The key sectors include banking and finance, retail, manufacturing, insurance, leisure, communications, conglomerate, and services and real estate.

The JSE's aim is to the facilitate growth and development of companies and the economy in Jamaica by allowing for "the mobilization, exchange and expansion of capital while providing a return on equity that is acceptable to our shareholders.

"[5] The four founding members were Willard Samms of Annett & Company Limited, Raglan S. Golding of Capital Market Services (Ja) Ltd, Edward E Gayle of Edward Gayle & Company Ltd, and Anthony Lloyd of Pitfield Mckay Ross & Co Ltd.[citation needed] The market was initially known as the "Kingston Stock Exchange".

[citation needed] On 14 October 2014, JSE became the 16th announced member of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative.

[8] On 11 December 2019, it became public knowledge that the JSE had partnered with Toronto-based FinTech Blockstation to enable the issuance of digital assets including Security Token Offerings (STOs)/Tokenized IPOs, with Trinidad-based e-commerce platform WiPay planning to be of the first to take advantage in 2020.