London Stock Exchange lines up near all-day trading venue
LSE 24 is set for client testing by late 2026, with exchange-traded products due first if regulators approve the plan.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
The London Stock Exchange is preparing a new trading venue that would keep dealing open through much of the night in London, as big market operators push into the around-the-clock habits already familiar to crypto and app-based traders.
The exchange said Tuesday that LSE 24 will run separately from its main market and will begin with exchange-traded products, subject to regulatory approval. Client testing is expected to be available by the end of 2026, with the first products targeted for the first half of 2027, according to the LSE.
Julia Hoggett, chief executive of London Stock Exchange Group, said the launch would give clients more room to trade outside standard market hours and support more digital, internationally connected markets.
How the new hours would work
LSE 24 is not a nonstop, no-breaks market. The venue is planned to operate from 17:00 to 07:50 London time, with a 30-minute halt between 18:30 and 19:00 so the exchange can run end-of-day processes, according to the LSE.
Regular trading on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market will continue from 08:00 to 16:30. Put together, the schedule would leave only short gaps across the trading day, while keeping the new venue separate from the flagship market.
The exchange said exchange-traded products are the first asset class because London already has a major role in the international ETP market and because investors around the world want efficient access to broad market exposure.
The LSE also said the platform will allow access to agentic AI systems to manage investments. According to the exchange, pairing longer trading hours with agentic connectivity is meant to support market participation as trading becomes more digital, automated and global.
Old exchanges chase the overnight crowd
The move comes as traditional exchanges face pressure from services that already offer investors access outside the old opening-bell rhythm. MarketWatch reported that crypto platforms such as Coinbase Global and perpetual futures venues such as Hyperliquid have helped set expectations for markets that do not sleep on a conventional schedule.
Retail trading apps have also moved in that direction. Robinhood Markets has offered 24-hour access to stocks for three years, according to MarketWatch. In the U.K., spreadbetting companies have also begun offering customers the chance to bet on U.S. stocks outside regular hours.
Major U.S. exchanges are making their own moves. The New York Stock Exchange said in October that it planned to let customers trade 22 hours a day on its electronic Arca exchange, from 1:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Nasdaq said in March that it had started discussions with U.S. regulators about offering 24-hour trading, according to MarketWatch.
For the LSE, the plan puts London into the same race: keep the traditional market structure, but stretch access toward a world where investors may want to trade from almost anywhere, at almost any hour.
This story draws on original reporting from MarketWatch.