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| KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF

KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF

Investment Objective

The KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign fixed income securities benchmark. The Fund’s current benchmark is the CSI Diversified High Grade CP USD Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The table below does not include the brokerage commissions that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Shareholder Fees
KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF
Management Fees 0.68%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees none [1]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.56% [2]
Other Expenses none [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.24%
Fee Waiver 0.56% [3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver 0.68%
[1] Pursuant to a Distribution Plan, the Fund may bear a Rule 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per year of the Fund’s average daily net assets. However, no such fee is currently paid by the Fund, and the Board of Trustees has not currently approved the commencement of any payments under the Distribution Plan.
[2] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[3] Pursuant to the terms of an Expense Limitation Agreement, Krane Funds Advisors, LLC (“Krane”), the Fund’s investment manager, has contractually agreed to reduce its management fees in an amount equal to any Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses incurred by the Fund from its investments in the KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper ETF. The Expense Limitation Agreement may only be terminated by the Board of Trustees.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not reflect any brokerage commissions that you may pay on purchases and sales of Fund shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your cost would be:

Expense Example, With Redemption
Expense Example, 1 Year
Expense Example, 3 Years
| | KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper Hedged ETF | USD ($) 69 338

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not commenced investment operations as of the date of this Prospectus, it does not have portfolio turnover to report.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities of the Underlying Index (“80% policy”), including indirectly through the KraneShares E Fund China Commercial Paper ETF (“Underlying Fund”). The Underlying Index seeks to track the performance of investment grade on-shore renminbi (“RMB”)-denominated (or “CNY”) commercial paper issued by sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate issuers in the People’s Republic of China’s (“China” or the “PRC”) and traded in the inter-bank bond market. For purposes of the Underlying Index, investment grade commercial paper is: commercial paper that is issued by an issuer whose long-term bonds are rated AAA or equivalent by one or more Chinese credit rating agencies; or commercial paper that is rated at least A-1 or equivalent by one or more Chinese credit rating agencies and is issued by an issuer whose long-term bonds are rated at least AA+ or equivalent by one or more Chinese credit rating agencies. All constituents in the Underlying Index are unsecured bonds. To qualify for inclusion in the Underlying Index, a commercial paper issue must have at least RMB ¥600 million outstanding and a remaining term to final maturity of no more than one year (365 days) and no less than one month (31 days). Index constituents are capitalization-weighted based on current amounts outstanding.

 

The Underlying Index hedges against fluctuations in the relative value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar. Thus, it is designed to have higher returns than an equivalent index that does not hedge against a weakening of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar. Conversely, the Underlying Index would be expected to have lower returns than an equivalent unhedged index when the RMB is rising in value relative to the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Index applies a published one-month currency forward rate to the Fund’s total RMB exposure to adjust the value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar. The Fund intends to enter into forward currency contracts or futures contracts to effectuate the hedging strategy embedded in the Underlying Index. Although the hedged nature of the Underlying Index is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on returns, it does not eliminate the Fund’s exposure to RMB.

 

Currently, the Fund achieves its investment objective, in part, by investing a substantial portion of its assets in the Underlying Fund. The Underlying Fund uses a passive management strategy, known as “representative sampling,” to track the performance of the CSI Diversified High Grade Commercial Paper Index, which consists of the same securities as the Fund’s Underlying Index (but does not hedge against fluctuations in the relative value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar). The Fund then enters into forwards and futures to reflect the hedging strategy embodied in its Underlying Index. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund and Underlying Fund do not try to “beat” their underlying indexes and do not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

 

E Fund Management (Hong Kong) Co., Limited (“E Fund”), the Underlying Fund’s Co-Adviser, selects the representative sample of securities for the Underlying Fund at its discretion, subject to the investment strategy and restrictions of the Underlying Fund and oversight by Krane and the Board of Trustees. E Fund has received a Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“RQFII”) license from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and has received an initial quota to invest in PRC securities, such as onshore RMB-denominated commercial paper, for the Underlying Fund’s use by China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”). E Fund may also obtain a license on behalf of the Underlying Fund as a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“QFII”). A PRC securities quota may be required to directly purchase the securities contained in the Underlying Index. E Fund may also seek approval from the CSRC and/or SAFE to allow the Fund or the Underlying Fund to invest directly in PRC securities. The Fund and the Underlying Fund may also invest in PRC securities through a recent People’s Bank of China program that permits foreign investors to invest directly in PRC fixed income securities traded on the Interbank Bond Market, without a RQFII/QFII license. The securities to which the Fund expects to primarily be exposed are traded in over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets.

