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I thought there were no good tech stocks to buy in the UK. Boy, was I wrong!

On the hunt for local growth stocks to buy, Mark Hartley takes a deep dive into the UK’s evolving tech market – and is pleased by his find.

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For investors hunting high-growth tech stocks to buy, the US is arguably the world’s most popular market right now. With companies like Nvidia, SMCI and Palantir making high-triple-digit gains in the past three years, this isn’t suprising.

Admittedly, much of it’s driven by speculative AI mania, but tech remains the place to look when it comes to growth.

XXX

But what about closer to home?

The UK has a rich history in tech — the work of Charles Babbage and Alan Turing laid the conceptual foundations for modern computing. As recently as the 80s, some of the earliest home computers came out of the UK.

But since the 90s, focus shifted to the US, where Microsoft and Apple dominated the landscape. Now, a new paradigm is emerging — with AI and data analytics taking front and centre.

So could the UK regain its place as a major tech hub? Here are two tech stocks that could help it do just that.

A rising infrastructure star

Beeks Financial Cloud Group (LSE: BKS) is a UK‑listed cloud infrastructure provider offering low‑latency compute, connectivity and analytics to trading firms and exchanges.

Its core products include Public/Private Cloud for brokers and funds, and Proximity/Exchange Cloud, which are dedicated environments deployed inside or near major exchanges.

In the year to June 2025, revenue grew about 26% to roughly £35.9m, almost doubling statutory profit before tax. This was largely driven by a three-fold rise in sales of its Exchange-focused products.

After shifting some deals to revenue‑share models, it’s now launched an AI‑driven edge analytics product, aimed at boosting long‑term margins.

But revenue relies on a relatively small number of large contracts, so non‑renewals or pricing pressure on these could hit revenue disproportionately. Since its competing with much larger global cloud providers, this is a significant risk.

I still think it’s worth considering but like most tech stocks, it’s high-risk/high-reward.

The digital identity angle

GB Group (LSE: GBG) is a software company that’s capitalised on the need for digital identity verification. It provides location intelligence and fraud prevention used in e‑commerce, fintech, online banking and other regulated or high‑risk digital transactions.

Essentially, it builds AI-driven software that can rapidly verify if someone is who they claim to be. With online transactions rising and digital banking taking over, the need to meet KYC and AML regulations is skyrocketing. The growth potential is clear: every new digital service, payment method or online account increases the need for digital identity and fraud controls.

It may be worth a closer look but, like Beeks, we’re talking about a highly competitive space. The key challenge for GB Group is finding ways to provide a premium service at a better rate. If it can’t do that, it may end up a non-starter.

Final thoughts

Silicon Valley may still hold the torch when it comes to tech innovation but the UK isn’t out of the race yet. The S&P 500 is already lagging the FTSE 100 in 2026, so this could be our year.

Both Beeks and GB Group exhibit strong growth potential but they’re not without risk. To limit volatility in a growth-orientated portfolio, many investors opt to include some defensive stocks. Fortunately, several excellent such stocks exist on the FTSE 100, many of which I’ve recently covered.

Mark Hartley has positions in Super Micro Computer. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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