N-1A/A 1 wtd720211naa1.htm PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 21, 2021

File Nos.
333-255575
811-23659

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

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FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1
Post-Effective Amendment No. __
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 1

 

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WisdomTree Digital Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

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245 Park Avenue

35th Floor

New York, NY 10167

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

 

1-866-909-9473

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

Ryan M. Louvar
WisdomTree Digital Trust
245 Park Avenue
35th Floor
New York, NY 10167

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

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Copies to:
Michael S. Didiuk
Perkins Coie LLP
1155 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-2711

 

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Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable following the effective date of this Registration Statement

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine. 

 

   
 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statemen filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
Preliminary Prospectus dated July 21, 2021

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

 

WisdomTree Digital Short-Term Treasury Fund
WisdomTree Digital Trust

 

[         ], 2021

 

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[TICKER] [Pending]
   

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

   
 

 

WisdomTree Digital Trust

 

 
 
Table of Contents

 

   
 

 

WisdomTree Digital Short-Term Treasury Fund

 

Investment Objective

 

The WisdomTree Digital Short-Term Treasury Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index designed to measure the performance of obligations of the U.S. Treasury, which include bills, bonds and notes issued by the U.S. Treasury, all with maturities between 1 and 3 years (the “Index”).

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.

 

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)

     
Management Fees   [ ]%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees   None 
Other Expenses   [ ]%1 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses   [ ]% 

 

1“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that you would incur over various periods if you were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

 

  1 Year   3 Years 
  $[  ]   $[  ] 

 

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. The Fund is new, so it has no portfolio turnover as of the date of this prospectus.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach designed to track the performance of the [ ] Index through the use of a representative sampling strategy. The Index is maintained by [ ] (“Index Provider”) and is designed to measure the performance of obligations of the U.S. Treasury, which include bills, bonds and notes issued by the U.S. Treasury, all with maturities between 1 and 3 years. The components of the Index are weighted by market-capitalization and the Index is rebalanced and reconstituted on a monthly basis. It is anticipated that the number of constituents comprising the Index will be between approximately 90 and 100 constituents. The Index includes component securities from comprehensive market capitalization representation of available fixed rate nominal securities issued publicly by the U.S. Treasury, but excludes Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”), Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities (“STRIPS”), and the State and Local Government Series (“SLGS”). Accordingly, the Fund will invest in U.S. Treasury obligations in seeking to track the Index and will publicly disclose its portfolio holdings daily.

 

Use of Blockchain

 

Although Securrency Transfers, Inc. (“Securrency”), the Fund’s transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”), will maintain the official record of share ownership in book-entry form (the “Official Record”), the ownership of the Fund’s shares will also be recorded - or digitized - on one or more blockchains. The Transfer Agent will reconcile secondary blockchain transactions with the Fund’s records on at least a daily basis.

 

A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that digitally records transactions in a verifiable and immutable (i.e., permanent) way using cryptography. A distributed ledger is a database in which data is stored in a decentralized manner. Cryptography is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so that only those for whom it is intended can read and process it. A blockchain stores transaction data in “blocks” that are linked together to form a “chain”, and hence the name blockchain.

 

In order to facilitate the use of blockchain technology, a potential shareholder must have a blockchain wallet. WisdomTree [ ] (“WisdomTree”) provides a wallet service through its App (see “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares” below), subject to the terms and conditions associated with such relationship, with the Transfer Agent maintaining the Official Record.

 

A blockchain wallet is a software application which stores a user’s “private key” and related digital assets and is used to facilitate sending digital assets on a particular blockchain. A “private key” is one of two numbers in a cryptographic “key pair.” A key pair consists of a “public key” and its corresponding private key, both of which are lengthy alphanumeric codes, derived together and possessing a unique relationship. The private key is used by the owner of a digital wallet to send (i.e., digitally sign and authenticate) digital assets and is private to the wallet owner. The public key is, as the name implies, public and open to others on the applicable blockchain to send digital assets to. The blockchain will only record public key information.

 

Through the App made available by WisdomTree and by leveraging Securrency’s blockchain infrastructure technology, it is anticipated that Fund shareholders will have the benefit of shares that will be able to operate on more than one blockchain, including the Stellar and Ethereum blockchains, via a bridge (the “Bridge”) to facilitate interoperability between blockchains. The Bridge is intended to enable Fund shareholders to move their shares via the App between blockchains as desired, with the Transfer Agent continuing to maintain the Official Record. Initially, the Fund’s shares will be recorded on the Stellar blockchain.

 

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Fund shares will have the ability to be recorded on one or more blockchains to help facilitate the Fund’s shares being available for purchase, sale, or transfer in the broader blockchain ecosystem.

 

Furthermore, in the future, the blockchain technology may be leveraged to help facilitate shares being available for purchase, sale, or transfer from one shareholder to another shareholder (or potential shareholder) on the blockchain or in a secondary trading market, such as through an electronic trading platform that is registered with the SEC as an alternative trading system. These features are not currently, and may never be, available to investors and would be subject to then-existing regulations and regulatory interpretations.

 

The secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will not affect the Fund’s investments in U.S. Treasury obligations. The Fund will not invest in any assets that rely on blockchain technology, such as cryptocurrencies.

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. The principal risks are generally presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks when comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Fund” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”

 

§Blockchain Technology Risk. Blockchain technology is a relatively new and untested technology which operates as a distributed ledger. The risks associated with blockchain technology may not emerge until the technology is widely used. Blockchain systems could be vulnerable to fraud, particularly if a significant minority of participants colluded to defraud the rest. Access to a given blockchain requires an individualized key, which, if compromised, could result in loss due to theft, destruction or inaccessibility. There is little regulation of blockchain technology other than the intrinsic public nature of the blockchain system. Any future regulatory developments could affect the viability and expansion of the use of blockchain technology. There are currently a number of competing blockchain platforms with competing intellectual property claims. The uncertainty inherent in these competing technologies could cause companies to use alternatives to blockchain.

 

§U.S. Treasury Obligations Risk. U.S. Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics and may provide relatively lower returns than those of other securities. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government may cause the value of the Fund’s U.S. Treasury obligations to decline.

 

§Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time.

 

§Market Risk. The trading prices of securities fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

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§Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers, as well as the App and blockchain networks, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cybersecurity, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cybersecurity, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund or shareholder in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, App, blockchain network, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cybersecurity breaches.

 

§Income Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that its income will decline because of falling interest rates. Income risk is generally high for short-term bond funds, so investors should expect the Fund’s monthly income to fluctuate.

 

§Index and Data Risk. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index provider, as defined below, has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or its shareholders. If the computers or other facilities of the Index provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed and trading in Fund shares may be suspended for a period of time. Errors in Index data, Index calculations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the Index provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.

 

§Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a three-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates.

 

§Investment Style Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.

 

§Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto.

 

§Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

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§Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the Fund may not provide investment performance matching that of the Fund’s target index for a variety of reasons.

 

§Portfolio Turnover Risk. Significant investor purchases or redemptions may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. Higher portfolio turnover may result in the Fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and the distribution of additional capital gains, which generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Performance

 

Because the Fund is new, it has no performance history. When the Fund has been in operation for a full calendar year, performance information will be shown here. Once the Fund has commenced operations, you can obtain updated performance information by accessing the information through the App (as defined below in “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares”) or at www.wisdomtree.com.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

 

WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Digital Management” or the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund. [_________] (the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The day-to-day management of the Fund is conducted by the Sub-Adviser’s Fixed Income Portfolio Management team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.

 

[_________]. [ ] has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

[_________]. [ ] has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Investors may set up an account with WisdomTree through a mobile application, which is made available by WisdomTree through the Apple App Store and Google Play and is free to download (the “App”). Through the App, investors may purchase, hold, sell or transfer their shares. Applicable investor information obtained via the App is integrated with the Transfer Agent in order to allow for straight through processing of transactions and for the Transfer Agent to maintain the Official Record.

 

Account or transaction fees implemented by WisdomTree or any affiliate, will be subject to the terms and conditions of such relationship and be the responsibility of the investor. WisdomTree or an affiliate will pay any fees for use of the applicable blockchain network in connection with an investor’s purchase and sale of Fund shares. The Fund will not be assessed any such fees and no sales loads will apply.

 

Tax Information

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.

 

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Additional Information About the Fund

 

Use of Blockchain

 

Fund shares will have the ability to be recorded on one or more blockchains to help facilitate the Fund’s shares being available for purchase, sale, or transfer in the broader blockchain ecosystem. By way of example, while the shares will initially be recorded on the Stellar blockchain, to the extent that an investor desires to transfer such shares to a personal Ethereum-based wallet (which, by its nature, is unable to accommodate Stellar-based assets), such transfer can be accomplished via the Bridge. Assuming 100 shares are recorded on the Stellar blockchain with a subsequent investor request to transfer the 100 shares from the Stellar blockchain to the Ethereum blockchain, the Stellar blockchain record would initially reflect the minting of 100 shares and ultimately a burning of 100 shares in connection with the transfer (i.e., for a net of “0” shares recorded on the Stellar blockchain), and the Ethereum blockchain record would reflect the minting of 100 shares.

 

The Transfer Agent will reconcile secondary blockchain transactions with the Fund’s records on at least a daily basis. The Transfer Agent’s records will constitute the official shareholder records of the Fund and govern the record ownership of Fund shares in all circumstances.

 

Shareholders will interact through the wallet service provided in the App in a similar manner to non-blockchain based Apps used to transact in fund shares. If there is a difference between the Transfer Agent’s records and the blockchain record, the Transfer Agent will investigate the cause, and reconcile the official record that is kept by the Transfer Agent. In the event of a conflict between the transaction history on the Ethereum and/or Stellar blockchain and the records maintained by the Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent shall update the blockchain record as necessary and such update will be recorded and viewable on the Ethereum and/or Stellar network blockchains as a subsequent transaction. The Transfer Agent may also use the Ethereum and/or Stellar blockchain as a source of information in the case of a disputed transaction, including in the case of alleged fraud or theft. In such case, investors may engage with the Transfer Agent to resolve the dispute and to update both the Transfer Agent’s records and the blockchain to reflect any changes resulting from the dispute resolution process.

 

Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of an index (“Index”) developed by [ ] (“[Index Provider]”). The Index consists of securities in the market suggested by its name that meet specific criteria developed by [ ].

 

Since the Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy, the Fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

 

Additional Information About the Fund’s Investment Strategies.

 

WisdomTree Digital Management expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. A number of factors may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve a high degree of correlation with its Index, and there can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation.

 

The quantity of holdings in the Fund using a representative sampling strategy will be based on a number of factors, including asset size of the Fund. In addition, from time to time, securities are added to or removed from the Index and consequently the attributes of the Index may change. The Fund may sell

 

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securities that are represented in its Index, or purchase securities that are not yet represented in its Index, in anticipation of their removal from or addition to the Index or to reflect various other changes to the Index.

 

Further, the Fund may overweight or underweight securities in its Index, purchase or sell securities not in its Index in seeking to track its Index.

 

Non-Principal Information About the Fund’s Investment Strategies

 

The Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed one third (33 1/3%) of the value of its total assets via a securities lending program through its securities lending agent, [ ], to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. A securities lending program allows the Fund to receive a portion of the income generated by lending its securities and investing the respective collateral. The Fund will receive collateral for each loaned security which is at least equal to the market value of that security, marked to market each trading day. In the securities lending program, the borrower generally has the right to vote the loaned securities; however, the Fund may call loans to vote proxies if a material issue affecting the Fund’s economic interest in the investment is to be voted upon. Security loans may be terminated at any time by the Fund.

 

Additional Principal Risk Information About the Fund

 

This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund Summary. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on Fund performance and trading prices.

