S-1 1 canarypengu-s1_032025.htm GENERAL FORM OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 20, 2025

 

Registration No. 333-_______

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 


 

 

CANARY PENGU ETF


(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware    
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization)
 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

c/o Canary Capital Group LLC

Steven McClurg

1131 4th Avenue S #230

Nashville, TN 37210

(615) 200-0788

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 


 

Copy to:

 

Morrison C. Warren, Esq.,

James Audette, Esq.,

Chapman and Cutler LLP

320 South Canal Street

Chicago, IL 60606

(312) 845-3484

 


 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box: ☒

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: ☐

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer ☐  Accelerated filer ☐ 
Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
  Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 


 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or 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 the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 


The information in this Preliminary Prospectus 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 Preliminary Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion Dated March 20, 2025

 

PROSPECTUS

 

Shares

 

Canary PENGU ETF

 


 

The Canary PENGU ETF (the “Trust”) is an exchange-traded product that issues shares of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) that trade on the ________ (the “Exchange”). The Trust’s investment objective is to provide capital appreciation. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust will invest in a portfolio consisting primarily of (1) PENGU, the official token on the Pudgy Penguins project, and (2) Pudgy Penguins non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”). The Trust will also hold other digital assets, such as SOL and ETH, that are necessary or incidental to the purchase, sale and transfer of the Trust’s PENGU and Pudgy Penguins NFTs. Canary Capital Group LLC (the “Sponsor”) is the sponsor of the Trust, CSC Delaware Trust Company (the “Trustee”) is the trustee of the Trust, ________ (“________” or the “Transfer Agent”) is the Trust’s transfer agent (in such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”) and cash custodian (in such capacity, the “Cash Custodian”), and ________ (the “Custodian”) is the custodian for the Trust, and will hold all of the Trust’s digital assets on the Trust’s behalf.

 

The Trust is an exchange-traded product. When the Trust sells or redeems its Shares, it will do so in blocks of [____] Shares (a “Basket”) based on the net asset value (“NAV”) of each Share of the Trust. For a subscription for Shares, the subscription shall be in the amount of cash representing the NAV of the Shares of the Basket being created, as calculated by the Administrator (as defined below). For a redemption of Shares, the Sponsor shall arrange for assets of the Trust to be sold and the cash proceeds distributed. Financial firms that are authorized to purchase or redeem Shares with the Trust (known as “Authorized Participants”) will deliver, or facilitate the delivery of, cash to the Trust’s account with the Cash Custodian in exchange for Shares when they purchase Shares, and the Trust will deliver cash to such Authorized Participants when they redeem Shares with the Trust. Shares initially comprising the same Basket but offered by the Authorized Participants to the public at different times may have different offering prices, which depend on various factors, including the supply and demand for Shares, the value of the Trust’s assets, and market conditions at the time of a transaction. Owners of the beneficial interests of Shares (“Shareholders”) who buy or sell Shares during the day from their broker on the secondary market may do so at a premium or discount relative to the per Share net asset value of the Trust.

 

Shareholders who decide to buy or sell Shares of the Trust will place their trade orders through their brokers and will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Shares. The Shares are expected to be listed for trading, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange under the ticker symbol “____.”

 

The offering of an indeterminate amount of the Trust’s Shares is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). The offering is intended to be a continuous offering. The Trust is not a fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is not subject to regulation under the 1940 Act. Investors in the Trust will not, therefore, receive the regulatory protections afforded by funds registered under the 1940 Act. The Sponsor is not an “Investment Adviser” (as defined in Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”)), and therefore the Sponsor’s provision of services to the Trust will not be governed by the Advisers Act and is not subject to a fiduciary standard of care. The Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended (the “CEA”), and the Sponsor is not subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading advisor. The Trust’s Shares are neither interests in nor obligations of the Sponsor or the Trustee.

 

[On ____, 202_, ____ (the “Seed Capital Investor”), an affiliate of the Sponsor, purchased one (1) Share at a per-Share price of $___ (the “Seed Share”). Delivery of the Seed Share was made on ____, 202_. Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Share were $___. On ____, 202_, the Seed Share was redeemed for cash and the Seed Capital Investor purchased ____ Shares at a per-Share price of $____ (the “Seed Baskets”). Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Baskets were $____. On ____, 202_, the Trust purchased ____ PENGU with the proceeds of the Seed Baskets. As of the date of the Prospectus, these ____Shares represent all of the outstanding Shares. The Seed Capital Investor will act as a statutory underwriter in connection with the Seed Baskets. See “Seed Capital Investor” for additional information.]

 

The price of the Seed Share and the Seed Baskets was determined as described herein and such Shares could be sold at different prices if sold by the Seed Capital Investor at different times.

 


 

AN INVESTMENT IN THE TRUST INVOLVES SIGNIFICANT RISKS AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SHAREHOLDERS WHO ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO ACCEPT MORE RISK THAN MAY BE INVOLVED WITH EXCHANGE-TRADED PRODUCTS THAT DO NOT HOLD DIGITAL ASSETS. THE SHARES ARE SPECULATIVE SECURITIES. THEIR PURCHASE INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND YOU COULD LOSE YOUR ENTIRE INVESTMENT. YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ALL RISK FACTORS BEFORE INVESTING IN THE TRUST. PLEASE REFER TO “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE __.

 

the Shares of the trust are neither interests in nor obligations of the Sponsor, the trustee, the administrator, the transfer agent, THE Distributor, the custodian or any of their respective affiliates. the Shares are not insured or guaranteed by the federal deposit insurance corporation or any other governmental agency.

 

NEITHER THE SEC NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

 

 

 

 

THE TRUST IS AN “EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY” AS THAT TERM IS USED IN THE JUMPSTART OUR BUSINESS STARTUPS ACT OF 2012 AND, AS SUCH, MAY ELECT TO COMPLY WITH CERTAIN REDUCED REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

 


 

The date of this Prospectus is _______, 202_

 


 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY 1
PENGU AND THE SOLANA NETWORK 12
PUDGY PENGUINS, THE ETHEREUM NETWORK AND NFTS GENERALLY 19
RISK FACTORS 22
CALCULATION OF NAV 60
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST 62
THE TRUST’S SERVICE PROVIDERS 65
CUSTODY OF THE TRUST’S ASSETS 68
TRANSFER OF SHARES 71
SEED CAPITAL INVESTOR 71
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION 72
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES 73
USE OF PROCEEDS 78
OWNERSHIP OR BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN THE TRUST 78
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 79
DUTIES OF THE SPONSOR 81
LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION 82
PROVISIONS OF LAW 84
BOOKS AND RECORDS 85
STATEMENTS, FILINGS, AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS 85
FISCAL YEAR 86
GOVERNING LAW; CONSENT TO DELAWARE JURISDICTION 86
LEGAL MATTERS 86
EXPERTS 86
MATERIAL CONTRACTS 86
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES 91
PURCHASES BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS 94
INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW 95
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 96
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION 96
PRIVACY POLICY 96
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 98

 

 

This Prospectus contains information you should consider when making an investment decision about the Shares of the Trust. You may rely on the information contained in this Prospectus. The Trust and the Sponsor have not authorized any person to provide you with different information and, if anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell the Shares in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of the Shares is not permitted.

 

The Shares of the Trust are not registered for public sale in any jurisdiction other than the United States.

i 

 

STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Prospectus includes “forward-looking statements” that generally relate to future events or future performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in this Prospectus that address activities, events or developments that will or may occur in the future, including such matters as movements in the digital asset markets and indexes that track such movements, the Trust’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans and references to the Trust’s future success and other similar matters, are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially. These statements are based upon certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor has made based on its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors appropriate in the circumstances.

 

Whether or not actual results and developments will conform to the Sponsor’s expectations and predictions, however, is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the special considerations discussed in this Prospectus, general economic, market and business conditions, changes in laws or regulations, including those concerning taxes, made by governmental authorities or regulatory bodies, and other world economic and political developments. Consequently, all the forward-looking statements made in this Prospectus are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments the Sponsor anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the expected consequences to, or have the expected effects on, the Trust’s operations or the value of its Shares.

 

Should one or more of these risks discussed in “Risk Factors” or other uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on the Sponsor’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and neither the Trust nor the Sponsor is under a duty or undertakes an obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, other than as required by applicable laws. Moreover, neither the Trust, the Sponsor, nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Investors are therefore cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

ii 

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This is only a summary of the Prospectus and, while it contains material information about the Trust and its Shares, it does not contain or summarize all of the information about the Trust and the Shares contained in this Prospectus that is material and/or which may be important to you. You should read this entire Prospectus before making an investment decision about the Shares.

 

The Trust’s Investment Objective and Strategy

 

The Canary PENGU ETF (the “Trust”) is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund that issues shares of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) that seeks to list and trade on the ____ (the “Exchange”). The Trust is sponsored by Canary Capital Group LLC (the “Sponsor”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Canary Capital Group Inc. The Trust’s investment objective is to provide capital appreciation. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust will primarily hold (1) PENGU, the official token of the Pudgy Penguins project and (2) Pudgy Penguin non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) (“Pudgy Penguin NFTs”). Under normal market conditions, the Trust is expected to hold approximately [80-95%] of its total assets in PENGU and [5-15%] of its total assets in Pudgy Penguin NFTs. With respect to the Pudgy Penguin NFTs, the Sponsor will select which NFTs to purchase by considering factors such as price, relative rarity, perceived desirability of a particular NFTs traits and characteristics, and the overall collection value. The Sponsor will periodically rebalance the Trust’s portfolio to bring the portfolio within these ranges if it becomes out of compliance due to market changes. Within these ranges, the Sponsor has discretion to adjust the relative weightings of PENGU and Pudgy Penguin NFTs. Furthermore, within these ranges the Sponsor has discretion to speculatively buy and sell Pudgy Penguin NFTs based on its own analysis of market for Pudgy Penguin NFTs.

 

The Trust will also hold other digital assets, such as SOL and ETH, that are necessary or incidental to the purchase, sale and transfer of the Trust’s PENGU and Pudgy Penguins NFTs. The PENGU, Pudgy Penguin NFTs, and other digital assets held by the Trust from time to time (but not including any cash) are collectively referred to herein as the “Portfolio Digital Assets”, the PENGU, SOL, and ETH held by the Trust from time to time are collectively referred to herein as “Portfolio Cryptocurrencies”, and the Pudgy Penguin NFTs held by the Trust as referred to herein as the “Portfolio NFTs”.

 

The Portfolio Digital Assets are digital entries on distributed ledgers called blockchains and have no real world representation. Like all digital assets, buying, holding and selling the Portfolio Digital Assets is very different from buying, holding and selling more conventional investments like stocks and bonds. Stocks represent ownership in a company, entitling shareholders to a portion of the company’s profits. Bonds are debt instruments issued by corporations or governments, where the bondholder is a creditor to the issuer that is generally entitled to a stream of income payments. Ownership of stocks and bonds is typically recorded through a centralized system managed by brokers, custodians or clearinghouses. Ownership of any of the Portfolio Digital Assets does not entitle its holders to any portion of a company’s profits or any stream of income payments.

 

The Trust provides investors with the opportunity to access the Portfolio Digital Assets through a traditional brokerage account without the potential barriers to entry or risks involved with acquiring and holding the Portfolio Digital Assets directly.

 

The Trust is an actively managed investment vehicle. The Sponsor will exercise significant discretion regarding the composition of the Trust’s portfolio, including decisions regarding the weightings of the Portfolio Digital Assets and the timing of purchase and sales of Portfolio Digital Assets. Accordingly, the ability of the Trust to meet its investment objective will depend on the skill and experience of the Sponsor in executing its investment strategy. See [    ].

 

The Shareholders of the Trust take no part in the management or control, and have no voice in, the Trust’s operations or business. Except in limited circumstances, Shareholders will have no voting rights under the Trust Agreement (as defined below).

 

 1

 

 

The Trust, the Sponsor and the Trust’s service providers will not loan or pledge the Trust’s assets, nor will the Trust’s assets serve as collateral for any loan or similar arrangement.

 

The Trust will not utilize leverage, derivatives or any similar arrangements in seeking to meet its investment objective.

 

PENGU

 

PENGU is a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of a peer-to-peer, decentralized network of computers that operates on cryptographic protocols (the “Solana Network”). PENGU was first introduced in December 2024 by Pudgy Penguins (the public identity of LSLTT Holdings LLC). Unlike other native cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, ether and Solana, PENGU is not associated with its own underlying network or blockchain. Instead, PENGU was issued as a Solana network token, known as “SPL tokens”, and relies upon the underlying technology of the Solana Network. PENGU can be used to pay for goods and services or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset trading platforms or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system. Because of its close association with Pudgy Penguins, some consider PENGU a digital collector’s item.

 

SOL, the native asset of the Solana Network, is used to pay the transaction fees on the Solana Network. Because PENGU is transferred on the Solana Network, it may be necessary from time to time for the Trust to acquire SOL in order to pay such fees. The Trust will only acquire and hold SOL to the extent the Sponsor deems appropriate in light of the Trust’s current and anticipated needs to transact on the Solana Network. The Trust will not hold SOL for investment purposes.

 

PENGU is categorized as a “utility token”. A utility token is a type of cryptocurrency that grants holders access to specific services or features within a blockchain-based platform or ecosystem, similar to a ticket to use a particular product or service. The value of a utility token is primarily based on the utility it provides within the blockchain or ecosystem. Pudgy Penguins has not announced any particular use for PENGU or any benefit for PENGU holders other than closer association with members of the Pudgy Penguins community. There is no guarantee any such uses or benefits will materialize or that the goodwill of the Pudgy Penguins community regarding PENGU will grow or be sustained over any period of time. Accordingly, an investment in PENGU is highly speculative and subject to high levels of risk, including the risk of loss of the entire amount invested. Furthermore, Shareholders will not receive the rights or benefits afforded to direct holders of PENGU.

 

PENGU was released in December 2024 with a total supply of 88,888,888,888 tokens. The tokens were released according to the following schedule:

 

Pudgy Penguins community (airdropped to existing holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs as well as other NFT communities and early adopters of the Solana and Ethereum Networks) – 25.9%

 

Other communities – 24.12%

 

Reserved by Pudgy Penguins for liquidity support – 12.35%

 

Compensation to Pudgy Penguins employees (subject to a 1 year cliff and 3 year vesting schedule) – 17.8%

 

Retained by Pudgy Penguins (subject to a 1 year cliff and 3 year vesting schedule) – 11.48%

 

Proliferation – 4%

 

Distributed to charities and other public goods – 4%

 

Distributed to holders of the FTT token – 0.35%

 

As an SPL token, PENGU is dependent on the Solana Network. No single entity is known to own or operate the Solana Network, the infrastructure of which is understood to be collectively maintained by a decentralized user base. The Solana Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, including PENGU, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger known as a blockchain. Furthermore, the Solana Network was designed to allow users to write and implement smart contracts—that is, general-purpose code that executes on every computer in the network and can instruct the transmission of information and value based on a sophisticated set of logical conditions. Using smart contracts, users can create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent the ownership of property, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create digital assets other than SOL on the Solana Network. Smart contract operations are executed on the Solana Blockchain in exchange for payment of SOL. Like the Ethereum Network, the Solana Network is one of a number of projects intended to expand blockchain use beyond just a peer-to-peer money system.

 

 2

 

 

The Solana protocol introduced the Proof-of-History (“PoH”) timestamping mechanism. PoH automatically orders on-chain transactions by creating a historical record that proves an event has occurred at a specific moment in time. PoH is intended to provide a transaction processing speed and capacity advantage over other blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which rely on sequential production of blocks and can lead to delays caused by validator confirmations. PoH is a new blockchain technology that is not widely used. PoH may not function as intended. For example, it may require more specialized equipment to participate in the network and fail to attract a significant number of users, or may be subject to outages or fail to function as intended. In addition, there may be flaws in the cryptography underlying PoH, including flaws that affect functionality of the Solana Network or make the network vulnerable to attack.

