Which company, founded in 1602, is considered the first to issue shares of stock to the public?

The Dutch East India Company was the first company widely credited with issuing publicly tradable shares, beginning in 1602.

Known by its Dutch initials, VOC, the company was established on 20 March 1602 when the States General of the Netherlands merged several competing trading ventures. Its purpose was to consolidate Dutch commerce in Asia, especially the lucrative spice trade, while reducing destructive competition among Dutch merchants.

Investors could buy shares in the VOC, and those shares could be transferred and traded in secondary markets, including Amsterdam. This made it possible for investors to participate in a large, risky enterprise without personally joining a voyage, while allowing the company to raise capital for long-term operations.

The English East India Company received its charter in 1600 and was an earlier joint-stock enterprise, so it is sometimes confused with the VOC. The key distinction is that the VOC is commonly credited with creating the first widely transferable public shares and an enduring public trading market. It also possessed unusual powers, including making treaties, waging war and establishing colonies.