUMBAI, INDIA — An international media delegation has visited the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Asia’s oldest stock exchange, where the journalists were given the honour of ringing the historic market-closing bell.
The symbolic ceremony marked the climax of the delegation’s familiarisation visit to the BSE headquarters in Mumbai and provided the visiting journalists with an insight into the evolution of India’s capital market.
The delegation was hosted by BSE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sundararaman Ramamurthy, who led a briefing on the history, operations and transformation of the institution.
During the briefing, Ramamurthy traced the evolution of the 151-year-old exchange from its early beginnings under a banyan tree to its emergence as a major global financial market.
The journalists were also taken through the historic trading hall, where brokers once conducted transactions through open outcry, relying on hand signals, shouted bids and face-to-face interactions before the transition to electronic trading.
According to Ramamurthy, India’s capital market has undergone significant transformation, with trading now conducted electronically and increasingly accessible through smartphones and other digital platforms.
He highlighted the growth in investor participation, modern settlement systems and the increasing application of technology to promote transparency and investor protection.
The BSE management also briefed the delegation on the exchange’s role in capital formation and economic development, as well as India’s growing participation in global derivatives and options markets.
The ringing of the closing bell provided a symbolic conclusion to the visit, allowing the international journalists to participate in one of the most recognisable traditions associated with stock exchanges worldwide.
The visit formed part of efforts to deepen international media understanding of India’s financial sector and provide journalists with firsthand exposure to the development of one of the country’s most important economic institutions.