 

Blockchain Technology Risk

 

Blockchain technology is a relatively new and untested technology which operates as a distributed ledger. The risks associated with blockchain technology may not emerge until the technology is widely used. Blockchain systems could be vulnerable to fraud, particularly if a significant minority of participants colluded to defraud the rest. Access to a given blockchain requires an individualized key, which, if compromised, could result in loss due to theft, destruction or inaccessibility. There is little regulation of blockchain technology other than the intrinsic public nature of the blockchain system. Any future regulatory developments could affect the viability and expansion of the use of blockchain technology. Because blockchain technology systems may operate across many national boundaries and regulatory jurisdictions, it is possible that blockchain technology may be subject to widespread and inconsistent regulation. Blockchain technology is not a product or service that provides identifiable revenue for companies that implement, or otherwise use it. Currently, blockchain technology is commonly used for the recording of transactions in digital currency, which are extremely speculative and volatile. Problems in digital currency markets could have a wider effect on companies associated with blockchain technology. Blockchain technology also may never be implemented to a scale that provides identifiable economic benefit. There are currently a number of competing blockchain platforms with competing intellectual property claims. The uncertainty inherent in these competing technologies could cause companies to use alternatives to blockchain. Finally, because digital assets registered on a blockchain do not have a standardized exchange, like a stock market, there is less liquidity for such assets and greater possibility of fraud or manipulation.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk

 

The Fund and its service providers, as well as the App and blockchain networks, may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cybersecurity, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cybersecurity, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data maintained online or digitally, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, including the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Securrency, WisdomTree, administrator and custodian, may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cybersecurity breaches and adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of confidential business information, impede trading, cause the Fund to incur additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or other financial losses, and/or cause reputational damage to the Fund. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to address cybersecurity risks, prevent cyber-attacks and mitigate the impact of cybersecurity breaches, there are inherent limitations on such plans and systems. In addition, the Fund has no control over the cybersecurity protections put in place by its service providers or any other third-parties whose operations may affect the Fund or its shareholders.

 

If there is a cyberattack on the App, internal or affiliate platforms, or a blockchain network, the Transfer Agent may lose the ability to control compliance and transfer restrictions programmed into the Fund’s shares which could increase the possibility of loss or theft of a shareholder’s shares in the Fund. Such loss or theft could result in claims against the Fund and could have a substantial adverse effect on the financial and business operations of the Fund.

 

Income Risk

 

The Fund is subject to income risk, which is the chance that the Fund’s income will decline because of falling interest rates. A fund’s income declines when interest rates fall because the fund then must invest new cash flow and cash from maturing bonds in lower-yielding bonds. Income risk is generally higher for short-term bond funds and lower for long-term bond funds.

 

Index and Data Risk

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index Provider has the right to make adjustments to the Index or to cease making the Index available without regard to the particular interests of the Fund or the Fund’s shareholders. While the Index Provider provides a rules-based methodology that describes what the Index is designed to achieve within a particular set of rules, neither the Index Provider, its agents nor data providers provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Index, its calculation, valuation or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. The composition of the Index is dependent on data from one or more third parties and/or the application of such data within the rules of the Index methodology, which may be based on assumptions or estimates. If the computers or other facilities of the Index Provider, Index calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason, calculation and dissemination of Index values may be delayed. Errors in Index data, Index computations and/or the construction of the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected by the

 

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Index Provider, Index calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The potential risk of continuing error may be particularly heightened in the case of the Index, which is generally not used as a benchmark by other funds or managers.

 

Any of the foregoing may lead to the inclusion of securities in the Index, exclusion of securities from the Index or the weighting of securities in the Index that would have been different had data or other information been correct or complete, which may lead to a different investment outcome than would have been the case had such events not occurred. The Adviser, through the Sub-Adviser, seeks to manage the Fund to correspond to the Index provided by the Index Provider. Consequently, losses or costs associated with the Index’s errors or other risks described above will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders and neither the Adviser nor its affiliates or agents make any representations or warranties regarding the foregoing.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will change in response to changes in interest rates and may change in response to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. While securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and thus subject to greater volatility than securities with shorter maturities. The “average portfolio maturity” of the Fund is the average of all the current maturities of the individual securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Average portfolio maturity is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with longer portfolio maturities generally are subject to greater interest rate risk.

 

Investment Risk

 

As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Investment Style Risk

 

The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index. The returns from the types of securities in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from the various general securities markets or different asset classes. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes. Different types of securities (for example, different types of bonds) tend to go through cycles of doing better – or worse – than the general securities markets. In the past, these periods have lasted for as long as several years.

 

Issuer Credit Risk

 

The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument may cause such issuer to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security, or otherwise fail to honor its

 

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obligations or cause such issuer to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security if the issuer defaults. The degree of credit risk for a particular debt security or other issuer may be reflected in its credit rating. A credit rating is a measure of a bond issuer’s ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Rating agencies (such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Standard & Poor’s Corporation, or Fitch Ratings Inc.) assign letter designations typically ranging from AAA to A- (lower default risk) through CCC to C (higher default risk) or D (in default). A credit rating of BBB- or higher generally is considered “investment grade.” Credit ratings are subjective, do not remove market risk, and represent the opinions of the rating agencies as to the quality of the securities they rate. Credit ratings can change quickly and may not accurately reflect the risk of an issuer. Generally, investment risk and price volatility increase as the credit rating of a security declines. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

Issuer-Specific Risk

 

Changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Issuer-specific events can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

Market Risk

 

The trading prices of securities fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, government regulation, and the outlook for economic growth or recession, as well as events that impact specific issuers, such as changes to an issuer’s actual or perceived creditworthiness. The Fund’s NAV, like securities prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

Non-Correlation Risk

 

As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its Index may vary somewhat for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs, while also managing cash flows and potential operational inefficiencies, not incurred by its Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of its Index at all times or may hold securities not included in its Index or may be subject to pricing differences, differences in the timing of dividend accruals, tax gains or losses, operational inefficiencies and the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. For example, it may take several business days for additions and deletions to the Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the Fund. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. By using a representative sampling strategy, the Fund generally can be expected to have a greater non-correlation risk and this risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk

 

Significant investor purchases or redemptions may result in high portfolio turnover rates for the Fund. High portfolio turnover would result in correspondingly greater transaction expenses and may result in the

 

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distribution to shareholders of additional capital gains for tax purposes. These factors may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.

 

U.S. Treasury Obligations Risk

 

U.S. Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. government may cause the value of the Fund’s U.S. Treasury obligations to decline, which has experienced a historical downgrade. A further downgrade of the ratings of U.S. government debt obligations, which are often used as a benchmark for other borrowing arrangements, could result in higher interest rates for individual and corporate borrowers, cause disruptions in the international bond markets and have a substantial negative effect on the U.S. economy. A downgrade of U.S. Treasury obligations from another ratings agency or a further downgrade may cause the value of the Fund’s U.S. Treasury obligations to decline.

 

The total public debt of the United States as a percent of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt cost higher and cause a country to sell additional debt, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can cause a decline in the value of the dollar (which may lead to inflation), and can prevent the U.S. government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.

 

Additional Non-Principal Risk Information

 

Securities Lending. Although the Fund is indemnified by the Fund’s lending agent for losses incurred in connection with a borrower’s default with respect to a loan, the Fund bears the risk of loss of investing cash collateral and may be required to make payments to a borrower upon return of loaned securities if invested collateral has declined in value. Furthermore, because of the risks in delay of recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price, and the Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned. These events could also trigger negative tax consequences for the Fund.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund, its service providers (including the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, Securrency, WisdomTree, the administrator and the custodian), and blockchain networks, may experience disruptions that arise from human error, processing and communications errors, counterparty or third-party errors, technology or systems failures, any of which may have an adverse impact on the Fund. Although the Fund and its service providers seek to mitigate these operational risks through their internal controls and operational risk management processes, these measures may not identify or may be inadequate to address all such risks.

 

Portfolio Holdings Information

The Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings daily at www.wisdomtree.com. A more detailed description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio securities is available in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) and also on the Fund’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.

 

15
 

 

Management of the Fund

 

Investment Adviser

 

[WisdomTree Digital Management, as the investment adviser, has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the WisdomTree Digital Trust (the “Trust”) and the Fund. WisdomTree Digital Management is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167. WisdomTree Digital Management is a newly formed investment adviser and its assets under management comprise those of the Fund. WisdomTree Investments* is the parent company of WisdomTree Digital Management. WisdomTree Digital Management provides an investment program for the Fund. The Adviser provides proactive oversight of the Sub-Adviser, daily monitoring of the Sub-Adviser’s buying and selling of securities for the Fund, and regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance. In addition, the Adviser arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Fund to operate.

 

* “WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust.

 

For its services, the Fund pays the Adviser an all-inclusive management fee, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, as shown in the following table.

 

Name of Fund  Management
Fee
WisdomTree Digital Short-Term Treasury Fund  [ ]%

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund, WisdomTree Digital Management has agreed to pay generally all expenses of the Fund, subject to certain exceptions. For a detailed description of the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund, please see the “Management of the Trust” section of the SAI. Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Digital Management arranges for the provision of chief compliance officer (“CCO”) services with respect to the Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Digital Management receives a fee of up to [ ]% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustee’s approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s first Semi-Annual or Annual Report. All organizational and offering costs for the Fund will be borne by the Adviser and are not subject to reimbursement.]

 

Sub-Adviser

 

[ ] (the “Sub-Adviser”) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Sub-Adviser, a registered investment adviser, is a leading innovator in the investment industry and manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at [ ]. As of [____], [____], the Sub-Adviser had assets under management totaling approximately $[____] billion. The Sub-Adviser is an independently operated indirect subsidiary of [ ], a publicly traded financial holding company. The Sub-Adviser chooses the Fund’s portfolio investments and places orders to buy and sell the portfolio investments. WisdomTree Digital Management pays the Sub-Adviser for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.

 

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A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustee’s approval of the Fund’s Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s first Semi-Annual or Annual Report.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The day-to-day management of the Fund is conducted by [the Sub-Adviser’s Fixed Income Portfolio Management team]. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.

 

[_________] [ ] has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

[_________] [ ] has served as portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of shares in the Fund.

 

Additional Information About the Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Getting Started

 

Investors will need to establish an account with WisdomTree. In order to open a new account, you will first need to download the App made available by WisdomTree via the Apple App Store or Google Play, which is free to download. The WisdomTree application process is completed entirely through the App. As a convenience provided by WisdomTree, you can also sign up for services you may want on your account by completing the appropriate sections of the application.

 

Transacting in Fund Shares

 

Subject to the purchase and sale requirements stated in this prospectus, you may buy, sell or transfer shares through the App, although purchases and sales of Fund shares will only be processed on days and during hours that the NYSE is open for business. The minimum initial purchase is $25. There is no minimum investment for subsequent purchases, although the Fund reserves the right to waive or change investment minimums.

 

The price to buy or sell one share is its NAV. Shares will be bought or sold at the NAV next calculated after an order is received in proper form.

 

Exchanging Shares

 

Fund shares are not eligible to exchange for shares of other WisdomTree Funds.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The NAV of the Fund’s shares is calculated each day the NYSE is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on such exchange, generally 4:00 p.m. New York time. NAV per share is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.

 

In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Fair value pricing is used by the Fund when reliable market valuations are not readily

 

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available or are not deemed to reflect current market values. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.

 

The Fund’s NAV is available through the App and online at www.wisdomtree.com.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

The Fund intends to pay out dividends, if any, on a monthly basis. Nonetheless, the Fund may not make a dividend payment every month. The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains to shareholders annually. The Fund occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year.

 

Distributions will be paid in cash.

 

Frequent Purchases and Sales of Fund Shares

 

The Fund does not monitor for market timers or prohibit short-term trading activity. Although the Fund is managed in a manner that is consistent with its investment objective, frequent trading by shareholders may cause the Fund to hold more cash, disrupt the Fund’s management, increase its expenses, transaction costs, administrative costs or taxes, and/or dilute the value of Fund shares held by other shareholders.

 

Reports and Prospectuses

 

Account information will be available electronically through the App. You also will receive the Fund’s financial reports every six months as well as an annual updated prospectus electronically through the App. At any time, you may view current prospectuses and financial reports through the App or online at www.wisdomtree.com. You may also request paper copies of the Fund’s financial reports and current prospectus through the App.

 

Additional Policies

 

Please note that the Fund maintains additional policies and reserves certain rights, including:

 

§The Fund may stop offering shares completely or may offer shares only on a limited basis, for a period of time or permanently. The Fund may impose a purchase maximum on shareholders that would limit the ability of shareholders to purchase Fund shares if their total purchases or account balance exceeds a dollar threshold.

 

§Under applicable anti-money laundering rules and other regulations, purchase orders may be suspended, restricted, or canceled and the monies may be withheld.

 

§When you buy shares, it does not create a checking or other bank account relationship with the Fund or any bank.

 

§You may only buy shares of the Fund if eligible for sale in your state or jurisdiction.

 

§In unusual circumstances, the Fund may temporarily suspend redemptions or postpone the payment of proceeds, as allowed by federal securities laws.

