Originally Posted by
Luisa
Federal reserve is not a private company in the word's usual meaning. Its purpose isn't to generate profit, but to conduct a monetary policy and ensure the financial stability. The reason why it's not a public company is because as a central bank it's an institution that is supposed to be independent on the government. Its level of independence is questionable but that's not the point. If anything, it's a non-profit privately held institution in the role of the US central bank.