The first to start a joint stock company to trade with India were:

Explanation

The Dutch East India Company (VOC), established in 1602, was the first formal, state-backed joint-stock company created specifically to trade with India and Asia. It pooled capital from a large number of investors and functioned as a permanent joint-stock enterprise, unlike earlier models.

The VOC also pioneered the world’s first organized stock market in Amsterdam, allowing shares to be freely traded. Although the English East India Company (EIC) was chartered earlier in 1600, it initially raised capital on a voyage-wise basis rather than as a continuous joint stock. Therefore, while the English were early entrants, the Dutch VOC deserves precedence as the first true joint-stock company for Asian trade.