Sharp rise in Aim delistings casts doubt over City of London’s future

Junior stock exchange has lost 70 companies in past 12 months as UK market's status faces scrutiny

The number of companies delisting from London's junior stock market has risen sharply in the last year, adding to concerns about the future of the City's financial sector.

In the past 12 months the number of companies on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) has fallen by 70 to 738 at the end of March, according to London Stock Exchange Group data. That is a drop of 9%, and is significantly more than the drop of 25 companies the year before.