The collection consists of approximately 6,000 bound volumes (1,000 linear meters). It is unique in its temporal and geographical scope, its exhaustive nature (often covering both the official and informal markets), and its state of preservation. If it were assembled today, an extraordinary effort in terms of rights acquisition and data collection would be required, and the result would not be as comprehensive, as the documentation has been lost in several countries. 

When they exist, collections of this type are limited to a single financial centre. By comparison, the Geneva Graduate Institute’s collection collection covers a global range of markets, some large, others small, some central to global capitalism (such as London), and others more peripheral in the Global South, such as Algiers, Istanbul, or, in the Global East, Shanghai. From this perspective, it can be said that it reflects the birth and development of financial capital across the entire planet during the entire period known as the second era of imperialism — from its beginnings to its end — which gives it inestimable cultural heritage value. It  also has considerable use value due to the period covered, which allows for the tracking of developments over the long term, and its multimarket nature, which allows for cross-referencing and, in particular, for tracking an important element of financial capitalism, which is the listing of companies on several markets (“cross-listing”). CDHM Axis 4 is in the initial stages of launching this project initiative, which holds great promise for understanding financial markets, not only in the academic world, but also among international finance stakeholders, both private and public.