Naamloze vennootschap
Public limited company
A naamloze vennootschap (N.V.) is a Dutch corporate form in which the share capital is divided into freely transferable shares and the shareholders have limited liability.
The public limited company (naamloze vennootschap) is a legal entity with segregated assets, in which shareholders’ liability is limited to the amount of their contribution. Its capital is divided into shares that are, in principle, freely transferable, rendering this corporate form particularly suitable for larger enterprises.
This legal form is especially relevant for companies seeking to raise capital from a broad investor base or through public markets. Its structure ensures a clear separation between ownership and management, with mandatory corporate bodies that include a management board and, in the case of larger N.V.s, a supervisory board.
In practice, the N.V. is frequently selected by listed companies and enterprises engaged in international activities, as the form is widely recognised and subject to stringent statutory requirements concerning governance and financial reporting.
“The board of directors resolved to convert the undertaking into a public limited company in order to render the shares more readily transferable.”
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