Worldwide equity market shares: US- 47%, Western Europe - 27%, Asia - 18%

Asian-Pacific equity markets comprise approximately 18% of total world market capitalization, with Asia-Pacific excluding Japan at just 9% of total. US markets comprise 47% of global market capitalization, with Western Europe markets taking up 27%. Since Asia/Pacific exchanges still face considerable competition from their much larger global counterparts, integration is particularly useful for smaller exchanges here to build critical mass.