What are Class A and Class B shares?
Class A and Class B shares are two share classes in the same company. The difference normally lies in voting power: a Class A share carries more votes than a Class B share, while the right to dividends and to a share of the company's assets is the same. Which classes exist, and what separates them, must be set out in the articles of association.
How large can the difference be?
The Swedish Companies Act sets a ceiling: no share may carry voting power more than ten times that of any other share. The most common split in Swedish companies is therefore one vote per Class A share and one tenth of a vote per Class B share.
Why companies have several share classes
The split makes it possible to raise new capital without founders or principal owners losing control: new investors receive Class B shares while the votes stay with the Class A holders. It is especially common in family-controlled companies. For you as a buyer it means you need to know which class you are getting — influence can differ sharply even when the economic rights are identical. The articles may also contain a conversion clause allowing Class A shares to be converted into Class B shares.