BAYRY Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (PK)

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BNY Mellon, the global leader in investment management and investment services, and OTC Markets Group Inc., operator of Open, Transparent and Connected financial marketplaces, today announced the creation of the OTCM ADR Index, a comprehensive index for American Depositary Receipts traded on OTCQX, OTCQB and OTC Pink marketplaces.

The OTCM ADR Index (Bloomberg: OTCDR), powered by BNY Mellon DR Indices, was developed to benchmark the fast-growing and diverse number of ADR investment opportunities available to investors through their U.S. brokers.  Since 2002, the total number of ADRs trading on the OTCQX, OTCQB and OTC Pink marketplaces has increased more than fivefold, from 248 to 1,420.  In the first nine months of 2012, 251 new OTC ADR programs were established.

The OTCM ADR Index comprises 535 large-cap international companies, including such names as Banco do Brasil (OTC Pink: BDORY), Bayer AG (OTC Pink: BAYRY), Komatsu (OTCQB: KMTUY), Li & Fung (OTC Pink: LFUGY), LUKOIL (OTC Pink: LUKOY), National Australia Bank Ltd (OTC Pink: NABZY),), Nestle S.A. (OTC Pink: NSRGY), Ping An Insurance Company of China (OTC Pink: PNGAY), Roche Holding AG (OTCQX: RHHBY), Standard Bank of South Africa (OTC Pink: SGBLY) and Wal-Mart de Mexico (OTCQX: WMMVY). In all, 38 countries are represented across 10 industries.

"ADRs offer U.S. investors convenient access to global investment opportunities, and we're pleased to work with BNY Mellon in offering this first-ever comprehensive benchmark for the largest and most liquid ADRs," said R. Cromwell Coulson, president and CEO of OTC Markets Group.  "By tracking this important asset class, the OTCM ADR Index furthers our mission to create better informed and more efficient financial marketplaces."

"Providing added visibility to ADRs traded on the OTC Markets will benefit ADR issuers and investors alike," said Michael Cole-Fontayn, CEO of BNY Mellon's Depositary Receipts business.  "Our collaboration with OTC Markets Group offers the investment community an index that shows the depth, breadth and liquidity of all ADRs traded on the OTC Markets site.  We'll continue to work closely with our issuers and market intermediaries to enhance the use of ADRs among global investors."

"The OTCM ADR Index spotlights some of the world's most well-known companies," said Julio Lugo, head of BNY Mellon DR Indices.  "We believe it's an important next step in our 15 years of creating and disseminating ADR indices."

OTCM ADR is a rules-based index that is market capitalization weighted, adjusted for free float, and has various liquidity screens to ensure tradability.  It is also priced in real-time and disseminated on all electronic platforms.  OTCM ADR Index data will be available on the OTC Markets Group (www.otcmarkets.com) and BNY Mellon DR Index (www.bnymellondrindex.com) websites.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates Open, Transparent and Connected financial marketplaces for 10,000 U.S. and global securities.  Its OTC Link® ATS directly links a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services for a wide spectrum of securities. They organize these securities into marketplaces to better inform investors of opportunities and risks - OTCQX® - The Intelligent Marketplace for the Best OTC Companies; OTCQB® - The Venture Marketplace; and OTC Pink® - The Open Marketplace. To learn more, visit www.otcmarkets.com. OTC Link ATS is operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC registered ATS.

BNY Mellon acts as depositary for more than 2,500 American and global depositary receipt programs, acting in partnership with leading companies from 68 countries.  BNY Mellon is committed to helping securities issuers access the world's rapidly evolving financial markets and delivers a comprehensive suite of depositary receipt services.  Learn more at www.bnymellon.com/dr.

BNY Mellon is a global financial services company focused on helping clients manage and service their financial assets, operating in 36 countries and serving more than 100 markets. BNY Mellon is a leading provider of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, offering superior investment management and investment services through a worldwide client-focused team. It has $27.9 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.4 trillion in assets under management, services $11.6 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.4 trillion per day. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Learn more at www.bnymellon.com or follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon.

This release is for informational purposes only. BNY Mellon provides no advice nor recommendation or endorsement with respect to any company or securities. Nothing herein shall be deemed to constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Depositary Receipts: Not FDIC, State or Federal Agency Insured; May Lose Value; No Bank, State or Federal Agency Guarantee.

SOURCE BNY Mellon