Canadian Securities Exchange
A Canadian regulated stock exchange focused on emerging and growth-stage public companies and their investors.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Canadian Securities Exchange, commonly known as the CSE, is a Canadian stock exchange operated by CNSX Inc. It provides a regulated marketplace for the listing and trading of securities issued by public companies, with a particular focus on emerging, smaller and growth-stage businesses. The exchange is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and maintains a branch office in Vancouver, British Columbia. The marketplace was formerly known as the Canadian National Stock Exchange, or CNSX. In 2004, the Ontario Securities Commission recognized it as a stock exchange. This made it the first exchange approved in Ontario in approximately 70 years, giving Canadian issuers an additional regulated venue beyond the country's larger established markets. The exchange's development was closely associated with the need for a more accessible and flexible public-market platform for smaller issuers and their investors. The CSE's listed securities include companies at different stages of development, particularly businesses seeking access to public capital while remaining outside the scale and profile of the largest Canadian issuers. Its exchange services are centered on listing, disclosure and secondary-market trading rather than on consumer products. The CSE therefore functions as both a market infrastructure provider and a public-company access platform: issuers seek admission and ongoing trading, while investors use the market to buy and sell eligible securities. The exchange has expanded substantially over time. The reference material describes it as listing more than 700 securities after rapid growth during the preceding five-year period. Its normal trading session runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, excluding weekends and holidays declared in advance by the exchange. In February 2015, the CSE introduced the CSE Composite Index, a market-capitalization-weighted benchmark designed to represent eligible securities listed on the exchange. The index is intended to provide a broad measure of activity in Canadian small-capitalization equities and has a risk-and-return profile distinct from the TSX/S&P Composite. Reuters and Bloomberg publish the index under the symbol CSECOMP. The CSE25 Index forms a narrower subset consisting of the 25 largest companies in the CSE Composite Index by market capitalization. The CSE is a domestic Canadian exchange rather than a globally diversified exchange group. Its operating identity is built around regulated access for smaller public companies, a broad listed-issuer base and exchange-specific market indicators. Ownership information cited for March 31, 2021 identified Urbana Corporation as holding 49.25% of CNSX Inc.'s common shares, with the remainder widely held among funds and current and former CSE employees. No current ownership or executive information is established by the supplied reference material.
History
The Canadian Securities Exchange is a Canadian stock exchange operated by CNSX Inc. Its institutional history begins with its recognition by the Ontario Securities Commission in 2004. At that point, it became the first exchange approved in Ontario in roughly 70 years, marking the creation of a new regulated venue in a province whose capital markets had long been dominated by more established exchanges. The exchange was formerly called the Canadian National Stock Exchange, commonly abbreviated as CNSX. Its rebranding as the Canadian Securities Exchange established the CSE name used today, while CNSX remained the corporate name of the operating company identified in the reference material. The exchange's intended role was to serve public companies and investors that required a regulated Canadian marketplace but were often smaller, younger or earlier in their growth than the companies typically associated with Canada's largest exchanges. Its core function is the operation of a securities marketplace. Public companies can seek listing and quotation of eligible securities, while investors and market participants can trade those securities during the exchange's regular session. The CSE's market is therefore part of the Canadian public-equity infrastructure, connecting issuers seeking public capital with investors seeking exposure to listed companies. The exchange has been particularly associated with emerging and growth-stage issuers and with the small-capitalization segment of the Canadian market. The CSE is based in Toronto, Ontario, and also maintains a Vancouver branch office. Its regular trading hours are stated as 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays, except for weekends and holidays declared by the exchange. Over the period described in the source material, the exchange experienced rapid growth and listed more than 700 securities, illustrating its expansion beyond its initial role as a newly approved alternative venue. A significant product-development milestone came in February 2015, when the CSE launched the CSE Composite Index. The index uses market capitalization weighting and includes CSE-listed securities that satisfy its eligibility requirements. It was designed as a broad indicator of activity on the exchange and as a gauge of Canadian small-capitalization equities. Its stated risk-and-return characteristics differ from those of the TSX/S&P Composite, making it a separate reference point rather than a substitute for the larger-market benchmark. Reuters and Bloomberg publish the index under the ticker CSECOMP. The CSE also maintains the CSE25 Index, a narrower index containing the 25 largest companies in the CSE Composite Index by market capitalization. Together, these benchmarks give the exchange a way to present both a broad view of its listed market and a concentrated view of its largest eligible constituents. Ownership information in the supplied reference material is historical rather than current. As of March 31, 2021, Urbana Corporation reported holding 49.25% of CNSX Inc.'s common shares. The balance was described as widely held among various funds and former and current CSE employees. The available material does not establish a current executive roster, current ownership structure, financial performance or a subsequent corporate parent. No scandals or litigation are identified in the supplied sources.
- 2015
CSE Composite Index launched
[1]The CSE introduced a market-capitalization-weighted index covering eligible CSE-listed securities and designed to represent the Canadian small-capitalization market.
- 2004
Ontario regulatory recognition
[1]The Ontario Securities Commission recognized the exchange, making it the first exchange approved in Ontario in approximately 70 years.
Products and positioning
A regulated Canadian exchange positioned as an accessible public-market venue for emerging, small-capitalization and growth-stage companies, with a broad issuer base and exchange-specific market benchmarks.
Securities exchange · 2004
CSE listing and trading market
The CSE operates a regulated Canadian marketplace where eligible public companies can list securities and where investors and other market participants can trade those securities. The market is oriented toward emerging, smaller and growth-stage issuers, providing an additional public-market venue alongside Canada's larger established exchanges.
Equity index · 2015
CSE Composite Index
Launched in February 2015, the CSE Composite Index is a market-capitalization-weighted benchmark comprising CSE-listed securities that meet the index's eligibility requirements. It is intended to measure broad activity among CSE constituents and to provide a reference for the Canadian small-capitalization market. Reuters and Bloomberg publish it under the symbol CSECOMP.
Equity index
CSE25 Index
The CSE25 Index is a subset of the CSE Composite Index. It contains the 25 largest eligible index companies by market capitalization and provides a more concentrated indicator of the exchange's largest constituents.
Brand decisions
2015
Creation of the CSE Composite IndexProduct launchBackground
The exchange needed a broad benchmark capable of representing eligible securities listed on its marketplace and of characterizing activity in the Canadian small-capitalization segment.
Action taken
The CSE launched a market-capitalization-weighted composite index and made it available as an exchange-specific market indicator.
Aftermath
The index became a published reference for CSE-listed securities, with Reuters and Bloomberg distributing it under the symbol CSECOMP. The CSE25 Index provides a narrower measure of the 25 largest constituents.
Recent events
Li-Metal begins trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange[3]
Reported:
Li-Metal announced that its common shares began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker LIM.
Humble & Fume shares begin trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange[4]
Reported:
Humble & Fume announced that its shares began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange on June 16, 2021, under ticker symbol HMBL.
Canadian Securities Exchange and Jamaica Stock Exchange sign cooperation MOU[5]
Reported:
The Canadian Securities Exchange and Jamaica Stock Exchange signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate cooperation and information sharing between the exchanges.
Sources5 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/canadian-securities-exchange · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled