Owning shares

When you own shares in a limited company, you are entitled to a share of the company’s profits and the right to vote at the shareholders’ meeting. We do not keep a register of shareholders or shareholdings.

Shareholders own shares in a limited company

A person or organisation that owns shares in a company is called a shareholder. Both legal entities and physical persons can own shares. Shareholders can live in and be citizens of any country. Shares can be paid for with cash or property. The Swedish Companies Registration Office does not keep a register of shareholders or shareholdings.

The share register lists the shareholders

The board of directors must maintain a share register listing the shareholders. The share register is public and must be available to the public at the company. When a share is sold, the new shareholder must request to be entered in the share register. In CSD companies, the share register is maintained instead by a central securities depository, Euroclear Sweden AB.

As a shareholder, you can receive a share certificate

A share certificate shows who owns one or more shares in the limited company. As a shareholder, you can request a share certificate from the company. CSD companies do not issue share certificates. If you lose your share certificate, you can apply to us to invalidate it.

Different classes of shares may exist in the company

A limited company may issue different classes of shares that provide, for example, different voting rights or different rights to the company’s profits. These may include A and B shares or ordinary and preference shares.

Do you want to sell your shares?

When shares are sold, the seller must hand over the share certificate to the buyer. Read more about sale of shares in limited company.