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The Daily Insight Hub

Why do companies have subsidiaries?

Author

Rachel Davis

Updated on January 07, 2026

A subsidiary is a separate legal entity for tax, regulation, and liability purposes. Parent companies can benefit from owning subsidiaries because it can enable them to acquire and control companies that manufacture components needed for the production of their goods.

What is subsidiary and branch?

A branch is a separate physical office which is part of a larger company. A subsidiary is a separate company whose shares are owned by a larger ‘parent’ company ‘

Is a branch a legal person?

While offices, agencies and Branches do not have a legal personality, Subsidiaries are legally independent from their foreign parent company. As a Branch is not autonomous, the foreign parent company is fully liable for the Branch and its activities.

What is considered a branch?

1 : a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk or from a main division of the trunk. 2 : something extending from a main line or body like a branch a branch of a railroad. 3 : a division or subordinate part of something a branch of government The bank opened a new branch.

What is the difference between subsidiary and entity?

A business becomes a parent company when it owns another legally separate entity. The parent company establishes ownership by either creating the entity or purchasing the majority of voting shares of stock. The entities that a parent company has controlling interests in are called “subsidiaries”.

Is a company liable for subsidiary?

More specifically, the holding company can be liable for the debts of its subsidiaries where the subsidiary company is trading while insolvent and a director knew, or should have known, about it.

Can a company have two subsidiaries?

The section further defines a layer in relation to a holding company as a subsidiary or subsidiaries. Rule 2 of the Layering Rules restricts the number of layers for certain classes of holding companies. It states that no company is permitted to have more than 2 (two) layers of subsidiaries.

What’s the difference between a subsidiary and a branch company?

A subsidiary company is a company, whose controlling stake is held by another entity, i.e. the holding company. Both branch and subsidiary company are owned by the parent company but are different in many ways. The article explained below shed light on the differences between branch and subsidiary of a company.

Why is it important for companies to have subsidiaries?

A company may organize subsidiaries to keep its brand identities separate. This allows each brand to maintain its established goodwill with customers and vendor relationships. Subsidiaries are often used in acquisitions where the acquiring company intends to keep the target company’s name and culture.

How are subsidiaries related to the parent company?

The subsidiary acts and operates as its own entity, but it is still connected to the larger company. The parent company can create a subsidiary in one of two ways: by creating it from within the parent company or by acquiring a controlling interest in an outside entity.

How are branches different from the parent company?

Branches are a part of the parent organization, which are opened to perform the same business operations as performed by the parent company, to increase their reach. Branches are not exactly same as the subsidiary company.