AIM recruits to beef up rules

AIM, the junior market of the London Stock Exchange, is launching a major
recruitment search for accountants as part of its plans to toughen up regulation
in the natural resources sector.

The highly successful market has suffered a series of high-profile collapses
in the sector, such as Regal Petroleum, led by Frank Timis where claims made
about resources, turned out to be completely empty.

The exchange has since consulted on regulating the sector differently and
introduced rules in the hope of preventing future market failures.

Speaking at an AIM conference this week, Ray Knowles, manager of regulation
at AIM, said the exchange was planning to recruit accountants and other
professionals to monitor compliance with the new measures.

‘The AIM team has almost doubled over the last 12 months and there is
definitely scope to increase the headcount and add to the skills and resources
available. We are going to be recruiting lawyers and accountants for this
purpose,’ Knowles said.

Under the new rules AIM officials will conduct compliance visits to the
nominated advisers of these companies. The companies will also have to provide
clearer, more detailed disclosures of the value of their assets, and back these
with reports from independent competent persons.

The accounting recruits could also find themselves involved in AIM’s plans to
monitor share trades more closely. The exchange is consulting on a plan that is
aimed at cracking down on insider trading.