A global depository receipt (GDR), also known as international depository receipt (IDR), is a certificate issued by a depository bank, which purchases shares of foreign companies and deposits it on the account. They are the global equivalent of the original American depository receipts (ADR) on which they are based. GDRs represent ownership of an underlying number of shares of a foreign company and are commonly used to invest in companies from developing or emerging markets by investors in developed markets.