5 Most Valuable Companies In History

3. South Sea Company

Peak Market Capitalization:$4 trillion

South Sea Company was a British joint stock company founded in 1711 by an Act of Parliament. The company was designed to consolidate and control Britain’s national debt and also help Britain increase its trade in the Americas. In 1713, South Sea Company was granted a trading monopoly in the Americas.

South Sea Company benefited from a huge bubble that mainly accounted for its peak value in today’s terms. At its peak, the company was worth £200 million before the eventual bubble burst.