London IPO fundraising hits a three-decade low in another blow to the UK capital

IPO fundraising in the U

Market fell to at least a 30-year low in the first half of this year, according to data from Dealogic

However, market watchers told CNBC there is scope for the landscape to imve in London

City of London skyline with 20 Fenchurch Street, affectionately nicknamed the Walkie Talkie, in London, United Kingdom

Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty ImagesFundraising from London IPOs slumped to at least a three-decade low in the first half of this year, new data showed on Friday – raising fresh questions the fading allure of the U

As a hub for global capital

The five debuts on the London market in the first six months of 2025 raised a total of £160 million ($218. 6 million), according to new data from Dealogic

The listings slump in London this year adds to the city's struggles to hold onto its former glory as one of the top destinations for global capital

According to the most recent IPO Watch report from fessional services giant PwC, IPO ceeds in the U

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Now This year alone, the city's financial have been passed over by firms that had once planned blockbuster listings there

Shein, for example, is reported to be planning an IPO in Hong Kong after abandoning earlier plans to float its s in London, while Glencore-backed metals investor Cobalt Holdings confirmed to CNBC last month that it had scrapped plans for a London IPO

The troubles aren't limited to new listings – in June, British fin giant Wise announced it was moving its primary listing from London to New York, and earlier this week it was reported that pharma giant AstraZeneca – the most valuable company on London's FTSE 100 index – is considering moving its listing to the United States

Kristo Kaarmann, Wise's CEO and co-founder, said in a statement at the time that the move would help raise awareness of the company in the U. , while giving the firm better access to "the world's deepest and most liquid capital market. "watch now3:3603:36City of London can be a springboard for economic growth in the UK, says the Lord MayorSquawk Box EuropeDealogic's data highlighted a significant gap between U

Listings so far this year

However, Samuel Kerr, head of equity capital at Mergermarket, told CNBC that while U

Equity have "been under a cloud of negative press for some time," there could be brighter times ahead for London. "We are seeing more es beginning to look seriously at London listings again after several years of reform and broader uncertainty over the regulatory and policy direction of the US," he said in an

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has touted his government's plans to revitalize Britain's capital, pledging to look into regulation that is "needlessly holding back investment. " Last summer, the U. 's Financial Conduct Authority overhauled listing rules in a bid to simplify the cess of floating s on the U. "If London can convert early-stage interest in UK listings into successful IPOs, it will go some way to reversing some of the doom narrative," Mergermarket's Kerr told CNBC

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Janet Mui, head of market analysis at wealth manager RBC Brewin Dolphin, pointed out that exits via IPOs were slowing globally. "It's easy to be bearish when we have news this," she said in an on Friday. "The reality is more nuanced, including macro uncertainty and tighter financial conditions have slowed listing globally. "Last week, the Financial Times reported that Norwegian software giant Visma had chosen London for its upcoming debut on the public market

Mui argued that this news showed there was still appetite for high growth companies to list in London. "That said, more work is needed to der reforms to line listing and make London more attractive to es," she conceded.