MESDAQ

MESDAQ, short for Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing and Automated Quotation, was a Malaysian securities market associated with Bursa Malaysia. It was established as a market intended to facilitate the listing and trading of technology-oriented and other high-growth companies. MESDAQ was launched on 6 October 1997, at a time when technology businesses and emerging companies were receiving increasing attention from investors and capital markets. Unlike a conventional brand selling consumer goods or services, MESDAQ functioned as a market identity and listing platform. Its role was to provide an organized quotation and trading venue for companies that were often younger, more growth-oriented, or more technology-focused than the companies traditionally represented on Malaysia's principal market. The market therefore formed part of the infrastructure through which Malaysian technology and innovation businesses could seek public funding and investor visibility. Companies associated with the early MESDAQ market included Viztel, Greenpacket, and JobStreet, among others. These listings helped give the market a recognizable association with Malaysian technology and internet-related businesses. The presence of such companies also reflected the market's intended role in broadening access to public capital for enterprises operating in newer sectors. MESDAQ was not a standalone stock exchange in the same sense as a national exchange operator. It was a market within Malaysia's wider exchange structure and was connected with Bursa Malaysia. Over time, the market's structure and identity changed. MESDAQ was subsequently transformed into, or replaced by, the ACE Market, which became Bursa Malaysia's alternative market for companies seeking listing and growth capital. As a result, MESDAQ is now a historical market designation rather than an active securities venue. The available reference material provides limited detail about MESDAQ's internal administration, financial performance, individual executives, and the precise timetable of its conversion into the ACE Market. Its principal historical significance lies in its role as an early Malaysian public-market platform for technology-based and emerging companies, and in its contribution to the development of a specialized alternative market within Bursa Malaysia.

MESDAQ was created as a Malaysian securities market focused principally on technology-based companies and other businesses with growth potential. Its full name, Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing and Automated Quotation, described both its national scope and its intended function as an organized quotation and dealing venue. The market was launched on 6 October 1997. Its creation reflected the development of a more differentiated Malaysian capital-market structure. Technology and internet-related companies often had different growth profiles from established industrial, plantation, financial, or consumer businesses. A specialized market could provide these companies with a route to public listing while giving investors a defined segment through which to assess and trade emerging-sector businesses. MESDAQ's early listings included Viztel, Greenpacket, and JobStreet, together with other companies. These examples gave the market a strong association with Malaysia's developing technology sector. JobStreet represented the internet and online recruitment economy, while Greenpacket and Viztel were connected with communications and technology-oriented activities. The market's early constituents therefore illustrated its intended emphasis on businesses operating in newer or more rapidly changing industries. MESDAQ operated as part of Malaysia's broader exchange framework and was associated with Bursa Malaysia. It was a market platform rather than an independently listed corporation, so its historical development is best understood through the evolution of Malaysia's exchange and listing arrangements rather than through corporate ownership changes or consumer-brand activity. The MESDAQ identity did not remain permanent. The market was subsequently changed into the ACE Market, which became Bursa Malaysia's alternative market for companies seeking access to public capital. This transition replaced MESDAQ as the relevant market designation and made MESDAQ a historical predecessor within Malaysia's capital-market system. The reference material does not establish the exact year of the transition or provide a detailed account of the regulatory and operational steps involved. MESDAQ's lasting significance is therefore institutional. It provided an early dedicated public-market home for Malaysian technology-based and emerging companies and helped establish the precedent for a specialized alternative market within Bursa Malaysia. Its history also reflects the changing organization of Malaysia's capital markets as technology businesses became more prominent and exchange operators refined their market segments.

• 1997

  MESDAQ launches

  [1]MESDAQen.wikipedia.org

  The Malaysian Exchange of Securities Dealing and Automated Quotation was launched on 6 October 1997 as a market focused largely on technology-based companies.

• MESDAQ is replaced by the ACE Market

  [1]MESDAQen.wikipedia.org

  MESDAQ was subsequently changed into the ACE Market within Bursa Malaysia, ending its use as the active market designation.

A specialized Malaysian public market for technology-based and other growth-oriented companies.

• Capital-market platform · 1997

  MESDAQ listing market

  The core MESDAQ offering was a public listing and quotation venue for technology-based and other growth-oriented Malaysian companies. It enabled eligible businesses to seek public investment and gave investors a dedicated market segment for trading securities issued by emerging companies.

• Securities trading · 1997

  MESDAQ trading and quotation services

  MESDAQ provided the dealing, quotation, and secondary-trading functions associated with a specialized securities market. These services supported the ongoing trading of securities admitted to the market and formed part of Malaysia's wider exchange infrastructure.

• Transition from MESDAQ to the ACE MarketStrategy

  Background

  MESDAQ had served as a specialized Malaysian market, particularly for technology-based companies. The market was later reorganized under the ACE Market identity within Bursa Malaysia.

  Action taken

  The MESDAQ market was changed into the ACE Market, replacing the earlier market designation.

  Aftermath

  MESDAQ ceased to operate as the active market identity, while the ACE Market continued the role of an alternative market for companies seeking public-market access.

  Source

• 1997

  MESDAQ launched as a Malaysian technology-oriented securities market[1]MESDAQen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  MESDAQ was launched on 6 October 1997 as a Malaysian market intended largely for technology-based companies.

• MESDAQ subsequently became the ACE Market[1]MESDAQen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The MESDAQ market was later changed into the ACE Market within Bursa Malaysia, ending MESDAQ's role as the market's active identity.

1. 1MESDAQen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mesdaq: What now?zdnet.com
3. 3What's Went Wrong With MESDAQ Market?researchgate.net