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Memorandum of association

A memorandum of association is the short statutory document in which the first shareholders confirm they agree to form the company and take at least one share each.

It is fixed at incorporation and cannot be amended afterwards. Under the older Companies Acts it carried the company's objects clause; since 2006 a company has unrestricted objects unless its articles say otherwise.

Related terms

  • Articles of association — Articles of association are a company's internal rulebook, governing how directors act, how shares are issued and transferred, and how decisions are made.

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