 

In addition to the PoH mechanism described above, the Solana Network uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism to incentivize SOL holders to validate transactions. Unlike proof-of-work, in which miners expend computational resources to compete to validate transactions and are rewarded coins in proportion to the amount of computational resources expended, in proof-of-stake, validators risk or “stake” coins to compete to be randomly selected to validate transactions and are rewarded coins in proportion to the amount of coins staked. Any malicious activity, such as disagreeing with the eventual consensus or otherwise violating protocol rules, results in the forfeiture or “slashing” of a portion of the staked coins. Proof-of-stake is viewed as more energy efficient and scalable than proof-of-work and is sometimes referred to as “virtual mining.”

 

The Solana protocol was first conceived by Anatoly Yakovenko in a 2017 whitepaper. Development of the Solana Network is overseen by the Solana Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization, and Solana Labs, Inc. (“Solana Labs”), a Delaware corporation, which administered the original network launch and token distribution.

 

Although Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation continue to exert significant influence over the direction of the development of Solana, the Solana Network, like the Ethereum Network, is believed to be decentralized and does not require governmental authorities or financial institution intermediaries to create, transmit or determine the value of SOL.

 

Pudgy Penguin NFTs

 

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or piece of content, typically stored on a blockchain. Unlike cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether, which are fungible and can be exchanged on a one-to-one basis, NFTs are unique and cannot be exchanged like-for-like. NFTs possess several key characteristics:

 

Uniqueness - Each NFT has a unique identifier that distinguishes it from other tokens. This uniqueness is what makes NFTs valuable, as they can represent rare or one-of-a-kind items.

 

Indivisibility - NFTs cannot be divided into smaller units. They are bought, sold, and owned as whole tokens.

 

Ownership and Provenance - Ownership of an NFT is recorded on a blockchain, providing a transparent and immutable record of who owns the token and its history of ownership. This is particularly important for verifying the authenticity and provenance of digital assets.

 

Interoperability - NFTs can be used across different platforms and applications that support the same blockchain standards, such as Ethereum’s ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standards.

 

NFTs have a variety of applications, though application to digital art and collectibles has been the primary use case through the early history of the technology. Artists can create and sell digital artworks as NFTs, allowing them to monetize their work and provide buyers with proof of ownership and authenticity. NFTs are also used to create digital collectibles, such as virtual trading cards, in-game items, and other unique digital assets. Other applications include evidence of ownership of virtual real estate, music and media, and domain names.

 

 3

 

 

Pudgy Penguin NFTs are a collection of 8,888 NFTs launched in July 2021 by a team of four pseudonymous developers. The collection consists of unique, hand-drawn penguins, each having distinct traits and characteristics. The collection quickly gained the attention of the NFT community due to its charming and whimsical artwork. Pudgy Penguins are notable for the following key features:

 

Unique Traits – Each Pudgy Penguin has a combination of different traits, including body color, facial expressions, accessories and backgrounds. These traits determine the rarity and value of each NFT.

 

Community-Driven – The Pudgy Penguins project emphasizes community engagement, with a strong presence on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Discord. The community plays a significant role in the project’s development and direction.

 

Utility and Benefits – Owners of Pudgy Penguin NFTs can gain access to exclusive events, merchandise and potential future benefits within the ecosystem.

 

Pudgy Penguins NFTs standout among many similar projects as there are a variety of real world merchandise items associated with the Pudgy Penguin characters, including plushies, clothing and figurines. Pudgy Penguins has entered into distribution arrangement with major retail outlets for the sale of such merchandise. While holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs and PENGU may experience incidental benefits from goodwill generated by such merchandise, all revenues generated from such merchandise accrue to the benefit of Pudgy Penguins, not the holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs or the holders of PENGU.

 

The initial minting price was relatively low, but the collection sold out rapidly, reflecting the high demand and growing interest in NFTs at the time. Like many other digital art NFTs, Pudgy Penguins were originally issued as ERC-721 tokens on the Ethereum Network. Following the initial launch, Pudgy Penguins saw a surge in secondary market sales on platforms like OpenSea. Prices for rare penguins experienced significant run ups, with several selling for several hundred thousand dollars. The collection’s popularity was bolstered by endorsements from celebrities and influencers within the crypto and NFT communities.

 

Despite its success, Pudgy Penguins faced some challenges and controversies. In late 2021, there were concerns about the project’s leadership and direction, leading to uncertainty within the community. These issues were addressed through community discussions and efforts to ensure transparency and accountability. In early 2022, the original founders of Pudgy Penguins were ousted by the community due to dissatisfaction with their management. A new leadership team, led by Luca Netz, took over the project with a vision to revitalize and expand the Pudgy Penguins brand. The new team expressed a stated focus on enhancing the project’s utility, exploring partnerships, and developing new features to benefit the community.

 

Like many digital art NFTs, Pudgy Penguins are typically bought and sold on online marketplaces, such as OpenSea, Rarible, or Foundation. Pudgy Penguins are frequently placed for sale in an open auction process, where potential buyers may place bids in U.S. dollars, ether, SOL, or other digital assets. Once the auction has closed, the Pudgy Penguin NFT is send to the winning bidders Ethereum Network wallet address. Pudgy Penguins can also be bought and sold in negotiated, peer-to-peer transactions or through brokered transactions.

 

Pudgy Penguin NFTs are ERC-721 tokens that are recorded and transferred through the operation of the peer-to-peer Ethereum Network. No single entity owns or operates the Ethereum Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a distributed user base, a phenomenon known as decentralization. Ether is not issued by governments, banks or any other centralized authority. The Ethereum Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called ether, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger known as the Ethereum Blockchain. Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum Network, can be used to pay for goods and services, including computational power on the Ethereum Network, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset exchanges or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system.

 

 4

 

 

The Ethereum Network allows users to write and implement computer programs called smart contracts—that is, general-purpose code that executes on every computer in the network and can instruct the transmission of information and value based on a sophisticated set of logical conditions. Using smart contracts, users can create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent the ownership of property, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create digital assets other than ether on the Ethereum Network. Smart contract operations are executed on the Ethereum Blockchain in exchange for payment of ether. The Ethereum Network is one of a number of projects intended to expand blockchain use beyond just a peer-to-peer money system.

 

Incidental Digital Assets

 

The Trust expects that under normal circumstances at least 95% of the Trust’s total assets will be invested in PENGU and Pudgy Penguin NFTs. Because PENGU and Pudgy Penguin NFTs are tokens on the Solana and Ethereum Networks, respectively, it may be necessary from time to time for the Trust to hold SOL or ETH in order to pay the respective network transactions fees. Furthermore, as many Pudgy Penguin NFT marketplaces conduct auction denominated in ETH, it may be necessary for the Trust to convert cash to ETH in order to purchase Pudgy Penguin NFTs. Similarly, when the Trust sells Pudgy Penguin NFTs, the sales proceeds may be in ETH. The Trust intend to hold only as much SOL or ETH as the Sponsor believes is necessary to pay for anticipated transaction expenses or to purchase Pudgy Penguin NFTs.

 

Summary of Risk Factors

 

An investment in the Trust involves risks described in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Prospectus. Some of these risks are summarized below.

 

Risks associated with PENGU

 

PENGU is a new SPL token that exists on the Solana Network. Relative to other digital assets such as bitcoin, ETH and SOL, PENGU has very few identified use cases apart from a collector’s item. As of December 31, 2024, the market capitalization of the PENGU market was approximated $563 million, which is just a small fraction of the overall market cap of all digital assets currently estimated at $2.75 trillion. There is no assurance that usage of the PENGU will continue to grow. A contraction in the use or adoption of PENGU may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of PENGU, which could adversely impact the value of the Shares. Sales of PENGU that have been newly released from escrow may cause the price of PENGU to decline, which could negatively affect an investment in the Shares. PENGU markets have a limited history, PENGU trading prices have exhibited high levels of volatility, and in some cases such volatility has been sudden and extreme. Because of such volatility, Shareholders could lose all or substantially all of their investment in the Trust. Regulation of the use of PENGU and the Solana Network continues to evolve both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions, which may restrict the use of PENGU or otherwise impact the demand for PENGU.

 

Spot markets on which PENGU trades are relatively new and largely unregulated or may not be complying with existing regulations and, therefore, may be more exposed to fraud and security breaches than established, regulated exchanges for other financial assets or instruments, which could have a negative impact on the performance of the Trust. Disruptions at PENGU spot markets, futures markets and in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets could adversely affect the availability of PENGU and therefore their ability to create and redeem Shares of the Trust. The loss or destruction of certain “private keys,” including by the Custodian, could prevent the Trust from accessing its PENGU. Loss of these private keys may be irreversible and could result in the loss of all or substantially all of an investment in the Trust. Loss of private keys may also impede the Trust’s ability to operate, including by limiting the Trust’s ability to transfer PENGU in the face of a redemption request and forcing the Trust to consider liquidation.

 

Risks Associated with Pudgy Penguins

 

Pudgy Penguins is associated with the risk of an investment in NFTs. Investing in NFTs involves significant risk due to the highly volatile and speculative nature of the NFT market. The value of NFTs can fluctuate dramatically over short periods, influenced by factors such as market demand, trends, celebrity endorsements, and broader economic conditions. Unlike traditional assets, NFTs lack historical performance data, making it challenging to predict future value. Additionally, the NFT market is relatively new and unregulated, which can lead to increased susceptibility to market manipulation, fraud, and other illicit activities. Investors should be aware that the value of their NFT investments could decrease substantially or become illiquid, resulting in potential financial loss

 

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Risks Associated with Investing in the Trust

 

Shareholders may choose to use the Trust as a means of investing indirectly in the Portfolio Digital Assets. As noted, there are significant risks and hazards inherent in the markets that may cause the prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets to fluctuate widely. Shareholders considering a purchase of Shares of the Trust should carefully consider what percentage of their total assets should be exposed to the Portfolio Digital Assets markets, and should fully understand, be willing to assume, and have the financial resources necessary to withstand, the risks involved in the Trust’s investment strategy, and be in a position to bear the potential loss of their entire investment in the Trust. Because the value of the Portfolio Digital Assets, and thus the value of the Shares, may be extremely volatile, Shareholders will need to monitor their investment frequently.

 

There is no assurance that the Trust will generate a profit for investors. In addition, an actual or perceived breach of the Trust’s account with the Custodian could harm the Trust’s operations, result in partial or total loss of the Trust’s assets, damage the Trust’s reputation and negatively affect the market perception of the effectiveness of the Trust, all of which could in turn reduce demand for the Shares, resulting in a reduction in the price of the Shares. The Trust may also cease operations, the occurrence of which could similarly result in a reduction in the price of the Shares. Any investment made in the Trust may result in a total loss of the investment.

 

[Shareholders of the Trust should not expect to receive the economic benefit of any “fork” of the Solana Network or Ethereum Network or asset “air dropped” to holders of PENGU or Pudgy Penguin ETFs. The Sponsor will cause the Trust to irrevocably abandon any digital asset resulting from a fork in the Solana Network (other than what the Sponsor determines to be SOL) or any air drop. If the Trust were to change this policy, the Trust would need to seek and obtain certain regulatory approvals, including an amendment to the Trust’s registration statement of which this Prospectus is a part and approval of an application by the Exchange to amend its listing rules.]

 

Pricing Information Available on the Exchange and Other Sources

 

The current market price per Share (symbol: “____”) will be published continuously as trades occur throughout each trading day on the consolidated tape by market data vendors.

 

[The Indicative Trust Value (the “ITV”) per Share will be published by the Exchange once every 15 seconds throughout each trading day on the consolidated tape by market data vendors.]

 

The website for the Trust, www.canary.capital, or any successor thereto, which will be publicly accessible at no charge, will contain the following information: (a) the prior business day’s NAV; (b) the prior business day’s official closing price; (c) calculation of the premium or discount of such Exchange’s official closing price against such NAV; (d) data in chart form displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the Exchange’s official closing price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges for each of the four previous calendar quarters (or for the life of the Trust, if shorter); (e) the Prospectus; and (f) other applicable quantitative information. The Trust will also disseminate the Trust’s holdings on a daily basis on the Trust’s website. The NAV for the Trust will be calculated by the Administrator once a day and will be disseminated daily to all market participants at the same time. Quotation and last sale information regarding the Shares will be disseminated through the facilities of the consolidated tape.

 

The Shares are not issued, sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Exchange, and the Exchange makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Shares.

 

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The Trust’s Legal Structure

 

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust, formed on ________, 20__, pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. The Trust continuously issues common shares representing fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust that may be purchased and sold on the Exchange. The Trust will operate pursuant to a Trust Agreement, as amended and/or restated from time to time (the “Trust Agreement”). CSC Delaware Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, is the trustee of the Trust (the “Trustee”). The Trust is managed and controlled by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is a limited liability company formed in the state of Delaware on September 12, 2024.

 

The Trust’s Service Providers

 

The Sponsor

 

The Sponsor, Canary Capital Group LLC, arranged for the creation of the Trust and is responsible for the ongoing registration of the Shares for their public offering in the United States and the listing of Shares on the Exchange. The Sponsor’s principal address is 1131 4th Avenue S #230, Nashville, TN 37210. The Sponsor will develop a marketing plan for the Trust, will prepare marketing materials regarding the Shares of the Trust, and will exercise the marketing plan of the Trust on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor has agreed to pay all normal operating expenses except for Extraordinary Expenses (defined below) out of the Sponsor’s unified fee.

 

The Trustee

 

The Trustee, CSC Delaware Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, acts as the trustee of the Trust in accordance with the Declaration of Trust and as required by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act to create a Delaware statutory trust.

 

The Administrator

 

____, serves as the Trust’s administrator (the “Administrator”). The Administrator’s principal address is ____. Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust, including valuing the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets and calculating the NAV per Share of the Trust and the NAV of the Trust and supplying pricing information to the Sponsor for the relevant website. In addition, the Administrator makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services.

 

The Transfer Agent

 

________ serves as the transfer agent for the Trust. The Transfer Agent: (1) facilitates the issuance and redemption of Shares of the Trust; (2) responds to correspondence by Shareholders and others relating to its duties; (3) maintains Shareholder accounts; and (4) makes periodic reports to the Trust. The Trust’s Transfer Agent will facilitate the settlement of Shares in response to the placement of creation orders and redemption orders from financial firms that are authorized to purchase or redeem Shares with the Trust (“Authorized Participants”).

 

The Custodian

 

____, serves as the Trust’s digital custodian. The Custodian’s principal address is ____. Under the Custodial Services Agreement, the Custodian is responsible for safekeeping all of the Portfolio Digital Assets owned by the Trust. The Custodian was selected by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is responsible for opening an account with the Custodian that holds the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets (the “Digital Asset Account”), as well as facilitating the transfer or sale of Portfolio Digital Assets required for the operation of the Trust.

 

The Cash Custodian

 

____ also serves as the cash custodian for the Trust. The Cash Custodian is responsible for safekeeping all cash assets of the Trust.

 

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The Distributor

 

____ (“____” or the “Distributor”), is responsible for reviewing and approving the marketing materials prepared by the Sponsor for compliance with applicable SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) advertising laws, rules, and regulations pursuant to a marketing agreement with the Trust. The principal business address of the Distributor is ____. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) and a member of FINRA.

 

Digital Asset Trading Counterparties

 

The Trust buys and sells PENGU, ETH and SOL through trading counterparties selected by the Sponsor. The Trust does not currently intend to engage a prime broker or other liquidity provider providing similar services. As of ____, the Trust has entered into agreements with each of ____, ____, ____ and ____ to serve as a trading counterparty to the Trust. Neither the Sponsor nor the Trust is under any obligation to direct the Trust’s trade orders to any particular trading counterparty. The Sponsor will not place orders with any affiliated trading counterparty. Each of these trading counterparties is, and any other trading counterparty the Trust places orders with in the future will be, subject to U.S. federal and/or state licensing requirements or similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions and maintains practices and policies designed to comply with anti-money laundering (“AML”) and know-your-customer (“KYC”) regulations or similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions.

