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In Switzerland and Germany there's a difference between an AG (Aktiengesellschaft) and a GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung). Both have more or less t

In Switzerland and Germany there's a difference between an AG (Aktiengesellschaft) and a GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung). Both have more or less the same tax and structural advantage (like limited liability, a far easier time to get acknowledged by social security, etc) The main difference is capital requirements and more formality for the AG. For example: The law requires yearly external audits for an AG, while that's not necessarily the case for a GmbH. Does Holland also make such a difference, or is BV the only such corporate form? Note: Differences listed apply for Switzerland. It could be different in Germany.

belter 5y ago
In the Netherlands you have essentially: Private limited company (BV or besloten vennootschap) or Public limited company (NV or naamloze vennootschap) The BV is like a Ltd in the Anglo Saxon world and the NV is your company with equity defined by shares/stocks. you can also have: Cooperative (coöperatie) Association (vereniging) Foundation (stichting)
- CaptainZapp 5y ago
  Thank you.
Lev1a 5y ago
> It could be different in Germany. Nice overview(s) for Germany and most other countries with comparisons where appropriate. Regarding the AG in Germany and required regular external auditing, in my university course where I learned about the charasteristics of the most common German legal entities [0], there was no such requirement listed or talked about, maybe that's only for Switzerland? The GmbH on the other hand requires a minimum capital of 25.000€ and is expensive to form (from the course mentioned above >1.000€ in fees for notarizations etc.) which is one reason why the "UG (haftungsbeschränkt)" (essentially "baby's first GmbH") was established a while ago. A UG only has to have a minimum of 1€ in starting capital but has to > "enlarge its capital by at least 25% of its annual net profit (with some adjustments), until the general minimum of €25,000 is reached (at which point the company may change its name for the more prestigious GmbH)." Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurial_company_(Germany) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurial_company_(Germa... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4nkter_Haftung#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4n... [0]: as part of the subject "Finanzwirtschaft"/"Managerial finance?"
- Lev1a 5y ago
  > Nice overview(s) for Germany and most other countries with comparisons where appropriate. Forgot to insert the following link after the above sentence and can't edit anymore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_country#Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_...

belter 5y ago

In the Netherlands you have essentially: Private limited company (BV or besloten vennootschap) or Public limited company (NV or naamloze vennootschap) The BV is like a Ltd in the Anglo Saxon world and the NV is your company with equity defined by shares/stocks. you can also have: Cooperative (coöperatie) Association (vereniging) Foundation (stichting)

CaptainZapp 5y ago
Thank you.

Lev1a 5y ago

> It could be different in Germany. Nice overview(s) for Germany and most other countries with comparisons where appropriate. Regarding the AG in Germany and required regular external auditing, in my university course where I learned about the charasteristics of the most common German legal entities [0], there was no such requirement listed or talked about, maybe that's only for Switzerland? The GmbH on the other hand requires a minimum capital of 25.000€ and is expensive to form (from the course mentioned above >1.000€ in fees for notarizations etc.) which is one reason why the "UG (haftungsbeschränkt)" (essentially "baby's first GmbH") was established a while ago. A UG only has to have a minimum of 1€ in starting capital but has to > "enlarge its capital by at least 25% of its annual net profit (with some adjustments), until the general minimum of €25,000 is reached (at which point the company may change its name for the more prestigious GmbH)." Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurial_company_(Germany) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurial_company_(Germa... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4nkter_Haftung#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4n... [0]: as part of the subject "Finanzwirtschaft"/"Managerial finance?"

Lev1a 5y ago
> Nice overview(s) for Germany and most other countries with comparisons where appropriate. Forgot to insert the following link after the above sentence and can't edit anymore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_country#Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_...