Traders and foreign merchants from across Europe, especially the Italian Republics of Genoa, Florence and Venice, conducted business at this venue in the late medieval period.

[5] During the 18th century, the façade of the Huis ter Beurze was rebuilt with a wide frontage of pilasters.

[citation needed] The exchange managers became famous for offering judicious financial advice to the traders and merchants who frequented the building.

This service became known as the "Beurze Purse" which is the basis of bourse, meaning an organized place of exchange.

The coat of arms of the van der Beurze family depicts three purses (Flemish: buerzen, Greek: birsa, Latin: bursa) and thereby gave both the family its name and gave rise to the word 'bourse'[6][note 1]