 

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§The Fund is not responsible for losses or fees resulting from posting delays or non-receipt of redemption payments at your bank when shareholder payment instructions are followed.

 

§The Fund may pay redemption proceeds in securities or other assets rather than cash if the Adviser determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, consistent with applicable law. Investors should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

 

§As long as the Fund and its agents follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine, the Fund and its agents will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests.

 

§Note: Digital communication channels are not necessarily secure. If you do choose to send confidential or sensitive information to via digital communication channels (e.g., through the App), you are accepting the associated risks related to potential lack of security, such as the possibility that your confidential or sensitive information may be intercepted/accessed by a third party and subsequently used or sold.

 

Questions

 

If you have any questions about the Fund or your account, please communicate through the App.

 

Customer Identification Program

 

You will be asked to provide information to WisdomTree (which WisdomTree will provide to Securrency as the Fund’s transfer agent) in accordance with anti-money laundering regulations, to verify your identity when you open an account, including name, address, date of birth and other information (which may include certain documents). Accounts may be restricted and/or closed, and the monies withheld, pending verification of this information or as otherwise required under these and other federal regulations. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to involuntarily redeem an account in the case of: (i) actual or suspected threatening conduct or actual or suspected fraudulent, illegal or suspicious activity by the account owner or any other individual associated with the account; or (ii) the failure of the account owner to provide required information. Your shares will be sold at the NAV, minus any applicable shareholder fees, calculated on the day WisdomTree closes your Fund position.

 

Additional Tax Information

 

The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

 

The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in Fund-level taxation and consequently a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

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Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund shares is made through tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

·The Fund makes distributions; and

 

·You sell or redeem Fund shares.

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For non-corporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Distributions reported by the Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. To the extent the Fund lends its securities and receives substitute dividend payments, such payments are not expected to generate qualified dividend income when distributed to shareholders. Since the Fund’s income is derived primarily from sources that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that a substantial portion of dividends paid by the Fund will qualify either for the dividends-received deduction for corporations or for any favorable U.S. federal income tax rate available to non-corporate shareholders on “qualified dividend income.”

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, but declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the previous year, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).

 

Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

 

Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest related dividend” or a “short term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.

 

The Fund generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a

 

20
 

 

correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

 

Taxes When You Sell Fund Shares

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if you held the shares you sold for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

 

Financial Highlights

 

The Fund had not commenced operations prior to the date of this prospectus and therefore does not have financial information.

 

21
 

 

WisdomTree Digital Trust
245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor
New York, NY 10167

 

 

 

 

The Fund’s current SAI provides additional detailed information about the Fund. The Trust has electronically filed the SAI with the SEC. It is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, when available. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year.

 

To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on the Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi-annual shareholder reports, when available, as applicable, free of charge, please communicate through the App.

   
     

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its shares not contained in this prospectus and you should not rely on any other information.

 

© 2021 WisdomTree Digital Trust

 

WisdomTree® is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.

 

INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-23659

 

 

 

[FULFILLMENT CODE]

 

22
 

 

THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION,
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DATED JULY 21, 2021

 

WisdomTree Digital Trust

 

--------------------------------

[TICKER] [Pending]

 

--------------------------------

 

 

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It contains information in addition to the information in the Fund’s prospectus. The Fund’s prospectus, dated [_______], 2021, which we may amend from time to time, contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. You should read this SAI together with the Fund’s prospectus.

 

A free copy of the current prospectus or annual/semi-annual report (when available), is available through the [_______] application (App), which is available for download through the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can also view the current prospectus and the annual/semi-annual report (when available) online through www.wisdomtree.com.

 

Mutual funds and other investment products:

·     are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government;

·     are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and

·     are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal.

 

 
 

 

Table of Contents

 

[To be Updated]

 

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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND

 

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 19, 2021 and is authorized to issue multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The offering of the Trust’s shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

 

WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Digital Management” or the “Adviser”) serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”) is the parent company of the Adviser. [______] (“[_____]”) is the investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

“WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments and has been licensed for use by the Trust.

 

INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND RISKS

 

GENERAL RISKS. Changing economic, political or financial market conditions in one country or geographic region could adversely affect the market value of the securities held by the Fund in a different country or geographic region due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets. In addition, certain geopolitical and other events, including environmental events and public health events such as epidemics and pandemics, may have a global impact and add to instability in world economies and markets generally. As a result, whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic, political, financial and/or social difficulties, the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by such events. Such market conditions also may lead to increased regulation of the Fund and the instruments in which the Fund may invest, which may, in turn, increase the expenses incurred by the Fund and/or affect the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective and the Fund’s performance.

 

A recent outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus first detected in China in December 2019 has spread globally in a short period of time. In an organized attempt to contain and mitigate the effects of the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19, governments and businesses world-wide have taken aggressive measures, including closing borders, restricting international and domestic travel, and the imposition of prolonged quarantines of large populations. COVID-19 has resulted in the disruption of and delays in the delivery of healthcare services and processes, the cancellation of organized events and educational institutions, the disruption of production and supply chains, a decline in consumer demand for certain goods and services, and general concern and uncertainty, all of which have contributed to increased volatility in global markets. The effects of COVID-19 likely will affect certain sectors and industries more dramatically than others, and the effects borne by some will negatively affect the value of the issuers in those sectors and industries, which may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in those sectors or industries. COVID-19, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations, the global economy, individual companies and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen at the present time. In addition, the impact of infectious diseases in developing or emerging market countries may be greater due to limited health care resources. Political, economic and social stresses caused by COVID-19 also may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. The duration of COVID-19 and its effects cannot be determined at this time, but the effects could be present for an extended period of time.

 

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It is impossible to predict the effects on the Fund of these or similar events and market conditions in the future. However, it is possible that these or similar events and market conditions could have a significant and adverse effect on the net asset value per share (“NAV”) and/or risk profile of the Fund.

 

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach. The Fund is not “actively” managed and seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.

 

Investor perceptions may also impact the value of Fund investments and the value of an investment in Fund shares. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises.

 

Issuer-specific conditions may also affect the value of the Fund investment. The financial condition of an issuer of a security or counterparty to a contract may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security or contract. The Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments if the issuer or counterparty defaults. Accordingly, the value of an investment in the Fund may change in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

 

Events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Domestic and foreign fixed income and equity markets experienced extreme volatility and turmoil in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and volatility has continued to be experienced in the markets. It is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue. These events and possible continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on Fund performance.

 

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY. Blockchain technology is a relatively new and untested technology which operates as a distributed ledger. The risks associated with blockchain technology may not emerge until the technology is widely used. Blockchain systems could be vulnerable to fraud, particularly if a significant minority of participants colluded to defraud the rest. Access to a given blockchain requires an individualized key, which, if compromised, could result in loss due to theft, destruction or inaccessibility. There is little regulation of blockchain technology other than the intrinsic public nature of the blockchain system. Any future regulatory developments could affect the viability and expansion of the use of blockchain technology. Because blockchain technology systems may operate across many national boundaries and regulatory jurisdictions, it is possible that blockchain technology may be subject to widespread and inconsistent regulation. Blockchain technology is not a product or service that provides identifiable revenue for companies that implement, or otherwise use it. Currently, blockchain technology is commonly used for the recording of transactions in digital currency, which are extremely speculative and volatile. Problems in digital currency markets could have a wider effect on companies associated with blockchain technology. Blockchain technology also may never be implemented to a scale that provides identifiable economic benefit. There are currently a number of competing blockchain platforms with competing intellectual property claims. The uncertainty inherent in these competing technologies could cause companies to use alternatives to blockchain. Finally, because digital assets registered on a

 

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blockchain do not have a standardized exchange, like a stock market, there is less liquidity for such assets and greater possibility of fraud or manipulation.

 

BORROWING. Although the Fund does not intend to borrow money as part of their principal investment strategies, the Fund may do so to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may borrow up to 33% of its net assets, but under normal market conditions, the Fund does not expect to borrow greater than 10% of the Fund’s net assets. The Fund will borrow only for short-term or emergency purposes.

 

Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on NAV of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs that may or may not be recovered by earnings on the securities purchased. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

 

CYBERSECURITY RISK. Investment companies, such as the Fund, and their service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cybersecurity breaches. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund or the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, accountant, custodian, transfer agent, Index provider, and other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber-attacks may impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Fund could incur extraordinary expenses for cybersecurity risk management purposes, prevention and/or resolution. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.

 

LIQUIDITY RISK. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell at the price at which the Fund has valued the security, whether because of current market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, or the specific type of investment. If the market for a particular security becomes illiquid (for example, due to changes in the issuer’s financial condition), the Fund may be unable to sell such security at an advantageous time or price due to the difficulty in selling such securities. To the extent that the Fund and its affiliates hold a significant portion of an issuer’s outstanding securities, the Fund may also be subject to greater liquidity risk than if the issuer’s securities were more widely held. The Fund may also need to sell some of the Fund’s more liquid securities when it otherwise would not do so in order to meet redemption requests, even if such sale of the liquid holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint. Reduced liquidity may also have an adverse impact on a security’s market value and the sale of such securities often results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities will also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and thus pricing may be prone to error when market quotations are volatile, infrequent and/or subject to large spreads between bid and ask prices. In addition, prices received by the Fund for securities may be based on institutional “round lot” sizes, but the Fund may purchase, hold or sell smaller, “odd lot” sizes, which may be harder to sell. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than round lots, which may affect the Fund’s ability to accurately value its investments.

 

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The market for certain debt securities may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. An increase in interest rates due to the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program and other similar central bank actions, coupled with a reduction in dealer market-making capacity, may decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed income markets. Liquidity risk generally increases (meaning that securities become more illiquid) as the number, or relative need, of investors seeking to liquidate in a given market increases; for example, when an asset class or classes fall out of favor and investors sell their holdings in such classes, either directly or indirectly through investment funds, such as mutual funds.

 

MARKET RISK. The market value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a single security issuer. These general market conditions include real or perceived adverse economic or regulatory conditions, changes in interest or currency exchange rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Market values may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or sector, or a particular segment, such as government securities. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that the Fund’s securities will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.

 

TAX RISK. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment accorded to regulated investment companies (“RICs”), the Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) for that year would be subject to tax at the regular corporate rate without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to shareholders as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.

 

The following is a description of other risks associated with distributed ledger technology:

 

USE OF BLOCKCHAIN. A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent way using cryptography. A distributed ledger is a database in which data is stored in a decentralized manner. Cryptography is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so that only those for whom it is intended can read and process it. Transactions on the blockchain are verified and authenticated by computers on the network (referred to as “nodes” or “validators”) that receive, propagate, verify, and execute transactions. The process of authenticating a transaction before it is recorded ensures that only valid and authorized transactions are permanently recorded on the blockchain in collections of transactions called “blocks.” Blockchain networks are based upon software source code that establishes and governs their respective cryptographic systems for verifying transactions.

 

The use of blockchain technology for an open-end registered fund, such as the Fund, is untested. In the event of a conflict between the blockchain record and the record held by the Fund’s transfer agent, the Fund’s transfer agent’s record will be determinative.

 

The secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will not affect the Fund’s investments. The Fund will not invest in any cryptocurrencies (referred to as, among other things, virtual currencies).

 

Users of the blockchain networks, such as Ethereum or Stellar networks, generally must pay transaction fees (such as in the form of “Ether,” or “Lumens,” the native digital assets for the operation of Ethereum or Stellar, respectively) to the Ethereum or Stellar networks, respectively, in order to validate a

 

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transaction. Such transaction fees are generally intended to protect the networks from frivolous or malicious computational tasks.

 

Delays in transaction processing have occurred on the blockchain networks. Such a delay may occur on account of, among other things, the inability of nodes to reach consensus on transactions, including in relation to upgrades on changes in the applicable blockchain. During a network delay, it will not be possible to record transactions in the shares on the blockchain. Should such a delay occur for an extended period of time, the Fund could choose to effect transactions with shareholders manually (i.e., in book-entry form) until such time as the network has resumed normal operation. The Fund may choose to reevaluate the suitability of the a particular network for the Fund’s shares in the event of future or recurring delays.

 

In the future, the ownership of the Fund’s shares may be maintained and recorded primarily on the Ethereum, Stellar or other network, although there is no guarantee that this will occur. The Fund’s Adviser believes that the use of blockchain may, in the future, permit reduced settlement times and provide other benefits to Fund shareholders.

