Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. The term usually refers to a company that does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies to form a corporate group. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow the ownership and control of a number of different companies. (Wikipedia)

Holding companies are useful because subsidiary companies in a group can funnel profits up to the holding vehicle. (BBC News)