 

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in investments that are not included in the Underlying Index, but which Krane and/or E Fund believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index. Thus, the Fund may invest in RMB-denominated securities principally traded in the off-shore RMB (or “CNH”) market, which is an OTC market located in countries outside of the PRC, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. The Fund may also invest in debt securities issued in any denomination in other political jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and Singapore, unrated and high yield securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”), and investment company securities.

 

The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on the first business day of each month. The Underlying Index is expected to reflect the commercial paper of approximately 750 issuers at each rebalance. To the extent the Underlying Index is concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry. As of June 30, 2016, issuers in the energy sector (13.73%), industrials sector (17.83%), materials sector (12.54%), and utilities sector (22.24%) represented significant portions of the Underlying Index.

 

The Fund is non-diversified.

Principal Risks

As with all exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), a shareholder of the Fund is subject to the risk that his or her investment could lose money. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and an investment in the Fund is not by itself a complete or balanced investment program. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. In addition to these risks, the Fund (including through its investments in the Underlying Fund) is subject to a number of additional risks that may affect the value of its shares, including:

 

Authorized Participants Concentration Risk.   The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants. To the extent they cannot or are otherwise unwilling to engage in creation and redemption transactions with the Fund and no other Authorized Participant steps in, shares of the Fund may trade like closed-end fund shares at a significant discount to net asset value and may face delisting from the Exchange.

 

China Risk.   The Fund’s investments are concentrated in China, and therefore the Fund is susceptible to adverse market, political, regulatory, and geographic events affecting China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized. An investment in the Fund involves the risk of total loss.

 

In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are characterized by relatively frequent trading halts and low trading volume, resulting in substantially less liquidity and greater price volatility. These risks may be more pronounced for the PRC debt markets than for Chinese securities markets generally because the PRC debt markets are subject to greater government restrictions and control, including the risk of nationalization and expropriation of private assets, which could result in a total loss of an investment in the Fund. The RMB bond market is volatile with a risk of trading suspensions in particular securities and government interventions. Trading in RMB bonds, including those in the Underlying Index, may be suspended without warning and for lengthy periods. Information on such trading suspensions, including as to their expected length, may be unavailable. Securities affected by trading suspensions may be or become illiquid.

 

In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold large amounts of non-performing loans. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make certain Chinese securities illiquid.

 

Specific Risks of Investing in the PRC Debt Markets

 

An RQFII or QFII license and PRC securities quota may be required to invest directly in the types of CNY securities to which the Fund seeks exposure. The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective by tracking the performance of the Underlying Index is dependent on the continuous availability of such securities, including PRC sovereign, quasi-sovereign and corporate debt, and may depend on E Fund’s ability to obtain sufficient QFII/RQFII quota and willingness to allocate sufficient quantities of that quota for the Underlying Fund to invest in such securities. The QFII and RQFII programs are an exception to Chinese laws that generally restrict foreign investment in PRC securities. The RQFII rules were only adopted relatively recently and are novel. Chinese regulators may alter or eliminate the QFII and RQFII programs at any time. Should the amount of PRC securities that the Underlying Fund is eligible to invest in be or become inadequate to meet its investment needs, such as if E Fund is unable to maintain its RQFII or QFII status, the Underlying Fund and, thereby, the Fund are expected to be adversely affected. In addition, E Fund’s PRC securities quota may be reduced or revoked by the Chinese regulators if, among other things, the Underlying Fund fails to use its quota within a limited period of time or E Fund fails to observe SAFE or other applicable Chinese regulations. Under such circumstances, the Underlying Fund could be required to dispose of its PRC securities holdings at an inopportune time.