 

The Trust’s Fees and Expenses

 

The Trust will pay the Sponsor an annual unified fee of ____% of the Trust’s average daily net assets (the “Sponsor Fee”). The Sponsor Fee is paid by the Trust to the Sponsor as compensation for services performed under the Trust Agreement. The Administrator will calculate the Sponsor Fee in respect of each day by reference to the prior day’s NAV. Except for periods during which all or a portion of the Sponsor Fee is being waived, the Sponsor Fee will accrue daily in U.S. dollars and be payable monthly in cash. [To the extent there are any on-chain transaction fees incurred in connection with the transfers of [ ] to pay the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor, and not the Trust, shall bear such fees.] The Sponsor may, at its sole discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of the Sponsor Fee for stated periods of time. The Sponsor is under no obligation to waive any portion of its fees and any such waiver shall create no obligation to waive any such fees during any period not covered by the waiver.

 

As partial consideration for its receipt of the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor is obligated under the Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other expenses incurred by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs, excluding taxes, but including: (i) the fees of the Trust’s third-party service providers, including, but not limited to, the Distributor, the Administrator, the Custodian, the Transfer Agent, the Cash Custodian, and the Trustee, (ii) the fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or trading of the Shares on the Exchange (including customary legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses), (iii) legal fees and expenses incurred in the ordinary course, (iv) audit fees, (v) regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to the registration of the Trust and Shares, including any ongoing filings related to the offering of Shares, under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, (vi) printing and mailing costs, (vii) costs of maintaining the Trust’s website and (viii) applicable license fees (each, a “Sponsor-paid Expense” and collectively, the “Sponsor-paid Expenses”), provided that any expense that qualifies as an Extraordinary Expense (as defined below) will not be deemed to be a Sponsor-paid Expense. There is no cap on the amount of Sponsor-paid Expenses. The Sponsor has also assumed all fees and expenses related to the organization and offering of the Trust and the Shares.

 

The Trust may incur certain extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses that are not Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, brokerage and transaction costs associated with the sale or transfer of Portfolio Digital Assets, taxes and governmental charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the Trust, the Trust’s assets, or the interests of Shareholders, any indemnification of the Custodian or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust, and extraordinary legal fees and expenses, including any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation matters (collectively, “Extraordinary Expenses”). To the extent on-chain transaction fees are incurred in connection with transfers or sales of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay Extraordinary Expenses, the Trust will bear such fees.

 

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To the extent it does not have cash readily available, the Sponsor will cause the transfer or sale of Portfolio Digital Assets in such quantity as may be necessary to permit the payment of Trust expenses and liabilities not assumed by the Sponsor or for payment of cash redemption proceeds to Authorized Participants. The Trust will seek to transfer or sell Portfolio Digital Assets at such times and in the smallest amounts required to permit such payments as they become due. With respect to transfers or sales necessary to pay Trust expenses and liabilities that are denominated other than in Portfolio Digital Assets, the amount of Portfolio Digital Assets transferred or sold may vary from time to time depending on the actual sales price of the Portfolio Digital Assets relative to the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. To the extent the Trust must buy or sell Portfolio Digital Assets, the Trust may do so through a third-party digital asset broker or dealer. The Sponsor will select third party brokers or dealers that it believes have implemented adequate AML, KYC and other legal compliance policies and procedures.

 

Under the terms of each Authorized Participant Agreement, the Authorized Participants will be responsible for any brokerage or transaction costs associated with the sale or transfer of Portfolio Digital Assets incurred in connection with the fulfillment of a creation or redemption order.

 

[Custody of the Trust’s Assets

 

The Trust’s Custodian will maintain custody of all of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets. The Custodian provides insured safekeeping of digital assets using a multi-layer cold storage security platforms designed to provide offline security of the digital assets held by the Custodians. The Custodian has insurance coverage to protect the organizations from risks such as theft of funds. The insurance programs of the Custodians does not cover, insure or guarantee the performance of the Trust. The Custodians are not FDIC-insured.

 

The Trust generally does not intend to hold cash or cash equivalents except for cash received from Authorized Participants in connection with a creation transaction or cash held by the Trust pending distribution to Authorized Participants in a redemption transaction or payment of Trust expenses. The Trust has entered into a custodian agreement (the “Cash Custody Agreement”) with the Cash Custodian under which the Cash Custodian acts as custodian of the Trust’s cash. The Trust will endeavor to convert any cash contributed to Portfolio Digital Assets as soon as practicable, except to the extent necessary for a redemption transaction or to pay expenses.

 

The Trust may change the custodial arrangements described in this Prospectus at any time without notice to Shareholders. To the extent a change in custodial arrangements is deemed material by the Sponsor, the Trust will notify Shareholders in a Prospectus supplement and/or a current report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports.

 

The Shares

 

The Trust will issue Shares, which represent fractional undivided beneficial interests in and ownership of the Trust. Shares issued by the Trust will be registered in a book entry system and held in the name of Cede & Co. at the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), and one or more global certificates issued by the Trust to DTC will evidence the Shares. Shareholders may hold their Shares through DTC if they are direct participants in DTC (“DTC Participants”) or indirectly through entities (such as broker-dealers) that are DTC Participants.

 

Net Asset Value

 

Net Asset Value means the total assets of the Trust including, but not limited to, all Portfolio Digital Assets and cash less total liabilities of the Trust. Because the Trust will treated a C corporation for federal income tax purposes, such liabilities are expected to include any deferred tax liabilities.

 

The Administrator determines the NAV of the Trust on each day that the Exchange is open for regular trading, as promptly as practical after 4:00 p.m. EST. The NAV of the Trust is the aggregate value of the Trust’s assets less its accrued but unpaid liabilities (which include accrued expenses). In determining the Trust’s NAV, the Administrator values the Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust based on the Trust’s valuation policy (the “Valuation Policy”) as of 4:00 p.m. EST. The Administrator also determines the NAV per Share. For purposes of the Trust’s financial statements, the Trust will utilize a pricing source that is consistent with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), as of the financial statement measurement date, which may result in valuations that differ from the Trust’s daily NAV calculations. The Sponsor will determine in its sole discretion the valuation sources and policies used to prepare the Trust’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP.

 

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Plan of Distribution

 

The Trust is an exchange-traded product. When the Trust sells or redeems its Shares, it will do so in blocks of [     ] Shares (a “Basket”) based on the NAV per Share. For a subscription for Shares, the subscription shall be in the amount of cash equal in value to the Basket being created, as calculated by the Administrator. For a redemption of Shares, the Sponsor shall arrange for the Portfolio Digital Assets represented by the Basket to be sold and the cash proceeds distributed. Authorized Participants will deliver, or facilitate the delivery of, cash to the Trust’s account with the Cash Custodian in exchange for Shares when they purchase Shares, and the Trust will deliver cash to such Authorized Participants when they redeem Shares with the Trust. Further, Authorized Participants will not directly or indirectly purchase, hold, deliver, or receive Portfolio Digital Assets as part of the creation or redemption process or otherwise direct the Trust or a third party with respect to purchasing, holding, delivering, or receiving Portfolio Digital Assets as part of the creation or redemption process. Shares initially comprising the same Basket but offered by the Authorized Participants to the public at different times may have different offering prices, which depend on various factors, including the supply and demand for Shares, the value of the Trust’s assets, and market conditions at the time of a transaction. Shareholders who buy or sell Shares during the day from their broker may do so at a premium or discount relative to the NAV of the Shares of the Trust.

 

Shareholders who decide to buy or sell Shares of the Trust will place their trade orders through their brokers and will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Shares. The Shares are expected to be listed for trading, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange under the ticker symbol “____.”

 

Federal Income Tax Considerations

 

It is expected that the Trust would be taxed as a C corporation and returns to an owner of Shares would be on an after-tax basis. Each sale or other disposition of Portfolio Digital Assets by the Trust (including, under current Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) guidance, the use of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay expenses of the Trust) will give rise to gain or loss and will therefore constitute a taxable event for the Trust.

 

Because the Trust will be a C corporation and neither a regulated investment company nor a grantor trust, the Trust will not be able to make in-kind redemption on a tax-free basis. If the Trust redeems Shares in-kind, the Trust will recognize gain in the asset distributed as if the Trust had sold the asset at it fair market value at the time of the redemption.

 

The Trust will not be able to make capital gains dividends. However, a portion of the distributions from the Trust may be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividends” for individual investors. See “United States Federal Income Tax Consequences—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.”

 

Use of Proceeds

 

Proceeds received by the Trust from the issuance of Baskets consist of cash. Deposits of cash are held by the Cash Custodian on behalf of the Trust until (i) transferred in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Digital Assets, (ii) delivered out in connection with redemptions of Baskets or (iii) transferred to pay fees due to the Sponsor and Trust expenses and liabilities not assumed by the Sponsor.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

The Trust is an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). For as long as the Trust is an emerging growth company, unlike other public companies, it will not be required to, among other things: (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its system of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; or (ii) comply with any new audit rules adopted by the PCAOB after April 5, 2012, unless the SEC determines otherwise.

 

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The Trust will cease to be an “emerging growth company” upon the earliest of (i) its having $1.235 billion or more in annual revenues, (ii) at least $700 million in market value of Shares being held by non-affiliates, (iii) its issuing more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of its initial public offering.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”) for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Trust intends to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period.

 

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PENGU AND THE SOLANA NETWORK

 

This section of the Prospectus provides a description of PENGU and the Solana Network including: information about the historical development of PENGU and the Solana Network; how a person holds PENGU; how to use PENGU in transactions; how to trade PENGU; and the spot markets where PENGU can be bought, held and sold.

 

PENGU

 

PENGU is a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the Solana Network. PENGU was first introduced in December 2024 by Pudgy Penguins (the public identity of LSLTT Holdings LLC). Unlike other native cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, ether and Solana, PENGU is not associated with its own underlying network or blockchain. Instead, PENGU was issued as a Solana network token, known as “SPL tokens”, and relies upon the underlying technology of the Solana Network. PENGU can be used to pay for goods and services or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset trading platforms or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system. Because of its close association with Pudgy Penguins, some consider PENGU a digital collector’s item.

 

SOL, the native asset of the Solana Network, is used to pay the transaction fees on the Solana Network. Because PENGU is transferred on the Solana Network, it may be necessary from time to time for the Trust to acquire SOL in order to pay such fees. The Trust will only acquire and hold SOL to the extent the Sponsor deems appropriate in light of the Trust’s current and anticipated needs to transact on the Solana Network. The Trust will not hold SOL for investment purposes.

 

PENGU is categorized as a “utility token”. A utility token is a type of cryptocurrency that grants holders access to specific services or features within a blockchain-based platform or ecosystem, similar to a ticket to use a particular product or service. The value of a utility token is primarily based on the utility it provides within the blockchain or ecosystem. Pudgy Penguins has not announced any particular use for PENGU or any benefit for PENGU holders other than closer association with members of the Pudgy Penguins community. There is no guarantee any such uses or benefits will materialize or that the goodwill of the Pudgy Penguins community regarding PENGU will grow or be sustained over any period of time. Accordingly, an investment in PENGU is highly speculative and subject to high levels of risk, including the risk of loss of the entire amount invested. Furthermore, Shareholders will not receive the rights or benefits afforded to direct holders of PENGU.

 

Solana Network – Overview

 

No single entity is known to own or operate the Solana Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by what is understood to be a decentralized user base. The Solana Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called SOL, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger known as a blockchain. SOL can be used to pay for goods and services, including computational power on the Solana Network, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset trading platforms or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system. Furthermore, the Solana Network was designed to allow users to write and implement smart contracts—that is, general-purpose code that executes on every computer in the network and can instruct the transmission of information and value based on a sophisticated set of logical conditions. Using smart contracts, users can create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent the ownership of property, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create digital assets other than SOL on the Solana Network, such as PENGU. Smart contract operations are executed on the Solana Blockchain in exchange for payment of SOL. Like the Ethereum Network, the Solana Network is one of a number of projects intended to expand blockchain use beyond just a peer-to-peer money system.

 

The Solana protocol introduced the Proof-of-History (“PoH”) timestamping mechanism. PoH automatically orders on-chain transactions by creating a historical record that proves an event has occurred at a specific moment in time. PoH is intended to provide a transaction processing speed and capacity advantage over other blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which rely on sequential production of blocks and can lead to delays caused by validator confirmations. PoH is a new blockchain technology that is not widely used. PoH may not function as intended. For example, it may require more specialized equipment to participate in the network and fail to attract a significant number of users, or may be subject to outages or fail to function as intended. In addition, there may be flaws in the cryptography underlying PoH, including flaws that affect functionality of the Solana Network or make the network vulnerable to attack.

 

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In addition to the PoH mechanism described above, the Solana Network uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism to incentivize SOL holders to validate transactions. Unlike proof-of-work, in which miners expend computational resources to compete to validate transactions and are rewarded coins in proportion to the amount of computational resources expended, in proof-of-stake, validators risk or “stake” coins to compete to be randomly selected to validate transactions and are rewarded coins in proportion to the amount of coins staked. Any malicious activity, such as disagreeing with the eventual consensus or otherwise violating protocol rules, results in the forfeiture or “slashing” of a portion of the staked coins. Proof-of-stake is viewed as more energy efficient and scalable than proof-of-work and is sometimes referred to as “virtual mining.”

 

The Solana protocol was first conceived by Anatoly Yakovenko in a 2017 whitepaper. Development of the Solana Network is overseen by the Solana Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization, and Solana Labs, Inc. (“Solana Labs”), a Delaware corporation, which administered the original network launch and token distribution. Although Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation continue to exert significant influence over the direction of the development of Solana, the Solana Network, like the Ethereum Network, is understood to be decentralized and does not require governmental authorities or financial institution intermediaries to create, transmit or determine the value of SOL.

 

In order to own, transfer or use SOL or PENGU directly on the Solana Network (as opposed to through an intermediary, such as a custodian), a person generally must have internet access to connect to the Solana Network. SOL and PENGU transactions may be made directly between end-users without the need for a third-party intermediary. To prevent the possibility of double-spending, a user must notify the Solana Network of the transaction by broadcasting the transaction data to its network peers. The Solana Network provides confirmation against double-spending by memorializing every transaction in the Solana Blockchain, which is publicly accessible and transparent. This memorialization and verification against double-spending is accomplished through the Solana Network validation process, which adds “blocks” of data, including recent transaction information, to the Solana Blockchain. Unlike other blockchains that rely solely on sequential production of blocks through proof-of-work or proof-of-stake mechanisms, however, the Solana Network introduces PoH, which creates a historical record that proves an event has occurred at a specific moment in time.

 

Smart Contracts and Development on the Solana Network

 

Smart contracts are programs that run on a blockchain that can execute automatically when certain conditions are met. Smart contracts facilitate the exchange of anything representative of value, such as money, information, property, or voting rights.

 

Using smart contracts, users can send or receive digital assets, create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent ownership of property or a company, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create new digital assets.

 

Development on the Solana Network involves building more complex tools on top of smart contracts, such as decentralized apps (“DApps”) and organizations that are autonomous, known as decentralized autonomous organizations (“DAOs”). For example, a company that distributes charitable donations on behalf of users could hold donated funds in smart contracts that are paid to charities only if the charity satisfies certain pre-defined conditions.

 

In total, as of ________, 20__, more than [200] DApps are currently built on the Solana Network, including DApps in the collectible non-fungible token, gaming, music streaming, and decentralized finance categories.

