QCA wins lobbying battle as Govt drops increased AIM regulation

A European directive that would have forced AIM companies to disclose more financial information has been averted following successful lobbying by the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA).

The light regulatory burden for entrance to AIM has helped the market attract companies from around the world, but in August the Treasury announced it wanted to apply the EU Transparency Directive to AIM companies as well as those on the main list of the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

Those companies would have had to publish more detailed annual financial and management reports. The QCA labelled the extension of the directive to AIM as Government 'goldplating', saying it went above and beyond the regulations laid out in the directive.

Faegre & Benson corporate partner and QCA chairman Donald Stewart, who was voted in to the role this month, said the directive would have made companies liable for shareholder actions, but not external advisers.

"That is inherently unfair," he said. "It doesn't help smaller companies and we believe that the existing law that says negligent advisers should be sued is sufficient."

Two weeks ago the LSE announced that it would be bringing in AIM regulation to stop unscrupulous nomads and shell companies.