Stocktake: Long-Term Stock Exchange seeks ‘patient capital’

Too early to say if stock exchange will take off but potential for growth is there

The $67 billion software giant Twilio has decided to join the Long-Term Stock Exchange next month. Photograph: Getty Images
The $67 billion software giant Twilio has decided to join the Long-Term Stock Exchange next month. Photograph: Getty Images

The increased popularity of sustainable investing is reflected in the recent decision by two technology companies – $67 billion (€56 billion) software giant Twilio and $11 billion (€9 billion) work management platform Asana – to join the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) next month.

The two companies are the first to list on the LTSE, which aims to prioritise long-term actions and to “unite innovative companies with patient capital”.

Warnings regarding corporate short-termism have grown common in recent years, with figures such as Warren Buffett and JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon calling for the scrapping of quarterly earnings guidance. Similarly, there is now almost $2 trillion (€1.7 trillion) invested globally in ESG (environmental, social and governance) funds.

It is too early to say if the LTSE will take off, but the potential for growth is there.