Leading figures from New York’s financial community joined Premier Paula Cox and Cabinet Secretary Donald Scott at an executive roundtable breakfast briefing hosted by the NYSE to mark the 40th anniversary of the Bermuda Stock Exchange.In his welcoming remarks, Jeff Eubank, senior vice-president of global affairs for NYSE Euronext, said he was delighted to welcome Premier Cox to the New York Stock Exchange and to join in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the BSX.He was joined by Alex Ibrahim, vice-president, Latin America, Bermuda and the Caribbean region for the NYSE.“We are very proud of our relationship with the 24 companies from Bermuda listed on the NYSE represented by insurance, tourism and financial centres and look forward to strengthening our relationship with Bermuda and its capital market,” he said.In her response, Premier Cox noted that Bermuda had maintained its position as a premier centre for international business and that the Bermuda Stock Exchange had played a crucial role in providing a positive, secure environment for domestic and international investors.“In continuing to exercise the higher standards in the conduct of its business, the BSX helps Bermuda to stand out as the domicile of choice for international business,” she said.Greg Wojciechowski, President and CEO of the Bermuda Stock Exchange, said it was fitting to be sharing a key moment in the BSX history within the NYSE. “The New York Stock Exchange is one which has been shaping not only the economic landscape of the US but also of the world,” he said.As Bermuda’s financial services and international business sectors have grown so, too, has the BSX. Since its inception in 1971, the BSX has grown to become the world’s largest offshore, fully electronic securities exchange, offering a wide range of listing and trading opportunities for both international and domestic customers.Today, in keeping abreast of an ever changing market, it caters to a client list which includes sophisticated institutional investors many of whom are involved in complex niche products including insurance, securitization and derivative warrants.“We live in difficult and challenging times yet, despite the challenges that global stock exchanges face today, one simply fact remains, stock exchanges are the places where the world’s savers and users of capital meet in a secure and regulated fashion,” Mr Wojciechowski said.