 

Furthermore, in the future, the shares may be available for purchase, sale or transfer from one shareholder to another shareholder (or potential shareholder) (“peer-to-peer”) on the blockchain or in a secondary trading market (such as an electronic trading platform that is registered with the SEC as an alternative trading system (ATS)). Any disruption to the operations of an ATS, including a broker-dealer’s interface with an ATS, could materially disrupt trading in, or potentially result in a complete halt in the trading of, the Fund’s shares on that platform. The Fund has no current agreement to make its shares available for trading on any ATS, but may enter into such an agreement in the future. These features are not currently, and may never be, available to investors. These features would be subject to then-existing regulations and regulatory interpretations.

 

There are risks associated with the issuance, redemption, transfer, custody and record keeping of shares maintained and recorded primarily on a blockchain. For example, shares that are issued using blockchain technology would be subject to the following risks (among others):

 

1.a rapidly-evolving regulatory landscape in the United States and in other countries, which might result in security, privacy or other regulatory concerns that could require changes to the way transactions in the shares are recorded;

 

2.the possibility of undiscovered technical flaws in an underlying technology, including in the process by which transactions are recorded to a blockchain, or by which the validity of a copy of such blockchain can be proven;

 

3.the possibility that cryptographic or other security measures that authenticate prior transactions for a blockchain could be compromised, or “hacked,” which could allow an attacker to alter the blockchain and thereby disrupt the ability to corroborate definitive transactions recorded on the blockchain;

 

4.the possibility that new technologies or services inhibit access to a blockchain;

 

5.the possibility that a breach to one blockchain could cause investors, and the public generally, to lose trust in blockchain technology and increase reluctance to issue and invest in assets recorded on blockchains; and

 

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6.because of the differences between the way the shares are issued and recorded as compared to shares in a traditional open-end investment company, there is a risk that issues that might easily be resolved by existing law if traditional methods were involved may not be easily resolved for the shares. The occurrence of any related issue or dispute could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s current or future business or the shares.

 

THE ETHEREUM AND STELLAR NETWORKS. The suitability of a network, such as Ethereum or Stellar, (and their underlying blockchain ledgers) on which the shares will rely could decline due to a variety of causes, adversely affecting the functionality of the shares and an investment in the Fund. Blockchain networks are based on software protocols that govern the peer-to-peer interactions between computers connected to these networks. The suitability of such networks for the functionality of the shares depends upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

 

1.The effectiveness of the informal groups of (often uncompensated) developers contributing to the protocols that underlie the network;

 

2.Effectiveness of the validators and the network’s consensus mechanisms to effectively secure the network against confirmation of invalid transactions;

 

3.The continued participation of a number of trusted validators;

 

4.The lack of collusion between trusted validators;

 

5.Disputes among the developers or validators of the network;

 

6.Changes in the consensus or validation scheme that underlies the network;

 

7.The failure of cybersecurity controls or security breaches of the network;

 

8.The inability of validators to reach consensus and the consequential halting of transaction verification on the network;

 

9.The existence of undiscovered technical flaws in the network;

 

10.The development of new or existing hardware or software tools or mechanisms that could negatively impact the functionality of the systems;

 

11.The price of the blockchain asset associated with the respective network;

 

12.The cost of transaction fees to use the network;

 

13.Intellectual property rights-based or other claims against the network’s participants;

 

14.The continued adoption of the network; and

 

15.The maturity of the computer software programming software development kit used in connection with the network.

 

Unfavorable developments or characteristics of any of the above or other circumstances could adversely affect the Fund’s operations or the functionality of the shares.

 

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Furthermore, the blockchain record made available through Stellar or Ethereum is an open source, public distributed ledger that stores the complete transaction history from issuance of the shares. As a result, robust and transparent data, other than shareholder personal identifying information, will be publicly available via the published blockchain and tools such as block explorers. Such transaction data is secured by cryptography and only a public-key-derived wallet address (and not a shareholder’s personal identifying information) will be exposed to the public on the blockchain. The personal identifying information necessary to associate a public key representing a given block of shares with the record owner of those shares will be maintained by the Transfer Agent and WisdomTree [ ] and will not be available to the public. However, if there are data security breaches with respect to such database(s) resulting in theft of the information necessary to link personal identity with the public key and related share transactions, the stolen information could be used to determine a shareholder’s identity and complete transaction history in the Fund. Concerns over these privacy issues may limit adoption of public-ledger blockchain technology, reducing the potential market acceptance for the shares and the size of the Fund.

 

BLOCKCHAIN REGULATION. Regulation of digital assets, blockchain technologies and digital asset platforms is currently developing and likely to rapidly evolve, varies significantly among international, federal, state and local jurisdictions and is subject to significant uncertainty.

 

Various legislative and executive bodies in the United States and in other countries are currently considering, or may in the future consider, laws, regulations, guidance, or other actions, which may severely impact the Fund, and thus the Fund’s shareholders. Failure by the Fund or any Fund service provider to comply with any laws, rules or regulations, some of which may not exist yet or are subject to interpretation and may be subject to change, could result in a variety of adverse consequences to the Fund (and thus to the Fund’s shareholders), including civil penalties and fines.

 

New or changing laws and regulations or interpretations of existing laws and regulations may adversely impact the Fund’s ability to issue and redeem shares or otherwise make distributions on shares, the secondary market liquidity and market price of shares (should such secondary market liquidity be available in the future), shareholders’ ability to access or otherwise utilize an exchange or platform for trading of the shares (should such a platform or exchange exist in the future and such activity be permitted by the Fund) and the structure, rights and transferability of the shares (should shareholders be permitted to transfer or exchange shares in the future). Therefore, there can be no assurance that any new or continuing regulatory scrutiny or initiatives will not have an adverse impact on the shares or impede the Fund’s current or future activities.

 

In addition, because of the differences between the way the shares are issued and recorded as compared to shares in a traditional mutual fund, there is a risk that issues that might easily be resolved by existing law if traditional methods were involved may not be easily resolved for the shares. The occurrence of any related issue or dispute could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s current or future business or the shares.

 

Blockchain networks currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in many foreign jurisdictions such as the European Union and China. Various foreign jurisdictions may, in the near future, adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect the networks, such as Stellar and Ethereum, and their users, developers and service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. Such laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the United States or may directly and negatively impact the Fund and its service providers. The effect of any future regulatory change is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to the shareholders, the Fund and the Fund’s service providers.

 

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OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY. The Fund, its service providers and other market participants increasingly depend on complex information technology and communications systems to conduct business functions. These systems are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect the Fund, despite the efforts of the Fund and its service providers to adopt technologies, processes, and practices intended to mitigate these risks. For example, unauthorized third parties may attempt to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of, or prevent access to these systems of the Fund, the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other market participants or data within them (a “cyber-attack”). In addition, power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. If such an event occurs, the Fund may incur substantial costs, including those associated with forensic analysis of the origin and scope of the event; increased and upgraded cybersecurity; investment losses from sabotaged trading systems; identity theft; unauthorized use of proprietary information; litigation; adverse investor reaction; the dissemination of confidential and proprietary information; and reputational damage. Any such event could expose the Fund to civil liability as well as regulatory inquiry and/or action. In addition, market events also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the Fund’s operations.

 

A discussion of some of the other risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Fund’s Prospectus.

 

SPECIFIC INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

A description of the investment strategies and types of investments used by the Fund is set forth below.

 

BANK DEPOSITS AND OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may invest in deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks and financial institutions. Deposits and obligations of banks and financial institutions include certificates of deposit, time deposits, and bankers’ acceptances. Certificates of deposit and time deposits represent an institution’s obligation to repay funds deposited with it that earn a specified interest rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates, while time deposits are non-negotiable deposits. A banker’s acceptance is a time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank that becomes a primary and unconditional liability of the bank upon acceptance. Investments in obligations of non-U.S. banks and financial institutions may involve risks that are different from investments in obligations of U.S. banks. These risks include future unfavorable political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, currency controls, interest limitations or other governmental restrictions that might affect the payment of principal or interest on the securities held in the Fund.

 

COMMERCIAL PAPER. The Fund may invest in commercial paper. Commercial paper is an unsecured short-term promissory note with a fixed maturity of no more than 270 days issued by corporations, generally to finance short-term business needs. The commercial paper purchased by the Fund generally will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality by the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser. If a security satisfies the rating requirement upon initial purchase and is subsequently downgraded, the Fund is not required to dispose of the security. In the event of such an occurrence, the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser will determine what action, including potential sale, is in the best interest of the Fund. Commercial paper issuers in which the Fund may invest include securities issued by corporations without registration under the Securities Act in reliance on the exemption from such registration afforded by Section 3(a)(3) thereof, and commercial paper issued in reliance on the so-called “private placement” exemption from registration, which is afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the

 

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Securities Act (“Section 4(2) paper”). Section 4(2) paper is restricted as to disposition under the federal securities laws in that any resale must similarly be made in an exempt transaction. Section 4(2) paper is normally resold to other institutional investors through or with the assistance of investment dealers who make a market in Section 4(2) paper, thus providing liquidity.

 

FINANCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENTS. The Fund may engage in transactions with or invest in companies that are considered to be in the financial sector, including commercial banks, brokerage firms, diversified financial services, a variety of firms in all segments of the insurance industry (such as multi-line, property and casualty, and life insurance) and real estate-related companies. There can be no guarantee that these strategies may be successful. The Fund may lose money as a result of defaults or downgrades within the financial sector.

 

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES. The Fund invests in fixed income securities, U.S. Treasury notes and bonds. Fixed income securities change in value in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as the perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. For example, the value of fixed income securities will generally decrease when interest rates rise, which may cause the value of the Fund to decrease. In addition, investments in fixed income securities with longer maturities will generally fluctuate more in response to interest rate changes. The capacity of traditional dealers to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace with the bond market’s growth and dealer inventories of bonds are at or near historic lows relative to market size. Because market makers provide stability to fixed income markets, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility, which may become exacerbated during periods of economic or political stress. In addition, liquidity risk may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment in which investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal.

 

FLOATING AND ADJUSTABLE RATE NOTES. The Fund will invest in floating rate public obligations of the U.S. Treasury. The Fund will also invest in floating-rate and adjustable rate obligations, such as demand notes, bonds, and commercial paper. Variable- and floating-rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating-rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. When the Fund holds variable- or floating-rate securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating-rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the NAV of the Fund’s shares.

 

These securities may bear interest at a rate that resets based on standard money market indices or are remarketed at current market rates. They may permit the holder to demand payment of principal at any time or at specified intervals not exceeding 397 days. The issuer of such obligations may also have the right to prepay, in its discretion, the principal amount of the obligations plus any accrued interest. The “reset date” of securities held by the Fund may not be longer than 397 days (and therefore would be considered to be within the Fund’s general maturity restriction of 397 days). Given that most floating-rate securities reset their interest rates prior to their final maturity date, the Fund uses the period to the next reset date to calculate the securities contribution to the average portfolio maturity of the Fund.

 

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS. The Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities, contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Fund’s Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies.

 

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ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS. Although the Fund does not intend to do so, as a matter of policy, the Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments, as such term is defined by Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act. The Fund may not invest in illiquid investments if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets would be invested in illiquid investments. Illiquid investments include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets to the extent the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has not deemed such securities to be liquid. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in the current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market of the investment. The inability of the Fund to dispose of illiquid or not readily marketable investments readily or at a reasonable price could impair the Fund’s ability to raise cash for redemptions or other purposes. The liquidity of securities purchased by the Fund which are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, except for certain 144A bonds, will be monitored by the Fund on an ongoing basis. In the event that more than 15% of the Fund’s net assets are invested in illiquid investments, the Fund, in accordance with Rule 22e-4(b)(1)(iv) under the 1940 Act, will report the occurrence to both the Board and the SEC and seek to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments within a reasonable period of time.

 

INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”)), including ETFs that are advised by an affiliate of the Adviser. Unless otherwise permitted by rule, the 1940 Act generally prohibits the Fund from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of an investment company and limits such investments to no more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets in any single investment company and no more than 10% in any combination of two or more investment companies.

