A global depository receipt (GDR) is issued by a depositary bank and represents shares in a foreign company. GDRs allow investors to invest in the shares of a foreign company without directly dealing in a foreign capital market. Besides, these instruments are usually listed on the stock exchanges of investors’ home countries, which makes it easier for them to invest in foreign companies. GDRs allow companies to raise capital from investors in foreign countries, thereby diversifying their investor base. Having learnt what a GDR is, let us talk about how it works.
How Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) Work
A number of companies use the GDR route to raise capital from investors in foreign markets. GDRs work in this manner. A bank in a country purchases the shares of foreign companies that want to raise capital from investors there. After purchasing those shares, it holds them as underlying securities. Then, it issues GDRs representing those shares to investors in its country.
Typically, a GDR is denominated in the US Dollar and it trades on international stock exchanges. As GDRs are listed in the local stock exchanges of investors, they do not have to deal with a foreign stock exchange, which prevents them from facing a lot of complexities. Now that you know what a GDR is and how it works, let us delve deeper into this topic.
Benefits of Investing in GDRs
Global depositary receipts provide many benefits to both investors and companies, which are explained below:
Access to capital from foreign markets: GDRs help companies raise capital from foreign countries, which can allow them to grow and expand. Besides, it also helps them widen the base of their investors.
Better liquidity: As GDRs trade on international stock exchanges, they can help companies by providing them with higher liquidity for their shares. Better liquidity also helps investors, as they can trade in the shares of such companies easily.
Diversification: GDRs allow investors to invest in the shares of foreign companies, which helps them diversify their portfolios. Besides, they also help companies raise finance from investors in foreign countries, diversifying their base of investors.
Brand building: When companies raise capital through the GDR route, it helps improve awareness about their brand in a foreign market. As investors become aware of a company, they also learn about its products/services. And then through word-of-mouth publicity, more people get to know about a company, which gives a boost to its brand in foreign markets.
Risks Associated with GDRs
There is no denying that global depositary receipts offer several advantages. However, they also come with certain risks, which you should be aware of:
Compliance pressure: Companies that raise capital through GDRs have to follow regulations in multiple countries, which adds to their compliance pressure. Complying with multiple sets of rules can be time-consuming and expensive.
Lack of voting rights: In most cases, GDR holders do not have voting rights. As a result, they do not have control over the companies in which they invest.
Currency risk: As GDRs are denominated in a foreign currency, investors face currency risk. Due to exchange rate fluctuations, their GDR investments could result in losses.
Country risk: GDRs are financial instruments that help investors invest in the shares of a foreign company. Hence, it exposes them to country risk. Suppose the country in which a foreign company is based faces political uncertainty. Then, the share price of such a company could get affected, which can impact GDR holders, too.
Taxation aspect: GDRs are often subject to taxation in both the country of investors and the country of the foreign company that raises capital. So, the taxation for investors may increase.
Difference Between Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)
It is extremely important for investors to understand the difference between GDRs and ADRs. So, please refer to the table below:
Criteria
| ADRs
| GDRs
|
Meaning
| The ADR route allows a foreign company to raise money from investors in the US through a US depository bank.
| Through GDRs, a company approaches depository banks in multiple foreign countries and raises capital through them from investors in those countries.
|
Issuer
| A company from outside of the US can issue an ADR.
| Any company from anywhere in the world can issue a GDR.
|
Currency
| The currency of ADRs is the US Dollar.
| Mostly, GDRs are issued in several currencies, like the Euro, the US Dollar, etc.
|
Investors
| Mostly, ADRs are meant for investors in the US, as these instruments trade on stock exchanges in the US.
| GDRs are designed for investors of countries in which they are issued. Hence, investors from multiple countries can invest in a GDR.
|
Where do ADRs/GDRs trade?
| These instruments trade on stock exchanges in the US, like the NYSE and Nasdaq.
| These instruments trade on the exchanges of countries where they are issued. So, GDRs often trade on exchanges of many countries.
|
How to Invest in GDRs?
If you want to invest in GDRs, you need to follow these steps:
Open a brokerage account: Firstly, you have to open a brokerage account with a platform that allows you to trade in GDRs. Before doing so, please ensure that the platform allows you to access international markets and specifically permits you to invest in the GDRs that you want.
Research GDRs comprehensively: Investing in GDRs amounts to buying a stake in a foreign company. Hence, you need to thoroughly research the available GDRs to understand their pros and cons. For this purpose, you can check financial websites and news platforms. Besides, you must analyse the data of companies issuing GDRs.
Check the stock exchange listings: Often, GDRs are listed in an investor’s home country. Therefore, as an investor, you must check on which exchange a GDR is listed. This will ensure that you purchase the correct instrument.
Place an order: After selecting the GDR you want to buy, you need to place an order using your brokerage account. The process of buying a GDR is the same as that of purchasing a regular stock. Essentially speaking, you need to decide how many GDRs you want to purchase and at what price you want to buy them.
Track your investment: You must start monitoring your GDR investments from the moment you make them. Remember GDRs can get affected by many factors, like market conditions, the issuer’s performance, etc.
Conclusion
GDRs offer many benefits for investors and issuers as financial instruments. They allow investors to buy shares of foreign companies and diversify their portfolios. Besides, they enable companies to raise capital from investors in multiple foreign countries. However, they come with certain challenges, too. For example, GDRs require companies to follow regulations in many countries, which can be time-consuming, complex, and expensive. They also expose investors to market and currency risks. That said, if used wisely, GDRs can end up being beneficial for both issuers and investors.
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