The achievement of the VOC by Jeronimus Becx the Younger, 1651. Arms: A Dutch man-of-war with 14 guns, on waves of the sea. Crest: An armillary-sphere surrounded by a trophy of armoury, nautical instruments and flags Supporters: Dexter Neptune and sinister Providentia. Compartment: An arrangement of exotic sea-shells. The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia. It is often considered to have been the first multinational corporation in the world and it was the first company to issue stock. Over the next two centuries the Company acquired additional ports as trading bases and safeguarded their interests by taking over surrounding territory. It remained an important trading concern and paid an 18% annual dividend for almost 200 years. Weighed down by corruption in the late 18th century, the Company went bankrupt and was formally dissolved in 1800.