 

MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term obligations issued by the U.S. government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody’s or “A-1+” or “A-1” by S&P or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Fund; and (iv) repurchase agreements. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer (or its affiliate) and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. This is designed to result in a fixed rate of return for the Fund insulated from market fluctuations during the holding period. Because they are collateralized by securities, including mortgage-backed securities, repurchase agreements are subject to market and credit risk. A repurchase agreement maturing in more than seven days may be considered an illiquid investment. The Fund maintains custody of the underlying obligations prior to their repurchase, either through its regular custodian or through a special “tri-party” custodian or sub-custodian that maintains separate accounts for both the Fund and its counterparty. Thus, the obligation of the counterparty to pay the repurchase price on the date agreed to or upon demand is, in effect, secured by such obligations.

 

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Repurchase agreements carry certain risks not associated with direct investments in securities, including a possible decline in the market value of the underlying obligations. If their value becomes less than the repurchase price, plus any agreed-upon additional amount, the counterparty must provide additional collateral so that at all times the collateral is at least equal to the repurchase price plus any agreed-upon additional amount. The difference between the total amount to be received upon repurchase of the obligations and the price that was paid by the Fund upon acquisition is accrued as interest and included in its net investment income. Repurchase agreements involving obligations other than U.S. government securities (such as commercial paper and corporate bonds) may be subject to special risks and may not have the benefit of certain protections in the event of the counterparty’s insolvency. If the seller or guarantor becomes insolvent, the Fund may suffer delays, costs and possible losses in connection with the disposition of collateral.

 

REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities held by the Fund subject to its agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest. Reverse repurchase agreements are subject to the Fund’s limitation on borrowings and may be entered into only with banks or securities dealers or their affiliates. While a reverse repurchase agreement is outstanding, the Fund will maintain the segregation, either on its records or with the Trust’s custodian, of cash or other liquid securities, marked to market daily, in an amount at least equal to its obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement.

 

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the buyer of the securities sold by the Fund might be unable to deliver them when the Fund seeks to repurchase. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the buyer or trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities, and the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision.

 

SECURITIES LENDING. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain creditworthy borrowers, including the Fund’s securities lending agent. Loans of portfolio securities provide the Fund with the opportunity to earn additional income on the Fund’s portfolio securities. All securities loans will be made pursuant to agreements requiring the loans to be continuously secured by collateral in cash, or money market instruments, money market funds or U.S. government securities at least equal at all times to the market value of the loaned securities. The borrower pays to the Fund an amount equal to any dividends or interest received on loaned securities. The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received on investment of cash collateral or receive a fee from the borrower. Lending portfolio securities involves risks of delay in recovery of the loaned securities or in some cases loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially. Furthermore, because of the risks of delay in recovery, the Fund may lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. The Fund will generally not have the right to vote securities while they are being loaned.

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The Fund will invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or the agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government. U.S. government securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. government securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, and may be subject to varying degrees of credit risk. U.S. government securities include inflation-indexed fixed income securities, such as U.S. Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). U.S. government securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

 

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PROXY VOTING POLICY

 

The Trust has adopted as its proxy voting policies for the Fund the proxy voting guidelines of the Fund’s Sub-Adviser. The Trust has delegated to the Sub-Adviser the authority and responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The remainder of this section discusses the Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and the Sub-Adviser’s role in implementing such guidelines.

 

As a registered investment adviser, [__________] is often entrusted with the fiduciary responsibility to vote proxies for shares of corporate stock held on behalf of its clients. Proxy voting is an integral part of the management of the investment in those shares. In voting proxies, [__________]takes into account long term economic value as it evaluates issues relating to corporate governance, including structures and practices, the nature of long-term business plans, including sustainability policies and practices to address environmental and social factors that are likely to have an impact on shareholder value, and other financial and non-financial measures of corporate performance.

 

For clients that have delegated proxy authority, [__________] will make every reasonable effort to ensure that proxies are received and are voted in accordance with this policy and related procedures. To assist [__________] in that process, it retains Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) to provide various services related to proxy voting, such as research, analysis, voting services, proxy vote tracking, recordkeeping, and reporting. In addition, [__________] also retains Glass Lewis for research services only.

 

[__________] seeks to avoid potential material conflicts of interest through its participation on [__________] (“[__________]”) Proxy Voting and Governance Committee (“Committee”). As such, [__________] has adopted and implemented [__________]’s Proxy Voting Policy and proxy voting guidelines. The guidelines are applied to all client accounts for which [__________] has been delegated the authority to vote in a consistent manner and without consideration of any client relationship factors.

 

Under this policy, the Committee permits member firms (such as [__________]) to consider specific interests and issues and cast votes differently from the collective vote of the Committee where the member firm determines that a different vote is in the best interests of the affected account(s).

 

[__________] will furnish a copy of its Proxy Voting Policy and its proxy voting guidelines upon request to each advisory client that has delegated voting authority.

 

Voting [__________] Stock. It is the policy of [__________] not to vote or make recommendations on how to vote shares of [__________] stock, even where [__________] has the legal power to do so under the relevant governing instrument. In order to avoid any appearance of conflict relating to voting [__________] stock, [__________] has contracted with an independent fiduciary [__________]) to direct all voting of [__________] Stock held by any [__________] accounts on any matter in which shareholders of [__________] Stock are required or permitted to vote.

 

Proxy Voting Disclosure. Clients who have delegated proxy voting authority to [__________] may obtain the proxy voting records for their account upon written or verbal request.

 

Oversight Activities. [__________] performs periodic oversight of the operational and voting processes implemented on behalf of clients to ensure that proxy ballots are voted in accordance with established guidelines. These activities may include, but are not limited to, monthly account reconciliation between the voting agent and [__________] records and forensic testing of the application of vote instruction in

 

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relation to policy vote recommendations at the ballot level. These efforts are completed as a component [__________]’s Rule 206(4)-7 compliance program.

 

A complete copy of the Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policy may be obtained by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by writing to: WisdomTree Digital Trust, c/o [ ].

 

The Trust is required to disclose annually the Fund’s complete proxy voting record on Form N-PX covering the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year and to file Form N-PX with the SEC no later than August 31 of each year. Once available, the current Form N-PX for the Fund may be obtained at no charge upon request by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS DISCLOSURE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

Information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings will be made available each business day.

 

Access to the Fund’s portfolio holdings prior to daily publication is permitted to personnel of the Advisers, the Distributor and the Fund’s administrator (the “Administrator”), custodian and accountant and other agents or service providers of the Trust who have need of such information in connection with the ordinary course of their respective duties to the Fund. The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings.

 

The Fund will disclose its portfolio holdings online at www.wisdomtree.com. Online disclosure of such holdings is publicly available at no charge.

 

The Fund also will disclose its complete portfolio holdings schedule in public filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis, based on the Fund’s fiscal year end, within sixty (60) days of the end of the quarter, and will provide that information to shareholders, as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.

 

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

 

The following fundamental investment policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever a fundamental investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the Fund’s acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, other than with respect to the Fund’s limitations on borrowings, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the Fund’s investment policies and limitations.

 

The Fund’s fundamental investment policies cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities as defined under the 1940 Act. The Fund, however, may change the non-fundamental investment policies described below, its investment objective, and its underlying Index, if applicable, without a shareholder vote, provided that it obtains Board approval and notifies its shareholders with at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice of any such change.

 

Fundamental Policies. The following investment policies and limitations are fundamental and may NOT be changed without shareholder approval.

 

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The Fund, as a fundamental investment policy, may not:

 

Senior Securities

 

Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

Borrowing

 

Borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

Underwriting

 

Act as an underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act in the disposition of portfolio securities.

 

Real Estate

 

Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).

 

Commodities

 

Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

 

Loans

 

Lend any security or make any other loan except as permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that no more than 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets would be lent to other parties. This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments, permissible under the Fund’s investment policies.

 

Non-Fundamental Policies. The following investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. Prior to any change in the Fund’s 80% policy, the Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days’ notice.

 

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities. The Fund’s investment in derivatives, if any, will be included in its net assets when determining whether the Fund satisfies the 80% test described above and the Fund values those derivatives at market value.

 

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MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

 

Board Responsibilities. The Board is responsible for overseeing the management and affairs of the Fund and the Trust. The Board has considered and approved contracts, as described herein, under which certain companies provide essential management and administrative services to the Trust. Like most funds, the day-to-day business of the Trust, including the day-to-day management of risk, is performed by third-party service providers, such as the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, Distributor and Administrator. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s service providers and, thus, has oversight responsibility with respect to the risk management performed by those service providers. Risk management seeks to identify and eliminate or mitigate the potential effects of risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Trust or the Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board and the Audit Committee (discussed in more detail below), the service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify risks relevant to the operations of the Trust and the Fund to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Each service provider is responsible for one or more discrete aspects of the Trust’s business (e.g., the Adviser and Sub-Adviser are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio investments) and, consequently, for managing the risks associated with that activity.

 

The Board’s role in risk management oversight begins before the inception of the Fund, at which time the Fund’s Adviser presents the Board with information concerning the investment objective, strategies and risks of the Fund. Additionally, the Fund’s Adviser and Sub-Adviser provide the Board periodically with an overview of, among other things, its investment philosophy, brokerage practices and compliance infrastructure. Thereafter, the Board oversees the risk management of the Fund’s operations, in part, by requesting periodic reports from and otherwise communicating with various personnel of the Fund and its service providers, including the Trust’s CCO and the Fund’s independent accountants. The Board and, with respect to identified risks that relate to its scope of expertise, the Audit Committee, oversee efforts by management and service providers to manage risks to which the Fund may be exposed.

 

The Board is responsible for overseeing the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and receives information about those services at its regular meetings. In addition, on at least an annual basis, in connection with its consideration of whether to renew any Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and Sub-Adviser, respectively, the Board meets with the Adviser and Sub-Adviser to review such services. Among other things, the Board regularly considers the Adviser’s and Sub-Adviser’s adherence to the Fund’s investment restrictions and compliance with various Fund policies and procedures and with applicable securities regulations. The Board also reviews information about the Fund’s performance and investments.

 

The Trust’s CCO meets regularly with the Board to review and discuss compliance and other issues. At least annually, the Trust’s CCO provides the Board with a report reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Trust’s policies and procedures and those of its service providers, including the Adviser and Sub-Adviser. The report addresses the operation of the policies and procedures of the Trust and each service provider since the date of the last report; material changes to the policies and procedures since the date of the last report; any recommendations for material changes to the policies and procedures; and material compliance matters since the date of the last report.

 

The Board receives reports from the Trust’s service providers regarding operational risks, portfolio valuation and other matters. Annually, an independent registered public accounting firm reviews with the

 

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Audit Committee its audit of the Fund’s financial statements, focusing on major areas of risk encountered by the Fund and noting any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Fund’s internal controls.

 

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, despite the periodic reports the Board receives and the Board’s discussions with the service providers to the Fund, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information related to a particular risk. Most of the Trust’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Fund’s Adviser, Sub-Adviser and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Trust’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Members of the Board and Officers of the Trust. Set forth below are the names, birth years, positions with the Trust, term of office, number of portfolios overseen, and principal occupations and other directorships held during the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as members of the Board and as Executive Officers of the Trust. Also included below is the term of office for each of the Executive Officers of the Trust. The members of the Board serve as Trustees for the life of the Trust or until retirement, removal, or their office is terminated pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust. The address of each Trustee and Officer is c/o WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc., 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167.

 

The Chairman of the Board, [__________]. The Board is composed of a [     ] ([     ]%) of Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund (i.e., “Independent Trustees”). [There is an Audit Committee and [     ] Committee of the Board], each of which is chaired by an Independent Trustee and comprised solely of Independent Trustees. [The Committee chair for each is responsible for running the Committee meetings, formulating agendas for those meetings, and coordinating with management to serve as a liaison between the Committee members and management on matters within the scope of the responsibilities of the Committee as set forth in its Board-approved charter. The Fund has determined that this leadership structure is appropriate given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Fund. The Fund made this determination in consideration of, among other things, the fact that the Independent Trustees of the Fund constitute a majority of the Board, the assets under management of the Fund, the number of Fund overseen by the Board, the total number of Trustees on the Board, and the fact that an Independent Trustee serves as Chairman of the Board.]

