Nasdaq is much more than a place to buy and sell stock. It’s also a publicly traded company, listed on its own exchange.

In addition to making money when companies list or when stocks trade, Nasdaq president Adena Friedman says the company also sells information and software. It’s also grown by merging with or acquiring outside companies. Exchanges need to diversify because of increased competition from other platforms, says Rutgers’s Dan Weaver. Additionally, Georgetown University’s James Angel says trading volume is largely out of the exchanges’ control, which has also prompted many exchanges to create new products and services.