 

Additionally, the Solana Network has been used for decentralized finance (“DeFi”), or open finance platforms, which seek to democratize access to financial services, such as borrowing, lending, custody, trading, derivatives and insurance, by removing third-party intermediaries. DeFi can allow users to lend and earn interest on their digital assets, exchange one digital asset for another and create derivative digital assets such as stablecoins, which are digital assets pegged to a reserve asset such as fiat currency. As of ________, 20__, approximately $____ billion was being used as collateral on DeFi platforms.

 

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In addition, the Solana Network and other smart contract platforms have been used for creating non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”).

 

Unlike digital assets native to smart contract platforms which are fungible and enable the payment of fees for smart contract execution. Instead, NFTs allow for digital ownership of assets that convey certain rights to other digital or real world assets. This new paradigm allows users to own rights to other assets through NFTs, which enable users to trade them with others on the Solana Network. For example, an NFT may convey rights to a digital asset that exists in an online game or a DApp, and users can trade their NFT in the DApp or game, and carry them to other digital experiences, creating an entirely new free-market internet-native economy that can be monetized in the physical world.

 

Market Participants

 

Validators

 

Validators range from Solana enthusiasts to professional operations that design and build dedicated machines and data centers, including “clusters,” which are groups of validators that act cohesively and combine their processing to confirm transactions. When a validator confirms a transaction, the validator and any associated stakers receive a fee. During the course of ordering transactions and validating blocks, validators may be able to prioritize certain transactions in return for increased transaction fees, an incentive system known as “Maximal Extractable Value” or MEV. For example, in blockchain networks that facilitate DeFi protocols in particular, such as the Ethereum Network, users may attempt to gain an advantage over other users by offering greater transaction fees. Validators less commonly capture MEV in the Solana Network because, unlike the Ethereum Network, it does not publicly expose transactions before they are accepted by a validator. However, some efforts are underway to help Solana Validators consistently capture MEV.

 

Investment and Speculative Sector

 

This sector includes the investment and trading activities of both private and professional investors and speculators. Historically, larger financial services institutions are publicly reported to have limited involvement in investment and trading in digital assets, although the participation landscape is beginning to change. Currently, there is relatively limited use of digital assets in the retail and commercial marketplace in comparison to relatively extensive use by speculators, and a significant portion of demand for digital assets is generated by speculators and investors seeking to profit from the short- or long-term holding of digital assets.

 

Retail Sector

 

The retail sector includes users transacting in direct peer-to-peer transactions through the direct sending of SOL and PENGU over the Solana Network. The retail sector also includes transactions in which consumers purchase goods and services from commercial or service businesses through direct transactions or third-party service providers, although the use of SOL and PENGU as means of payment is still developing and has not yet been accepted in the same manner as Bitcoin or Ethereum due to its infancy and because SOL and PENGU have a different purpose than Bitcoin and Ethereum.

 

Service Sector

 

This sector includes companies that provide a variety of services including the buying, selling, payment processing and storing of SOL and PENGU. As SOL and PENGU continue to grow in acceptance, it is anticipated that service providers will expand the currently available range of services and that additional parties will enter the service sector for SOL and PENGU.

 

Solana Protocol Development and Modifications

 

Historically the Solana Network’s development has been overseen by Solana Labs, the Solana Foundation and other core developers. The Solana Foundation and core developers are able to access and alter the Solana Network source code and, as a result, they are responsible for quasi-official releases of updates and other changes to the Solana Network’s source code.

 

For example, in March 2020, the Solana Network launched the Mainnet Beta version of the Solana Network, one month after launching the testnet, Tour de SOL. Solana Labs led the development of these reference implementations.

 

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The release of updates to the Solana Network’s source code does not guarantee that the updates will be automatically adopted. Users and nodes must accept any changes made to the Solana source code by downloading the proposed modification of the Solana Network’s source code. A modification of the Solana Network’s source code is only effective with respect to the Solana users that download it. If a modification is accepted only by a percentage of users and validators, a division in the Solana Network will occur such that one network will run the pre-modification source code and the other network will run the modified source code. Such a division is known as a “fork.” See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to Digital Assets— A Temporary Or Permanent “Fork” or a “Clone” Of The Solana Blockchain Could Adversely Affect The Value Of The Shares.”. Consequently, as a practical matter, a modification to the source code become part of the Solana Network only if accepted by participants collectively having a majority of the processing power on the Solana Network.

 

Core development of the Solana source code has increasingly focused on modifications of the Solana protocol to increase speed and scalability and also allow for financial and non-financial next generation uses. The Trust’s activities will not directly relate to such projects, though such projects may utilize SOL as tokens for the facilitation of their non-financial uses, thereby potentially increasing demand for SOL and the utility of the Solana Network as a whole. Conversely, projects that operate and are built within the Solana Blockchain may increase the data flow on the Solana Network and could either “bloat” the size of the Solana Blockchain or slow confirmation times.

 

Forms of Attack Against the Solana Network

 

All networked systems are vulnerable to various kinds of attacks. As with any computer network, the Solana Network contains certain flaws. For example, the Solana Network is currently vulnerable to a “51% attack” (though the numerical thresholds vary in proof-of-stake) where, if a party or group were to gain control of more than the relevant threshold of the staked SOL, a malicious actor would be able to gain full control of the network and the ability to manipulate the Solana Blockchain. As of ________, 20__, the top three largest staking pools controlled approximately [93.5%] of the SOL staked on the Solana Network.

 

In addition, many digital asset networks have been subjected to a number of denial of service attacks, which has led to temporary delays in block creation and in the transfer of SOL.

 

For example, on September 14, 2021, the Solana Network experienced a significant disruption, later attributed to a type of denial of service attack, and was offline for 17 hours, only returning to full functionality 24 hours later. While persons associated with Solana Labs and/or the Solana Foundation are understood to have played a key role in bringing the network back online, the broader community also played a key role, as Solana validators coordinated to upgrade and restart the network. Any similar attacks on the Solana Network that impact the ability to transfer PENGU could have a material adverse effect on the price of PENGU and the value of the Shares.

 

Summary of a PENGU Transaction

 

Prior to engaging in PENGU transactions directly on the Solana Network, a user generally must first install on its computer or mobile device a Solana Network software program that will allow the user to generate a private and public key pair associated with a Solana Network address. The Solana Network software program and the PENGU address also enable the user to connect to the Solana Network and transfer PENGU to, and receive PENGU from, other users.

 

Each Solana Network address, or wallet, is associated with a unique “public key” and “private key” pair. To receive PENGU, the PENGU recipient must provide its public key to the party initiating the transfer. This activity is analogous to a recipient for a transaction in U.S. dollars providing a routing address in wire instructions to the payor so that cash may be wired to the recipient’s account. The payor approves the transfer to the address provided by the recipient by “signing” a transaction that consists of the recipient’s public key with the private key of the address from where the payor is transferring the PENGU. The recipient, however, does not make public or provide to the sender its related private key.

 

Neither the recipient nor the sender reveal their private keys in a transaction, because the private key authorizes transfer of the funds in that address to other users. Therefore, if a user loses his or her private key, the user may permanently lose access to the PENGU contained in the associated address. Likewise, PENGU is irretrievably lost if the private key associated with them is deleted and no backup has been made. When sending PENGU, a user’s Solana Network software program must validate the transaction with the associated private key. In addition, since every computation on the Solana Network requires processing power, there is a transaction fee involved with the transfer that is paid in SOL by the payor the resulting digitally validated transaction is sent by the user’s Solana Network software program to the Solana Network validators to allow transaction confirmation.

 

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Solana Network validators record and confirm transactions when they validate and add blocks of information to the Solana Blockchain. When a validator is selected to validate a block, it creates that block, which includes data relating to (i) the verification of newly submitted and accepted transactions and (ii) a reference to the prior block in the Solana Blockchain to which the new block is being added. The validator becomes aware of outstanding, unrecorded transactions through the data packet transmission and distribution discussed above.

 

Upon the addition of a block of PENGU transactions, the Solana Network software program of both the sending party and the receiving party will show confirmation of the transaction on the Solana Blockchain and reflect an adjustment to the PENGU balance in each party’s Solana Network public key, completing the PENGU transaction. Once a transaction is confirmed on the Solana Blockchain, it is irreversible.

 

Some PENGU transactions are conducted “off-blockchain” and are therefore not recorded in the Solana Blockchain. These “off-blockchain transactions” involve the transfer of control over, or ownership of, a specific digital wallet holding PENGU or the reallocation of ownership of certain PENGU in a pooled-ownership digital wallet, such as a digital wallet owned by a digital asset trading platform. In contrast to on-blockchain transactions, which are publicly recorded on the Solana Blockchain, information and data regarding off-blockchain transactions are generally not publicly available. Therefore, off-blockchain transactions are not truly PENGU transactions in that they do not involve the transfer of transaction data on the Solana Network and do not reflect a movement of PENGU between addresses recorded in the Solana Blockchain. For these reasons, off-blockchain transactions are subject to risks as any such transfer of PENGU ownership is not protected by the protocol behind the Solana Network or recorded in, and validated through, the blockchain mechanism.

 

Creation of New PENGU

 

Initial Creation of PENGU

 

PENGU was released in December 2024 with a total supply of 88,888,888,888 tokens. The tokens were released according to the following schedule:

 

Pudgy Penguins community (airdropped to existing holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs as well as other NFT communities and early adopters of the Solana and Ethereum Networks) – 25.9%

 

Other communities – 24.12%

 

Reserved by Pudgy Penguins for liquidity support – 12.35%

 

Compensation to Pudgy Penguins employees (subject to a 1 year cliff and 3 year vesting schedule) – 17.8%

 

Retained by Pudgy Penguins (subject to a 1 year cliff and 3 year vesting schedule) – 11.48%

 

Proliferation – 4%

 

Distributed to charities and other public goods – 4%

 

Distributed to holders of the FTT token – 0.35%

 

The total supply of PENGU is fixed, however significant amounts of PENGU may be subject to lock-ups or held in escrow. The release of PENGU from such arrangements may have an inflationary effect on the value or PENGU.

 

PENGU Market and PENGU Exchanges

 

PENGU can be transferred in direct peer-to-peer transactions through the direct sending of PENGU over the Solana Blockchain from one Solana Network address to another. Among end-users, PENGU can be used to pay other members of the Solana Network for goods and services under what resembles a barter system. Consumers can also pay merchants and other commercial businesses for goods or services through direct peer-to-peer transactions on the Solana Blockchain or through third-party service providers.

 

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In addition to using PENGU to engage in transactions, investors may purchase and sell PENGU to speculate as to the value of PENGU in the PENGU market, or as a long-term investment to diversify their portfolio. The value of PENGU within the market is determined, in part, by the supply of and demand for PENGU in the global PENGU market, market expectations for the adoption of PENGU as a store of value, the number of merchants that accept PENGU as a form of payment, and the volume of peer-to-peer transactions, among other factors.

 

PENGU spot markets provide investors with a website that permits investors to open accounts with the spot market and then purchase and sell PENGU. Prices for trades on PENGU spot markets are typically reported publicly. An investor opening a trading account must deposit an accepted government-issued currency into their account with the spot market, or a previously acquired digital asset, before they can purchase or sell assets on the spot market. The process of establishing an account with an PENGU spot market and trading PENGU is different from, and should not be confused with, the process of users sending PENGU from one Solana Network address to another Solana Network address on the Solana Blockchain. This latter process is an activity that occurs on the Solana Network, while the former is an activity that occurs entirely on the private website operated by the spot market. The spot market typically records the investor’s ownership of PENGU in its internal books and records, rather than on the Solana Blockchain. The spot market ordinarily does not transfer PENGU to the investor on the Solana Blockchain unless the investor makes a request to the spot market to withdraw the PENGU in their exchange account to an off-exchange PENGU wallet.

 

Outside of spot markets, PENGU can be traded OTC in transactions that are not publicly reported. The OTC market is largely institutional in nature, and OTC market participants generally consist of institutional entities, such as firms that offer two-sided liquidity for PENGU, investment managers, proprietary trading firms, high-net-worth individuals that trade PENGU on a proprietary basis, entities with sizeable PENGU holdings, and family offices. The OTC market provides a relatively flexible market in terms of quotes, price, quantity, and other factors, although it tends to involve large blocks of PENGU. The OTC market has no formal structure and no open-outcry meeting place. Parties engaging in OTC transactions will agree upon a price—often via phone or email—and then one of the two parties will then initiate the transaction. For example, a seller of PENGU could initiate the transaction by sending the PENGU to the buyer’s Solana Network address. The buyer would then wire U.S. dollars to the seller’s bank account. OTC trades are sometimes hedged and eventually settled with concomitant trades on PENGU spot markets.

 

Authorized Participants will deliver, or facilitate the delivery of, PENGU or cash to the Trust’s account with the Custodian in exchange for Shares of the Trust, and the Trust, through the Custodian, will deliver PENGU or cash when such Authorized Participants redeem Shares of the Trust.

 

Competition

 

As of ________, 20__, more than [8,000] other digital assets, as tracked by CoinMarketCap.com, have been developed since the inception of bitcoin, which is currently the most developed digital asset because of the length of time it has been in existence, the investment in the infrastructure that supports it, and the network of individuals and entities that are using bitcoin in transactions. While PENGU has enjoyed some success in its limited history, the aggregate value of outstanding PENGU is smaller than that of bitcoin and may be eclipsed by the more rapid development of other digital assets.

 

Regulation of Solana and Government Oversight

 

As digital assets have grown in both popularity and market size, the U.S. Congress and a number of U.S. federal and state agencies (including FinCEN, SEC, CFTC, FINRA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve and state financial institution and securities regulators) have been examining the operations of digital asset networks, digital asset users and the digital asset exchange markets, with particular focus on the extent to which digital assets can be used to launder the proceeds of illegal activities or fund criminal or terrorist enterprises and the safety and soundness of exchanges or other service-providers that hold or custody digital assets for users. Many of these state and federal agencies have issued consumer advisories regarding the risks posed by digital assets to investors. In addition, federal and state agencies, and other countries have issued rules or guidance about the treatment of digital asset transactions or requirements for businesses engaged in digital asset activity. President Biden’s March 9, 2022 Executive Order, asserting that technological advances and the rapid growth of the digital asset markets “necessitate an evaluation and alignment of the United States Government approach to digital assets,” signals an ongoing focus on digital asset policy and regulation in the United States. A number of reports issued pursuant to the Executive Order have focused on various risks related to the digital asset ecosystem, and have recommended additional legislation and regulatory oversight. In addition, federal and state agencies, and other countries and international bodies have issued rules or guidance about the treatment of digital asset transactions or requirements for businesses engaged in digital asset activity. Moreover, the failure of FTX Trading Ltd. (“FTX”) in November 2022 and the resulting market turmoil substantially increased regulatory scrutiny in the United States and globally and led to SEC and criminal investigations, enforcement actions and other regulatory activity across the digital asset ecosystem.

 

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In addition, the SEC, U.S. state securities regulators and several foreign governments have issued warnings and instituted legal proceedings in which they argue that certain digital assets may be classified as securities and that both those digital assets and any related initial coin offerings or other primary and secondary market transactions are subject to securities regulations. For example, in June 2023, the SEC brought charges against Binance and Coinbase, and in November 2023, the SEC brought charges against Kraken, alleging that they operated unregistered securities exchanges, brokerages and clearing agencies. In its complaints, the SEC asserted that several digital assets are securities under the federal securities laws, including SOL. The outcomes of these proceedings, as well as ongoing and future regulatory actions, have had a material adverse effect on the digital asset industry as a whole, and may alter, perhaps to a materially adverse extent, the nature of an investment in the Shares and/or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate. Additionally, U.S. state and federal, and foreign regulators and legislatures have taken action against virtual currency businesses or enacted restrictive regimes in response to adverse publicity arising from hacks, consumer harm, or criminal activity stemming from virtual currency activity.