 

Name and Year of
Birth of
Trustee/Officer
  Position
(s) Held
with
the Trust,
Term of
Office and
Length of
Time
Served
  Principal
Occupation(s) During
Past 5 Years
  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee/Officer+
  Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
5 Years
Trustees Who Are Interested Persons of the Trust

 

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Trustees Who Are Not Interested Persons of the Trust

 

Audit Committee. [__________] and [__________], each an Independent Trustee, are members of the Board’s Audit Committee. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, including the resolution of disagreements regarding financial reporting between Trust management and such independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include, without limitation, to (i) oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Trust and to receive reports regarding the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting; (ii) oversee the quality and integrity of the Fund’s financial statements and the independent audits thereof; (iii) oversee, or, as appropriate, assist Board oversight of, the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting, and independent audits; (iv) approve prior to appointment the engagement of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm; and (v) act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent auditors and the full Board. The Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel assists the Audit Committee in connection with these duties. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee. Because the Board held its organizational meeting in the [__________] fiscal quarter of 2021, the Audit Committee did not meet during the fiscal year ended [     ].

 

[Individual Trustee Qualifications. The Board has concluded that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve on the Board because of his or her ability to review and understand information about the Trust and the Fund provided by management, to identify and request other information he or she may deem relevant to the performance of the Trustees’ duties, to question management and other service providers regarding material factors bearing on the management and administration of the Fund, and to exercise his or her business judgment in a manner that serves the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust has concluded that each of the Trustees is qualified to serve as a Trustee based on his or her own experience, qualifications, attributes and skills as described below.

 

The Board has concluded that [__________] is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the [__________].

 

The Board has concluded that [__________] is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Fund because of [__________]

 

The Board has concluded that [__________] is qualified to serve as Trustee of the Fund because of the experience [__________].

 

Fund Shares Owned by Board Members. The following table shows the dollar amount range of each Trustee’s “beneficial ownership” of shares of the Fund as of the end of the most recently completed calendar year. Dollar amount ranges disclosed are established by the SEC. “Beneficial ownership” is determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. [As of [__________], 2021 the Trust had not issued any shares.]

 

Name of Trustee  Name of Fund  Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in
the Fund*
  Aggregate Dollar
Range of
Equity Securities in
All Registered
Investment
Companies Overseen
by Trustee in
Family of Investment
Companies**
          

 

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Board Compensation. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by the Trust to each Trustee for the fiscal year ended [__________].

 

Name of Trustee  Aggregate
Compensation
from the
Trust
  Pension or
Retirement
Benefits
Accrued as
Part of
Trust’s
Expenses
  Estimated
Annual
Benefits
Upon
Retirement
  Total
Compensation
from the
Fund and
Fund
Complex*
Interested Trustee            

 

Independent Trustees

 

*       The Trust is the only trust in the “Fund Complex.”

 

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.

 

As of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not have any shareholders. Certain officers, employees, accounts or affiliates of WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. (such as WisdomTree Investments, 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY), or third parties, may from time to time own a substantial amount of a Fund’s shares, including as an initial or seed investor.

 

Investment Adviser. [WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust and the Adviser (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser is a Delaware corporation registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), and has offices located at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10167.

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for the overall management and administration of the Trust. The Adviser provides an investment program for the Fund. The Adviser also provides proactive oversight of the Sub-Adviser’s daily monitoring of the Sub-Adviser’s buying and selling of securities for the Fund, and regular review of the Sub-Adviser’s performance. In addition, the Adviser arranges for, and oversees, sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending, and all other non-distribution-related services necessary for the Fund to operate. The Adviser furnishes to the Trust all office facilities, equipment, services and executive and administrative personnel necessary for managing the investment program of the Trust for the Fund, including:

 

·Overseeing the Trust’s insurance program;

 

·Overseeing and coordinating all governance matters for the Trust;

 

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·Coordinating meetings of the Board of Trustees;

 

·Devoting time and resources to maintaining demand for the Fund’s shares;

 

·Coordinating with outside counsel on all Trust related legal matters;

 

·Coordinating the preparation of the Trust’s financial statements;

 

·Coordinating all regulatory filings and shareholder reporting;

 

·Overseeing the Fund’s tax status and tax filings;

 

·Maintaining and updating a website for certain required disclosures; and

 

·Providing shareholders with additional information about the Fund.

 

·The Fund pays the Adviser a management fee, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, indicated below.

 

Fund  Management
Fee
Rate
 
   [_______]%

 

·Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, the Adviser arranges for the provision of CCO services with respect to the Fund and is liable and responsible for, and administers, payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. The Adviser receives a fee of up to [%] of the Fund’s average daily net assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. The Adviser provides CCO services to the Trust.

 

With regards to the management fee under the Investment Advisory Agreement for the Fund, the Adviser provides investment advisory services and pays the Fund’s operating expenses, with certain exceptions, in return for a “unitary fee.”

 

Because the Fund had not commenced operations as of the most recent fiscal year, the Fund did not pay any management fees to the Adviser for the most recent fiscal year ending [ ]. The Adviser, from its own resources, including profits from management fees received from the Fund, provided such fees are legitimate and not excessive, [may make payments to broker-dealers and other financial institutions for their expenses in connection with the distribution of Fund shares,] and otherwise currently pays all distribution costs for Fund shares.

 

The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of the Fund fail to approve the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by the Adviser, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party. The Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).]

 

Sub-Adviser.

 

[          ]. [__________] (“[__________]” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as sub-adviser to, and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. [__________], a registered investment adviser, manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. Its principal office is located at [__________]. [__________] manages the Fund’s portfolio investments and places orders to buy and sell such Fund’s portfolio investments. The Adviser pays [__________] for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund.

 

[__________] believes that it may perform sub-advisory and related services for the Trust without violating applicable banking laws or regulations. However, the legal requirements and interpretations about the permissible activities of banks and their affiliates may change in the future. These changes could prevent [__________] from continuing to perform services for the Trust. If this happens, the Board would consider selecting other qualified firms.

 

The Sub-Advisory Agreement, with respect to the Fund, continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, provided that in either event such continuance is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. If the shareholders of the Fund fail to approve the Fund’s Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Adviser may continue to serve in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The Sub-Advisory Agreement is terminable without any penalty, by vote of the Board of or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by the Adviser, in each case on not less than thirty (30) days’ nor more than sixty (60) days’ prior written notice to the other party; provided that a shorter notice period shall be permitted for the Fund in the event its shares are no longer listed on a national securities exchange. The Sub-Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

Portfolio Managers.

 

[__________] utilizes a team of investment professionals acting together to manage the Fund’s assets. The Fund is managed by [__________]’s [__________] Team. The team meets regularly to review portfolio holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The team adjusts holdings in the Fund’s portfolio as it deems appropriate in the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective.

 

The individual members of the investment team who are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are [__________].

 

As of [__________], 2021, the [__________]Team managed [__________] registered investment companies with approximately $[__________] billion in assets; [__________] pooled investment vehicles with approximately $[__________] billion in assets; and [__________] other accounts with approximately $[__________] billion in assets.

 

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Portfolio Manager Fund Ownership. As of [__________]], [__________] owned shares worth [$_] of the Fund, and [__________] worth [$] of the [__________].

 

Portfolio Manager Compensation.

 

[__________]’s rewards program is designed to be market-competitive and align its compensation with the goals of its clients. This alignment is achieved through an emphasis on deferred awards, which incentivizes [__________]’s investment personnel to focus on long-term alpha generation.

 

[__________]’s incentive model is designed to compensate for quantitative and qualitative objectives achieved during the performance year. An individual’s final annual incentive award is tied to the firm’s overall performance, the team’s investment performance, as well as individual performance.

 

Awards are paid in cash on an annual basis; however, some portfolio managers may receive a portion of their annual incentive award in deferred vehicles. Annual incentive as a percentage of fixed pay varies with the profitability of [__________] and the product team.

 

The following factors encompass our investment professional rewards program.

 

·Base salary

 

·Annual cash incentive

 

·Long-Term Incentive Plan

 

·Deferred cash for investment
·[_______] restricted stock units and/or
·[____] equity

 

Awards for selected senior portfolio managers are based on a two-stage model: an opportunity range based on the current level of business and an assessment of long-term business value. A significant portion of the opportunity awarded is structured and based upon the performance of the portfolio manager’s accounts relative to the performance of appropriate peers, with longer-term performance more heavily weighted.

 

Description of Material Conflicts of Interest.

 

It is the policy of [          ] to make business decisions free from conflicting outside influences. [          ]’s objective is to recognize potential conflicts of interest and work to eliminate or control and disclose such conflicts as they are identified. [          ]’s
business decisions are based on its duty to its clients, and not driven by any personal interest or gain. As an asset manager operating in a number of different jurisdictions with a diverse client base in a variety of strategies, conflicts of interest are inherent. Furthermore, as an indirect subsidiary of [          ] (“[          ]”), potential conflicts may also arise between [          ] and other [          ] companies.

 

[          ] will take steps to provide reasonable assurance that no client or group of clients is advantaged at the expense of any other client. As such, it has adopted a Code of Ethics and compliance policy manual to address such conflicts. These potential and inherent conflicts include but are not limited to: the allocation of investment opportunities, side by side management, execution of portfolio transactions, brokerage conflicts, compensation conflicts, related party arrangements, personal interests, and other investment and

 

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operational conflicts of interest. [          ]’s compliance policies are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Additionally, it has structured compensation of investment personnel to reasonably safeguard client accounts from being adversely impacted by any potential or related conflicts.

 

All material conflicts of interest are presented in greater detail within Part 2A of [          ]’s Form ADV.

 

[          ] manages numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for us. For example, [          ] or an affiliate may cause multiple accounts to invest in the same investment. Such accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investment, including differing views on the operations or activities of the portfolio company, the targeted returns for the transaction, and the timeframe for and method of exiting the investment. Conflicts may also arise in cases where multiple [          ] and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure. For example, one of [          ]’s client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliate’s client account acquires an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, [          ] may find that the interests of the debt-holding client accounts and the equity-holding client accounts may conflict. If that issuer encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of the workout could raise conflicts of interest (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, debt holding accounts may be better served by a liquidation of an issuer in which it could be paid in full, while equity holding accounts might prefer a reorganization of the issuer that would have the potential to retain value for the equity holders. As another example, holders of an issuer’s senior securities may be able to act to direct cash flows away from junior security holders, and both the junior and senior security holders may be [          ] client accounts. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Any such discussions will factor in the interests of the relevant parties and applicable laws.

 

[          ] has a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, [          ] has adopted various policies and procedures including, but not limited to, policies relating to trading operations, best execution, trade order aggregation and allocation, short sales, cross-trading, code of conduct, personal securities trading, and purchases of securities from affiliated underwriters. These procedures are intended to help employees identify and mitigate potential side-by-side conflicts of interest such as those described above. [          ] has also developed a conflicts matrix listing potential side-by-side conflicts, the compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate such potential conflicts of interest, and the corresponding compliance testing program established with the goal of confirming [          ]’s adherence to such policies and procedures.

 

Performance Fees. The Portfolio Managers have entered into performance-based fee arrangements for certain client accounts and funds. Most of these arrangements provide for an asset-based management fee, based on the market value of the account at month end, quarter end or based on average market value, plus a performance fee based on the portfolio’s net return in excess of a specified benchmark and/or hurdle rate during a designated period of time. The performance is based on both realized and unrealized gains and losses. Some performance fee calculations include a high water mark, which keeps track of the highest level of performance on which a performance fee has been paid and which must be exceeded in order for an additional performance fee to be assessed. For more detailed information on how performance fees are calculated, please see the applicable private placement memorandum or the applicable investment management agreement.

