KPMG is owned by its partners through independent national member firms. KPMG International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, owns the brand and coordinates the network but does not own the member firms or serve clients.

When was KPMG founded?

KPMG was formed in 1987 through the merger of Peat Marwick International and Klynveld Main Goerdeler. Its constituent firms trace to the 19th century: Peat's London firm dates to 1870 and Marwick's New York practice to 1897.

What is KPMG's market position?

KPMG is the smallest of the Big Four by revenue at $38.4 billion in FY2024 but remains one of four firms that dominate large-company auditing globally. It competes with McKinsey, BCG and Accenture in advisory work.

What does KPMG stand for?

KPMG stands for Klynveld, Peat, Marwick, Goerdeler, the founding partners of the firms that merged to create the network. It is not an acronym for a descriptive phrase.

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Who Owns KPMG?

Q: Is KPMG publicly traded?

No. KPMG is a private partnership network with no public shareholders and no stock listing. Its member firms are owned by local partners.

Q: Who founded KPMG?

The KPMG name honors four figures: Piet Klynveld, William Barclay Peat, James Marwick, and Reinhard Goerdeler. Each built or unified part of the network that merged in 1987.

KPMG is owned by its member-firm partners and coordinated by KPMG International Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee registered in London. The brand covers audit, tax and advisory services delivered by independent national firms in more than 140 countries. KPMG was formed in 1987 through the merger of Peat Marwick International and Klynveld Main Goerdeler and generated $38.4 billion in global revenue in fiscal 2024.

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Parent Company

KPMG

Founded

1987

Status

Private

Headquarters

London, England, United Kingdom

premiummarket leaderGlobalOfficial Website

Who Owns KPMG?

Parent Company: KPMG
Ownership Type: Brand division
Company Type: Privately Held

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
KPMG	KPMG	Brand division

History of KPMG

Founded: 1987
Founders: Piet Klynveld, William Barclay Peat, James Marwick, Reinhard Goerdeler

KPMG was created in 1987 when Peat Marwick International merged with Klynveld Main Goerdeler, or KMG, forming what was then the largest accounting organization in the world. The acronym honors the founders of the constituent firms: Piet Klynveld opened an Amsterdam accounting practice in 1917; William Barclay Peat founded a London firm in 1870; James Marwick established a New York practice in 1897; and Reinhard Goerdeler, the German accountant who welded KMG into a unified international network in the 1970s.

The merger capped a wave of consolidation that shrank the Big Eight to the Big Six, later the Big Five, and after the 2002 collapse of Arthur Andersen, the Big Four structure that persists today. KPMG's international coordination was long anchored in Amstelveen, Netherlands, before the global entity was reorganized as KPMG International Limited registered in London.

The brand's modern era is defined by the shift from audit-centric work toward advisory, technology transformation, and AI. KPMG committed to a multi-billion-dollar Microsoft partnership beginning in 2023 to embed AI across its service lines, while simultaneously weathering high-profile audit failures and integrity scandals that have drawn record fines in the UK and Netherlands.

About KPMG

What does KPMG own?

KPMG does not own operating businesses in the traditional sense. It is a network of independent member firms that provide audit, tax and advisory services under the KPMG brand. KPMG International Limited, the London-registered coordinating entity, owns the brand and licenses it to member firms.

Is KPMG publicly traded?

No. KPMG is owned by its partners and is not listed on any stock exchange. Each national member firm is a private partnership or limited liability partnership owned by its local partners.

Who founded KPMG?

KPMG was formed in 1987 by merging two international networks. The name derives from four key figures: Piet Klynveld, William Barclay Peat, James Marwick, and Reinhard Goerdeler, whose firms built the constituent networks beginning in the late 19th century.

Where is KPMG headquartered?

KPMG International Limited is registered at 15 Canada Square in London, England. The global network was historically associated with Amstelveen, Netherlands, and member firms have their own national headquarters.