SPA
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Single-page application |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Business & Finance, Law & Legal |
| Also written | SpA |
SPA has four meanings. The most common are Single-page application (Internet & web) and Share purchase agreement (finance); it can also stand for Società per azioni (joint-stock company) and Stock purchase agreement.
Meanings of SPA at a glance
| # | SPA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single-page application | Technology & Computing › Internet & Web |
| 2 | Share purchase agreement | Business & Finance › Finance |
| 3 | Società per azioni (joint-stock company) | Business & Finance › Company Type |
| 4 | Stock purchase agreement | Law & Legal › Contract |
1. Single-page application
Technology & Computing · Internet & Web Abbreviations
A web app that loads one HTML page and then updates content with JavaScript as the user navigates, fetching data from APIs instead of requesting new pages from the server. Gmail, Trello and many dashboards work this way.
Example: Because it's an SPA, the back button broke until we wired up the router properly.
Popularized in the 2010s by frameworks such as AngularJS, React, Ember and Vue. SPAs feel fast after the first load but can be slow to start and harder for search engines to index, which led to a revival of server-side rendering. A client-side router keeps the address bar in sync using the History API. The contrasting model, where each click loads a new document, is the multi-page application (MPA).
2. Share purchase agreement
Business & Finance · Finance Abbreviations
Definitive contract in which a buyer agrees to acquire shares of a company from its owners, setting out price, conditions, warranties, indemnities and closing mechanics. It is the core legal document in a share deal, as opposed to an asset deal.
Example: The SPA includes a $5 million escrow to cover breaches of warranty for 18 months.
Called a stock purchase agreement in the United States. In a share purchase the buyer inherits all of the company's liabilities, known and unknown, which is why warranties, indemnities and warranty-and-indemnity insurance matter. The word spa in hospitality is unrelated.
3. Società per azioni (joint-stock company) (SpA)
Business & Finance · Company Type Abbreviations
Italian joint-stock company form, used by large and listed companies, with share capital divided into shares and shareholders' liability limited. Minimum share capital is €50,000.
Example: Eni S.p.A. and Enel S.p.A. are listed on Borsa Italiana in Milan.
Written S.p.A. or SpA. Italy cut the minimum capital for an SpA from €120,000 to €50,000 in 2014. Chile uses the same letters for its sociedad por acciones, a different, simplified stock company.
4. Stock purchase agreement
Law & Legal · Contract Abbreviations
Acquisition contract in which a buyer purchases the shares of a target company from its shareholders, taking the company as a whole with all its assets and liabilities. It covers the price and adjustments, representations and warranties, covenants, closing conditions and indemnification.
Example: The SPA provides for a $5 million escrow to cover breaches of the sellers' representations.
Outside the US the same document is called a share purchase agreement. Because the target's liabilities stay with it, buyers rely heavily on due diligence, representations and indemnities, and increasingly on representations and warranties insurance. Stock deals generally avoid assigning individual contracts, subject to change-of-control clauses.
Related abbreviations
More Internet & web abbreviations
- Sass – Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets
- SCSS – Sassy CSS
- SLD – Second-level domain
- SOP – Same-origin policy
- SRI – Subresource Integrity
- SSE – Server-sent events
- SSG – Static site generation
- SSR – Server-side rendering
See all 76 Internet & web abbreviations →
More finance abbreviations
- RRR – Required rate of return
- S&T – Sales and trading
- SAFE – Simple agreement for future equity
- SOTP – Sum of the parts
- SPV – Special purpose vehicle
- TLB – Term loan B
- TSR – Total shareholder return
- TTM – Trailing twelve months
See all 88 finance abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.