In the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company was one of the first companies to issue shares to finance its colonial expeditions to the Asian continent. The decision enabled it to accumulate the capital necessary to explore new territories at a time when Europe and the world were still considered one and the same.
The democratization of investment and the diversification of risk quickly drove innovation. The year 1602 saw the creation of the world's first stock exchange in Amsterdam—and it became clear that the financial ecosystem of the time would be completely reshaped.
