{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-1948/section-54",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-1948/section-54.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Geo6/11-12/38",
  "legislation_title": "Companies Act 1948",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-1948",
  "path": "section/54",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "54",
  "heading": "Prohibition of provision of financial assistance by company for purchase of or subscription for its own, or its holding company's, shares.",
  "text": "(1) Subject as provided in this section, it shall not be lawful for a company to give, whether directly or indirectly, and whether by means of a loan, guarantee, the provision of security or otherwise, any financial assistance for the purpose of or in connection with a purchase or subscription made or to be made by any person of or for any shares in the company, or, where the company is a subsidiary company, in its holding company:\nProvided that nothing in this section shall be taken to prohibit—\n(a) where the lending of money is part of the ordinary business of a company, the lending of money by the company in the ordinary course of its business;\n(b) the provision by a company, in accordance with any scheme for-the time being in force, of money for the purchase of, or subscription for, fully-paid shares in the company or its holding company, being a purchase or subscription by trustees of or for shares to be held by or for the benefit of employees of the company, including any director holding a salaried employment or office in the company;\n(c) the making by a company of loans to persons, other than directors, bona fide in the employment of the company with a view to enabling those persons to purchase or subscribe for fully-paid shares in the company or its holding company to be held by themselves by way of beneficial ownership.\n(2) If a company acts in contravention of this section, the company and every officer of the company who is in default shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/11-12/38/section/54",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:23:04.638870+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}