 

E Fund has received an initial PRC securities quota for the Underlying Fund’s use. If the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient exposure to the performance of the Underlying Index through its investments in the Underlying Fund, the Fund could seek exposure to the component securities of the Underlying Index by investing in securities directly through the People’s Bank of China’s Interbank Bond Market program, the CNH market, or securities issued in other jurisdictions. The Fund may also invest in other ETFs that provide comparable exposures. If necessary, the Fund may suspend the sale of shares in Creation Units until Krane and E Fund determine that the requisite exposure to the component securities of the Underlying Index is obtainable. During the period that creations are suspended, Fund shares may trade at a significant premium or discount to net asset value (the “NAV”). Alternatively, the Fund may change its investment objective and thus track another index of Chinese-related debt securities. In extreme circumstances beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund may incur significant losses due to limited investment capabilities, including based on investment restrictions on RQFIIs and QFIIs (if a QFII license is obtained), illiquidity of the Chinese securities markets, delay or disruption in execution or settlement of trades.

 

Chinese Credit Rating Risks.   The components of the Underlying Index securities, and therefore the securities held by the Fund, will be rated by Chinese ratings agencies (and not by U.S. entities, such as nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations (“NRSROs”)). The rating criteria and methodology used by Chinese rating agencies may be different from those adopted by NRSROs and international credit rating agencies. Therefore, such rating systems may not provide an equivalent standard for comparison with securities rated by international credit rating agencies.

 

Currency, Capital Controls and Currency Conversion Risk.   Capital controls outside the control of the Fund and Underlying Fund may impact the ability of the Fund and Underlying Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund and Underlying Fund, cause the Fund and Underlying Fund to decline in value, and limit the Fund and Underlying Fund’s ability to pay redemptions. Although the RMB is not presently freely convertible, rather it is subject to the approval of SAFE and other relevant authorities, repatriations by RQFIIs are permitted daily and Chinese authorities have indicated their plans to move to a fully freely convertible RMB. There is no assurance that PRC rules and regulations will not change or that repatriation restrictions will not be (re-)imposed in the future. Economic conditions and political events may lead to foreign government intervention and the imposition of additional or renewed capital controls. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, to the extent that the Fund’s exposure to the RMB is imperfectly or not fully hedged, the Fund may lose value if the RMB depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up.

 

The Underlying Fund may also be subject to delays in converting or transferring U.S. dollars to RMB for the purpose of purchasing Chinese securities. This may hinder the Fund or Underlying Fund’s performance, including because any delay could result in the Underlying Fund missing an investment opportunity, purchasing securities at a higher price than originally intended, or incurring cash drag.

 

Custody Risks.   In accordance with Chinese regulations and the terms of the RQFII and QFII licenses, PRC securities are held in the joint names of the Underlying Fund and E Fund. While E Fund may not use such an account for any purpose other than for maintaining the Underlying Fund’s assets, the Underlying Fund’s assets may not be as well protected as they would be if it were possible for them to be registered and held solely in the name of the Fund. There is a risk that creditors of E Fund may assert that the securities are owned by E Fund and that regulatory actions taken against E Fund may affect the Underlying Fund. The risk is particularly acute in the case of cash deposited with a PRC sub-custodian (“PRC Custodian”) because it may not be segregated, and it may be treated as a debt owing from the PRC Custodian to the Underlying Fund as a depositor. Thus, in the event of a PRC Custodian bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar event, the Underlying Fund may face difficulties and/or encounter delays in recovering its cash.

 

Tax Risk.   Although Chinese law provides for a 10% withholding tax (“WHT”) on capital gains realized by non-residents, significant uncertainties surround the implementation of this law, particularly with respect to trading of debt-related PRC securities by QFIIs and RQFIIs. In light of this uncertainty, Krane reserves the right to establish a reserve for such tax. If the Underlying Fund establishes such a reserve but is not ultimately subject to the tax, shareholders, including the Fund, who redeemed or sold their shares while the reserve was in place will effectively bear the tax and may not benefit from the later release, if any, of the reserve. Conversely, if the Underlying Fund does not establish such a reserve but ultimately is subject to the tax, shareholders, including the Fund, who redeemed or sold their shares prior to the tax being withheld, reserved or paid will have effectively avoided the tax, even if they benefited from the trading that precipitated the Underlying Fund’s payment of it. Investors should note that such provision, if any, may be excessive or inadequate to meet actual WHT liabilities (which could include interest and penalties) on the Underlying Fund’s investments. As a result, investors in the Underlying Fund, including the Fund, may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on the final rules of the relevant PRC tax authorities. Krane intends to make relevant provisions with respect to dividends and interest (if any) on PRC securities for the Underlying Fund if the WHT on dividends and interest is not withheld at the source at the time such income is received.