 

In August 2021, the chair of the SEC stated that he believed investors using digital asset trading platforms are not adequately protected, and that activities on the platforms can implicate the securities laws, commodities laws and banking laws, raising a number of issues related to protecting investors and consumers, guarding against illicit activity, and ensuring financial stability. The chair expressed a need for the SEC to have additional authorities to prevent transactions, products, and platforms from “falling between regulatory cracks,” as well as for more resources to protect investors in “this growing and volatile sector.” The chair called for federal legislation centering on digital asset trading, lending, and decentralized finance platforms, seeking “additional plenary authority” to write rules for digital asset trading and lending. At the same time, the chair has also stated that the SEC has authority under existing laws to regulate the digital asset sector and several enforcement actions were filed against digital asset trading platforms during the first half of 2023.

 

The SEC has also recently proposed amendments to the custody rules under Rule 206(4)-2 of the Investment Advisers Act. The proposed rule changes would amend the definition of a “qualified custodian” under Rule 206(4)-2(d)(6) and expand the current custody rule under Rule 206(4)-2 to cover digital assets and related advisory activities. If enacted as proposed, these rules would likely impose additional regulatory requirements with respect to the custody and storage of digital assets and could lead to additional regulatory oversight of the digital asset ecosystem more broadly.

 

Various foreign jurisdictions have, and may continue to, in the near future, adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect a digital asset network, the Digital Asset Markets, and their users, particularly digital asset trading platforms and service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. For example:

 

China has made transacting in cryptocurrencies illegal for Chinese citizens in mainland China, and additional restrictions may follow. China has banned initial coin offerings and there have been reports that Chinese regulators have taken action to shut down a number of China-based digital asset trading platforms.

 

South Korea determined to amend its Financial Information Act in March 2020 to require virtual asset service providers to register and comply with its AML and counter-terrorism funding framework. These measures also provide the government with the authority to close digital asset trading platforms that do not comply with specified processes. South Korea has also banned initial coin offerings.

 

The Reserve Bank of India in April 2018 banned the entities it regulates from providing services to any individuals or business entities dealing with or settling digital assets. In March 2020, this ban was overturned in the Indian Supreme Court, although the Reserve Bank of India is currently challenging this ruling.

 

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The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority published final rules in October 2020 banning the sale of derivatives and exchange-traded notes that reference certain types of digital assets, contending that they are “ill-suited” to retail investors citing extreme volatility, valuation challenges and association with financial crime. A new law, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (“FSMA”), received royal assent in June 2023. The FSMA brings digital asset activities within the scope of existing laws governing financial institutions, markets and assets.

 

The Parliament of the European Union approved the text of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (“MiCA”) in April 2023, establishing a regulatory framework for digital asset services across the European Union. MiCA is intended to serve as a comprehensive regulation of digital asset markets and imposes various obligations on digital asset issuers and service providers. The main aims of MiCA are industry regulation, consumer protection, prevention of market abuse and upholding the integrity of digital asset markets. MiCA was formally approved by the European Union’s member states in 2023 and is expected to come into effect in 2024.

 

There remains significant uncertainty regarding foreign governments’ future actions with respect to the regulation of digital assets and digital asset trading platforms. Such laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the United States and may negatively impact the acceptance of PENGU by users, merchants and service providers outside the United States and may therefore impede the growth or sustainability of the Solana ecosystem in the United States and globally, or otherwise negatively affect the value of PENGU held by the Trust. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Trust or the PENGU held by the Trust is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to the Trust and the value of the Shares.

 

PUDGY PENGUINS, THE ETHEREUM NETWORK AND NFTS GENERALLY

 

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or piece of content, typically stored on a blockchain. Unlike cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether, which are fungible and can be exchanged on a one-to-one basis, NFTs are unique and cannot be exchanged like-for-like. NFTs possess several key characteristics:

 

Uniqueness - Each NFT has a unique identifier that distinguishes it from other tokens. This uniqueness is what makes NFTs valuable, as they can represent rare or one-of-a-kind items.

 

Indivisibility - NFTs cannot be divided into smaller units. They are bought, sold, and owned as whole tokens.

 

Ownership and Provenance - Ownership of an NFT is recorded on a blockchain, providing a transparent and immutable record of who owns the token and its history of ownership. This is particularly important for verifying the authenticity and provenance of digital assets.

 

Interoperability - NFTs can be used across different platforms and applications that support the same blockchain standards, such as Ethereum’s ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standards.

 

NFTs have a variety of applications, though application to digital art and collectibles has been the primary use case through the early history of the technology. Artists can create and sell digital artworks as NFTs, allowing them to monetize their work and provide buyers with proof of ownership and authenticity. NFTs are also used to create digital collectibles, such as virtual trading cards, in-game items, and other unique digital assets. Other applications include evidence of ownership of virtual real estate, music and media, and domain names.

 

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Pudgy Penguin NFTs are a collection of 8,888 NFTs launched in July 2021 by a team of four pseudonymous developers. The collection consists of unique, hand-drawn penguins, each having distinct traits and characteristics. The collection quickly gained the attention of the NFT community due to its charming and whimsical artwork. Pudgy Penguins are notable for the following key features:

 

Unique Traits – Each Pudgy Penguin has a combination of different traits, including body color, facial expressions, accessories and backgrounds. These traits determine the rarity and value of each NFT.

 

Community-Driven – The Pudgy Penguins project emphasizes community engagement, with a strong presence on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Discord. The community plays a significant role in the project’s development and direction.

 

Utility and Benefits – Owners of Pudgy Penguin NFTs can gain access to exclusive events, merchandise and potential future benefits within the ecosystem.

 

Pudgy Penguins NFTs standout among many similar projects as there are a variety of real world merchandise items associated with the Pudgy Penguin characters, including plushies, clothing and figurines. Pudgy Penguins has entered into distribution arrangement with major retail outlets for the sale of such merchandise. While holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs and PENGU may experience incidental benefits from goodwill generated by such merchandise, all revenues generated from such merchandise accrue to the benefit of Pudgy Penguins, not the holders of Pudgy Penguin NFTs or the holders of PENGU.

 

The initial minting price was relatively low, but the collection sold out rapidly, reflecting the high demand and growing interest in NFTs at the time. Like many other digital art NFTs, Pudgy Penguins were originally issued as ERC-721 tokens on the Ethereum Network. Following the initial launch, Pudgy Penguins saw a surge in secondary market sales on platforms like OpenSea. Prices for rare penguins experienced significant run ups, with several selling for several hundred thousand dollars. The collection’s popularity was bolstered by endorsements from celebrities and influencers within the crypto and NFT communities.

 

Despite its success, Pudgy Penguins faced some challenges and controversies. In late 2021, there were concerns about the project’s leadership and direction, leading to uncertainty within the community. These issues were addressed through community discussions and efforts to ensure transparency and accountability. In early 2022, the original founders of Pudgy Penguins were ousted by the community due to dissatisfaction with their management. A new leadership team, led by Luca Netz, took over the project with a vision to revitalize and expand the Pudgy Penguins brand. The new team expressed a stated focus on enhancing the project’s utility, exploring partnerships, and developing new features to benefit the community.

 

Like many digital art NFTs, Pudgy Penguins are typically bought and sold on online marketplaces, such as OpenSea, Rarible, or Foundation. Pudgy Penguins are frequently placed for sale in an open auction process, where potential buyers may place bids in U.S. dollars, ether, SOL, or other digital assets. Once the auction has closed, the Pudgy Penguin NFT is send to the winning bidders Ethereum Network wallet address. Pudgy Penguins can also be bought and sold in negotiated, peer-to-peer transactions or through brokered transactions.

 

Pudgy Penguin NFTs are ERC-721 tokens that a recorded and transferred through the operation of the peer-to-peer Ethereum Network. No single entity owns or operates the Ethereum Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a distributed user base, a phenomenon known as decentralization. Ether is not issued by governments, banks or any other centralized authority. The Ethereum Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called ether, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger known as the Ethereum Blockchain. Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum Network, can be used to pay for goods and services, including computational power on the Ethereum Network, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset exchanges or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system.

 

The Ethereum Network allows users to write and implement computer programs called smart contracts—that is, general-purpose code that executes on every computer in the network and can instruct the transmission of information and value based on a sophisticated set of logical conditions. Using smart contracts, users can create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent the ownership of property, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create digital assets other than ether on the Ethereum Network. Smart contract operations are executed on the Ethereum Blockchain in exchange for payment of ether. The Ethereum Network is one of a number of projects intended to expand blockchain use beyond just a peer-to-peer money system.

 

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The Ethereum Network

 

Pudgy Penguin NFTs are created and transmitted through the operations of the Ethereum peer-to-peer network and associated blockchain ledger (the “Ethereum Blockchain” and together the “Ethereum Network”), a network of computers, known as nodes, that operates on cryptographic computer-code based logic, called a protocol. No single entity owns or operates the Ethereum Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a distributed user base, a phenomenon known as decentralization. The Ethereum Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called ether or ETH, which are recorded on a public transaction ledger known as the Ethereum Blockchain. Ether can be used to pay for goods and services, including computational power on the Ethereum Network, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on digital asset exchanges or in individual end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system.

 

The Ethereum Network allows users to write and implement computer programs called smart contracts—that is, general-purpose code that executes on every computer in the network and can instruct the transmission of information and value based on a sophisticated set of logical conditions. Using smart contracts, users can create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent the ownership of property, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create digital assets other than ether on the Ethereum Network. Smart contract operations are executed on the Ethereum Blockchain in exchange for payment of ether. The Ethereum Network is one of a number of projects intended to expand blockchain use beyond just a peer-to-peer money system.

 

The Ethereum Network is commonly understood to be decentralized and does not require governmental authorities or financial institution intermediaries to create, transmit or determine the value of ether. Rather, following the initial distribution of ether, ether is created, burned and allocated by the Ethereum Network protocol through a process that is currently subject to an issuance and burn rate as further described under “Limits on Ether Supply” below. The value of ether is determined by the supply of and demand for ether on the digital asset exchanges or in private end-user-to-end-user transactions. There is no hard cap which would limit the number of outstanding ether at any one time to a predetermined maximum.

 

New ether are created and rewarded to the validators of a block in the Ethereum Blockchain for verifying transactions. The Ethereum Blockchain is effectively a decentralized database that includes all blocks that have been validated and it is updated to include new blocks as they are validated. Each ether transaction is broadcast to the Ethereum Network and, when included in a block, recorded in the Ethereum Blockchain. As each new block records outstanding ether transactions, and outstanding transactions are settled and validated through such recording, the Ethereum Blockchain represents a complete, transparent and unbroken history of all transactions of the Ethereum Network. For further details, see “Creation of New Ether.”

 

Among other things, ether is used to pay for transaction fees and computational services (i.e., smart contracts) on the Ethereum Network; users of the Ethereum Network pay for the computational power of the machines executing the requested operations with ether. Requiring payment in ether on the Ethereum Network incentivizes developers to write quality applications and increases the efficiency of the Ethereum Network because wasteful code costs more. It also ensures that the Ethereum Network remains economically viable by compensating people for their contributed computational resources.

 

History of Ethereum

 

The Ethereum Network was originally described in a 2013 white paper by Vitalik Buterin, a programmer involved with bitcoin, with the goal of creating a peer-to-peer, open-source network enabling users to create so-called decentralized applications powered by smart contracts, which are general-purpose code that executes on the Ethereum Network. By combining the Ethereum Blockchain with a flexible scripting language that is designed to be capable of implementing sophisticated logic and to execute a wide variety of instructions, the Ethereum Network was designed to act as a programmable infrastructure layer that would enable users to create their own rules for ownership, transaction formats and state transition functions that they could build into custom software programs of their own creation. The formal development of the Ethereum Network began through a Swiss firm called Ethereum Switzerland GmbH (“EthSuisse”) in conjunction with several other entities. Subsequently, the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organization, was set up to oversee the Ethereum Network protocol’s development. The Ethereum Network went live on July 30, 2015. Decentralized applications may be controlled by a single user or small group. See “Risk Factors-Risk Factors Related to Digital Assets.” Smart contracts, including those relating to decentralized finance (“DeFi”) applications, are a new technology and their ongoing development and operation may result in problems, which could reduce the demand for ether or cause a wider loss of confidence in the Ethereum Network, either of which could have an adverse impact on the value of ether.”

 

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Ether is the digital asset that powers the Ethereum Network and serves as the network’s native unit of account that is used to pay the “gas” fees needed to power decentralized applications and smart contracts and execute transactions. Unlike other digital assets, such as bitcoin, which are solely created through a progressive mining process, 72.0 million ether were created in connection with the launch of the Ethereum Network. For additional information on the initial distribution, see “Creation of New Ether.” Coinciding with the network launch, it was decided that EthSuisse would be dissolved, designating the Ethereum Foundation as the sole organization dedicated to protocol development.

 

Smart Contracts and Development on the Ethereum Network

 

Smart contracts are programs that run on a blockchain that can execute automatically when certain conditions are met. Smart contracts facilitate the exchange of anything representative of value, such as money, information, property, or voting rights. Using smart contracts, users can send or receive digital assets, create markets, store registries of debts or promises, represent ownership of property or a company, move funds in accordance with conditional instructions and create new digital assets.

 

Development on the Ethereum Network involves building more complex tools on top of smart contracts, such as decentralized applications (“DApps”); organizations that are autonomous, known as decentralized autonomous organizations (“DAOs”); and entirely new decentralized networks. For example, a company that distributes charitable donations on behalf of users could hold donated funds in smart contracts that are paid to charities only if the charity satisfies certain pre-defined conditions.

 

The Ethereum Network has also been used as a platform for creating new digital assets and conducting their associated initial coin offerings. As of December 31, 2024, it is believed that a majority of digital assets not issued as the native token on their own blockchains were built on the Ethereum Network, with such assets representing a significant amount of the total market value of all digital assets.

 

More recently, the Ethereum Network has been used for DeFi or open finance platforms, which seek to democratize access to financial services, such as borrowing, lending, custody, trading, derivatives and insurance, by removing third-party intermediaries. DeFi can allow users to lend and earn interest on their digital assets, exchange one digital asset for another and create derivative digital assets such as algorithmic stablecoins, which are digital assets pegged to a reserve asset such as fiat currency. During 2024, between $29.4 billion and $79.2 billion worth of digital assets were locked up as collateral on DeFi platforms on the Ethereum Network.

 

In addition, the Ethereum Network and other smart contract platforms have been used for creating NFTs. Unlike digital assets native to smart contract platforms which are fungible and enable the payment of fees for smart contract execution, NFTs allow for digital ownership of assets that convey certain rights to other digital or real world assets. This new paradigm allows users to own rights to other assets through NFTs, which enable users to trade them with others on the Ethereum Network. For example, an NFT may convey rights to a digital asset that exists in an online game or a DApp, and users can trade their NFT in the DApp or game, and carry them to other digital experiences, creating an entirely new free-market internet-native economy that can be monetized in the physical world.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

You should consider carefully the risks described below before making an investment decision. You should also refer to the other information included in this Prospectus, as well as information found in documents incorporated by reference in this Prospectus before you decide to purchase any Shares. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by risk factors contained in any periodic report, Prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or in other reports filed with the SEC in the future.

 

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Risk Factors Related to Digital Assets

 

The trading prices of many digital assets, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all or substantially all of their value.

 

The trading prices of many digital assets, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. For instance, there were steep increases in the value of certain digital assets, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, over the course of 2017, followed by steep drawdowns throughout 2018 in digital asset trading prices, including for the Portfolio Digital Assets. These drawdowns notwithstanding, digital asset prices, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, increased significantly again during 2019, decreased significantly again in the first quarter of 2020 amidst broader market declines as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak and increased significantly again over the remainder of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Digital asset prices, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, continued to experience significant and sudden changes throughout 2021 followed by steep drawdowns in the fourth quarter of 2021, and throughout 2022, and digital asset prices have continued to fluctuate through 2024 and to date in 2025.

