By Jonathan Prynn
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The City’s junior stock market AIM raised more money and had more fundraising deals than its five nearest European peers combined, despite the tough market globally for initial public offerings (IPOs) according to new figures.
AIM raised £2.1 billion for the year to the end of August, through IPOs and secondary fundraisings, more than double the previous 12 months, according to figures from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young.
AIM’s closest competitor, the First North Stockholm, only raised £484.2 million from flotations and secondary fundraisings.
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, while the Frankfurt Stock Exchange’s Scale market saw companies raise £178 million, of which 90% came from one flotation.
Euronext Growth Milan raised £168.7 million from 21 deals, while First North Finland saw 7 deals that generated £152.2 million for companies.
The London junior market is enjoying its best year so far since 2021, when £6.6 billion was generated from 257 deals between January and August. Of those, 217 were follow-ons, which raised £4.6 billion.
UHY Hacker Young chairman Colin Wright 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.
“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 £1.2 billion secondary raising in June by Rosebank Industries. The biggest flotation was MHA, which listed on AIM in a deal valued at £98m.
However IPO activity in London remains depressed with London slipping out of the world’s top 20 markets as the third quarter of 2025 ends, overtaken by Singapore and Mexico
London fell three places to 23rd in a Bloomberg ranking of the world’s busiest IPO destinations, placing it behind Oman. Volume in 2025 dropped 69 per cent to its lowest level in more than 35 years.
