Six companies graduated from the AIM to the London Stock Exchange (LSE) main market in 2025, the highest number since 2016, according to the law firm Pinsent Masons.
This is more than triple the number of AIM companies moved to the main market in 2024, and beats the previous high of four companies in 2022.
These include investment service Brooks MacDonald, which moved to the main market after 10 years on AIM in March 2025. More companies are on the way, such as the drinks brewery Youngs, who recently announced its intention to move to the main market.
See also: Brooks Macdonald seeks LSE main market listing
Nicholas Holmes, partner and head of equity capital markets at Pinsent Masons, said: “The increase in transfers is an early vindication of the FCA’s recent listing reforms and shows that companies are beginning to respond.”
These reforms included: simpler listing structure, fewer shareholder approval requirements for transactions, greater flexibility for founders, simpler eligibility criteria and faster raising of capital.
“The main market has always carried greater prestige,” he continued. “What has changed is that recent reforms have reduced some of the regulatory burdens associated with listing, making a move from AIM a more straightforward exercise for many companies.”
Moving to the main market will also allow companies to be included in higher-profile FTSE indexes, meaning many index tracking funds will have to invest in them, the Pinsent Mason team noted.
See also: UK small-cap investment trust considers listing on main market