 

Concentration Risk.   Because the Fund’s assets will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries or sector, to the extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries or sector, the Fund is subject to loss due to adverse occurrences that may affect that industry or group of industries or sector. Market conditions, interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could significantly affect a single industry or a group of related industries, and the securities of companies in that industry or group of industries could react similarly to these or other developments. From time to time, the Fund may invest a significant percentage of its assets in issuers in a single industry (or the same group of industries) or sector of the economy. While the Fund’s sector and industry exposure is expected to vary over time based on the composition of the Underlying Index, the Fund is currently subject to the risks described below. The Fund may have significant exposure to other industries or sectors over time.

 

Energy Sector Risk.   The energy sector is typically cyclical and highly dependent upon commodities and energy prices. Issuers in this sector are usually subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of business and limit these issuers’ earnings, and a significant portion of their revenues depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities.

 

Industrials Sector Risk.   The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.

 

Materials Sector Risk.   The materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors.

 

Utilities Sector Risk.   The utilities sector is subject to significant government regulation and oversight. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected due to increases in commodity and operating costs, rising costs of financing capital construction and the cost of complying with government regulations, among other factors.

 

Emerging Markets Risk.   The Fund’s investments in emerging markets are subject to greater risk of loss than investments in developed markets. This is due to, among other things, greater market volatility, greater risk of asset seizures and capital controls, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, greater risk of market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in developed markets.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk.   Fixed income securities are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a security will not make timely interest payments or repay the principal of bonds issued (i.e., it defaults on its obligations). This risk is significant, given that the Fund invests in unsecured debt instruments. Interest rate risk refers to fluctuations in the value of a bond resulting from changes in the level of interest rates. When interest rates go up, the prices of most bonds go down; and when interest rates go down, the prices of most bonds go up. Bonds with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, typically making them more volatile. The current low-interest-rate environment heightens the risks associated with rising interest rates.

 

Foreign Securities Risk.   Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about non-U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. issuers, especially issuers in China and other emerging markets, may also be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Income from securities of non-U.S. issuers, including, in the case of Chinese issuers, gains on the sale of such securities, may be subject to foreign taxes. Even if the Fund qualifies to pass these taxes through to shareholders, your ability to claim a credit for such taxes may be limited, particularly in the case of taxes on capital gains. Investments in foreign securities may be less liquid than investments in U.S. securities.

 

Geographic Focus Risk.   The Fund’s investments are focused in China and Hong Kong, and therefore the Fund will be susceptible to adverse market, political, regulatory, and geographic events affecting those regions.

 

China.   The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions and policy in China and surrounding Asian countries. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy, and may introduce new laws and regulations that have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized. An investment in the Fund involves a risk of total loss. In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are characterized by relatively frequent trading halts and low trading volume, resulting in substantially less liquidity and greater price volatility. Further, the Chinese economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners, such as the United States, Japan and countries in the European Union. Any reduction in this trading may cause an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of the Fund’s investments.

 

Hong Kong.   The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government.

 

Hedging Risk.   The Fund’s hedging strategies may not be successful, and even if they are successful, the Fund’s exposure to RMB is not expected to be fully hedged at all times. Investments in forward foreign currency contracts and futures contracts may not perfectly offset actual fluctuations in the exchange rate between RMB and the U.S. dollar, including because currency exchange rates are volatile. In addition, forward foreign currency contracts are OTC contracts that depend on performance by a counterparty; if such counterparty fails to perform, the Fund may lose money.

 

High Portfolio Turnover Risk.   The Underlying Fund’s strategy may result in high turnover rates, which may increase brokerage commission costs and negatively impact performance.

 

High Yield and Unrated Securities Risk.   Securities that are unrated or rated below investment grade (or “junk bonds”) are subject to greater risk of loss of income and principal than highly rated securities. Junk bonds are inherently speculative. The prices of unrated and high yield securities are likely to be more volatile than those of highly rated securities, and the secondary market for them may be less liquid than that for highly rated securities.

 

Interbank Bond Market Program Risk.   Because the People’s Bank of China’s program permitting foreign investors to invest directly in PRC fixed income securities traded on the Interbank Bond Market is new, the actual effect on the market for trading for securities included in the Underlying Index with the introduction of large numbers of foreign investors is unknown. Further, regulations or restrictions, such as limitations on redemptions or suspension of trading, may adversely impact the program. There is no guarantee that the People’s Bank of China will continue to support this program in the future.

