The Channel Islands Securities Exchange (CISE) has reported that there were 502 new listings during 2016.
This represents an 18.7 per cent increase on the previous year, taking the total number of listings on the Exchange to 2,272 at the end of December.
During 2016, the market capitalisation of all listed securities on the CISE increased by £36bn (10 per cent) to reach £393bn at the end of the year.
The CISE played a part in a world first in 2016, when Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment Fund (GABI) was admitted to the Official List in December to become the first regulated bitcoin fund to be listed on any exchange.
Other listings during the second half of the year have been led by real estate investment trusts (REITs) and high-yield bonds.
Fiona Le Poidevin, CEO of the CISE, said: “The resurgence of REITs reflects the growing interest in real estate in the months since the Brexit vote, as international investors, including sovereign wealth funds, seek to take advantage of the ‘cheaper’ UK property market.
“In addition, we’ve seen a steady stream of high-yield bond listings following the introduction of the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) in July 2016.
“MAR applies to all securities listed on EU trading facilities but, as it takes a blanket approach to all types of securities, it is disproportionately onerous for products such as high-yield bonds, which are held long term by sophisticated investors. The CISE is outside the EU, so MAR does not apply to securities listed on our exchange.”