Question

What are Global Depository Receipt and American Depository Receipt?

Answer 1

• The shares that are issued by public limited companies are traded in various share markets.
• In India, shares are traded in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) National Stock Exchange (NSE), etc.
• Similarly, Shares are traded in foreign stock exchanges like NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) or NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation).
• Companies that cannot list directly on foreign stock exchange get listed indirectly using GDR & ADR.
• GDR and ADR are Dollar/Euro denominated instruments traded on stock exchanges of foreign countries and are depository receipts containing a fixed number of shares.
• The Depository Receipts which are traded in the USA are called ADRs and Depository Receipts which are traded in all foreign countries other than the USA are called GDR.
• Indian Companies raise equity capital in the international market through GDR and ADR.
• Companies issue shares to an intermediary called ‘depository’.
• Bank of New York, Citigroup, etc act as Foreign Depository Bank.
• The Depository Banks issue GDRs or ADRs to investors against Indian Company’s shares.
• These ‘Depository Receipts’ are then, sold to foreign investors who wish to invest their savings in Indian Cost.
• The Depository Receipts are listed on the stock exchanges like regular shares.
• It is a depository bank that stores the shares on behalf of the receipt holder.
• NRI and foreign investors buy Depository Receipt Using their regular equity trading account.
• The company pays dividends in the home currency to the depository and the depository converts them into the currency of investor and pays dividends.
• Indian Companies like HDFC, ICICI, Infosys Technologies, MTNL, WIPRO have ADR and GDR.
• Tata Motors and VSNL have ADRs.
• Bajaj Auto Limited ITC, L&T, Hindalco, Ranbaxy Laboratories, and SBI have GDRs.
• ADR allows the sale of securities only in the American market whereas GDR allows the sale of securities globally.