Starting with ten companies and a combined market capitalisation of £82.2 million, AIM is now home to 1222 companies with a total valuation of £35.8 billion. The international profile of AIM has increased significantly in recent years: there are now a total of 148 overseas companies quoted on the market, a figure that has more than doubled in the past 12 months.
Commenting on the anniversary of AIM, Martin Graham, the Exchange’s Director of Market Services and Head of AIM, said:
“We are delighted to celebrate AIM’s tenth birthday. In recent years AIM has truly come of age, emerging as a mainstream asset class and acting as a highly successful capital raising venue for smaller companies from around the world. AIM is an integral part of the London Stock Exchange’s equity market offering and we are committed to its future development, to ensure that its next decade is as successful as its first.”
In terms of new admissions and the amount of money raised on AIM, 2004 was the best year since the market’s launch, with 355 companies joining the market and £4.65 billion raised in new and further issues.
In the first five months of 2005, a total of 216 companies have joined AIM and a total of £2.25 billion has been raised by companies in new and further issues.