Previously known as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange the financial institution has recently changed its name to JSE Securities Exchange South Africa. It has also relocated from central Johannesburg to the wealthy northern suburbs municipality of Sandton. It is the only stock exchange in South Africa and by far the largest in Africa. Some of the better known shares traded on the JSE over the years include that of Anglo American, De Beers and SAB-Miller (now the second largest brewer in the world).

A couple of years ago it exchanged the old manual dealing-floor model for a fully computerised system called the JET (JSE Equities Trading) System. In April 2001 the JSE and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) entered into a formal agreement, "the deal comprises the provision of core technology services by the LSE to the JSE and aims to achieve easier access to each others markets for both member firms and issuers." (LSE, 2 Apr 2001*). These days a number of South African corporates with global markets have dual listings on the JSE and LSE.

Re-admittance into the world community after the final death of Apartheid in 1994 has not only opened the world to a previously isolated South Africa, it has also opened up global markets and the opportunity to attract foreign investment. The JSE, together with other financial institutions and government, plays a vital role in providing an investor friendly environment.