Unlisted public company
An unlisted public company is a public company that is not listed on any stock exchange. Though the criteria vary somewhat between jurisdictions, a public company is a company that is registered as such and generally has a minimum share capital and a minimum number of shareholders. Each stock exchange has its own listing requirements which a company (or other entity) wishing to be listed must meet. Besides not qualifying to be listed, a public company may choose not to be listed on a stock exchange for a number of reasons, including because it is too small to qualify for a stock exchange listing, does not seek public investors or there are too few shareholders for a listing. There is a cost to the listed entities, in the listing process and ongoing costs as well as in compliance costs such as the maintenance of a company register.