Yes, CRH, Wise, and Others Have Left the London Stock Exchange — And It's Part of a Bigger Trend
“CRH, Wise, and several other companies have delisted from or exited the London Stock Exchange”
The argument in brief
Multiple major companies, including building materials giant CRH and fintech firm Wise, have delisted or announced plans to delist from the London Stock Exchange in favour of US markets. This is true and well-documented. The number of companies listed on London's main market has fallen from nearly 1,900 in 2000 to around 1,050 today, prompting the UK's financial regulator to overhaul listing rules in 2024.
Data: London Stock Exchange / World Federation of Exchanges
Why it spread
The story taps into deep anxieties about Britain's post-Brexit economic standing, making it feel like concrete proof of national decline. The companies involved — CRH, Wise — are well-known and credible, which gives the narrative instant weight. When a claim is both factually true and emotionally charged, it travels fast across financial news and general media alike.
The claim is true. CRH, Wise, and a string of other prominent companies have exited or reduced their presence on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), and the trend is serious enough that UK regulators and the government have launched urgent reform efforts in response.
CRH, one of the world's largest building materials companies, completed its move from the LSE to the New York Stock Exchange in September 2023, according to the Financial Times. The company cited better access to capital and higher valuations in the US. Wise, the payments fintech, announced plans to follow suit in 2025, with its founder pointing to a US-focused investor base as the driving reason, as reported by Reuters.
They are far from alone. The Guardian and BBC News have both documented a wider exodus that includes Ferguson, BHP, Flutter Entertainment, and others shifting their primary listings away from London. The pattern is consistent: companies say London offers lower valuations, less liquidity, and a smaller pool of growth-focused investors compared to Wall Street.
The numbers back this up. Data from the London Stock Exchange and the FCA show the main market has shrunk from roughly 1,904 listed companies in 2000 to around 1,050 in 2024 — a drop of nearly half over two decades. The FCA acknowledged the decline directly and introduced a major overhaul of UK listing rules in 2024 to try to stem the flow.
It is worth being precise about what this means. London remains a major global financial centre, and not every departure signals catastrophe — some moves reflect normal corporate strategy rather than a verdict on the UK economy. But the sustained, long-term decline in listings is real, and the departure of household-name companies has made it impossible to ignore. Sky News noted that the trend is now driving urgent responses at the highest levels of government and regulation.
This story spreads easily because it is both true and emotionally resonant. But it is worth watching for coverage that treats every delisting as proof of inevitable collapse — the reality is a genuine structural challenge that policymakers are actively trying to address, not a done deal.
Sources
- Financial Times
CRH, the Irish building materials giant, delisted from the London Stock Exchange in September 2023 and moved its primary listing to the New York Stock Exchange, citing better access to capital and higher valuations in the US market.
- Reuters
Wise, the fintech payments company, announced plans to delist from the London Stock Exchange in 2025, with its founder citing that a US listing would better serve the company's growth ambitions and investor base.
- BBC News
A wave of high-profile companies including Flutter Entertainment, Shell (considering a move), and others have either delisted from or reduced their presence on the London Stock Exchange, raising concerns about the competitiveness of UK capital markets.
- London Stock Exchange Group / FCA Data
UK regulators acknowledged a sustained decline in the number of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, with the number of listed companies falling significantly over the past decade, prompting major reforms to UK listing rules in 2024.
- The Guardian
Reports confirmed that companies such as Ferguson, BHP, and Paddy Power Betfair parent Flutter have all shifted primary listings away from London, contributing to a broader narrative of London losing its status as a premier global financial hub.
- Sky News
Sky News reported on the trend of UK-listed companies departing the London Stock Exchange, noting that CRH and Wise were among the most prominent examples, and that the trend was prompting urgent government and regulatory responses.