Aktiengesellschaft (German pronunciation: [ˈaktsi̯ənɡəˌzɛlʃaft] ; abbreviated AG [aːˈgeː] ) is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equivalent to a société anonyme or a società per azioni) and South Tyrol for companies incorporated there. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent term is public limited company, and in the United States, while the terms "incorporated" or "corporation" are typically used, technically the more precise equivalent term is "joint-stock company".
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Aktiengesellschaft in the context of Publicly held company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (listed company), which facilitates the trade of shares, or not (unlisted public company). In some jurisdictions, public companies over a certain size must be listed on an exchange. In most cases, public companies are private enterprises in the private sector, and "public" emphasizes their reporting and trading on the public markets.
Public companies are formed within the legal systems of particular states and so have associations and formal designations, which are distinct and separate in the polity in which they reside. In the United States, for example, a public company is usually a type of corporation, though a corporation need not be a public company. In the United Kingdom, it is usually a public limited company (PLC). In France, it is a société anonyme (SA). In Germany, it is an Aktiengesellschaft (AG). While the general idea of a public company may be similar, the differences between types are meaningful and are at the core of international law disputes with regard to industry and trade.
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Aktiengesellschaft in the context of Limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the liability of members is limited to the unpaid value of shares. In a company limited by guarantee, the liability of owners is limited to such amount as the owners may undertake to contribute to the assets of the company, in the event of being wound up. The former may be further divided in public companies (public limited companies) and private companies (private limited companies). Who may become a member of a private limited company is restricted by law and by the company's rules. In contrast, anyone may buy shares in a public limited company.
Limited companies can be found in most countries, although the detailed rules governing them vary widely. It is also common for a distinction to be made between the publicly tradable companies of the plc type (for example, the German Aktiengesellschaft (AG), Dutch and Belgian nv, British PLC, Czech a.s., Italian S.p.A., Hungarian nyrt. and the Spanish, French, Polish, Greek and Romanian S.A.), and the "private" types of companies (such as the German GmbH, Dutch and Belgian bv, Portuguese Lda., British Ltd, Japanese G.K., Polish sp. z o.o., Russian ООО, Ukrainian ТОВ (TOV), the Czech s.r.o., the French s.à r.l., the Italian s.r.l., Romanian s.r.l., Hungarian kft., Bulgarian ДОО (DOO), Slovenian d.o.o., and Slovak s.r.o., in India Pvt Ltd for private company and Ltd for public company, in Singapore Pte Ltd for private company).
Aktiengesellschaft in the context of Swiss National Bank
The Swiss National Bank (SNB; German: Schweizerische Nationalbank; French: Banque nationale suisse; Italian: Banca nazionale svizzera; Romansh: Banca naziunala svizra) is the central bank of Switzerland, responsible for the nation's monetary policy and the sole issuer of Swiss franc banknotes. The primary goal of its mandate is to ensure price stability, while taking economic developments into consideration.
The SNB is an Aktiengesellschaft under special regulations and has two head offices, one in Bern and the other in Zurich.
Aktiengesellschaft in the context of SAP
SAP SE (/ˌɛs.eɪˈpiː/; German pronunciation: [ɛsʔaːˈpeː] ) is a German multinational software company based in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the world's largest vendor of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
SAP GbR became, in 1981, fully Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung (Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing), abbreviated SAP GmbH after a five-year transition period beginning in 1976. In the late 1980s, it further restructured itself as SAP AG. Since 7 July 2014, its corporate structure is that of a pan-European societas Europaea (SE); as such, its former German corporate identity is now a subsidiary, SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG. It has regional offices in 180 countries and over 111,961 employees.