 

Side-by-Side Management. “Side-by-side management” refers to a Portfolio Manager’s simultaneous management of multiple types of client accounts/investment products. For example, the Portfolio

 

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Managers manage separate accounts, managed accounts/wrap-fee programs, and pooled investment vehicles for clients at the same time. The Portfolio Managers’ clients have a variety of investment objectives, policies, strategies, limitations, and restrictions. Side-by-side management gives rise to a variety of potential and actual conflicts of interest for the Portfolio Managers. Below is a discussion of the conflicts that the Portfolio Managers face when engaging in side-by-side management and how they deal with them. Note that certain of the Sub-Adviser’s employees may also serve as officers or employees of one or more the Sub-Adviser’s affiliates (“dual officers”). These dual officers undertake investment management duties for the affiliates of which they are officers. When the Portfolio Managers concurrently manage client accounts/ investment products, and in particular when dual officers or dual employees are involved, this presents the same conflicts as described below. Note that Portfolio Managers manage their accounts consistent with applicable laws, and they follow procedures that are reasonably designed to treat clients fairly and to prevent any client or group of clients from being materially favored or disadvantaged.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Side-by-Side Management of Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Accounts. In limited circumstances, Portfolio Managers may provide to a third party for which they provide non-discretionary advisory services the same model portfolio used to manage certain of the Portfolio Managers’ clients’ accounts. In those cases where Portfolio Managers are implementing the model results for only a portion of the assets affected (for example, only the assets over which Portfolio Managers have discretionary management authority) and therefore, they cannot apply their internal trade allocation procedures, Portfolio Managers will (i) use reasonable efforts to agree on procedures with such non-discretionary clients designed to prevent one group of clients from receiving preferential trading treatment over another group, or (ii) determine that, due to the nature of the assets to be traded or the market on which they are traded, no client would likely be adversely affected if such procedures are not established.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Performance-Based Fees When Engaging in Side-by-Side Management. Portfolio Managers manage accounts that are charged a performance-based fee and other accounts that are charged a different type of fee, such as a flat asset-based fee. Portfolio Managers have a financial incentive to favor accounts with performance-based fees because they (and the Sub-Adviser’s employees and supervised persons) may have an opportunity to earn greater fees on such accounts as compared to client accounts without performance-based fees. Thus, Portfolio Managers have an incentive to direct their best investment ideas to client accounts that pay performance-based fees, and to allocate, aggregate, or sequence trades in favor of such accounts. Portfolio Managers also have an incentive to give accounts with performance-based fees better execution and better brokerage commissions.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Accounts with Different Strategies. Portfolio Managers manage numerous accounts with a variety of strategies, which may present conflicts of interest. For example, a long/short position in two client accounts simultaneously can result in a loss to one client based on a decision to take a gain in the other. Taking concurrent conflicting positions in certain derivative instruments can likewise cause a loss to one client and a gain to another. Portfolio Managers also may face conflicts of interest when they have uncovered option strategies and significant positions in illiquid investments in side-by-side accounts.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to the Management of Multiple Client Accounts. Portfolio Managers perform investment advisory services for various clients. Portfolio Managers may give advice and take action in the performance of their duties with respect to any of their other clients which may differ from the advice given, or the timing or nature of action taken, with respect another client. Portfolio Managers have no obligation to purchase or sell for a client any security or other property which they purchase or sell for their own account or for the account of any other client, if they believe it is undesirable or

 

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impractical to take such action. Portfolio Managers may give advice or take action in the performance of their duties with respect to any of their clients which may differ from the advice given, or the timing or nature of action taken, by their affiliates on behalf of their clients.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to Investment in Affiliated Accounts. To the extent permissible under applicable law, the Portfolio Managers may decide to invest some or all of their temporary investments in money market or similar accounts advised or managed by a Sub-Adviser affiliate. In addition, the Portfolio Managers may invest client accounts in affiliated pooled vehicles. The portfolio managers have an incentive to allocate investments to these types of affiliated accounts in order to generate additional fees for themselves or their affiliates. In certain instances, Portfolio Managers may enter into revenue sharing arrangements with affiliates where they may receive a portion of the fee, or bill the full fee to the client and reimburse the affiliate. Portfolio Managers may also enter into wholesale arrangements with affiliates where they receive only a portion of the client fee. For certain accounts with affiliates, some of the fees, such as custody fees, may be waived or rebated.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to the Discretion to Redeem from and Invest in Pooled Investment Vehicles. The Portfolio Manager’s clients may give them discretion to allocate client assets to, and/or redeem client assets from, certain pooled investment vehicles they manage or sub-advise. Sometimes, such discretionary authority is restricted by asset allocation parameters which may limit the Portfolio Manager’s discretion to allocate to a percentage range of the value of a client’s account. When a client grants Portfolio Managers that discretion, a conflict could arise with respect to such client, and also with respect to other investors in such pooled investment vehicle. The Portfolio Managers may, for example, have an incentive to maintain a larger percentage of a client’s assets in the Fund in order for such assets to act as seed capital, to increase the Fund’s assets under management and thus, to make investment by other investors more attractive, or to maintain the continuity of a performance record if the client is the sole remaining investor. Likewise, as the manager or sub-adviser, they will have information that investors will not have about the investments held by the Fund and about other investors’ intentions to invest or redeem. Such information could potentially be used to favor one investor over another.

 

Conflicts of Interest Relating to “Proprietary Accounts”. The Portfolio Managers, and the Sub-Adviser’s existing and future employees may from time to time invest in products managed by the Sub-Adviser and they or related persons may establish “seeded” funds or accounts for the purpose of developing new investment strategies and products (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). Investment by the Sub-Adviser, or its employees in Proprietary Accounts that invest in the same securities as other client accounts may create conflicts of interest. Portfolio Managers have an incentive to favor these Proprietary Accounts by directing their best investment ideas to these accounts or allocating, aggregating, or sequencing trades in favor of such accounts, to the disadvantage of other accounts. Portfolio Managers also have an incentive to dedicate more time and attention to their Proprietary Accounts and to give them better execution and brokerage commissions than their other client accounts. The Portfolio Managers also may waive fees for Proprietary Accounts or for certain affiliated persons who invest in such Proprietary Accounts.

 

Valuations. A majority of the Sub-Adviser’s fees are based on the valuations provided by clients’ custodians or pooled accounts’ administrators. However, a conflict of interest may arise in overseeing the valuation of investments in the limited situations where the Sub-Adviser is involved in the determination of the valuation of an investment. In such circumstances, the Sub-Adviser requires, to the extent possible, pricing from an independent third party pricing vendor. If vendor pricing is unavailable, the Sub-Adviser then looks to other observable inputs for the valuations. In the event that a vendor price or other

 

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observable inputs are unavailable or deemed unreliable, the Sub-Adviser has established a Securities Pricing Committee to make a reasonable determination of a security’s fair value.

 

Other Conflicts of Interest. As noted previously, Portfolio Managers manage numerous accounts with a variety of interests. This necessarily creates potential conflicts of interest for the Portfolio Managers. For example, Portfolio Managers may cause multiple accounts to invest in the same investment. Such accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investment, including differing views on the operations or activities of the portfolio company, the targeted returns for the transaction, and the timeframe for and method of exiting the investment. Conflicts may also arise in cases where multiple the Sub-Adviser and/or affiliate client accounts are invested in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure. For example, one of the Portfolio Manager’s client accounts could acquire debt obligations of a company while an affiliate’s client account acquires an equity investment. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, Portfolio Managers may find that the interests of the debt-holding client accounts and the equity-holding client accounts may conflict. If that issuer encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of the workout could raise conflicts of interest (including, for example, conflicts over proposed waivers and amendments to debt covenants). For example, debt holding accounts may be better served by a liquidation of an issuer in which it could be paid in full, while equity holding accounts might prefer a reorganization of the issuer that would have the potential to retain value for the equity holders. As another example, holders of an issuer’s senior securities may be able to act to direct cash flows away from junior security holders, and both the junior and senior security holders may be the Sub-Adviser’s client accounts. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. Any such discussions will factor in the interests of the relevant parties and applicable laws.

 

Addressing Conflicts of Interest. Portfolio Managers have a fiduciary duty to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. To accomplish this, the Sub-Adviser has adopted various policies and procedures (including, but not limited to, policies relating to trading operations, best execution, trade order aggregation and allocation, short sales, cross-trading, code of conduct, personal securities trading, and purchases of securities from affiliated underwriters). These procedures are intended to help employees identify and mitigate potential side-by-side conflicts of interest such as those described above. The Sub-Adviser has also developed a conflicts matrix listing potential side-by-side conflicts, the compliance policies and procedures reasonably designed to mitigate such potential conflicts of interest and the corresponding compliance testing program established with the goal of confirming the Sub-Adviser’s adherence to such policies and procedures.

 

Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, where applicable. Each Code of Ethics permits personnel subject to that Code of Ethics to invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. Each Code of Ethics is on public file with, and is available from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of these codes of ethics may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

Administrator, Custodian, and Securities Lending Agent. [          ] [          ] [          ] serves as administrator, custodian, and securities lending agent for the Fund. [          ]’s principal address is[          ]. Under the Fund Administration Agreement with the Trust, [          ] provides certain administrative, legal, tax, and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. Under the Master Custodian Agreement with the Trust, [          ] acts as custodian of assets of the Trust,

 

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including securities which the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, desires to be held in places within the United States and securities it desires to be held outside the United States, and provides accounting and other services. [ ] is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by [          ] and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust and for the Fund. [          ] [          ] also serves as the Fund’s securities lending agent. As compensation for providing such services, [          ] receives a portion of the income earned by the Fund in connection with the lending program. With respect to the foregoing agreements, the Trust has agreed to limitation of liability for [          ] and/or to indemnify [          ] for certain liabilities.

 

Transfer Agent. Securrency Transfers, Inc. (“Securrency”) serves as Transfer Agent for the Trust and its principal address is 3202 Douglas Point Court, Riva, Maryland 21140. Securrency has entered into a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, under which it acts as transfer agent for the authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest for the Fund, [and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust.] [As compensation for the foregoing services, Securrency receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly.]

 

Securities Lending Activities. [          ] serves as securities lending agent to the Trust. As securities lending agent, [          ] is responsible for the implementation and administration of the securities lending program pursuant to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement (“Securities Lending Agreement”). [          ] acts as agent to the Trust to lend available securities with any person on its list of approved borrowers, including [ and any affiliate thereof. [          ] determines whether a loan shall be made and negotiates and establishes the terms and conditions of the loan with the borrower. [          ] ensures that all substitute interest, dividends, and other distributions paid with respect to loan securities is credited to the Fund’s relevant account on the date such amounts are delivered by the borrower to [          ]. [          ] receives and holds, on the Fund’s behalf, collateral from borrowers to secure obligations of borrowers with respect to any loan of available securities. [          ] marks loaned securities and collateral to their market value each business day based upon the market value of the collateral and loaned securities at the close of business employing the most recently available pricing information and receives and delivers collateral in order to maintain the value of the collateral at no less than 100% of the market value of the loaned securities. At the termination of the loan, [          ] returns the collateral to the borrower upon the return of the loaned securities to [          ]. [          ] invests cash collateral in accordance with the Securities Lending Agreement. [          ] maintains such records as are reasonably necessary to account for loans that are made and the income derived therefrom and makes available to the Fund a monthly statement describing the loans made, and the income derived from the loans, during the period. [          ] performs compliance monitoring and testing of the securities lending program and, on a monthly basis, [          ] will make available to the Board a statement describing the outstanding loans and income made on such loans during the period.

 

The Fund had not commenced activities as of the end of the most recent fiscal year and as such, had no fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services.

 

Distributor. [          ] serves as Distributor for the Trust and its principal address is [          ]. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes shares of the Fund. [The Distribution Agreement will continue for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually.]

 

BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS

 

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[The Sub-Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of the Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting the brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Sub-Adviser’s policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security; the price of the security; the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any; execution capability; settlement capability; back office efficiency; and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the Sub-Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as if they may be involved in large block trades, less liquid or foreign securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Sub-Adviser does not consider the provision or value of research, products or services a broker or dealer may provide, if any, as a factor in the selection of a broker or dealer or the determination of the reasonableness of commissions paid in connection with portfolio transactions. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of the Fund’s shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.]

 

Brokerage Commissions

 

The Fund is new and has not paid any commissions to any affiliated brokers as of the date of this SAI.

 

Affiliated Brokers

 

The Fund is new and has not paid any commissions to any affiliated brokers as of the date of this SAI.

 

Regular Broker-Dealers

 

The Fund is new and has not conducted any brokerage transactions as of the date of this SAI.

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

Since the Fund has not commenced operations, the Fund has no current portfolio turnover rate. Portfolio turnover rates for the Fund, when available, will be disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus. Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates are likely to result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses and may result in a substantial amount of distributions from the Fund to be taxed as ordinary income which may limit the tax efficiency of the Fund. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Sub-Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST

 

Shares of the Fund have a pro rata interest in the assets of the Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the Fund, and in the net distributable assets of the Fund on liquidation.

 

Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder.

 

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Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.

 

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o [    ]. 

 

TAXES

 

[To Be Updated Prior to Definitive Filing]

 

The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authority, all as in effect as of the date of the filing of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for taxation of individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Many of the changes applicable to individuals are temporary and only apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026. There are only minor changes with respect to the specific rules applicable to a RIC, such as the Fund. The Tax Act, however, made numerous other changes to the tax rules that may affect shareholders and the Fund. You are urged to consult your own tax advisor regarding how the Tax Act affects your investment in the Fund.

