The Dutch East India Company was the world's first multinational corporation and the first company to issue stock. Their coins, or duits are also known as New York's First Cent as the Dutch originally settled New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherlands.The Dutch East India Company, often referred to as the VOC, the acronym of the company's name in Dutch, was established by the States-General of the Netherlands in 1602. It is considered the first multinational corporation and was initiated to fulfill colonial and trade activities in Asia. Not only was the VOC company the first entity to issue stock, it also had the power to wage war, negotiate treaties, establish colonies and mint coins. Due to a shortage of currency in the 18th century, the VOC duit, copper coin, was minted from 1726-94.
