LSE plans near-continuous LSE 24 trading venue

The London Stock Exchange has announced plans to launch LSE 24, a new weekday trading venue designed to operate outside the regular hours of its Main Market. The platform will run from 17:00 (5:00 p.m.) to 07:50 (7:50 a.m.) London time, creating an extended trading window that spans most of the 24-hour day. The initiative is intended to provide what the exchange describes as near-continuous trading during the working week.

Within this schedule, LSE 24 will include a 30-minute end-of-day processing pause each evening between 18:30 and 19:00. This pause is designed to accommodate required operational processes while maintaining a broad overnight trading window. Outside this brief interval, the venue is planned to remain open throughout the evening, night, and early morning hours.

LSE 24 will operate as a separate venue from the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market. The existing Main Market will continue to follow its current trading hours, meaning the introduction of LSE 24 does not replace or alter the established daytime session. Instead, the new venue is structured to complement the main order book by adding an additional platform for extended-hours trading.

By running as a distinct venue, LSE 24 allows the exchange to create a tailored rule set and operational framework for trading during non-standard hours. This separation also provides scope for a phased rollout of instruments and functionalities without changing the core structure of the Main Market.

The exchange has set out a multi-stage timeline for the rollout of LSE 24. The venue is expected to be available for client testing by the end of 2026. This testing phase will allow market participants to connect to the platform, trial its functionalities, and prepare their systems and workflows for the extended-hours environment.

Following the testing period, the first live trading on LSE 24 is targeted for the first half of 2027. The exchange has specified that exchange-traded products, or ETPs, will be the initial asset class offered on the new venue. This phased approach provides a defined path from testing to production trading over the next several years.

ETPs are planned as the first tradable instruments on LSE 24 when the venue goes live, with the target launch set for H1 2027. The choice of ETPs as the initial asset class frames the early scope of the platform and provides clarity for issuers and trading firms preparing for the new hours.

Equities are referenced as a possible next step for LSE 24, though no specific timetable has been provided for such an expansion. For now, the confirmed roadmap centers on ETP trading, supported by the extended operating window and the defined nightly processing pause.