 

Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all or substantially all of their value. Furthermore, negative perception, a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the digital asset economy may reduce confidence in the digital asset economy and may result in greater volatility in the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets and other digital assets, including a depreciation in value.

 

Digital assets such as the Portfolio Digital Assets are a relatively new asset class, and the medium-to-long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies and to the fundamental investment characteristics of digital assets.

 

Digital assets such as the Portfolio Digital Assets are a relatively new asset class, and the medium-to-long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies, such as the recentness of their development, their dependence on the internet and other technologies, usership, developers and node operators (as described below) and the potential for malicious activity. For example, the realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Shares:

 

Digital asset networks, including the Solana and Ethereum Networks, and the software used to operate them are in the early stages of development. Given the recentness of the development of blockchain networks, their associated digital assets may not function as intended and, in turn, parties may be unwilling to use digital assets, which would dampen the potential growth of blockchain networks. The value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the fundamental investment characteristics of digital assets, including the fact that digital assets are bearer instruments and loss, theft, compromise, or destruction of the associated private keys could result in permanent loss of the asset.

Blockchains are dependent upon the internet. A disruption of the internet or a digital asset network, such as the Solana and Ethereum Networks, could affect the ability to transfer digital assets, including the Portfolio Digital Assets, and, consequently, their value.

The acceptance of software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the node operators in a digital asset network, such as the Solana and Ethereum Networks, could result in a “fork” in such network’s blockchain, including the Solana and Ethereum Blockchains, resulting in the operation of multiple separate networks.

Governance of the Solana and Ethereum Networks is by voluntary consensus and open competition. As a result, there may be a lack of consensus or clarity on the governance of the Solana or Ethereum Networks, which may stymie the Solana and Ethereum Networks utility and ability to grow and face challenges or serve as a catalyst for a hard fork of the network. In particular, it may be difficult to find solutions or martial sufficient effort to overcome any future problems on the Solana and Ethereum Network, especially long-term problems.

 

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To the extent that any validators cease to process transactions that do not include the payment of a transaction fee in validated blocks, such transactions will not be recorded on the Solana and Ethereum Blockchains. Any widespread delays in the processing of transactions could result in a loss of confidence in a digital asset network.

Many digital asset networks face significant scaling challenges and are being upgraded with various features designed to increase the speed of digital asset transactions and the number of transactions that can be processed in a given period (known as “throughput”). These attempts to increase the volume of transactions may not be effective, and such upgrades may fail, resulting in potentially irreparable damage to the Solana and Ethereum Networks and the value of the Portfolio Digital Assets. Furthermore, successful improvements to the scalability of digital asset networks often come at the expense of decentralization and/or security.

Moreover, in the past, flaws in the source code for blockchains, their respective native assets, and digital assets they host have been exposed and exploited, including flaws that disabled some functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information and/or resulted in the theft of users’ digital assets. The cryptography underlying the Portfolio Digital Assets could prove to be breakable or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology, including advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum computing, could result in such cryptography becoming ineffective. In any of these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to compromise the security of the Solana and Ethereum Network or take the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets, which would adversely affect the value of the Shares. Moreover, functionality of the Solana or Ethereum Networks may be negatively affected such that it is no longer attractive to users, thereby dampening demand for the Portfolio Digital Assets. Even if another digital asset other than the Portfolio Digital Assets were affected by similar circumstances, any reduction in confidence in the source code or cryptography underlying digital assets generally could negatively affect the demand for digital assets and therefore adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

Moreover, because digital assets have been in existence for a relatively short period of time and are continuing to develop, there may be additional risks in the future that are impossible to predict as of the date of this Prospectus.

 

Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Shares depends on the acceptance of ether.

 

The first digital asset, bitcoin, was launched in 2009. The Ethereum network launched in 2015 (though some ether was sold in a pre-mine in 2014). Ether and SOL, along with bitcoin, were among the first cryptographic digital assets to gain global adoption and critical mass. In general, digital asset networks, including the Ethereum network and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of digital assets, represent a new and rapidly evolving industry that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. For example, the realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Shares:

Digital assets are only selectively accepted as a means of payment by retail and commercial outlets, and use of digital assets by consumers to pay such retail and commercial outlets remains limited. Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds for digital asset transactions; process wire transfers to or from digital asset exchanges, digital asset-related companies or service providers; or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in digital asset. As a result, the prices of ether may be influenced to a significant extent by speculators, thus contributing to price volatility that makes retailers less likely to accept digital assets in the future.

Banks may not provide banking services, or may cut off banking services, to businesses that provide digital asset-related services or that accept digital assets as payment, which could dampen liquidity in the market and damage the public perception of digital assets generally or any one digital asset in particular and their or its utility as a payment system, which could decrease the price of digital assets generally or individually. Further, the lack of availability of banking services could prevent the Trust from being able to complete creations and redemptions of Baskets, the timely liquidation of the Portfolio Digital Assets and withdrawal of assets from the Custodian even if the Sponsor determined that such liquidation was appropriate or suitable, or otherwise disrupt the Trust’s operations.

 

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Certain privacy-preserving features have been or are expected to be introduced to digital asset networks For example, some prominent contributors to the Ethereum Network have proposed the concept of “privacy pools,” zero-knowledge proofs, and other privacy-preserving features. If any such features are introduced to the Solana or Ethereum Networks, any exchanges or businesses that facilitate transactions in the Portfolio Digital Assets may be at an increased risk of criminal or civil lawsuits, or of having banking services cut off if there is a concern that these features interfere with the performance of anti-money laundering duties and economic sanctions checks or facilitate illicit financing or crime.

Users, protocol and application developers and validators may otherwise switch to or adopt certain digital assets at the expense of their engagement with other digital asset networks, which may negatively impact those networks, including the Solana and Ethereum Networks.

 

Recent developments in the digital asset economy have led to extreme volatility and disruption in digital asset markets, a loss of confidence in participants of the digital asset ecosystem, significant negative publicity surrounding digital assets broadly and market-wide declines in liquidity.

 

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2021 and continuing throughout 2022 and through 2023, digital asset prices began falling precipitously. This has led to volatility and disruption in the digital asset markets and financial difficulties for several prominent industry participants, including digital asset trading platforms, hedge funds and lending platforms. For example, in the first half of 2022, digital asset lenders Celsius Network LLC and Voyager Digital Ltd. and digital asset hedge fund Three Arrows Capital each declared bankruptcy, and the stablecoin TerraUSD collapsed. These events caused a loss of confidence in participants in the digital asset ecosystem, negative publicity surrounding digital assets more broadly and market-wide declines in digital asset trading prices and liquidity.

 

Thereafter, in November 2022, FTX, the third largest digital asset trading platform by volume at the time, halted customer withdrawals amid rumors of the company’s liquidity issues and likely insolvency. Shortly thereafter, FTX’s CEO resigned and FTX and numerous affiliates of FTX filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. Department of Justice subsequently brought criminal charges, including charges of fraud, violations of federal securities laws, money laundering, and campaign finance offenses, against FTX’s former CEO and others. FTX is also under investigation by the SEC, the Justice Department, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as well as by various regulatory authorities in the Bahamas, Europe and other jurisdictions. In response to these events, the digital asset markets have experienced extreme price volatility and declines in liquidity, and regulatory and enforcement scrutiny has increased, including from the DOJ, the SEC, the CFTC, the White House and Congress. In addition, several other entities in the digital asset industry filed for bankruptcy following FTX’s bankruptcy filing, such as BlockFi Inc. and Genesis Global Capital, LLC. The SEC also brought charges against Genesis Global Capital, LLC and Gemini Trust Company, LLC on January 12, 2023 for their alleged unregistered offer and sale of securities to retail investors. In October 2023, the New York Attorney General brought charges against Gemini, Genesis Global Capital and numerous affiliates of Genesis Global Capital, and Digital Currency Group alleging violations of law relating to the Gemini Earn program. In May 2024, the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York approved a settlement of the charges with the Genesis entities.

 

The collapse of TerraUSD and the bankruptcy filings of FTX, Celsius, Voyager and BlockFi have resulted in calls for heightened scrutiny and regulation of the digital asset industry, with a specific focus on digital asset trading platforms, and custodians. Federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies are expected to introduce and enact new laws and regulations to regulate digital asset intermediaries, such as digital asset trading platforms and custodians. The U.S. regulatory regime – namely the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress and certain U.S. agencies (e.g., the SEC, the CFTC, FinCEN, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) as well as the White House have issued reports and releases concerning digital assets, including ether and digital asset markets. However, the extent and content of any forthcoming laws and regulations are not yet ascertainable with certainty, and it may not be ascertainable in the near future. It is possible that new laws and increased regulation and regulatory scrutiny may require the Trust to comply with certain regulatory regimes, which could result in new costs for the Trust. The Trust may have to devote increased time and attention to regulatory matters, which could increase costs to the Trust. New laws, regulations and regulatory actions could significantly restrict or eliminate the market for, or uses of, digital assets including the Portfolio Digital Assets, which could have a negative effect on the value of the Portfolio Digital Assets, which in turn would have a negative effect on the value of the Trust’s Shares.

 

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These events are continuing to develop at a rapid pace and it is not possible to predict at this time all of the risks that they may pose to the Sponsor, the Trust, their affiliates and/or the Trust’s third-party service providers, or to the digital asset industry as a whole.

 

Continued disruption and instability in the digital asset markets as these events develop, including further declines in the trading prices and liquidity of the Portfolio Digital Assets, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all or substantially all of their value.

 

Digital assets may have concentrated ownership and large sales or distributions by holders of such digital assets could have an adverse effect on the market price of such digital assets.

 

A concentrated number of Solana wallets is believed to hold, in aggregate, a significant percentage of the PENGU in circulation. Moreover, it is possible that other persons or entities control multiple wallets that collectively hold a significant number of ether, even if they individually only hold a small amount, and it is possible that some of these wallets are controlled by the same person or entity. As a result of this concentration of ownership, large sales or distributions by such holders could have an adverse effect on the market price of PENGU.

 

It may be illegal now, or in the future, to acquire, own, hold, sell or use digital assets in one or more countries.

 

Countries such as China, India and Russia have previously taken regulatory action to prohibit certain activities relating to digital assets and may take additional steps to prohibit or otherwise limit the use of digital assets in the future. In addition, countries may impose new or existing regulatory regimes on digital assets that are inconsistent with their intended operation. The imposition of such regulatory regimes on digital assets may have wide ranging implications on the offer, sale, trading, clearing and use of such assets, which may impede their continued adoption. Such regulatory regimes may adversely affect an investment in the Shares.

 

For example, in the United States, the SEC has been active in asserting its jurisdiction over digital assets. Specifically, the SEC and its staff have taken the position that certain digital assets fall within the definition of a security under the U.S. federal securities laws, beginning with the June 2017 Report of Investigation that concluded that “DAO Tokens” were investment contracts, because they were issued with the purpose of raising funds for investing in digital assets. More recently, the bankruptcy filings of FTX, the third largest digital asset trading platform by volume at the time of its filing, and other bankruptcy filings of crypto companies throughout calendar year 2022 have increased the regulatory scrutiny of the digital asset industry. On June 5, 2023, the SEC charged each of Coinbase and Binance with operating its digital asset trading platform as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker and clearing agency, asserting that certain assets supported on each trading platform are securities. Furthermore, in August 2022, OFAC banned all U.S. citizens from using Tornado Cash, a digital asset protocol designed to obfuscate blockchain transactions, by adding certain Ethereum wallet addresses associated with the protocol to its Specially Designated Nationals list.

 

In addition, Congress continues to consider potential legislation designed to comprehensively regulate the digital asset industry in the U.S. If enacted, such new legislation could dramatically restructure the regulatory framework within which digital assets may be offered, sold, traded, cleared and used in the U.S. Such a restructuring could affect the viability of digital assets in the U.S. and accordingly adversely affect an investment in the Shares.

 

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Risks Associated with PENGU and the Solana Network

 

The Trading Prices Of Many Digital Assets, Including PENGU, Have Experienced Extreme Volatility In Recent Periods And May Continue To Do So. Extreme Volatility In The Future, Including Further Declines In The Trading Prices Of PENGU, Could Have A Material Adverse Effect On The Value Of The Shares And The Shares Could Lose All Or Substantially All Of Their Value.

 

The trading prices of many digital assets, including PENGU, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. For instance, there were steep increases in the value of certain digital assets over the course of 2021, and multiple market observers asserted that digital assets were experiencing a “bubble.” These increases were followed by steep drawdowns throughout 2022 in digital asset trading prices. These episodes of rapid price appreciation followed by steep drawdowns have occurred multiple times. Over the course of 2023, 2024 and into 2025, digital asset prices have continued to exhibit extreme volatility. While PENGU was launched in late 2024, it has already demonstrated tendencies for rapid and pronounced price swings.

 

Extreme volatility may persist and the value of the Shares may significantly decline in the future without recovery. The digital asset markets may still be experiencing a bubble or may experience a bubble again in the future. For example, in the first half of 2022, each of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital Ltd., and Three Arrows Capital declared bankruptcy, resulting in a loss of confidence in participants of the digital asset ecosystem and negative publicity surrounding digital assets more broadly. In November 2022, FTX Trading Ltd. (“FTX”), one of the largest digital asset exchanges by volume at the time, halted customer withdrawals amid rumors of the company’s liquidity issues and likely insolvency, which were subsequently corroborated by its CEO. Shortly thereafter, FTX’s CEO resigned and FTX and many of its affiliates filed for bankruptcy in the United States, while other affiliates have entered insolvency, liquidation, or similar proceedings around the globe, following which the U.S. Department of Justice brought criminal fraud and other charges, and the SEC and CFTC brought civil securities and commodities fraud charges, against certain of FTX’s and its affiliates’ senior executives, including its former CEO. In addition, several other entities in the digital asset industry filed for bankruptcy following FTX’s bankruptcy filing, such as BlockFi Inc. and Genesis Global Capital, LLC (“Genesis”). In response to these events (collectively, the “2022 Events”), the digital asset markets have experienced extreme price volatility and other entities in the digital asset industry have been, and may continue to be, negatively affected, further undermining confidence in the digital asset markets.

 

Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of PENGU, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all or substantially all of their value. Furthermore, negative perception, a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the digital asset economy may reduce confidence in the digital asset economy and may result in greater volatility in the price of PENGU and other digital assets, including a depreciation in value.

 

The Value Of The Shares Depends On The Development And Acceptance Of The Solana Network. The Slowing Or Stopping Of The Development Or Acceptance Of The Solana Network May Adversely Affect An Investment In The Trust.

 

Digital assets were only introduced within the past 16 years, and the medium to long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors over time relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies, such as the recentness of their development, their dependence on the internet and other technologies, their dependence on the role played by users, developers validators and the potential for malicious activity. For example, the realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Shares: digital asset networks, including the Solana Network, and the software used to operate them are in the early stages of development. Given the recentness of the development of digital asset networks, digital assets may not function as intended and parties may be unwilling to use digital assets, which would dampen the growth, if any, of digital asset networks. Because PENGU is a digital asset, the value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors relating to the fundamental investment characteristics of digital assets, including the fact that digital assets are bearer instruments and loss, theft, compromise, or destruction of the associated private keys could result in permanent loss of the asset.

 

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The Solana Network, including the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols associated with the operation of the Solana Blockchain, has only been in existence since 2017, and PENGU markets have a limited performance record, making them part of a new and rapidly evolving industry that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. For example, the following are some of the risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Shares:

 

Digital assets, including PENGU, are controllable only by the possessor of both the unique public key and private key or keys relating to the Solana Network address, or “wallet”, at which the digital asset is held. Private keys must be safeguarded and kept private in order to prevent a third party from accessing the digital asset held in such wallet. The loss, theft, compromise or destruction of a private key required to access a digital asset may be irreversible. If a private key is lost, stolen, destroyed or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private key is accessible, the owner would be unable to access the digital asset corresponding to that private key and the private key will not be capable of being restored by the digital asset network resulting in the total loss of the value of the digital asset linked to the private key.

