An Overview of Depositary Receipts

Bank of New York Mellon Depositary Receipts (DRs), which include ADRs, GDRs, Euro DRs and NYSs, are negotiable U.S. securities that generally represent a non-U.S. company's publicly traded equity. Although typically denominated in U.S. dollars, Depositary Receipts can also be denominated in Euros. Depositary Receipts can be eligible to trade on all U.S. stock exchanges as well as on many European stock exchanges. The increasing demand for Depositary Receipts is driven by the desire of individual and institutional investors to diversify their portfolios, reduce risk and invest internationally in the most efficient manner possible. While most investors recognize the benefits of global diversification, they also understand the challenges presented when investing directly in local trading markets. These obstacles can include inefficient trade settlements, uncertain custody services and costly currency conversions. Depositary Receipts overcome many of the inherent operational and custodial hurdles of international investing. In fact, cost benefits and conveniences.

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What are Depositary Receipts? Benefits to a Company Benefits to an Investor Types of Depositary Receipt Facilities Sponsored Level I Depositary Receipts Sponsored Level II and Sponsored Level III Depositary Receipts Privately Placed and Offshore (SEC Rule 144A/Reg. S) Depositary Receipts How Depositary Receipts Trade World Leader in Depositary Receipts 10. What are Depositary Receipts? What are Depositary Receipts? A Depositary Receipt is a negotiable U.S. security that generally represents a company's publicly traded equity or debt. Depositary Receipts are created when a broker purchases the non-U.S. company's shares on the home stock market and delivers those to the depositary's local custodian bank, which then instructs the depositary bank, such as The Bank of New York, to issue Depositary Receipts. In addition, Depositary Receipts may also be purchased in the U.S. secondary trading market. Depositary Receipts may trade freely, just like any other security, either on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market and can be used to raise capital. Depositary Receipts may be more specifically called American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Rule 144A Depositary Receipts or Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). These names typically identify the market in which the Depositary Receipts are available: ADRs are publicly available to U.S. investors on a national stock exchange or in the over-the-counter market; Rule 144A ADRs are privately placed and resold only to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) in the U.S. QIB PORTAL market; and GDRs are generally available in one or more markets outside the foreign company's home country, although these may also be known as ADRs. Benefits to a Company Currently, there are over 2,000 Depositary Receipt programs for companies from over 70 countries. The establishment of a Depositary Receipt program offers numerous advantages to non-U.S. companies. The primary reasons to establish a Depositary Receipt program can be divided into two broad considerations: capital and commercial.

Advantages may include: 1. Expanded market share through broadened and more diversified investor exposure with potentially greater liquidity, which may increase or stabilize the share price. 2. Enhanced visibility and image for the company's products, services and financial instruments in a marketplace outside its home country. 3. Flexible mechanism for raising capital and a vehicle or currency for mergers and acquisitions. 4. Enables employees of U.S. subsidiaries of non-U.S. companies to invest more easily in the parent company. Benefits to an Investor Increasingly, investors aim to diversify their portfolios internationally. However, obstacles such as undependable settlements, costly currency conversions, unreliable custody services, poor information flow, unfamiliar market practices, confusing tax conventions and internal investment policy may discourage institutions and private investors from venturing outside their local market. Depositary Receipt advantages may include: 1. Quotation in U.S. dollars and payment of dividends or interest in U.S. dollars. 2. Diversification without many of the obstacles that mutual funds, pension funds and other institutions may have in purchasing and holding securities outside of their local market. 3. Elimination of global custodian safekeeping charges, potentially saving Depositary Receipt investors up to 10 to 40 basis points annually. 4. Familiar trade, clearance and settlement procedures. 5. Competitive U.S. dollar/foreign exchange rate conversions for dividends and other cash distributions. 6. Ability to acquire the underlying securities directly upon cancellation. Types of Depositary Receipt Facilities Depositary Receipt facilities may be unsponsored and sponsored. Unsponsored Depositary Receipts are issued by one or more depositaries in response to market demand, but without a formal agreement with the company. Today, unsponsored Depositary Receipts are considered obsolete and are rarely established due to lack of control over the facility and potential hidden costs. Sponsored Depositary Receipts may be issued in different levels available in various trading markets and are issued by one depositary appointed by the company under a Deposit Agreement or service contract. Sponsored Depositary Receipts offer control over the facility, the flexibility to list on a U.S. or European stock exchange and the ability to raise capital. Sponsored Level I Depositary Receipts A Sponsored Level I Depositary Receipt program is the simplest method for companies to access the U.S. and non-U.S. capital markets. Level I Depositary Receipts are traded in the U.S. over-thecounter (OTC) market with prices published in the Pink Sheets and on some exchanges outside the United States. Establishment of a Level I program does not require full SEC registration and the company do not have to report its accounts under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or provide full Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure. Essentially, a Sponsored Level I Depositary Receipt program allows companies to enjoy the benefits of a publicly traded security without changing its current reporting process. The Sponsored Level I Depositary Receipt market is the fastest growing segment of the Depositary Receipt business. The majority of sponsored programs are Level I facilities. In addition, because of the benefits of Depositary Receipt investing, it is not unusual for a company with a Level I program to obtain 5 percent to 15 percent of its shareholder base in Depositary Receipt form. Many well-

