Nasdaq Texas celebrated its full launch Thursday in San Antonio, ringing its closing bell at a televised ceremony outside the Alamo.
It’s the third major stock exchange to start operations in the Lone Star State after the Texas Stock Exchange gained federal approval and the New York Stock Exchange launched NYSE Texas last year.
Nasdaq welcomed Gov. Greg Abbott, a host of CEOs and dozens of onlookers, who emphasized the importance of Texas’ pro-business environment in front of a bank of television screens and cameras beneath the famous Alamo facade.
At 3 p.m., the assembled crowd cheered, confetti flew and a handful of business leaders pressed a button, ringing in the end of the trading day for Nasdaq Texas.
Nasdaq already lists more than 200 Texas companies. Six companies signed on to have their stocks dual-listed for sale on Nasdaq’s popular, New York-based stock exchange and its new one in Texas.
APA Corporation, Firefly Aerospace and ProFrac Services are the Texas-based companies that signed up for the dual-listing. Construction Partners, Huntington Bancshares and J.B. Hunt Transportation Services also signed on and are based in Alabama, Ohio and Arkansas, respectively. Nasdaq will also list its stock on both exchanges.
J.B. Hunt Transportation, Huntington Bancshares and APA Corporation were all listed among the Fortune 500 — the 500 largest companies by revenue — this year.
“We are honored to be one of the first companies here dual-listed on the Nasdaq,” said John J. Christmann, APA Corporation’s CEO. “It’s a great thing for the state.”
That means investors can trade stocks for those companies in Nasdaq’s new Texas exchange.
Nasdaq is one of the two largest stock exchanges in the world, along with the New York Stock Exchange, and is entirely online. It’s also known for the Nasdaq Composite, an index of all the companies it lists that is used to track larger economic trends.
The two largest stock exchanges have traditionally operated out of New York, but turned their attention to Texas recently.
“It is only right that Texas be ranked number one for the capital markets that drive capitalism and the entire economic system,” Abbott said at the ceremony. “We are so proud that Nasdaq is a part of that process. We are proud that Nasdaq does business and has a location in the great state of Texas.”
“Texas stands as a powerful example of what happens when public and private sectors work together,” added Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman.
In 2025, the Texas Stock Exchange launched in Dallas, aiming to operate as a national exchange competing with those two big players. The New York Stock Exchange stood up an operation in Texas last year, as well, and now Nasdaq has joined the party.
The new Nasdaq Texas exchange will still offer investors the same tools, but can give businesses more visibility in Texas.
“Nasdaq Texas is designed for publicly traded companies that want to align with the Texas economy, operate within the state’s business-friendly governance environment, and maintain access to Nasdaq’s full suite of global capabilities, liquidity, and investor reach,” read a press release on Nasdaq’s website.
The closing bell ceremony at the Alamo also honored the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo, which took place on March 6, 1836, according to a press release from the Alamo Trust.
The closing bell ceremony typically takes place in New York, but the production moved to San Antonio on Thursday to celebrate Nasdaq Texas and the historic anniversary.
