Initial public offerings (IPOs) are the launch of privately-held companies on the stock market, also referred to as "going public". Companies getting listed on stock exchanges allow both institutional and individual investors to purchase shares of their ownership. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the United Kingdom (UK) is among the oldest stock exchanges worldwide, and one of the
. In recent years, however, younger stock exchanges have started challenging the dominance of established ones, and Mainland China has grown to become the
IPOs on the LSE
The
London Stock Exchange is comprised of two major markets: the Main Market, and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The Main Market includes the largest companies on the exchange and
accounts for the majority of IPOs and trades. The AIM is instead the market for small- and medium-sized companies.
IPO activity on the LSE slowed down in 2019 and in 2020 but bounced back in 2021, despite concerns about Brexit and London's ability to keep attracting investors and capital. In fact, the LSE is
one of the most international stock exchanges worldwide, with many foreign companies deciding to go public in the UK.
An opportunity for growth, but not for every company
Companies can decide to plan an IPO for several reasons, the main ones being to attract investors and expand funding opportunities, to increase visibility and prestige, and to gain public trust. However,
IPOs are an expensive and lengthy process, which involves a lot of due diligence and also creates limitations to the way a company's affairs are managed, particularly when public shareholders are involved in the decision-making process. Also, it should be noted that
not all IPOs are fully successful, and
post-IPOs performances vary greatly depending on the market's development, and investors' sentiment, among other reasons.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
