Aim ISAs celebrate their 10th anniversary: which stocks have performed best?

We look at how Aim ISAs work, how the alternative investment market (Aim) has changed over the past decade, the most popular stocks - and which ones have performed best.

London City skyline, view from Stave Hill
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In August 2013, the UK was emerging from recession, and George Osborne, the then chancellor, thought encouraging investment into smaller and newer businesses would help jumpstart the economy.

And so the Aim ISA was born. Making Aim shares ISA-eligible meant investments into Aim shares were potentially free of income tax, capital gains tax and, after two years, inheritance tax – one of the most generous sets of tax reliefs available to private investors.

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Top Ten Performers on Aim 10-year return
VICTORIA PLC3583.8%
GREATLAND GOLD PLC2364.3%
BEST OF THE BEST PLC2313.4%
IMPAX ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP PLC1905.7%
AB DYNAMICS PLC1623.6%
TRISTEL PLC1540.9%
MARLOWE PLC1467.1%
YOUGOV PLC1420.4%
WATER INTELLIGENCE PLC1311.3%
SERICA ENERGY PLC1231.9%
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Header Cell - Column 0 Ten most popular Aim stocks with UK fund managersNumber of managers investing in the company
1GB Group56
2Gamma Communications55
3Jet 255
4RWS Holdings52
5Serica Energy48
6Smart Metering Systems41
7Next Fifteen Communications39
8Alpha Financial Markets Consulting38
9Fevertree Drinks38
10Team17 Group38
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PositionCompany
1BOOHOO GROUP PLC
2VAST RESOURCES PLC
3PREMIER AFRICAN MI
4AVACTA GROUP
5KODAL MINERALS PLC
6PANTHEON RESOURCES
7BARON OIL PLC
8IOG PLC
9JET2 PLC
10ITM POWER
Ruth Emery
Contributing editor

Ruth is an award-winning financial journalist with more than 15 years' experience of working on national newspapers, websites and specialist magazines.

She is passionate about helping people feel more confident about their finances. She was previously editor of Times Money Mentor, and prior to that was deputy Money editor at The Sunday Times. 

A multi-award winning journalist, Ruth started her career on a pensions magazine at the FT Group, and has also worked at Money Observer and Money Advice Service. 

Outside of work, she is a mum to two young children, while also serving as a magistrate and an NHS volunteer.