known multinational companies have established such programs. In addition, numerous companies have started with a Level I program and then upgraded to a Level II (listing) or Level III (offering) program. Sponsored Level II and Sponsored Level III Depositary Receipts Companies that wish to list their Depositary Receipts on a U.S. stock exchange (NASDAQ, American or New York), raise capital or make an acquisition using securities, use Sponsored Level II or Sponsored Level III Depositary Receipts. Level II and Level III Depositary Receipt programs require SEC registration and adherence to applicable requirements for U.S. GAAP. These types of Depositary Receipts can also be listed on some exchanges outside the United States. Level II Depositary Receipts are exchange-listed securities but do not involve raising new capital. Level III programs typically generate the most U.S. investor interest because capital is being raised. Generally, companies that choose either a Level II or Level III program will attract a significant number of U.S. investors. Privately Placed and Offshore (SEC Rule 144A / Regulation S) Depositary Receipts In addition to the three levels of sponsored Depositary Receipt programs that trade publicly in the U.S., a company can also access the U.S. and other capital markets through SEC Rule 144A and/or SEC Regulation S Depositary Receipt facilities without SEC registration. Rule 144A programs provide for raising capital through the private placement of Depositary Receipts with large institutional investors (often referred to as QIBs) in the United States. Regulation S programs provide for raising capital through the placement of Depositary Receipts offshore to non-U.S. investors in reliance on Regulation S. A Level I program can be established along side a Rule 144A program and a Regulation S program may be merged into a Level I program after the restricted period has expired. How ADRs Trade? A Depositary Receipt is a negotiable security which represents the underlying securities (generally equity shares) of a non-U.S. company. Depositary Receipts facilitate U.S. investor purchases of non-U.S. securities and allow non-U.S. companies to have their stock trade in the United States by reducing or eliminating settlement delays, high transaction costs, and other potential inconveniences associated with international securities trading. Depositary Receipts are treated in the same manner as other U.S. securities for clearance, settlement, transfer, and ownership purposes. Depositary Receipts can also represent debt securities or preferred stock. The Depositary Receipt is issued by a U.S. depositary bank, such as The Bank of New York, when the underlying shares are deposited in a local custodian bank, usually by a broker who has purchased the shares in the open market. Once issued, these certificates may be freely traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market or, upon compliance with U.S. SEC regulations, on a national stock exchange. When the Depositary Receipt holder sells, the Depositary Receipt can either be sold to another U.S. investor or it can be canceled and the underlying shares can be sold to a nonU.S. investor. In the latter case, the Depositary Receipt certificate would be surrendered and the shares held with the local custodian bank would be released back into the home market and sold to a broker there. Additionally, the Depositary Receipt holder would be able to request delivery of the actual shares at any time. The Depositary Receipt certificate states the responsibilities of the depositary bank with respect to actions such as payment of dividends, voting at shareholder meetings, and handling of rights offerings. Depositary Receipts (DRs) in American or Global form (ADRs and GDRs, respectively) are used to facilitate cross-border trading and to raise capital in global equity offerings or for mergers and acquisitions to U.S. and non-U.S. investors. Demand for Depositary Receipts