 

Digital asset networks are dependent upon the internet. A disruption of the internet or a digital asset network, such as the Solana Network, would affect the ability to transfer digital assets, including PENGU, and, consequently, their value.

 

Governance of the Solana Network is by voluntary consensus and open competition. As a result, there may be a lack of consensus or clarity on the governance of the Solana Network, which may stymie the Solana Network’s utility and ability to grow and face challenges. In particular, it may be difficult to find solutions or martial sufficient effort to overcome any future problems on the Solana Network, especially long-term problems.

 

The foregoing notwithstanding, the Solana Network’s protocol is informally overseen by a collective of core developers who propose amendments to the relevant network’s source code. Core developers’ roles evolve over time, largely based on self-determined participation. If a significant majority of users and validators were to adopt amendments to the Solana Network based on the proposals of such core developers, the Solana Network would be subject to new protocols that may adversely affect the value of PENGU.

 

To the extent that any validators cease to record transactions that do not include the payment of a transaction fee in solved blocks or do not record a transaction because the transaction fee is too low, such transactions will not be recorded on the Solana Blockchain until a block is validated by a validator who does not require the payment of transaction fees or is willing to accept a lower fee. Any widespread delays in the recording of transactions could result in a loss of confidence in a digital asset network.

 

As the Solana Network continues to develop and grow, certain technical issues might be uncovered and the trouble shooting and resolution of such issues requires the attention and efforts of Solana’s global development community. Like all software, the Solana Network is at risk of vulnerabilities and bugs that can potentially be exploited by malicious actors.

 

Many digital asset networks, including the Solana Network, face significant scaling challenges and are being upgraded with various features designed to increase the speed of digital asset transactions and the number of transactions that can processed in a given period (known as “throughput”). These attempts to increase the volume of transactions may not be effective, and such upgrades may fail, resulting in potentially irreparable damage to the Solana Network and the value of PENGU.

 

Moreover, in the past, bugs, defects and flaws in the source code for digital assets have been exposed and exploited, including flaws that disrupted normal Solana Network, Solana Client, or DApp and smart contract operations or disabled related functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information and/or resulted in the theft of users’ digital assets. The cryptography underlying the Solana Network or PENGU as an asset could prove to be flawed or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology, including advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum computing, could result in such cryptography becoming ineffective. In any of these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to compromise the security of the Solana Network or take the Trust’s PENGU, which would adversely affect the value of the Shares. Moreover, normal operations and functionality of the Solana Network may be negatively affected Such losses of functionality could lead to the Solana Network losing attractiveness to users, nodes, validators, or other stakeholders, thereby dampening demand for PENGU. Even if another digital asset other than PENGU were affected by similar circumstances, any reduction in confidence in the source code or cryptography underlying digital assets generally could negatively affect the demand for digital assets and therefore adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

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The Solana Network is still in the process of developing and making significant decisions that will affect policies that govern Solana Network protocols. The open-source nature of many digital asset network protocols, such as the protocol for the Solana Network, means that developers and other contributors are generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and developing such protocols. As a result, the developers and other contributors of a particular digital asset may lack a financial incentive to maintain or develop the network, or may lack the resources to adequately address emerging issues. Alternatively, some developers may be funded by companies whose interests are at odds with other participants in a particular digital asset network. If the Solana Network does not successfully develop its policies on supply and issuance, and other major design decisions or does so in a manner that is not attractive to network participants it could lead to a decline in adoption of the Solana Network and price of PENGU.

 

Moreover, because digital assets, including PENGU, have been in existence for a short period of time and are continuing to develop, there may be additional risks in the future that are impossible to predict as of the date of this Prospectus.

 

The Solana Protocol Was Only Conceived In 2017 And The Solana Protocol Or Its Proof-of-History Timestamping Mechanism May Not Function As Intended, Which Could Have An Adverse Impact On The Value Of PENGU And An Investment In The Shares.

 

The Solana protocol was first conceived by Anatoly Yakovenko in a 2017 whitepaper, and introduced the Proof-of-History (“PoH”) timestamping mechanism. PoH is a timestamping mechanism that automatically orders on-chain transactions by creating a historical record that proves an event has occurred at a specific moment in time. PoH is intended to provide a transaction processing speed and capacity advantage over other blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which rely on sequential production of blocks and can lead to delays caused by validator confirmations.

 

PoH is a new blockchain technology that is not widely used, and may not function as intended. For example, it may require more specialized equipment to participate in the network and fail to attract a significant number of users. In addition, there may be flaws in the cryptography underlying PoH or the Solana protocol, including flaws that affect functionality of the Solana Network or make the network vulnerable to attack.

 

For example, on September 14, 2021, the Solana Network experienced a significant disruption, later attributed to a type of denial of service attack, and was offline for 17 hours, only returning to full functionality 24 hours later. The development of the Solana Network is ongoing and any further disruption could have a material adverse effect on the value of PENGU and an investment in the Shares.

 

Digital Assets Represent A New And Rapidly Evolving Industry, And The Value Of The Shares Depends On The Acceptance Of PENGU.

 

The first major blockchain-based digital asset, bitcoin, was launched in 2009. The Solana Network launched in 2017. In general, digital asset networks, including the Solana Network and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. For example, the realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Shares:

 

Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds for PENGU transactions; process wire transfers to or from digital asset trading platforms, PENGU-related companies or service providers; or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in PENGU. As a result, the prices of PENGU are largely determined by speculators and validators, thus contributing to price volatility.

 

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Banks may not provide banking services, or may cut off banking services, to businesses that provide digital asset related services or that accept digital assets as payment, which could dampen liquidity in the market and damage the public perception of digital assets generally or any one digital asset in particular, such as PENGU, and their or its utility as a payment system, which could decrease the price of digital assets generally or individually.

 

Certain privacy-preserving features have been or are expected to be introduced to a number of digital asset networks. If any such features are introduced to the Solana Network, any trading platforms or businesses that facilitate transactions in PENGU may be at an increased risk of criminal or civil lawsuits, or of having banking services cut off if there is a concern that these features interfere with the performance of anti-money laundering duties and economic sanctions checks.

 

Users, developers and validators may otherwise switch to or adopt certain digital assets at the expense of their engagement.

 

Due To The Nature Of Private Keys, PENGU Transactions Are Irrevocable And Stolen Or Incorrectly Transferred PENGU May Be Irretrievable. As A Result, Any Incorrectly Executed PENGU Transactions Could Adversely Affect An Investment In The Trust.

 

PENGU transactions are typically not reversible without the consent and active participation of the recipient of the transaction. Once a transaction has been signed with private keys, verified and recorded in a block that is added to the Solana Blockchain, an incorrect transfer of cryptocurrency, such as PENGU, or a theft of PENGU generally will not be reversible and the Trust may not be capable of seeking compensation for any such transfer or theft. Although the Trust’s transfers of PENGU will regularly be made to or from the Trust’s accounts at the Custodian, it is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal action, the Trust’s PENGU could be transferred from the Trust’s account at the Custodian in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties, or to uncontrolled accounts. To the extent that the Trust is unable to successfully seek redress for such error or theft, such loss could adversely affect an investment in the Trust.

 

The custody of the Trust’s PENGU is handled by the Custodian, and the transfer of PENGU to and from trading counterparties normally takes place through the Custodian’s Clearing Services and is directed by the Administrator and the Transfer Agent. The Sponsor has evaluated the procedures and internal controls of the Trust’s Custodian to safeguard the Trust’s PENGU holdings, as well as the procedures and internal controls of the Trust’s Administrator.

 

However, it is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal action, the Trust’s PENGU could be transferred from the Trust’s Digital Asset Account at the Custodian or at the in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties, or to incorrect destination addresses on the Solana Blockchain.

 

Alternatively, if the Custodian’s internal procedures and controls are inadequate to safeguard the Trust’s PENGU holdings, and the Trust’s private key(s) is (are) lost, destroyed or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private key(s) is (are) accessible, the Trust will be unable to access its PENGU, which could adversely affect an investment in the Shares of the Trust. In addition, if the Trust’s private key(s) is (are) misappropriated and the Trust’s PENGU holdings are stolen, including from or by the Custodian, the Trust could lose some or all of its PENGU holdings, which could adversely impact an investment in the Shares of the Trust.

 

Such events have occurred in connection with digital assets in the past. For example, in September 2014, the Chinese digital asset exchange Huobi announced that it had sent approximately 900 bitcoins and 8,000 Litecoins (worth approximately $400,000 at the prevailing market prices at the time) to the wrong customers. To the extent that the Trust is unable to seek a corrective transaction with such third party or is incapable of identifying the third party which has received the Trust’s PENGU through error or theft, the Trust will be unable to revert or otherwise recover incorrectly transferred PENGU. The Trust will also be unable to convert or recover its PENGU transferred to uncontrolled accounts. To the extent that the Trust is unable to seek redress for such error or theft, such loss could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

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A Disruption Of The Internet May Affect Solana Operations, Which May Adversely Affect PENGU And An Investment In The Trust.

 

The Solana Network relies on the Internet. A significant disruption of Internet connectivity (i.e., one that affects large numbers of users or geographic regions) could disrupt the Solana Network’s functionality and operations until the disruption in the Internet is resolved. A disruption in the Internet could adversely affect an investment in the Trust or the ability of the Trust to operate.

 

The Solana Network’s Decentralized Governance Structure May Negatively Affect Its Ability To Grow And Respond To Challenges.

 

The governance of decentralized networks, such as the Solana Network, is by voluntary consensus and open competition. In other words, the Solana Network has no central decision-making body or clear manner in which participants can come to an agreement other than through voluntary, widespread consensus. As a result, a lack of widespread consensus in the governance of the Solana Network may adversely affect the network’s utility and ability to adapt and face challenges, including technical and scaling challenges. Historically the development of the source code of the Solana Network has been overseen by Solana Labs, the Solana Foundation, and other core developers. Core developers’ roles evolve over time, largely based on self-determined participation. If a significant majority of users and validators adopt amendments to a decentralized network based on the proposals of such core developers, such network will be subject to new protocols that may adversely affect the value of the relevant digital asset. However, the Solana Network would cease to operate successfully without both validators and users, and the core developers cannot formally compel them to adopt the changes to the source code desired by core developers, or to continue to render services or participate in the Solana Network. As a general matter, the governance of the Solana Network generally depends on most of members of the Solana community ultimately reaching some form of voluntary agreement on significant changes.

 

The decentralized governance of the Solana Network may make it difficult to find or implement solutions or marshal sufficient effort to overcome existing or future problems, especially protracted ones requiring substantial directed effort and resource commitment over a long period of time, such as scaling challenges. The Solana Network’s failure to overcome governance challenges could exacerbate problems experienced by the network or cause the network to fail to meet the needs of its users, and could cause users, miners, and developer talent to abandon the Solana Network or to choose competing blockchain protocols, or lead to a drop in speculative interest, which could cause the value of PENGU to decline. If the Solana community is unable to reach consensus in the future, it could have adverse consequences for the network or lead to a fork, which could affect the value of PENGU.

 

The Open-Source Structure Of The Solana Network Protocol Means That The Core Developers And Other Contributors Are Generally Not Directly Compensated For Their Contributions In Maintaining And Developing The Solana Network Protocol. A Failure To Properly Monitor And Upgrade The Solana Network Protocol Could Damage The Solana Network And An Investment In The Trust.

 

The Solana Network operates based on an open-source protocol maintained by the core developers and other contributors, largely on the GitHub resource section dedicated to Solana Netowrk development. As new SOL are rewarded solely for validator activity (other than the 500 million minted in 2018 upon launch of the Solana testnet) and are not sold on an ongoing basis to generate revenue to support development activity, and the Solana Network protocol itself is made available for free rather than sold or made available subject to licensing or subscription fees and its use does not generate revenues for its development team, the core developers are generally not compensated for maintaining and updating the source code for the Solana Network protocol. Consequently, there is a lack of financial incentive for developers to maintain or develop the Solana Network and the core developers may lack the resources to adequately address emerging issues with the Solana Network protocol. Although the Solana Network is currently supported by the core developers, there can be no guarantee that such support will continue or be sufficient in the future. The perception that high-profile contributors may no longer contribute to the network may have an adverse effect on the market price of any related digital assets. For example, in June 2017, an unfounded rumor circulated that Ethereum core developer Vitalik Buterin had died. Following the rumor, the price of ETH decreased approximately 20% before recovering after Buterin himself dispelled the rumor. Some have speculated that the rumor led to the decrease in the price of ETH. In the event a high-profile contributor to the Solana Network is perceived as no longer able to contribute to the Solana Network due to death, retirement, withdrawal, incapacity, or otherwise, whether or not such perception is valid, it could negatively affect the price of PENGU, which could adversely impact the value of the Shares.

 

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In another example, FTX, one of the largest Digital asset trading platforms at the time, experienced a high-profile collapse in November 2022. Along with its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and Alameda Research (a digital asset trading firm also owned by Bankman-Fried), FTX had provided substantial financial and developmental support to the Solana project. Bankman-Fried was also a strong and vocal supporter of SOL and the Solana Network. It does not appear, however, that FTX, Alameda Research, or any other Bankman-Fried-affiliated entity had a formal relationship with Solana Labs or the Solana Foundation, or that Solana Labs or the Solana Foundation were involved in any of FTX, Alameda Research or Bankman-Fried’s alleged misconduct. Based on public information it does not appear that FTX or Alameda Research operated a validator node on the Solana Network. The price of SOL fell severely immediately following the news of FTX’s insolvency (although it has since recovered substantially).

 

In the event a high-profile contributor to the Solana Network, such as Anatoly Yakovenko, is perceived as no longer contributing to the Solana Network due to death, retirement, withdrawal, incapacity, or otherwise, whether or not such perception is valid, it could negatively affect the price of PENGU, which could adversely impact the value of the Shares.

 

Alternatively, some developers may be funded by entities whose interests are at odds with other participants in the Solana Network.

 

In addition, a bad actor could also attempt to interfere with the operation of the Solana Network by attempting to exercise a malign influence over a core developer. To the extent that material issues arise with the Solana Network protocol and the core developers and open-source contributors are unable to address the issues adequately or in a timely manner, the Solana Network and an investment in the Trust may be adversely affected.

 

Digital assets may have concentrated ownership and large sales or distributions by holders of such digital assets, or any ability to participate in or otherwise influence a digital asset’s underlying network, could have an adverse effect on the market price of such digital asset.

 

[As of ________, 20__, the largest [100] PENGU wallets held approximately ____% of the PENGU in circulation.] Moreover, it is possible that other persons or entities control multiple wallets that collectively hold a significant number of PENGU, even if they individually only hold a small amount, and it is possible that some of these wallets are controlled by the same person or entity. As a result of this concentration of ownership, large sales or distributions by such holders could have an adverse effect on the market price of PENGU.

 

A Temporary Or Permanent “Fork” or a “Clone” Of The Solana Blockchain Could Adversely Affect The Value Of The Shares.

 

The Solana Network operates using open-source protocols, meaning that any user can download the software, modify it and then propose that the users and validators of the Solana adopt the modification. When a modification is introduced and a substantial majority of users and validators’ consent to the modification, the change is implemented and the network remains uninterrupted. However, if less than a substantial majority of users and validators’ consent to the proposed modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “hard fork” of the Solana Network, with one group running the pre-modified software and the other running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence of two versions of the Solana Network running in parallel, yet lacking interchangeability. For example, in September 2022, the Ethereum Network transitioned to a proof-of-stake model, in an upgrade referred to as the “Merge.” Following the Merge, a hard fork of the Ethereum Network occurred, as certain Ethereum miners and network participants planned to maintain the proof-of-work consensus mechanism that was removed as part of the Merge. This version of the network was rebranded as “Ethereum Proof-of-Work.”

