CROWN CORPORATION

Any corporation that is established and regulated by a country's state or government. This is the opposite of private companies, which are privately owned, structured and operated to serve the owners of the company. A crown company is commercially owned by the government. Civil servants partially control and operate this type of company, which is meant to serve the public interest as determined by the current government.

Crown corporations could either be a federal corporation, owned by the government to serve a federal or national interest, or a provincial/territorial corporation, which is meant to serve a provincial or regional interest. They are more common in Commonwealth countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia. These companies are created by the government and can be entirely or partially owned by the public sector.

Also referred to as government owned, state-owned enterprises, crown entities, or government business enterprise (GBE).