- Chinese Name: 臺灣股票博物館
- Year of Establishment: 2012
- Located At: Taipei (Northern Taiwan)
- Did You Know That… ?
- Taiwan became the world's 13th economy to achieve full securities dematerialization on July 29, 2011. With the implementation of paperless stock trading, the Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation decided to transform its original securities vault into the first stock museum in Taiwan's history. The establishment now showcases an intriguing mix of precious historic relics and products from top-selling securities, complete with knowledgeable tour guides.
- English Address:
- 3F, No. 365 Fuxing North Road, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Contact Number: +886-2-2514-1300
- Opening Hours:Advanced booking required
- Website:http://www.stockmuseum.com.tw(Chinese only)
Popularization of financial information
Designed to educate people about Taiwan's securities history through documents and information related to the development of Taiwan's securities markets, the Taiwan Stock Museum is the brainchild of the Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation (TDCC), the agency entrusted with the nation's first-issued paper securities.
The museum is divided into five major exhibition halls: 'Introduction' highlights all the aspects of a securities market; 'Inception' introduces the first paper stock certificates in Taiwan, China and the world; 'Continuation' illustrates the most influential and far-reaching securities issued, as well as the economic growth and stock market development in Taiwan; 'Transformation' presents the evolution of the stock markets through an interactive theater; and 'Incorporation' gives an integrated introduction to the TDCC and the future trend of paperless securities.
The exhibition halls not only display valuable collections and documentary records, they also provide guided tours to introduce stock markets, helping people understand how stock markets operate through multi-faceted presentations and interactive games.
The history of Taiwan stock markets
The world's first paper stock certificates appeared during the Age of Discovery from the 16th to 17th century when overseas trading brought not only high profits, but also great risks, to the Netherlands' prosperous shipping industry. Thus an urgent need for risk diversification emerged. In 1606, the East India Company, which specialized in trade between the Netherlands and Asia, became the first company to issue securities with the primary purpose of raising the necessary capital through the issue of shares.
In 1953, the government of Taiwan implemented the 'Land-to-the-Tiller Policy' in order to bridge the wide gap between rich and poor in the country. The government appropriated land owned by landowners and sold them to tenants to grow their own crops. And land bonds and stock shares issued by major public enterprises, including Taiwan Cement, Taiwan Pulp & Paper Corporation, Taiwan Industry Development Corporation, and Taiwan Tea Corporation, were used to compensate landowners. This was the most significant securities trading in the history of Taiwan securities market; however, these securities transactions were all deemed private trading, resulting in many disputes and problems between buyers and sellers.
Visitors to the museum will learn about the difficulties and inefficiency of manual record-keeping, as the high volume of trade made it easy to make mistakes. After referencing Western models, the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation was formally established in 1962 to provide a fair, open, and impartial marketplace to effectively regulate securities transactions. Taiwan's stock market started to grow even faster after adopting computerized methods for stock trading in 1985.
Best-selling products
The stock market and economic development in Taiwan are closely related. The museum displays canned pineapples, textiles, Tatung rice cookers, bicycles, mobile phones, wafers, and various other products to illustrate the different periods in Taiwan's economic progress, from the earliest agricultural and industrial period to the era of exports-oriented manufacturing economy and the development of high-tech industry. Here, visitors can learn about the changes and progress in Taiwan's economic development.
The role of the TDCC
In order to solve security issues related to stock trading, the TDCC has helped Taiwan's stock market evolve toward a central depository system, providing safe and effective services to the stock market. In addition, the TDCC encourages and promotes paperless stock trading with the assistance of the government to reduce the consumption of resources and promote environmental protection. The museum has also cooperated with colleges and universities to provide internship programs for students to study and serve as tour guides in the museum and enhance their professional knowledge in the fields of economy and finance.