28.10.2014 Views

xavGE

xavGE

xavGE

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Foreign private issuers<br />

individual investors. Alternatively,<br />

capital can be raised from qualified<br />

institutional investors only via a private<br />

placement, known as a Rule 144A<br />

offering.<br />

A Level II ADR program allows a foreign<br />

issuer to list on a U.S. stock exchange, but<br />

not raise capital. Under a Level I program,<br />

the ADRs are not listed, trading instead in<br />

the over-the-counter market.<br />

How ADRs are created: ADRs are<br />

normally created when the shares of a<br />

foreign issuer—either those currently<br />

trading in its local market or newly<br />

issued shares in connection with an<br />

offering of securities—are deposited<br />

with a depositary bank’s custodian<br />

in the issuer’s home market. The<br />

depository then issues to investors<br />

ADRs representing those shares. At<br />

any time thereafter, an investor can sell<br />

these ADRs in the secondary market<br />

(e.g., the NYSE) or have the sponsoring<br />

depositary bank cancel the ADRs and<br />

receive the underlying ordinary shares<br />

that can be sold in the foreign issuer’s<br />

local market.<br />

Setting up an ADR program: Once<br />

a foreign issuer has chosen an ADR<br />

structure, it will work closely with a<br />

depositary bank to establish and maintain<br />

the ADR program. Time frames and<br />

requirements for launching a program will<br />

vary. However, certain characteristics are<br />

common to any ADR structure.<br />

Setting the ADR-to-share ratio: Each<br />

ADR issued will represent a certain<br />

number of underlying ordinary shares<br />

held in custody in the foreign issuer’s<br />

home market. There is no official rule<br />

for setting the ratio for ADRs. However,<br />

the share prices of sector peers should<br />

be taken into consideration in order to<br />

establish a ratio that will result in an<br />

initial price per ADR that investors will<br />

perceive to be “attractive.”<br />

The ratio initially selected may affect<br />

the transaction costs that a foreign issuer’s<br />

investors will pay. For instance, since fees<br />

for issuance (and cancellation) are assessed<br />

in cents per ADR, an ADR that is priced<br />

“too low” can add incremental transaction<br />

costs for investors.<br />

U.S. investment in foreign equities<br />

6.0<br />

5.0<br />

4.0<br />

3.0<br />

2.0<br />

1.0<br />

0<br />

2.6<br />

2004<br />

Value ($ trillions)<br />

% Equity portfolio<br />

3.3<br />

2005<br />

4.3<br />

2006<br />

2007<br />

2008<br />

2009<br />

Parties that work with the foreign issuer:<br />

Establishing an ADR program requires close<br />

coordination between the foreign issuer,<br />

its chosen depositary bank and each firm’s<br />

legal counsel. When raising capital in the<br />

United States, the issuer also relies on other<br />

advisors, such as accountants, investment<br />

bankers and investor relations firms. The<br />

chart on page 100 summarizes the roles<br />

and responsibilities of each party involved.<br />

On page 101 is a sample timetable for the<br />

establishment of a Level III ADR program.<br />

The deposit agreement: As a first step<br />

toward establishing an ADR program, the<br />

foreign issuer and its chosen depositary<br />

bank negotiate a deposit agreement. This<br />

contract details the legal relationship<br />

and obligations of the depositary bank<br />

and the issuer, describes the services the<br />

depositary and issuer will provide and sets<br />

forth the rights of ADR holders and the<br />

fees they must pay the depositary bank.<br />

Some terms are standard, but deposit<br />

agreement provisions may vary from<br />

program to program depending on the legal<br />

requirements of the foreign issuer’s home<br />

market, the objectives of the depositary<br />

bank and individual issuer specifications.<br />

5.2<br />

2.7<br />

4.0<br />

4.6<br />

2010<br />

4.2<br />

2011<br />

4.6<br />

Q1 2012<br />

4.2<br />

Q2 2012<br />

Q3 2012<br />

Q4 2012<br />

The deposit agreement includes<br />

provisions relating to the following:<br />

• deposit of the issuer’s shares;<br />

• execution and delivery of the ADRs;<br />

• issuance of additional shares by the<br />

issuer in compliance with applicable<br />

securities laws;<br />

• transfer and surrender of the ADRs;<br />

• setting of record dates by the depositary;<br />

• voting of the foreign issuer’s<br />

underlying shares (i.e., the shares<br />

evidenced by the ADRs);<br />

• obligations and rights of the depositary<br />

bank and the holders of the ADRs;<br />

• distribution by the depositary of cash<br />

dividends, stock dividends, rights to<br />

acquire additional shares of the issuer and<br />

other distributions made by the issuer;<br />

• circumstances in which reports and<br />

proxies are to be made available to ADR<br />

holders;<br />

• tax obligations of depositary receipt<br />

holders;<br />

• fees and expenses to be incurred by<br />

the issuer, the depositary and ADR<br />

holders;<br />

• prerelease of ADRs; and<br />

• protections for the depositary and the<br />

issuer (i.e., limitations on liabilities)<br />

4.5<br />

4.7<br />

25%<br />

20%<br />

15%<br />

10%<br />

5%<br />

0%<br />

Source: Federal Reserve, March 2013<br />

NYSE IPO Guide<br />

99

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!