The demand by investors for Depositary Receipts has been growing between 30 to 40 percent annually, driven in large part by the increasing desire of retail and institutional investors to diversify their portfolios globally. Many of these investors typically do not, or cannot for various reasons, invest directly outside of the U.S. and, as a result, utilize Depositary Receipts as a means to diversify their portfolios. Many investors who do have the capabilities to invest outside the U.S. may prefer to utilize Depositary Receipts because of the convenience, enhanced liquidity and cost effectiveness Depositary Receipts offer as compared to purchasing and safekeeping ordinary shares in the home country. In many cases, a Depositary Receipt investment can save an investor up to 10-40 basis points annually as compared to all of the costs associated with trading and holding ordinary shares outside the United States. Issuance. Depositary Receipts are issued or created when investors decide to invest in a non-U.S. company and contact their brokers to make a purchase. These brokers, through their international offices or through a local broker in the company's home market, purchase the underlying ordinary shares and request that the shares be delivered to the depositary bank's custodian in that country. The broker who initiated the transaction will convert the U.S. dollars received from the investor into the corresponding foreign currency and pay the local broker for the shares purchased. On the same day that the shares are delivered to the custodian bank, the custodian notifies the depositary bank. Upon such notification, Depositary Receipts are issued and delivered to the initiating broker, who then delivers the Depositary Receipts evidencing the shares to the investor. Your broker can also obtain Depositary Receipts by purchasing existing Depositary Receipts, which is not a new issuance. Transfer - (Intra-Market Trading) Once Depositary Receipts are issued, they are tradable in the United States and like other U.S. securities; they can be freely sold to other investors. Depositary Receipts may be sold to subsequent U.S. investors by simply transferring them from the existing Depositary Receipt holder (seller) to another Depositary Receipt holder (buyer); this is known as an intra-market transaction. An intra-market transaction is settled in the same manner as any other U.S. security purchase: in U.S. dollars on the third business day after the trade date and typically through The Depository Trust Company (DTC). Intra-market trading accounts for approximately 95 percent of all Depositary Receipt trading in the market today. Accordingly, the most important role of a depositary bank is that of Stock Transfer Agent and Registrar. It is therefore critical that the depositary bank maintain sophisticated stock transfer systems and operating capabilities. Cancellation When investors want to sell their Depositary Receipts, they notify their broker. The broker can either sell the Depositary Receipts in the U.S. market through an intra-market transaction or sell the shares outside of the U.S., typically into the home market through a cross-border transaction. In cross-border transactions, brokers, either through their international offices or through a local broker in the company's home market, will sell the shares back into the home market. In order to settle the trade, the U.S. broker will surrender the Depositary Receipt to the depositary bank with instructions to deliver the shares to the buyer in the home market. The depositary bank will cancel the Depositary Receipt and instruct the custodian to release the underlying shares and deliver them to the local broker who purchased the shares. The broker will arrange for the foreign currency to be converted into U.S. dollars for payment to the Depositary Receipt holder. Trading - (Pricing) Once Depositary Receipts are issued and there are an adequate number of Depositary Receipts outstanding in the U.S. market (usually three percent to six percent of the company's shares in Depositary Receipt form) a true intra-market trading market emerges. Until this market develops,

the majority of Depositary Receipt purchases result in Depositary Receipt issuances upon the deposit of shares. When executing a Depositary Receipt trade, brokers seek to obtain the best price by comparing the Depositary Receipt price in U.S. dollars to the dollar equivalent price of the actual shares in the home market. Brokers will buy or sell in the market that offers them the best price and they can do so in three ways: by issuing a new Depositary Receipt, transferring an existing Depositary Receipt or cancelling a Depositary Receipt. For example, if the price of the actual shares in the home market is $12.28 per share after allowing for foreign currency translation, and the Depositary Receipt is selling for $12.30, the broker will buy shares and issue Depositary Receipts until the price of the ordinary shares increases to $12.30, at which time the broker will simply buy and sell the existing Depositary Receipts that are outstanding in the market. The broker may also be holding an inventory of ordinary shares, in which case the local trading price is irrelevant. The continuous buying and selling of Depositary Receipts in either market tends to keep the price differential between the local and U.S. markets to a minimum. As a result, about 95 percent of Depositary Receipt trading is done in the form of intra-market trading and does not involve the issuance or cancellation of a Depositary Receipt. Equity Offerings When a non-U.S. company completes an offering of new shares, part of which will be sold as Depositary Receipts in the U.S. or international market, the company will deliver the shares to the depositary bank's local custodian at the time of the closing. The depositary bank will then issue the corresponding Depositary Receipts and deliver them to the members of the underwriting syndicate. With this pool of Depositary Receipts, a regular trading market commences where Depositary Receipts can then be issued, transferred or cancelled. World Leader in Depositary Receipts The Bank of New York Mellon is the leading depositary bank, managing substantially more sponsored Depositary Receipt programs than any other depositary bank. We currently issue Depositary Receipts for more than 1,400 programs with companies from 70 countries. Our leadership in the Depositary Receipts industry is exemplified by our appointment as depositary bank for 65 percent of all public sponsored Depositary Receipt programs. Our overall success is based upon our unique, value-added services; technologically advanced securities servicing operating capabilities; specialized approach to each market we service; personalized administrative support and overall commitment to securities servicing.