The Vienna Stock Exchange suspended trading shortly after the market opened on Friday morning, after shares fell by around 10 per cent.

Since last Friday, shares on the blue-chip ATX index have lost 23 per cent of their value.

As falling financial stocks account for around a third of the market capitalization on the small bourse, the Vienna stock exchange has underperformed other European exchanges this week.

Trading is set to resume around midday Friday, the bourse said in a statement.