Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

AIM company definition

What does AIM company mean? In practice, an aim company is a company that has one or more classes of its shares admitted to trading on AIM, the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market for smaller, growing issuers. The term is widely used across corporate, capital markets and M&A work, and is also a defined term in the AIM Rules for Companies. Key features include: admission and continuing obligations under the AIM Rules for Companies; the requirement to appoint and maintain a nominated adviser (Nomad); and disclosure obligations (including inside information) under the applicable market abuse regime. An AIM company is not admitted...

AIM company share schemes: UK regulatory, corporate governance, valuation, disclosure and tax issues

Published by a LexisNexis Share Incentives expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note explores the range of issues that arise for companies admitted to trading on AIM when creating and running employee and executive share plans. It highlights the principal regulatory and corporate governance points to keep in view, together with some tax considerations for the company and scheme participants.

Regulatory issues

Introduction

Compared with companies listed in the equity shares (commercial companies) category of the London Stock Exchange, AIM-traded companies usually face less onerous corporate governance obligations. Although AIM issuers must still comply with the Market Abuse Regulation, they are not required to adhere to the UK Corporate Governance Code, nor to the remuneration policy and reporting regime that applies to companies listed in the commercial companies category. AIM companies are not obliged to produce an annual directors’ remuneration report, and are not required to put a remuneration policy or report to a shareholder vote. Nonetheless, a number of corporate governance guidelines are applicable to AIM companies and are relevant to the establishment, operation and oversight of employee share schemes. Boards should therefore factor these expectations into scheme design and ongoing administration and disclosure. These include:

the AIM Rules for Companies (the AIM Rules)
the QCA Corporate Governance Code (2023)

...

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Karen Cooper

Cooper Cavendish

Karen is an experienced employee benefits lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience in advising companies of all sizes in relation to their employee benefit and remuneration issues. She trained and worked for leading law firms Baker McKenzie LLP and Linklaters LLP and spent three years as a remuneration consultant at Ernst & Young LLP. Prior to co-founding Cooper Cavendish, Karen headed up Osborne Clarke LLP's employee benefit practice for 15 years.Karen is a thought-leader and regularly speaks and presents at industry conferences and events. She is a member of the Small Quoted Companies Alliance Share Scheme Committee and the Share Plan Lawyers Organisation.Karen is also the author of a wide range of legal publications including the chapter on executive remuneration in Sweet & Maxwell’s ‘Corporate Governance’, the chapter on employee share schemes in Jordan’s Company...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

Popular documents

Using the Judicial College Guidelines to assess general damages in personal injury claims

When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...

Tomlin orders in England and Wales: CPR guidance on drafting, confidentiality, approval, variation, enforcement, limitation, CCA issues, court-specific requirements, sample wording and precedents

This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...

Precedent: Deed of Surrender of Lease with Optional Premium, Settlement and Release, Landlord, Mortgagee and Guarantor Consents, Reimbursement and HM Land Registry Provisions (England and Wales)

Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...

Precedent Statutory Declaration: Standard Wording under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835

I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...