Now home to more than 1,275 companies, worth a combined £47.2 billion – up from 702 business, valued at £14.2 billion in 2003 – AIM’s profile has increased steadily in recent years and the total level of institutional investment in the market now tops £19.3 million.

For the second year running, CDS & Co, an amalgam of domestic Canadian private investors with holdings in various Canadian-registered mining giants, remains AIM’s biggest individual supporter with holdings of £1.4 billion in six companies.

More familiar growth company backers, including Fidelity (£692.8 million), Artemis (£451.3 million) and F&C (£300 million) also feature prominently, as do several of the more traditionally ‘blue-blooded’ investment banks like Schroder (£340.4 million) and Merrill Lynch (£244.5 million).

In terms of sectors, mining (19.9 per cent of all institutional investment), oil & gas (17.3 per cent), finance (14 per cent) and leisure (7.6 per cent) lead the way.