The criminal syndicate known as the Exchange thrived from approximately 4000 BBY until at least 3627 BBY. Possibly the most influential criminal enterprise of its time, the Exchange's illicit activities encompassed spice processing and smuggling, as well as extortion, arms dealing, slave trafficking, and bounty hunting. Its operations spanned numerous planets, and it employed notorious bounty hunters, including Calo Nord. During the First Jedi Purge, the Exchange offered a substantial reward for captured Jedi, a sum equivalent to the price of an entire planet. Three centuries later, during the Cold War, the Exchange became embroiled in a galaxy-wide criminal conflict with the Hutt Cartel, with Nar Shaddaa serving as a primary battleground.
The Exchange was a vastly influential criminal syndicate with operations extending across a significant portion of the Outer Rim Territories. This clandestine group was controlled by the enigmatic Compeer, and its organizational structure featured individual crime lords presiding over profitable planets. Admission into this exclusive circle required nomination by multiple existing crime lords.
The Exchange maintained organized cells on various planets of strategic significance. Each planetary cell was overseen by a single boss, responsible for managing Exchange interests on that world. These bosses reported to sector chiefs, who operated without their own cells and maintained secret identities, living ordinary lives. Even the bosses were unaware of the chiefs' true identities, as communication primarily occurred through secure, encrypted channels. The chiefs, in turn, reported to the overall leader of the Exchange, who was himself one of the sector chiefs. The Exchange often used legitimate businesses as fronts for their illegal activities, such as the Bumani Exchange Corporation on Citadel Station.
During this era, notable Exchange figures included Davik Kang, the crime lord of Taris, Loppak Slusk of Telos IV, and Goto of Nar Shaddaa. The organization had a brief but impactful involvement with Revan and the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik, during the time of the Jedi Civil War, which significantly impacted the Exchange.
In 3956 BBY, Revan successfully infiltrated the Exchange headquarters located on Taris, resulting in the death of Davik Kang. Five years afterward, Surik arrived on Nar Shaddaa, the largest moon of Nal Hutta. She proceeded to disrupt the Exchange's operations on the moon by eliminating the crime lords Saquesh and Visquis, and subsequently destroying the Visionary.
Around 3951 BBY, the Exchange boss of Nar Shaddaa went by the name Goto. Never physically present and appearing only via hologram, Goto was revealed to be a droid, G0-T0. Utilizing a hologram to project the image of a living being, G0-T0 remotely managed and directed the Exchange's activities. Eventually, he joined Meetra Surik on her travels.
G0-T0 strategically utilized the Exchange's illicit activities to further his primary objective of stabilizing the Galactic Republic. The Exchange's smuggling operations led to the deaths of individuals and the downfall of organizations deemed destabilizing, generated unofficial income for entire sectors, and bolstered Republic worlds that were otherwise impoverished and neglected. Believing the Jedi Civil War to be the root cause of the Republic's problems, he initiated bounties on both Jedi and Sith. While many bounty hunters opted to kill Jedi and Sith rather than capture them, the result was the same: a reduction in the number of Jedi and Sith fighting against each other, leading to less overall conflict. G0-T0's programming centered on maintaining order within the Republic and preserving its infrastructure, given the widespread devastation caused by the Jedi Civil War.
The droid accompanied the Exile with the intention of stabilizing the galaxy. He met his end on Malachor V when the Mass Shadow Generator was reactivated, resulting in the planet's destruction.
According to Kreia's predictions made before her death on Malachor V, the Exchange's power grew until it became intolerable to the Hutt Cartel.
The Exchange continued its operations in the subsequent years, remaining active by 3653 BBY during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the newly formed reconstituted Sith Empire. During this period, one of their crime lords sponsored Jewl'a Nightbringer's participation in the Great Hunt. By this time, the Exchange had evolved into a significant rival of the Hutt Cartel, with both organizations engaging in numerous operations against each other.
During the Cold War, the Exchange amassed a considerable fortune through investments in various cutting-edge technology corporations.
Ukabi served as the Exchange boss on Nar Shaddaa during this era. Maro Vizhen, an Imperial diplomat, attempted to recruit Ukabi into the Shadow Syndicate, a coalition of crime lords allied with the Empire. However, Ukabi declined, leading to a full-scale conflict between the Shadow Syndicate and the Exchange, which culminated in Ukabi's defeat and death at the hands of an Imperial enforcer.
The Shadow Syndicate continued to pursue the remnants of the Exchange, ultimately driving them out of the Corellian Sector.
Following the incident on Nar Shaddaa, the Sith Empire officially outlawed the Exchange and initiated a campaign to actively hunt down its members within their sphere of influence, including on planets such as Tatooine, where the Syndicate was providing support and supplies to local resistance movements against the Empire.
By 3627 BBY, the Exchange had established a presence on Mek-Sha and was involved in a conspiracy with the Hutt Cartel aimed at dismantling the Harido Wald. The Alliance Commander thwarted this plan, ensuring Mek-Sha's independence from the Hutts.