Following a record year for IT company initial public offerings, research indicates that tech IPOs in the UK raised £6.6 billion, more than twice the £3.1 billion raised in 2020, according to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) statistics. With 126 businesses listed in the UK in 2021, tech companies accounted for 29% of LSE listings, reflecting the UK tech industry's maturation and contributing significantly to the London market's performance.
The analysis is being released as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Digital Minister Chris Philp, and Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen speak today from No 10 Downing Street with founders and leaders of leading high-growth technology companies, including Quantexa, Bought by Many, Oxford Nanopore, and OakNorth. They are anticipated to discuss the UK's technology ecosystem's strengths and how the execution of Lord Hill's recent UK Listings Review recommendations would make London another more attractive place for technology.
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Technology Is Paving The Road
Deliveroo, Moonpig, and Trustpilot were among the landmark IPOs of UK-based startups in 2021. There were 37 technology initial public offerings in 2018 compared to only eight in 2020. Additionally, London demonstrated its worldwide competitiveness by luring businesses from Denmark (Trustpilot), Canada (AlphawaveIP), and the United States (Trustpilot) (Devolver Digital)
Fintech has been an important sector of UK technology over the last five years, with the nation home to around 4,000 fintech startups that have challenged conventional financial services, according to Dealroom. As a result, this will be one of the most active categories of technology businesses listing in 2021, with a total of seven fintech companies, including LendInvest, PensionBee, and Wise.
Another significant category was eCommerce businesses, demonstrating the growing tendency toward online buying, which surged significantly during the epidemic. In 2021, London will feature a total of ten eCommerce enterprises. This featured consumer commerce startups such as Moonpig, Made.com, and InTheStyle and business-to-business (B2B) enterprises such as CMOstores.com, which caters to the construction industry.
Increased Desire To List
Lord Hill's UK Listings Review, published in March 2021, was a watershed moment in promoting creative and technology-driven businesses to locate in London. It underlined the UK Government's desire for the UK Capital Markets to be a worldwide destination for innovative companies seeking funding. Proposals to alter dual-class share structures, free float rules, and other critical features for founder-led enterprises have been swiftly adopted and implemented by the government and Financial Conduct Authority, resulting in a spike of technology listings last year.
The listing rule revisions also resulted in developing the UK's SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) system, with investment firm Hambro Perks announcing in November that it will establish London's first SPAC under the new regulations.
Following the UK's previous success in the technology industry, 2022 now has the potential to be another record-breaking year, with the maturity of the UK's tech sector signalling a solid pipeline of firms poised to enter the market. According to the most recent data from Dealroom, the UK now has 116 unicorns - technology companies valued at $1 billion or more - and 213 future corns - high-growth technology companies expected to reach the coveted $1 billion valuations in the future, indicating a healthy pipeline of upcoming listings.
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