 

Investment in Investment Companies Risk.   The Fund intends to invest a substantial portion of its assets in the Underlying Fund and may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs. As a result of such investments, the Fund will indirectly be exposed to the risks of such funds. Moreover, the Fund will incur its pro rata share of such funds’ expenses.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk.   Because the Fund’s underlying securities trade on markets that may be closed when the Exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between current pricing of an underlying security and stale pricing resulting in the Fund trading at a discount or premium to net asset value that may be greater than those incurred by other exchange-traded funds.

 

Liquidity Risk.   The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult to purchase or sell. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. The Underlying Index consists of RMB-denominated debt securities issued inside mainland China, certain of which may be or become illiquid. If a number of securities held by the Fund halt trading, such as due to an exchange’s limit-up, limit-down rules, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt.

 

Management Risk.   Because the Underlying Fund generally employs a representative sampling strategy to track the performance of its underlying index and invests in less than the total number of securities in its underlying index, the Underlying Fund and, therefore, the Fund, are subject to management risk. This is the risk that the representative sampling process, which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.

 

Market Risk.   The values of securities in the Underlying Index could decline generally or could underperform other investments. In addition, there is a risk that policy changes by the U.S. Government, Federal Reserve, and/or other government actors, such as increasing interest rates, could cause increased volatility in global financial markets and higher levels of Fund redemptions, which could have a negative impact on the Fund. Further, the Fund is susceptible to the risk that certain investments may be difficult or impossible to sell at a favorable time or price. Market developments may cause the Fund’s investments to become less liquid and subject to erratic price movements. Such market developments may also cause the Fund to encounter difficulties in timely honoring redemptions, especially if market events cause an increased incidence of shareholder redemptions.

 

Non-Diversified Fund Risk.   Because the Fund is non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund, changes in the market value of a single issuer could cause greater fluctuations in the Fund’s share price than would occur in a diversified fund. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively small number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Passive Investment Risk.   The Fund is not actively managed and therefore may not sell an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector. The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may result in it holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Underlying Index. As a result, an adverse development to an issuer of securities that the Fund holds could result in a greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held more of the securities in the Underlying Index.

 

Premium/Discount Risk.   Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). As a result, shareholders of the Fund may pay more than NAV when purchasing shares and receive less than NAV when selling Fund shares. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

Secondary Market Trading Risk.   Investors buying or selling shares in the secondary market will normally pay brokerage commissions, which are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors buying or selling relatively small amounts of shares. Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by the Exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. If a trading halt occurs, a shareholder may temporarily be unable to purchase or sell shares of the Fund. In addition, although the Fund’s shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares will develop or be maintained.

 

Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Debt Risk.   The governmental authority that controls the repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves; the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due; the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole; or the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, the Fund or Underlying Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of government and quasi-sovereign PRC securities, and the Fund’s NAV, may be more volatile than prices of corporate bonds, which may result in losses. In the past, certain governments of emerging market countries have declared themselves unable to meet their financial obligations on a timely basis, which has resulted in losses for holders of such government and quasi-sovereign bonds.

 

Tax Risk.   In order to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, the Fund must satisfy income, asset diversification and distribution requirements each year. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.

 

Tracking Error Risk.   The Fund’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the Underlying Index due to, among other factors, the Underlying Fund’s use of a representative sampling strategy and the Fund holding cash under certain circumstances in lieu of Underlying Index securities, such as when the Fund is subject to delays converting U.S. dollars into a foreign currency to purchase foreign securities. The Fund may not be able to invest in certain components of the Underlying Index due to legal restrictions imposed by foreign governments or other regulatory reasons. In addition, certain securities included in the Underlying Index may be suspended from trading. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets, the Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. Changes in currency exchange rates or delays in converting currencies may also cause tracking error.

 

Valuation Risk.   Independent market quotations for the non-U.S. securities that the Fund is exposed to may not be readily available, and such securities may be fair valued. In addition, the securities to which the Fund is exposed may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their holdings.

Performance Information

The Fund has not yet commenced operations, and therefore has no performance history. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included in this Prospectus that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the variability of the Fund’s return to a broad measure of market performance. Once available, the Fund’s current performance information will be available at www.kraneshares.com. Past performance does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.