On February 1, the parent company of the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) stated that the exchange had submitted application documents to operate as a national stock exchange in the United States, with a goal of launching in 2026. The exchange said it hopes to reverse the continued decline in the number of listed companies in the United States and solve what it calls "the excessive cost of listing and maintaining a listed status." The exchange also said that it has raised US$161 million from more than 48 investors, including corporate giants such as BlackRock, Castle Securities, and Schwab, as well as major U.S. market makers and trading institutions such as Jump Trading. (Reuters)