One of Asia's largest exchanges with 1,799 companies traded as of 2011 from an original 12 companies when it first opened for trading in 1956. An influx of investment capital has been seen after 2000 when the exchange eliminated the regulatory ceiling on foreign ownership of ordinary companies, and increased the percentage of foreign ownership in publicly held companies from 8% to 40%. This is the sole stock exchange operating in South Korea, headquartered in Busan with offices in Seoul. Also called the Korea Exchange, it was created from the merger of the Korea Stock Exchange, the Korea Futures Exchange, and the KOSDAQ Stock Market brought about by the Korea Stock and Futures Exchange Act.