American Depositry Receipts

DEPOSITARY RECEIPT

A depositary receipt (DR) is a type of negotiable (transferable) financial security that is traded on a local stock exchange but represents a security, usually in the form of equity that is issued by a foreign publicly listed company. The DR, which is a physical certificate, allows investors to hold shares in equity of other countries. One of the most common types of DRs is the American depositary receipt (ADR), which has been offering companies, investors and traders global investment opportunities since the 1920s.

Since then, DRs have spread to other parts of the globe in the form of global depositary receipts (GDRs) (the other most common type of DR), European DRs and international DRs. ADRs are typically traded on a U.S. national stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the American Stock Exchange, while GDRs are commonly listed on European stock exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange. Both ADRs and GDRs are usually denominated in U.S. dollars, but can also be denominated in Euros.

How Does the DR Work?

The DR is created when a foreign company wishes to list its already publicly traded shares or debt securities on a foreign stock exchange. Before it can be listed to a particular stock exchange, the company in question will first have to meet certain requirements put forth by the exchange. Initial public offerings, however, can also issue a DR. DRs can be traded publicly or over-the-counter. Let us look at an example of how an ADR is created and traded.

The Benefits of Depositary Receipts

The DR functions as a means to increase global trade, which in turn can help increase not only volumes on local and foreign markets but also the exchange of information, technology, regulatory procedures as well as market transparency. Thus, instead of being faced with impediments to foreign investment, as is often the case in many emerging markets, the DR investor and company can both benefit from investment abroad.

AMERICAN DEPOSITORY RECEIPTS

Background

ADRs were primarily created to increase investment access to widely known and often multinational companies. They are typically formed by a depository bank depositing ordinary shares of a foreign company into a trust and issuing receipts of interest in the underlying shares on a domestic exchange. The bank will act as a custodian for the trust handling dividend distribution, currency exchange, proxies, tax reporting, and regulatory filings. It receives a management fee for these services, either from the shareholders or the issuing company.

Trading of ADRs occurs by brokers purchasing/selling