Glossary
Banking
Going Public
Going public is the process whereby a company sells shares to the public for the first time and gains a listing on a regulated stock exchange. The act of selling shares is called an initial public offering, or IPO. Listing a company on a stock exchange enables the public to buy and sell shares of that company, and commits the company to meeting transparency, disclosure and other regulations, both of the exchange and according to regulations set by national regulators.