Sports stock exchange INDEX expands into Canada, Sweden

Move over NASDAQ, the world of stock trading has taken a turn.

Instead of just owning a piece of a company, it’s now possible to own a piece of a soccer player, kind of. INDEX is a stock market that allows for speculation on the performance of soccer players. Similar to the way a commodity exchange works, INDEX allows participants to buy and sell money shares of more than 2,000 football players. The list includes some of the including some of the top players in the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europe League.

The company already offers trading to users based in the UK with over 100,000 subscribers. It is now moving into Sweden and Canada, part of the companies plan to eventually offer its platform to traders across the globe. It decided on the two countries due in large part to the popularity of soccer, and because both countries have a high population of English speakers.

The expansion will give additional liquidity to INDEX’s market, and will allow its clients to have a broader portfolio with more possibilities to generate profits. Adam Cole, founder and CEO of INDEX, spoke about the expansion, saying, “We have selected Sweden and Canada as the first step in our international expansion strategy because both nations have strong sporting heritage and English is widely spoken. This latest development is not only great news for Swedish and Canadian football/trading fans but will also be a significant boost for our UK football traders.”