Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien

For the radio station formerly known as KGAA, see KARR (AM)

Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien – abbreviated KGaA – is a German corporate designation standing for 'partnership limited by shares', a form of corporate organization roughly equivalent to a master limited partnership. A Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien has two types of participators. It has at least one partner with unlimited liability (Komplementär). It is in that sense a private company. Komplementärs are natural persons or legal persons. If the Komplementär is a corporation with limited liability then the type of the company has to be named as GmbH & Co. KGaA, Limited & Co. KGaA or AG & Co. KGaA.

The investment of the partners with limited liability (Kommanditisten) is the stock of the company (Grundkapital) and divided into shares. A KGaA is in that aspect comparable with a German Aktiengesellschaft.

The investment of all partners is the corporate's total capital (Gesamtkapital). The KGaA is a traditional type of very large family business (that are partly publicly traded) in Germany.

Examples

See also