After reports of SumUp’s potential $15bn listing on the London Stock Exchange, many in the financial sector are questioning whether this could spark a revival of the UK IPO market.
Buy-now-pay-later provider Klarna secured a $15.2bn valuation on the Nasdaq with its IPO on 10 September, marking one of the latest high-profile listings on the US exchange.
The deal helped drive weekly US IPO activity to a four-year high of $4.4bn, with seven companies debuting, including Klarna.
In contrast, the London Stock Exchange saw just nine listings in the first half of 2025, raising £182.8m — a 64% drop in value compared with the same period last year (£513.8m), according to EY data.
Some market watchers believe the strength in the US could signal a similar revival in the UK.
“New York has had one of its busiest periods for IPOs since the boom year of 2021, so hopefully this momentum will equally be felt across the Atlantic,” said Tom Bacon, partner in BCLP’s M&A and corporate finance team.