The Nairobi Stock Exchange, now the Nairobi Securities Exchange, was founded in 1954 during the colonial era but came into its own after independence. By the 1970s it was becoming an important vehicle for Kenyan economic development, allowing companies to raise capital from the public and giving Kenyans an opportunity to invest in the formal economy. The NSE has since grown to include over 60 listed companies and is one of the most significant financial exchanges in sub-Saharan Africa. It is where the ambition and the anxiety of Kenya's economic story are traded daily.