Nasdaq stock exchange opened from Ireland for first time

The Nasdaq stock exchange was opened from Ireland for the first time ever today by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The opening bell for the world’s leading market for tech companies, which signals the start of the day’s trading on the American stock exchange, was rung onstage at the Dublin Web Summit.

The ceremony took place in front of thousands at the RDS in Dublin, and was also displayed live on the Nasdaq MarketSite Tower, the stock exchange’s iconic digital sign in the heart of New York’s Times Square, and on the Nasdaq studio wall within MarketSite.

Speaking to The Irish Times afterwards, Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave said the opening of the Nasdaq stock exchange from Dublin was a great day for Ireland, coinciding with a lot of positive things.

“Ireland’s reputation has taken a huge battering internationally over the past five years. Hopefully this will be the start of more positive things for us, especially with Ireland exiting the bailout,” he said.

Mr Kenny said the opening bell ceremony “sends out a strong signal and shows Ireland is a global player in the tech sector.”

“Dublin and the Silicon Docks have become one of the most exciting places on the planet today for building the businesses of tomorrow and that is in no small part down to the energy, intelligence and dynamism of our people. “Ireland continues to be a global magnet for tech start-ups and I’m confident they will play a large part in shaping the future of the internet,” Mr Kenny said.

Nasdaq bell ceremonies usually take place at the market’s headquarters in New York and remote opening and closing ceremonies are rare according to the stock exchange, with just a few taking place each year.

Earlier this year the stock exchange was opened from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It was the eighth time that the Nasdaq has been opened remotely from Davos.

"We have built a longstanding relationship with Web Summit, which is a key platform for reaching the technology community in Europe and beyond," Nasdaq vice-president Bruce Aust said.