AIM dominates European junior markets with £2.1bn raised in 2025, more than four times its nearest rival

Press release featured in The Standard

London’s AIM market has dominated fundraising for companies across European junior stock markets over the last year.

AIM raised more money for businesses and had more fundraising deals than its five nearest European rivals combined, despite the tough market globally for initial public offerings (see table below).

AIM raised £2.1 billion for the year to the end of August, through IPOs and secondary fundraisings. AIM’s closest competitor, the First North Stockholm, only raised £484.2m from flotations and secondary fundraisings/follow-ons.

The total amount raised by AIM in the last year from IPOs and secondary fundraisings is more than double the £889 million raised in the previous 12 months.

Euronext Growth Oslo, raised £202.1million entirely from 31 follow-ons, while the Frankfurt Stock Exchange’s Scale market saw companies raise £178m, of which 90% came from one flotation.

Euronext Growth Milan raised £168.7m from 21 deals, while First North Finland saw 7 deals that generated £152.2m for companies.

AIM raised £1.9bn from 151 secondary fundraisings/follow-ons and £128.3m from eight initial public offerings. In comparison, First North Stockholm, Euronext Growth Oslo, Frankfurt’s Scale, Euronext Growth Milan and First North Finland between them raised just £911m for companies through 138 secondaries and £274.2m from 18 flotations.

The London junior market is enjoying its best year so far since 2021, when £6.6bn was generated from 257 deals between January and August. Of those, 217 were follow-ons, which raised £4.6bn.

Colin Wright, UHY UK group chairman, said: “AIM is the clearly the most active junior market in Europe and with particularly strong support for follow-on issuances. This is likely to continue as companies look for the growth capital they need.”

He added that having experienced a period of delistings, which saw financially weaker businesses leave the market, AIM has been left with a core of higher quality, better capitalised companies, which are benefiting from improved investor confidence.

Sentiment towards AIM should also benefit from ongoing Government discussions about directing more investment into UK assets.

Wright added: “Continued demand for the technology and advanced manufacturing sectors will benefit AIM as it has a high concentration of innovative, high-growth companies in these sectors.”

The largest deal on AIM so far this year was the £1.2bn secondary held in June by Rosebank Industries, the engineering and manufacturing buyout and business turnaround group. The biggest flotation was MHA, which listed on AIM in a deal valued at £98m.