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Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Friday, September 18 2020 - 01:42
AsiaNet
The Capital Market Authority Approves "Instructions on Issuing Depositary Receipts Out of the Kingdom"
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) Board approved the "Instructions on Issuing 
Depositary Receipts Out of the Kingdom" which aim to set out the regulatory 
framework for the issuance of depository receipts out of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia for shares issued in the Kingdom and listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange; 
or shares issued in the Kingdom and its issuer has made the necessary 
arrangements for listing them in the Exchange. These instructions come for the 
purpose of opening the Saudi financial market to foreign markets and 
contributing to build an advanced global financial market, in addition to 
providing additional financing methods for Saudi issuers whose shares are 
listed in the Exchange, or who have made the necessary arrangements for listing 
their shares in the Exchange.

These instructions enable the company (the issuer) to allocate a percentage of 
the company's shares for which depository receipts are issued, where such 
depository receipts will be offered and listed in a foreign financial market. 
Listed or non-listed Companies on emerging markets typically use depository 
receipts for the purpose of offering and listing in advanced foreign markets, 
as depository receipts contribute to increasing the efficiency of pricing the 
issuer's securities between the local and foreign markets. It is also one of 
the flexible methods for the issuer to offer securities in the currency of the 
foreign market.

In this regard, Mr. Bader Balghonaim, the CMA Deputy for Legal Affairs and 
Enforcement clarified that one of the key objectives of these instructions is 
to set out the regulatory framework for the issuance of depository receipts out 
the kingdom for shares of companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, or 
shares for which necessary arrangements for listing in the Exchange have been 
made, which enables diversifying the investors base in the Saudi Stock Exchange 
to include foreign investors in those depository receipts out the kingdom, 
taking into consideration international best practices and standards.

The CMA studied all views and comments received during the public consultation, 
and among the views that were taken into consideration is clarifying the 
conditions to be met in order to enable the holder of depositary receipts, if 
such holder is among the categories of investors allowed to invest in the 
listed shares in the Kingdom, to cancel such receipts and become the holder of 
the corresponding shares.

Moreover, the CMA has prepared the instruction in line with the its strategic 
objectives and responsibilities in further developing the financial market; it 
also comes in line with the CMA's strategic initiative "Financial Leadership 
Program" to contribute in achieving the Saudi Vision 2030.

The Instructions can be viewed via the following link: 
Instructions on Issuing Depositary Receipts Out of the Kingdom 
[https://cma.org.sa/en/RulesRegulations/Regulations/Documents/INSTRUCTIONS_ON 
ISSUING_DEPOSITARY_RECEIPTS_OUT_OF_THE_KINGDOM_en.pdf]

Contact: 
Capital Market Authority 
Communication & Investor Protection Division 
+966114906861 
+966544822226 
media@cma.org.sa 
www.cma.org.sa 

About CMA: 

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) is the supervisory and administrative 
authority responsible for regulating and developing the financial market by 
issuing the laws, regulations and instructions necessary to implement the rules 
of the Capital Market Law, in order to provide the appropriate climate for 
achieving confidence, fairness and efficiency for issuance of securities and 
full disclosure of joint stock companies and protect investors from the illegal 
acts in the stock market. 

For more information about CMA, please visit the official website: 
www.cma.org.sa.

Source: Capital Market Authority (CMA)