Hudson's_Bay_Company The Hudson's Bay Company (), abbreviated HBC, is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and is one of the oldest in the world. The company was incorporated by British royal charter in 1670 as The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay; it is now domiciled in Canada and has adopted the more common shorter name as its legal moniker.It was once the de facto government in parts of North America before European-based colonies and nation states existed.