Vienna Stock Exchange reports record ATX performance and urges investment reforms

The Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse) announced that the ATX index has outperformed the DAX and MSCI World over the past 25 years, delivering an annual total‑return of 9.92% versus 8.55% and 5.81% respectively. The ATX reached a new record high, driven by strong gains in Austrian banks – Raiffeisen Bank International (+35%), Bawag (+30%) and Erste Group (+9%) – and by semiconductor‑board maker AT&S, which benefits from the AI wave.

Exchange chief Christoph Boschan highlighted that 31% of Austrians now own securities and called for policy changes to broaden the investor base, including re‑introducing a tax‑free holding period for equities, promoting private pension savings, and possibly creating a state‑backed investment fund. He pointed out that foreign institutional investors, especially from the United States, dominate current holdings.

Boschan also noted the exchange’s own financial growth, with turnover rising to €84 billion, revenue to €90.1 million and profit before tax to €53.4 million. He compared Austria’s market‑capitalisation-to‑GDP ratio of 23% with higher ratios in Greece, Spain, Germany, China and Switzerland, and urged the government to remove what he calls “discrimination” against equity investment to unlock further capital‑market potential.