Elliott turns the page on London’s IPO drought with Waterstones listing plan December 18, 2025 Elliott Management is preparing a multibillion-pound flotation of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, with a listing expected next year and London edging out New York as the preferred venue. The US hedge fund has reportedly begun sounding out advisers ahead of a potential IPO, with banks likely to be appointed in early 2026. While no [...]
London Stock Exchange boss: ‘Media narrative’ behind UK’s capital markets woes December 9, 2025 The boss of the London Stock Exchange has denied there is an issue with the health of the UK’s capital markets, despite London dropping out of the top 20 IPO destinations for the first time in history this year, falling behind Oman and Mexico in the early months. Dame Julia Hoggett complained of unnecessary pessimism [...]
London has world’s second-best tech sector December 4, 2025 London boasts the second-most vibrant tech sector in the world, according to a closely-watched study which found Zurich had leapfrogged San Francisco and Singapore to top the rankings. Britain’s capital nudged up one place in Z/Yen’s Smart Centres Index into second place in the biannual study that assesses cities’ ability to create, develop and deploy [...]
Don’t overlook UK stocks in 2026 December 1, 2025 The UK stock market has long been shunned by retail investors, as the AI boom, inflation woes and gloomy economic conditions spark the search for greater returns in overseas markets, particularly the US. While this narrative has held back many investors from tapping into the UK, the London index has bounced back in 2025, with [...]
British founders dodged an exit tax – and bagged a few wins instead November 27, 2025 Startup founders went into this week’s Budget in a state of quasi-panic. Rumours of a so-called ‘exit tax’ on wealthy individuals, fuelled by weeks of speculation, sparked fears that Britain was about to hurt its own ecosystem. Far from taxing entrepreneurs on the way out, Rachel Reeves used her second Autumn Budget statement to shower [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves launches stamp duty holiday for new listings November 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has launched a three-year stamp duty holiday for new debut companies on the London market in her latest attempt to attract listing candidates. The Treasury’s new plans, announced as part of today’s Autumn Budget, will drop the 0.5 per cent rate paid by investors when purchasing shares in newly listed companies for [...]
Autumn Budget: Will the UK keep its tech talent or drive it abroad? November 25, 2025 Time is running out for Rachel Reeves to reassure the sector she has spent months courting. With tax rises looking increasingly likely in Wednesday’s Autumn Budget, the mood across UK tech has shifted to concern, reviving the warning issued earlier this month by some of Britain’s most valuable founders: change course, or risk watching high-growth [...]
AI startups lead growth despite market jitters and IPO drought November 10, 2025 AI firms have driven a 44 per cent increase in the combined value of the world’s top 100 private tech firms, even as concerns grow that the AI boom could be overheating and Britain’s startups warn of a worsening funding climate. According to new data from PwC, the total valuation of the global top 100 [...]
UK tech founders warn Reeves her Budget could derail London IPO plans November 6, 2025 Executives from some of Britain’s most valuable technology start-ups have warned Rachel Reeves that proposed tax measures in this month’s budget could force them to abandon London listing plans. According to Sky News, a letter was sent this week by companies like Revolut and Clearscore, urging the Treasury not to impose an exit tax on [...]
Deliveroo and Darktrace top UK exits amid IPO draught October 30, 2025 Deliveroo and Darktrace have been named among the UK’s most successful tech exits in the latest ‘Founders Forum UK exit 50 report’, as the country faces ongoing challenges in retaining its high-growth firms. Founders Forum’s annual list, compiled with Tech Nation and HSBC Innovation Banking, ranks the 50 UK tech companies that have navigated scale-up [...]