London-listed data firm WANdisco eyes up New York float

The London Stock Exchange could be in for another blow to its tech listing aspirations as AIM-listed data firm WANdisco explores the possibility of leaving for a New York listing.

First reported by Sky News, WANdisco, which operates in the big data space, has reportedly hired a banker from Evercore Partners to prepare a New York listing.

The data firm, which is jointly headquartered in Sheffield and California, has not ruled out the possibility of a dual listing in London and New York.

It said it had been considering a dual listing for some time and had begun the early stages of exploring the process.

WANdisco said this morning: “The Company also confirms that it remains committed to London’s Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”) and to maintaining its current UK AIM listing.”

The decision comes at a difficult time for the London Stock Exchange, which is struggling to compete with its US counterparts for lucrative tech listings.

Last week, Cambridge-based semiconductor designer Arm announced its plans to IPO in New York, after a lengthy decision-making process that saw multiple UK political leaders fail to sway Arm and its parent company SoftBank into a London listing.

The decision from Arm and SoftBank has been considered a major snub to the UK markets and has cast doubt on London’s position in public tech.