03
Jul
The LSE strikes back - UK and European IPOs back in vogue
The geopolitical sea change brought about by the election of US president Donald Trump and his supercharged America First agenda is causing European companies to look closer to home when evaluating listing venues. After years of reform and review, the UK is primed to take advantage of this shift in mindset, presenting an issuer friendly, liquid, location for companies to list their shares. Is it time to get excited about UK IPOs again?
- How has the changing regulatory environment in the US and trans-Atlantic trade hostilities impacted thoughts on listing venues? Are we about to see a change in the doom and gloom narrative around UK IPOs?
- What have been the key reforms over the past few years that have made London more attractive for IPO issuers?
- For all the talk of a lack of new listings in London in the mainstream press it is a remarkably liquid and efficient stock exchange what is are structural the advantages if being listed in London?
- What should prompt an issuer to look at London vs. a listing say in a home continental European market? What work is left to do to make London more attractive for IPO issuers? What steps can the new UK government take to promote this?
-
SpeakersSamuel Kerr Global ECM Editor Mergermarket
Lauren Davies Director, UK ECM BNP Paribas
Mark Austin Partner Latham & Watkins
Confirm cancellation
Something went wrong.
An error occurred trying to play the stream. Please reload the page and try again.
CloseSign-up to join the ION Analytics Community to:
- Register for events
- Access market insights
- Download reports
Lauren is a Director in BNP Paribas’ Equity Capital Markets team, covering the UK and Ireland, and has executed IPOs, follow-on offerings and sell-downs for a wide variety of issuers and vendors across sectors. Most recently Lauren advised Canal+ on its landmark demerger from Vivendi, the largest new listing in London in 2024. Lauren joined BNP Paribas in 2021 and previously worked in RBC Capital Markets’ Corporate Broking team. Lauren graduated from Bath with a BSc in Economics in 2016.
Mark Austin advises clients on a full range of public and private securities offerings, as well as M&A and general corporate matters across multiple sectors. He leverages extensive experience to guide market-leading companies and investment banks on Initial public offerings (IPOs), Rights issues and open offers, Placings, Mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate work. A recognized industry leader, Mark is the former Chair of the Listing Authority Advisory Panel, the practitioner panel that advises the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on primary markets policy and regulation issues. He also sits on the FCA’s Markets Practitioner Panel and The London Stock Exchange’s Primary Markets Group. Separately, Mark is a member of the UK’s Capital Markets Industry Taskforce (CMIT), which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2022 and is tasked with reforming the UK’s capital markets, as well as HM Treasury’s Digitisation Taskforce. The Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed him in October 2021 as the independent chair of the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review, which proposed reforms to the capital raising process for listed companies. He delivered the Review to the Chancellor in July 2022. He also advised Lord Hill on the UK Listing Review in 2021. He received a CBE in the King’s 2024 New Year Honours List for services to the economy. Mark was named one of Europe’s top 10 most innovative legal practitioners by the Financial Times and was included in Financial News’ Most Influential in European Finance list in 2024. In 2025, he received the Contribution to Regulatory Reform Award from IFLR Europe.