On February 1, the parent company of the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) said that the exchange has submitted an application to operate as a national stock exchange in the United States, with the 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 called the "high cost of listing and maintaining a listed status". The exchange also said it has raised $161 million from more than 48 investors, including corporate giants such as BlackRock, Castle Securities and Charles Schwab, as well as major U.S. market makers and trading institutions such as Jump Trading. (Reuters)