Banking on further globalization, Asian Internet stockbroker Boom on Wednesday launched an online trading account that allows Internet users to buy and sell shares in ten countries across the region.

Boom, a company backed by two major regional banks, will offer Internet users access to shares traded in 12 stock exchanges in 10 Asia-Pacific nations, as well as to three U.S. stock markets. The company says all markets can be accessed through one Internet trading account. Customers must reside in Asia, although Boom says it will accept qualified U.S. or European investors. Previous to online share trading, international trading was quite an expensive investment for the average person. The Internet, and the expansion of online share-trading operations internationally, is beginning to change that. The Boom service opens up the following stock markets: Australia's ASX; China's Shenzhen and Shanghai exchanges; Hong Kong's HKEx; the JSX in Indonesia, all exchanges in Japan; Korea's KSE; the PSE of the Philippines, Singapore's SGX; Taiwan's TSE; Thailand's SET; and the NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX exchanges in the U.S. The company said it also plans to bring the London Stock Exchange to its network soon. Hong Kong-based Boom is backed by the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), one of Australia's biggest banks, the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), the Hong Kong Eu Family, Silicon Valley pioneer Bill Hambrecht of online investment bank WR Hambrecht, and U.S. venture capital firm JF Shea Ventures.