Other participants maintain offices and trading facilities off the exchange floor, but still remotely partake in electronic exchange trading.

The plans involve matching brokers with insurance underwriters through electronic exchanges, moving them away from trading in person, to transact instantly.

Algorithmic trading has become a growing concern for regulators across the world in recent years as ever more trading moves to electronic exchanges that have little or no human input.

Crossbar exchanges were installed from the 1970s, and electronic exchanges from 1982.

Originally designed as an information system, later versions also introduced trading functions, allowing orders to be placed on a number of electronic exchanges and with other dealing desks.