London’s Premium Segment and High-Growth Companies: Return of the Dual-class Structure?

In recent years there has been a material reduction in the number of companies seeking admission to the Premium Segment of the London Stock Exchange.

In addition, a number of market participants believe that high-growth tech companies are materially under-represented on the Premium Segment. In an article published in late 2019, the Financial Times indicated that, against this backdrop, the UK Government had recently consulted with the investment industry over potential changes to the UK Listing Rules designed to encourage high-growth companies to list on the Premium Segment. Most notably, this article indicated that the UK Government was considering the introduction of a regime to cater for the listing on the Premium Segment of companies with dual-class structures.