Vienna Stock Exchange Celebrates Double Success: ATX Reaches All-Time High and CEO Contract Extended
The Vienna Stock Exchange is experiencing a historic day: after 18 years, the Austrian benchmark index ATX reached a new record high at closing on Wednesday. At the same time, the Supervisory Board announced the extension of CEO Christoph Boschan's contract for another five years.
Christoph Boschan has been CEO of the Vienna and Prague Stock Exchange Group since 2016. Before joining the Vienna Stock Exchange, he was Joint CEO of the Stuttgart Stock Exchange and a member of the Executive Board of Euwax, among other positions. / Picture: © © Wiener Börse/Daniel Hinterramskogler
The Austrian Traded Index (ATX), which tracks Austria's 20 largest listed companies, closed today at 5,000.70 points, up 1.06 percent. This closing surpassed the previous record from July 9, 2007 (4,981.87 points), though it narrowly missed the intraday high of 5,010.93 points set that same year.
The ATX's performance in the current stock market year 2025 is remarkable: the index has grown strongly by over 36 percent. Over five years, it has risen by 93 percent, and over ten years by as much as 102 percent.
Drivers of the surge
The recent price surge was fueled by positive European investor sentiment and another strong trend on Wall Street. Another key international factor is the hope that the war in Ukraine will come to an end.
In previous months, the ATX had already benefited from renewed interest in European equities among international investors, robust growth prospects in Eastern Europe, and positive sector trends in heavily weighted industries. Experts cite the close economic ties with Eastern Europe as a particularly important driver. This has benefited the financial sector (banks and insurance companies) in particular, which has a high weighting in the ATX.
Additional news supported the market: Vienna Airport announced the previous evening that, following a thorough analysis, it would not be pursuing the project for a third runway in Schwechat. The airport's share price rose sharply.
CEO Christoph Boschan confirmed for a third term
It was also announced that the Supervisory Board of Wiener Börse AG had extended the contract of CEO Christoph Boschan for another five years. Born in Berlin, Boschan is thus entering his third term at the helm of the stock exchange group, which includes the Austrian national stock exchange, the Prague Stock Exchange, and holdings in energy exchanges.
Boschan, born in 1978 and CEO since 2017, has led the stock exchange group to operational excellence and strategically astute development, according to Supervisory Board Chairman Heimo Scheuch. The top management team thus remains unchanged with Christoph Boschan (Chief Executive Officer), Andrea Herrmann (Chief Financial Officer), and Petr Koblic (Executive Board Member for Investments).
Heimo Scheuch emphasized: “Under the chairmanship of Christoph Boschan, the Vienna Stock Exchange ... has strategically and successfully developed the stock exchange group's course with great economic success. At the same time, it makes a decisive contribution to an efficient and internationally competitive financial market.”
Boschan is considered an experienced expert in stock exchange matters. He began his career in 1999 as a securities trader at Tradegate. Before joining the Vienna Stock Exchange, he was, among other things, a member of the Executive Board of EUWAX AG and Managing Director of Börse Stuttgart Holding.
The dual success of a historic record high and a confirmed leading position underscores the current strength and strategic orientation of the Vienna Stock Exchange as the central financial market infrastructure in the region.