Institutional investors hold a stake of 55.5 per cent in companies quoted on AIM, according to research released today by Growth Company Investor in association with financial services group Religare Capital Markets. The value of their holdings is some £32 billion in total.

Last year, institutions held 50.2 per cent of AIM, worth some £24 billion. The highest share since Growth Company Investor‘s records began was in 2006, when it reached 56.7 per cent.

The research also sheds light on institutions’ holdings in AIM’s emerging markets-based companies. These companies, which primarily operate in fast-growing regions such as China, India and South America, now account for 40 per cent of AIM by market capitalisation.

BlackRock, the leading investor in AIM as a whole, is also the biggest backer of the market’s emerging markets-based constituents.