The original program format began with the three anchors, Christine Tan from Asia, Ross Westgate from Europe, and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera from the United States, respectively, along with the headlines from each continent.

A round-up of trading in Europe and Asia followed (normally including a look at the FTSE CNBC Global 300 Index, which was launched on the show on 2006-09-18), along with a look at US stock futures.

Breaking news on European economic data was frequently covered 30 minutes into the show, and was followed by instant analysis with a guest.

The remainder of the original program format consisted largely of a mix of business headlines (which were then repeated in the second hour), interviews with guests, and issue-specific dispatches from CNBC reporters.

Two regular segments which appeared towards the end of the broadcast were a preview of Squawk Box, (which immediately follows Worldwide Exchange in the US and Asia), and the "US Lookahead."

Also, the Asian leg of Worldwide Exchange was no longer featured after :10 past the second hour, to which the show was broadcast only from Europe and the United States from that point forward.

Beginning on January 4, 2016, Worldwide Exchange is produced and presented from the United States and now primarily acts as an early morning show for the American audience rather than as a global business programme.

On March 12, 2018, Brian Sullivan (former co-anchor of Power Lunch), replaced Wilfred Frost and Sara Eisen as anchor of Worldwide Exchange.

The programme's previous graphics package, which included a new intertitle and a new voiceover introduction (but retaining the lower thirds from 28 July 2009 to 26 February 2010), debuted 14 December 2009.

Worldwide Exchange launched new titles - including the programme's new logo (which replaced variations of the original that were used since its 19 December 2005 debut) - as well as new theme music (which is the same as CNBC US' Options Action) and a new graphic style based on the US network's version on 9 March 2015.

CNBC Europe itself (which originally produced Worldwide Exchange as previously mentioned) debuted the new graphics for this and all of that network's other programmes on the same day.

The graphics were changed slightly on January 4, 2016, when CNBC US took over production, coinciding with the show's relocation to the network's Global Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

That practice was discontinued as a result of the aforementioned format change on May 14, 2012, the exceptions are for Easter and Boxing Day, when the London studios are closed for the holiday, correspondents from the US team presented the program and was produced by CNBC US.