The political grandstanding that has taken place on both sides of the Atlantic since the NYSE Euronext-Deutsche Börse merger was announced confirms the pivotal and psychological roles that exchanges play in financial markets. So it is indicative of the momentum building behind social finance – which can be broadly defined as investment in schemes that deliver both financial returns and positive social outcomes – that the sector is about to get its own exchange.

The Social Stock Exchange, which is preparing for launch in the UK, will allow investors to trade exclusively in companies with social and environmental goals. The venture will provide a new stream of funding to social finance initiatives, which have existed for at least a decade but have recently been thrust into the spotlight by the UK coalition government's vision for a "big society".