What Is a Depositary Receipt DR? Definition, Types and Examples

ADRs and GDRs give U.S. investors the opportunity to access foreign investment in their home market. Depositary receipts provide investors with the benefits and rights of the underlying shares, which can include voting rights and dividends. They can open up markets that investors wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Using GDRs, companies can raise capital from investors in countries around the world. GDRs can in theory be denominated in any currency, but are nearly always in U.S. dollars.

In turn, these banks package and issue shares to their respective stock exchanges. These activities follow the regulatory compliance regulations for both of the countries. Depositary receipts have spread to other parts of the globe in the form of global depositary receipts (GDRs), European DRs, and international DRs.

GDRs represent ownership of an underlying number of shares of a foreign company and are commonly used to invest in companies from developing or emerging markets by investors in developed markets. A global depositary receipt is a negotiable certificate issued by a bank. The certificate represents shares in a foreign company traded on a local stock exchange. GDRs give companies access to greater capital and investors the opportunity to invest in the equity of foreign companies.

GDRs vs. ADRs

ADRs are traded on a U.S. national stock exchange, but 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 they can also be denominated in euros. GAIL India, the country’s largest gas company, has its GDRs traded on the LSE. Russian oil and gas business Gazprom, one of the world’s largest energy companies, also trades its GDRs on foreign exchanges including the Singapore Stock Exchange. Global depositary receipts are typically part of a program that a company builds to issue its shares in foreign markets of more than one country.

Trading GDRs

Depositary receipts, however, are shares of a foreign company offered in another foreign market. Depositary receipts can be structured in multiple ways and allow foreign investors to invest in foreign companies through their own domestic exchanges. Investors can gain access to foreign stocks via American depositary receipts (ADRs) in the United States. ADRs are issued only by U.S. banks for foreign stocks that are traded on a U.S. exchange, including the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), NYSE, or Nasdaq. The receipt is listed in U.S. dollars when an investor purchases an American depositary receipt. A U.S. financial institution overseas rather than a global institution holds the actual underlying security.

Due to the trading activity called arbitrage, a GDR’s price closely tracks that of the international company’s stock on its home exchange. An investor can sell them as-is on the proper exchanges, or the investor can convert them into regular stock for the company. Additionally, they can be canceled and returned to the issuing company. GDRs are generally referred to as European Depositary Receipts, or EDRs, when European investors wish to trade locally the shares of companies located outside of Europe.

Those holding GDRs can surrender them to the bank and convert them into shares. A depositary receipt is a negotiable financial instrument issued by a bank to represent a foreign company’s publicly traded securities. The depositary receipt trades on a local stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the U.S., but represents an interest in a company that is headquartered outside of the United States.

Advantages of Depositary Receipts

Additionally, they can be cancelled and returned to the issuing company. To determine the level a company trades at, an investor can check which forms have been filed with the SEC at its site, sec.gov. Alternately, the website of a depository bank or ADR.com can be used to check a company’s filing status. Below is an overview of the easiest ways to invest in foreign stocks, whether you live in the U.S. or any other country. The U.S. currently accounts for about 60% of the world’s total stock market value, but that’s likely to decline in the years ahead as more investors look to emerging markets such as China and India.

Prices of global depositary receipt are based on the values of related shares, but they are traded and settled independently of the underlying share. Typically, 1 GDR is equal to 10 underlying shares, but any ratio can be used. It is a negotiable instrument which is denominated in some freely convertible currency.[1] GDRs enable a company, the issuer, to access investors in capital markets outside of its home country. Global Depository Receipt (GDR) are certificates issued by a depository bank, which purchases foreign company shares and deposits them in the account. GDRs are commonly used to raise capital from international investors through public stock offerings or private placement. It is a negotiable financial instrument issued by a foreign bank representing a foreign firm’s listed securities on a stock exchange other than the United States (US).

Diversifying using depository receipts along with other investments prevents a portfolio from being too heavily concentrated in one holding or sector. A U.S.-based company that wants its stock to be listed on the London Stock Exchange can accomplish this via a GDR. The U.S.-based company enters into a depositary receipt agreement with the London depository bank. In turn, the London bank issues shares in Britain based on the regulatory compliance for both countries. American depositary receipts are shares issued in the U.S. from a foreign company through a depositary bank intermediary. In general, a foreign company will work with a U.S. depositary bank as the intermediary for issuing and managing the shares.

What is your current financial priority?

That’s why trading in depositary receipts (DRs) such as ADRs and GDRs has become popular in recent years. They are designed to make it easier for investors to buy foreign stocks. Generally, the brokers are from what is global depository receipt the home country and operate within the foreign market. The depositary bank purchases shares of the company from the home market, then issues DRs representing these shares in the foreign market. One of the disadvantages of depository receipts is that investors may find that many aren’t listed on a stock exchange. Indian companies who want to issue GDRs must get Ministry of Finance and FIPB clearance.

1. Unlike American depositary receipts (ADRs), which allow foreign company shares to be traded on the US stock exchanges, GDRs can be traded in multiple countries.
2. Global Depository Receipt (GDR) are certificates issued by a depository bank, which purchases foreign company shares and deposits them in the account.
3. ADRs are issued only by U.S. banks for foreign stocks that are traded on a U.S. exchange, including the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), NYSE, or Nasdaq.
4. If a company wants to offer its equity shares in a foreign market it must work with a depositary bank.
5. Foreign companies can trade in a country’s stock market through GDRs, except the US stock market.

For U.S. investors, global depositary receipts offer a way to own equity in foreign companies while trading its representative shares on a local stock exchange. Certainly, GDRs have their risks, including home country economic and political risk, currency risk, and liquidity risk. A depositary receipt (DR) is a negotiable certificate issued by a bank. It represents shares in a foreign company traded on a local stock exchange and gives investors the opportunity to hold shares in the equity of foreign countries.

If a company wants to offer its equity shares in a foreign market it must work with a depositary bank. This means the underlying company seeking to raise money through the specially structured share issuance must partner with a depositary bank to do so. As an intermediary, the depositary bank manages the share issuance, administration aspects of the share listing, and other details involved with the shares being offered. The underlying company does not necessarily have direct access to manage their depositary receipt shares in the same way that they manage their domestic shares. As an investor you will have heard of the trading of global depositary receipt shares from companies in emerging growth countries like China and India. Investing in GDRs is one way for investors to diversify their portfolios with exposure to international markets.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate could impact the value of the dividend payment. A depositary receipt was originally a physical certificate that allowed investors to hold shares in the 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. Usually, the brokers belong to the home country and operate within the foreign market. The actual purchase of the assets is multi-staged, involving a broker located within the market of the international company, a broker in the investor’s country, a custodian bank and a depositary bank representing the buyer.

ADRs are otherwise issued by brokers or dealers that own common stock in the foreign company. A foreign-listed company typically hires a financial advisor to help it navigate regulations when it wants to create a depositary receipt abroad. The company also generally uses a domestic bank to act as the custodian and a broker in the target country. The domestic bank will list shares of the firm on an exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), in the country where the firm is located. ADR holders don’t have to transact in foreign currencies because ADRs trade in U.S. dollars and clear through U.S. settlement systems. An American Depository Receipt (ADR) is a negotiable certificate issued by a US bank reflecting securities of a foreign business denominated in US dollars and trading on the US stock market.