 

Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company. The Fund has elected or intends to elect to be treated, and intends to qualify each year, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded RICs and their shareholders, the Fund must, among other things:

 

(a)derive at least 90% of its gross income each year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined below);

 

(b)diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with investments in such other securities limited with respect to any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more or more voting stock interest, in (1) the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers that are controlled by the Fund and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (2) the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and

 

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(c)distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount equal to or greater than the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid – generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income.

 

In general, for purposes of the 90% qualifying income test described in (a) above, income derived from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (generally, a partnership (i) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (ii) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in clause (a)(i) of the description of the 90% qualifying income test applicable to RICs, above) will be treated as qualifying income.

 

The Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC could cause investors to incur higher tax liabilities than they otherwise would have incurred and could have a negative impact on Fund returns. In such event, the Fund’s Board may determine to reorganize or close the Fund or materially change the Fund’s investment objective and strategies. Please refer to the section of this SAI entitled “Taxes – Taxation of the Fund” for a more detailed explanation of the risks associated with the Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC.

 

Taxation of the Fund. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income and gains that are fully distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders in the form of dividends.

 

If, for any taxable year, the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC or were to fail to meet the distribution requirement described above, 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. In addition, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for federal income tax purposes. However, such dividends would be eligible, subject to any generally applicable limitations, (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, the Fund would be required to pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent year. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may be able to cure a failure to qualify as a RIC, but in order to do so the Fund may incur significant Fund-level taxes and may be forced to dispose of certain assets. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would generally be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.

 

The Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and its net capital gain (the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). Investment income that is retained by the Fund will generally be subject to tax at regular corporate rates. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, that gain will be subject to tax at the corporate rate, but the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by

 

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the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds on a properly filed U.S. tax returns to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

 

If the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amount. For these purposes, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax for the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund intends to declare and pay dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.

 

The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, and certain other late-year losses.

 

The treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Fund is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. In addition, the carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.

 

Fund Distributions. Distributions are generally taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. Moreover, distributions on the Fund’s shares are generally subject to federal income tax as described herein to the extent they do not exceed the Fund’s realized income and gains, even though such distributions may economically represent a return of a particular shareholder’s investment. Investors may therefore wish to avoid purchasing shares at a time when a Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized, or realized but not distributed. Realized income and gains must generally be distributed even when a Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.

 

Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, if any dividend or distribution is declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to its shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month but is actually paid during the following January, such dividend or distribution will be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

 

Distributions by the Fund of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the assets that generated those gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held

 

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by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions from the Fund’s net capital gain that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. For individuals, long-term capital gains are subject to tax at reduced maximum tax rates. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.

 

For non-corporate shareholders, distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund level. In order for some portion of the dividends received by the Fund shareholder to be “qualified dividend income,” the Fund making the distribution must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the ex-dividend date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a passive foreign investment company.

 

In general, distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income by a shareholder taxed as an individual, provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Fund’s shares. If the aggregate qualified dividend income received by the Fund during any taxable year represents 95% or more of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), then 100% of the Fund’s dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income.

 

Certain dividends received by the Fund on stock of U.S. corporations (generally, dividends received by the Fund in respect of any share of stock (1) as to which the Fund has met certain holding period requirements and (2) that is held in an unleveraged position) may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction, which is generally available to corporate shareholders under the Code, provided such dividends are also appropriately reported as eligible for the dividends-received deduction by the Fund. In order to qualify for the dividends-received deduction, corporate shareholders must also meet minimum holding period requirements with respect to the Fund shares, taking into account any holding period reductions from certain hedging or other transactions or positions that diminish their risk of loss with respect to the Fund shares.

 

Since the Fund’s income is derived primarily from sources that do not pay dividends or from non-U.S. sources, it is not expected that a substantial portion of dividends paid by the Fund will qualify either for the dividends-received deduction for corporations or for any favorable U.S. federal income tax rate available to non-corporate shareholders on “qualified dividend income.”

 

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To the extent that the Fund makes a distribution of income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends (a “substitute payment”) with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction, such income will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders. The trading strategies of the Fund may limit its ability to distribute dividends eligible for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income.

 

Dividends and distributions from the Fund and capital gain on the sale of Fund shares are generally taken into account in determining a shareholder’s “net investment income” for purposes of the Medicare contribution tax applicable to certain individuals, estates and trusts.

 

If the Fund makes distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution to each shareholder will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares. After the shareholder’s basis has been reduced to zero, any such distributions will result in a capital gain, assuming the shareholder holds his or her shares as capital assets. A reduction in a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, will reduce any loss or increase any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of its shares.

 

Sale or Exchange of Shares. A sale or exchange of shares in the Fund may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be disallowed if substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

 

Backup Withholding. The Fund generally are required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.

 

Tax-Exempt Shareholders. Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k)s, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Under current law, income of a RIC that would be treated as UBTI if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be attributed as UBTI to a tax-exempt entity that is a shareholder in the RIC. Notwithstanding this “blocking” effect, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b) or if the Fund invests in REITs that hold residual interests in REMICs. Under the Tax Act, tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one trade or business against the income or gain of another trade or business. Certain net

 

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losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available.

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders. In general, dividends, other than Capital Gain Dividends, paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on distributions derived from taxable ordinary income. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest related dividend” or a “short term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax.

 

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a U.S. income tax deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of the Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or the receipt of the Capital Gain Dividend and certain other conditions are met.

 

Under legislation generally known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold shares comply with IRS requirements that generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities. In general, no such withholding will be required with respect to a U.S. person or non-U.S. individual that timely provides the certifications required by the Fund or its agent on a valid IRS Form W-9 or applicable IRS Form W-8, respectively. Shareholders potentially subject to withholding include foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), such as non-U.S. investment funds, and non-financial foreign entities (“NFFEs”). To avoid withholding under FATCA, an FFI generally must enter into an information sharing agreement with the IRS in which it agrees to report certain identifying information (including name, address, and taxpayer identification number) with respect to its U.S. account holders (which, in the case of an entity shareholder, may include its direct and indirect U.S. owners), and an NFFE generally must identify and provide other required information to the fund or other withholding agent regarding its U.S. owners, if any. Such non-U.S. shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by regulations and other guidance. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.

 

In order for a non-U.S. investor to qualify for an exemption from backup withholding, described above, the non-U.S. investor must comply with special certification and filing requirements. Non-U.S. investors in the Fund should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

 

A beneficial holder of shares who is a non-U.S. person may be subject to state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal income tax consequences referred to above. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any income or gain effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.

 

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Certain Reporting Regulations. Under U.S. Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting regulations. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

General Considerations. The federal income tax discussion set forth above is for general information only. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the specific federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of shares of the Fund, as well as the effect of state, local and foreign tax law and any proposed tax law changes.

 

DETERMINATION OF NAV

 

The NAV of the Fund’s shares is calculated each day the Fund is open for business as of the regularly scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.

 

In calculating the Fund’s NAV, Fund investments generally are valued using market valuations. The Fund generally values: (i) equity securities (including preferred stock) traded on any recognized U.S. or non-U.S. exchange at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or system on which they are principally traded; (ii) unlisted equity securities (including preferred stock) at the last quoted sale price or, if no sale price is available, at the mean between the highest bid and lowest ask price; and (iii) short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less at current market quotations or mean prices obtained from broker-dealers or independent pricing service providers. U.S. fixed income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for such securities on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time.

 

In certain instances, such as when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values, the Fund’s investments will be valued in accordance with the Fund’s pricing policy and procedures. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before the Fund’s next NAV Calculation Time that may materially affect the value of the Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). Price movements in U.S. markets that are deemed to affect the value of foreign securities, or reflect changes to the value of such securities, also may cause securities to be “fair valued.”

 

The sale price the Fund could receive for a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset and/or from the value used by the Index (if applicable), particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. The Fund’s ability to value its

 

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investment may also be impacted by technological issues, pricing methodology issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

 

Since the Fund’s portfolio will consist primarily of U.S. Treasury obligations, the likelihood that the Fund will own securities subject to fair valuation is remote.

 

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders. The Fund may occasionally be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year.

 

The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

 

Counsel. Perkins Coie LLP with offices located at 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10036-2711 serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. [______], with offices located at [______], serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Trust.

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Financial Statements and Annual Reports will be available after the Fund has completed a fiscal year of operations. When available, you may request a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report at no charge by calling 866-909-9473 or through the Trust’s website at www.wisdomtree.com.

 

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WISDOMTREE DIGITAL TRUST

 

File Nos. 811-23659 & 333-255575

 

PART C

Other Information

 

Item 28. Exhibits.

 

The following exhibits are incorporated by reference to the previously filed documents indicated below, except as noted:

 

(a)(1)Certificate of Trust of WisdomTree Digital Trust (the “Registrant”) dated April 19, 2021, incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(1) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-21-136968 on April 28, 2021.

 

(2)Declaration of Trust of the Registrant dated April 19, 2021, incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) of the Registrant’s Initial Registration Statement on Form N-1A as filed with the SEC via EDGAR Accession No. 0001193125-21-136968 on April 28, 2021.

 

(b)By-Laws of Registrant, to be filed by amendment.

 

(c)Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders

 

(i)Agreement and Declaration of Trust

 

(a)To be updated by amendment

 

(ii)By-Laws

 

(a)To be updated by amendment

 

(iii)Part B, Statement of Additional Information – Item 22

 

(d)Investment Advisory Contracts

 

(i)Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. To be filed by amendment.

 

(ii)Investment Subadvisory Agreement between WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. and [ ]. To be filed by amendment.

 

(e)Underwriting Contracts

 

(i)Distribution Agreement between Registrant and [__]

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(f)Bonus or Profit-Sharing Contracts

 

Not Applicable.

 

 -1- 
 

 

(g)Custodian Agreements

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(h)Other Material Contracts

 

(i)Fund Administration Agreement between Registrant and [ _] To be filed by amendment.

 

(ii)Transfer Agent and Shareholder Services Agreement between Registrant and [__________]

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(i)Legal Opinion

 

(i)Opinion and consent of counsel

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(j)Other Opinions

 

(i)Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To be filed by amendment.

 

(k)Omitted Financial Statements

 

Not Applicable.

 

(l)Initial Capital Agreements

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(m)Rule 12b-1 Plan

 

Not Applicable.

 

(n)Rule 18f-3 Plan

 

Not Applicable.

 

(o)Code of Ethics

 

To be filed by amendment.

 

(p)Power of Attorney

 

(i)Power of Attorney, to be filed by amendment.

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund

 

None

 

 -2- 
 

 

Item 30. Indemnification

 

To be updated by amendment

 

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

 

[WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. (“WDM”), 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., is a registered investment adviser and serves as investment adviser to the Fund. The description of WDM under the caption of “Management of the Fund – Investment Adviser” in the Prospectus and under the caption “Management of the Trust” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Each of the directors and officers of WDM will also generally have substantial responsibilities (as noted below) as directors and/or officers of WisdomTree Investments, Inc., 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167. To the knowledge of the Registrant, except as set forth below or otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information as noted above, none of the directors or executive officers of WDM is or has been at any time during the past two fiscal years engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature.]

 

Name  Position with WDM  Principal Business(es)
During Last Two Fiscal Years
To be updated by amendment      

 

Name  Position Held with [sub-
adviser]
  Principal Business(es)
During the Last Two Fiscal
Years
       

 

Item 32. Principal Underwriters

 

Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records

 

(a)The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder (collectively, “Records”) at its offices at 245 Park Avenue, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10167.

 

(b)[______] maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser at [    ].

 

(c)[______] maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at [    ].

 

(d)[______] maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator, transfer agent and custodian of the Registrant at [______].

 

Item 34. Management Services

 

There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B.

 

Item 35. Undertakings

 

 -3- 
 

 

Not Applicable

 

 -4- 
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on this 21st day of July, 2021.

 

  WisdomTree Digital Trust
   
  By: /s/ Ryan M. Louvar
  Ryan M. Louvar
  Sole Trustee

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacity indicated on this 21st day of July, 2021.

 

Signature Title
/s/ Ryan M. Louvar Sole Trustee
Ryan M. Louvar