What is an American Depositary Share (ADS)?
An ADS is a negotiable certificate evidencing ownership of an outstanding class of stock in a non-US company. ADSs are created when ordinary shares are delivered to a custodian bank in the domestic market, which then instructs a depositary bank in the US to issue ADSs based on a predetermined ratio. ADSs are SEC-registered securities and may trade freely, just like any other security, either on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market.