 

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Forks may also occur as a network community’s response to a significant security breach. For example, in July 2016, Ethereum “forked” into Ethereum and a new digital asset, Ethereum Classic, as a result of the Ethereum Network community’s response to a significant security breach. In June 2016, an anonymous hacker exploited a smart contract running on the Ethereum Network to syphon approximately $60 million of ETH held by The DAO, a distributed autonomous organization, into a segregated account. In response to the hack, most participants in the Ethereum community elected to adopt a “fork” that effectively reversed the hack. However, a minority of users continued to develop the original blockchain, referred to as “Ethereum Classic” with the digital asset on that blockchain now referred to as ETC. ETC now trades on several Digital asset trading platforms. A fork may also occur as a result of an unintentional or unanticipated software flaw in the various versions of otherwise compatible software that users run. Such a fork could lead to users and validators abandoning the digital asset with the flawed software. It is possible, however, that a substantial number of users and validators could adopt an incompatible version of the digital asset while resisting community-led efforts to merge the two chains. This could result in a permanent fork, as in the case of Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.

 

Furthermore, a hard fork can lead to new security concerns. For example, when the Ethereum and Ethereum Classic networks, two other digital asset networks, split in July 2016, replay attacks, in which transactions from one network were rebroadcast to nefarious effect on the other network, plagued Ethereum trading platforms through at least October 2016. An Ethereum trading platform announced in July 2016 that it had lost 40,000 Ethereum Classic, worth about $100,000 at that time, as a result of replay attacks. Similar replay attack concerns occurred in connection with the Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision networks split in November 2018. Another possible result of a hard fork is an inherent decrease in the level of security due to significant amounts of validating power remaining on one network or migrating instead to the new forked network. After a hard fork, it may become easier for an individual validator or validating pool’s validating power to exceed 50% of the validating power of a digital asset network that retained or attracted less validating power, thereby making digital asset networks that rely on proof-of-stake more susceptible to attack.

 

Protocols may also be cloned. Unlike a fork, which modifies an existing blockchain, and results in two competing networks, each with the same genesis block, a “clone” is a copy of a protocol’s codebase, but results in an entirely new blockchain and new genesis block. Tokens are created solely from the new “clone” network and, in contrast to forks, holders of tokens of the existing network that was cloned do not receive any tokens of the new network. A “clone” results in a competing network that has characteristics substantially similar to the network it was based on, subject to any changes as determined by the developer(s) that initiated the clone.

 

A hard fork may adversely affect the price of PENGU at the time of announcement or adoption. For example, the announcement of a hard fork could lead to increased demand for the pre-fork digital asset, in anticipation that ownership of the pre-fork digital asset would entitle holders to a new digital asset following the fork. The increased demand for the pre-fork digital asset may cause the price of the digital asset to rise. After the hard fork, it is possible the aggregate price of the two versions of the digital asset running in parallel would be less than the price of the digital asset immediately prior to the fork. Furthermore, while the Trust would be entitled to both versions of the digital asset running in parallel, the Sponsor will, as permitted by the terms of the Trust Agreement, determine which version of the digital asset is generally accepted as the Solana Network and should therefore be considered the appropriate network for the Trust’s purposes, and there is no guarantee that the Sponsor will choose the digital asset that is ultimately the most valuable fork.

 

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Either of these events could therefore adversely impact the value of the Shares. As an illustrative example of a digital asset hard fork, following the DAO hack in July 2016, holders of Ethereum voted on-chain to reverse the hack, effectively causing a hard fork. For the days following the vote, the price of Ethereum rose from $11.65 on July 15, 2016 to $14.66 on July 21, 2016, the day after the first Ethereum Classic block was mined. A clone may also adversely affect the price of PENGU at the time of announcement or adoption. For example, on November 6, 2016, Rhett Creighton, a Zcash developer, cloned the Zcash Network to launch Zclassic, a substantially identical version of the Zcash Network that eliminated the Founders’ Reward. For the days following the date the first Zclassic block was mined, the price of ZEC fell from $504.57 on November 5, 2016 to $236.01 on November 7, 2016 in the midst of a broader sell off of ZEC beginning immediately after the Zcash Network launch on October 28, 2016. A clone may also adversely affect the price of PENGU at the time of announcement or adoption. A future fork in or clone of the Solana Network could adversely affect the value of the Shares or the ability of the Trust to operate.

 

[Shareholders May Not Receive The Benefits Of Any Forks Or “Airdrops.”

 

We refer to the right to receive any benefits arising from a fork, airdrop (defined below), or similar event as an “Incidental Right” and any such virtual currency acquired through an Incidental Right as “IR Virtual Currency.” The Trust has adopted the following procedures to address situations involving any fork, airdrop or similar event that results in the issuance of Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency that the Trust may receive. The Trust Agreement stipulates that if a fork occurs, the Sponsor shall determine which asset constitutes SOL and which network constitutes the Solana Network, and the Sponsor will as soon as possible cause the Trust to irrevocably abandon the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency. Because the Trust will abandon any Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency, the Trust would not receive any direct or indirect consideration for the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency and thus the value of the Shares will not reflect the value of the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency. Such Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency will not be taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. In the event the Trust seeks to change this position, an application would need to be filed with the SEC by the Exchange seeking approval to amend its listing rules to permit the Trust to distribute the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency that is not SOL in-kind to the Sponsor, as agent for the Shareholders, and the Sponsor would arrange to sell or otherwise dispose of the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency and for the proceeds (if any) to be distributed to the Shareholders. There can be no assurance as to whether or when the Sponsor would make such a decision, or when the Exchange will seek or obtain this approval, if at all.

 

In addition to forks, a digital asset may become subject to a similar occurrence known as an “airdrop.” In an airdrop, the promotors of a new digital asset announce to holders of another digital asset that such holders will be entitled to claim a certain amount of the new digital asset for free, based on the fact that they hold such other digital asset. Neither the Trust nor the Sponsor shall be under any obligation to claim or attempt to secure or realize any economic benefit from “airdropped” assets, and the Sponsor will cause the Trust to irrevocably and permanently abandon, for no consideration, such Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency. In the event the Trust seeks to change this position, an application would need to be filed with the SEC by the Exchange seeking approval to amend its listing rules to permit the Trust to distribute the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency associated with the airdropped assets in-kind to the Sponsor, as agent for the Shareholders, and the Sponsor would arrange to sell or otherwise dispose of the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency and for the proceeds (if any) to be distributed to the Shareholders.

 

With respect to any fork, airdrop or similar event, the Sponsor will cause the Trust to irrevocably abandon the Incidental Rights and any IR Virtual Currency associated with such event. As such, Shareholders will not receive the benefits of any forks, and the Trust is not able to participate in any airdrop. In the event the Trust seeks to change this position, an application would need to be filed with the SEC by the Exchange seeking approval to amend its listing rules to permit the Trust to change this policy.

 

Even if required regulatory approval is sought and obtained, Shareholders may not receive the benefits of any forks, airdrops, or similar events, the Trust may not choose, or be able, to participate in an airdrop, and the timing of receiving any benefits from a fork, airdrop or similar event is uncertain. Any inability to recognize the economic benefit of a hard fork or airdrop could adversely affect the value of the Shares.]

 

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The Solana Blockchain Could Be Vulnerable To Attacks on Transaction Finality and Consensus Processes, Which Could Adversely Affect An Investment In The Trust Or The Ability Of The Trust To Operate.

 

The Solana Network is currently vulnerable to several types of attacks, including:

 

“33% attack” where, if a validator or group of validators were to gain control of more than 33% of the total staked SOL on the Solana Network, a malicious actor could temporarily impede or delay block confirmation or even cause a temporary fork in the blockchain.

 

“50% attack” where, if a validator or group of validators acting in concert were to gain control of more than 50% of the total staked SOL on the Solana Network, a malicious actor would be able to gain full control of the Solana Network and the ability to manipulate the blockchain on a forward-looking basis, including censoring transactions following the achievement of threshold, double-spending and fraudulent block propagation, while the attacker maintains the threshold. In theory, the minority non-attackers might reach social consensus to reject blocks proposed by the malicious majority attacker, reducing the attacker’s ability to engage in malicious activity, but there can be no assurance this would happen or that non-attackers would be able to coordinate effectively.

 

“>66% attack” where, if a validator or group of validators acting in concert were to gain control of more than 66% of the total staked SOL on the Solana Network, a malicious actor could permanently and irreversibly manipulate the blockchain, including censorship, double-spending and fraudulent block propagation, both on a forward-and backward-looking basis. The attacker could unilaterally finalize their preferred chain without the votes of any other stakers, and could also reverse past finalized blocks.

 

If a malicious actor, group or botnet (a volunteer or hacked collection of computers controlled by networked software coordinating the actions of the computers) obtains certain percentages of the validating power dedicated to validation on the Solana Network is controlled by a bad actor (often referred to as a “51% attack”, though the numerical thresholds vary in the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism of the Solana Network), it may be able to alter the Solana Blockchain on which the Solana Network and PENGU transactions rely. The Solana Network’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism requires a 2/3 supermajority of validators who have staked SOL to vote in favor in order to finalize transactions and add blocks to the Solana Blockchain. If the bad actor were to obtain 2/3 of the total SOL staked in validation processes, it is widely believed that the bad actor could construct fraudulent blocks, “double-spend” its own PENGU (i.e., spend the same PENGU in more than one transaction), or censor other users’ transactions by preventing them from being confirmed while continuing to validate and confirm its own transactions and earn the associated block reward, thereby enriching itself while also entrenching its own control of the Solana Blockchain. If the bad actor were to obtain 1/3 of the total SOL staked in validation processes, the bad actor could prevent certain transactions from completing in a timely manner, or at all, and prevent the confirmation of other users’ transactions, though this would likely be temporary (since it would likely be penalized for inactivity leakage, resulting in the bad actor’s staked SOL being slashed, as defined below) and it likely could not double spend or propagate fraudulent blocks without the 66% supermajority of staked assets. With control of the respective threshold of total staked assets on the Solana Network, it could be possible for the malicious actor to control, exclude or modify the ordering of transactions on the Solana Blockchain and prevent the confirmation of other users’ transactions, while continuing to mine new SOL and confirm its own blocks, for so long as it maintained control. To the extent that such malicious actor or botnet did not yield its control of the validating power on the Solana Network or the Solana community did not reject the fraudulent blocks as malicious or to the extent that such bad actor did not yield its control of processing power, reversing any changes made to the Solana Blockchain may be difficult or impossible. Further, a malicious actor or botnet could create a flood of transactions in order to slow down the Solana Network.

 

For example, in August 2020, the Ethereum Classic network was the target of two double-spend attacks by an unknown actor or actors that gained more than 50% of the processing power of the Ethereum Classic network. The attacks resulted in reorganizations of the Ethereum Classic blockchain that allowed the attacker or attackers to reverse previously recorded transactions in excess of $5.0 million and $1.0 million. Any similar attacks on the Solana Network could negatively impact the value of PENGU and the value of the Shares.

 

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In addition, in May 2019, the Bitcoin Cash network experienced a 51% attack when two large mining pools reversed a series of transactions in order to stop an unknown miner from taking advantage of a flaw in a recent Bitcoin Cash protocol upgrade. Although this particular attack was arguably benevolent, the fact that such coordinated activity was able to occur may negatively impact perceptions of the Bitcoin Cash network. Although the two attacks described above took place on proof-of-work-based networks, it is possible that a similar attack may occur on the Solana Network, which could negatively impact the value of PENGU and the value of the Shares.

 

Although there are no known reports of malicious control of the Solana Network, if groups of coordinating or connected SOL holders that together have more than 50% of outstanding SOL, were to stake that SOL and run validators, they could exert authority over the validation of PENGU transactions. This risk is heightened if over 50% of the validating power on the network falls within the jurisdiction of a single governmental authority. If network participants, including the core developers and the administrators of validating pools, do not act to ensure greater decentralization of SOL, the feasibility of a malicious actor obtaining control of the validating power on the Solana Network will increase, which may adversely affect the value PENGU and the value of the Shares.

 

A malicious actor may also obtain control over the Solana Network through its influence over core developers by gaining direct control over a core developer or an otherwise influential programmer. To the extent that users and miners accept amendments to the source code proposed by the controlled core developer, other core developers do not counter such amendments, and such amendments enable the malicious exploitation of the Solana Network, the risk that a malicious actor may be able to obtain control of the Solana Network in this manner exists. Moreover, it is possible that a group of SOL holders that together control more than 50% of outstanding SOL are in fact part of the initial or core developer group, or are otherwise influential members of the Solana community. To the extent that the initial or existing core developer groups also control more than the relevant thresholds of outstanding SOL, as some believe, the risk of and arising from this particular group of users obtaining control of the validating power on the Solana Network will be even greater, and should this materialize, it may adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

If Validators Exit The Solana Network, It Could Increase The Likelihood Of A Malicious Actor Obtaining Control.

 

Validators exiting the network could make the Solana Network more vulnerable to a malicious actor obtaining control of a large percentage of staked SOL, which might enable them to manipulate the Solana Blockchain by censoring or manipulating specific transactions, as discussed previously. If the Solana Blockchain suffers such an attack, the price of SOL could be negatively affected, and a loss of confidence in the Solana Network could result. Any reduction in confidence in the transaction confirmation process or staking power of the Solana Network may adversely affect an investment in the Trust.

 

Blockchain Technologies Are Based On Theoretical Conjectures As To The Impossibility Of Solving Certain Cryptographical Puzzles Quickly. These Premises May Be Incorrect Or May Become Incorrect Due To Technological Advances.

 

Blockchain technologies are premised on theoretical conjectures as to the impossibility, in practice, of solving certain mathematical problems quickly. Those conjectures remain unproven, however, and mathematical or technological advances could conceivably prove them to be incorrect. Blockchain technology companies may also be negatively affected by cryptography or other technological or mathematical advances, such as the development of quantum computers with significantly more power than computers presently available, that undermine or vitiate the cryptographic consensus mechanism underpinning the Solana Blockchain and other distributed ledger protocols. If either of these events were to happen, markets that rely on blockchain technologies, such as the Solana Network, could quickly collapse, and an investment in the Trust may be adversely affected.

 

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The Price Of PENGU On The PENGU Market Has Exhibited Periods Of Extreme Volatility, Which Could Have A Negative Impact On The Performance Of The Trust.

 

The price of PENGU as determined by the PENGU market has experienced periods of extreme volatility and may be influenced by a wide variety of factors. Speculators and investors who seek to profit from trading and holding PENGU generate a significant portion of PENGU demand. Such speculation regarding the potential future appreciation in the value of PENGU may cause the price of PENGU to increase.

 

Conversely, a decrease in demand for or speculative interest regarding PENGU may cause the price to decline. The volatility of the price of PENGU, particularly arising from speculative activity, may have a negative impact on the performance of the Trust.

 

Smart Contracts, Including Those Relating To DeFi Applications, Are A New Technology And Their Ongoing Development And Operation May Result In Problems, Which Could Cause A Wider Loss Of Confidence In The Solana Network, Either Of Which Could Have An Adverse Impact On The Value Of PENGU.

 

Smart contracts are programs that run on the Solana Blockchain that execute automatically when certain conditions are met. Since smart contracts typically cannot be stopped or reversed, vulnerabilities in their programming can have damaging effects. For example, in June 2016, a vulnerability in the smart contracts underlying the DAO, a distributed autonomous organization for venture capital funding on the Ethereum Network, allowed an attack by a hacker to syphon approximately $60 million worth of ETH from The DAO’s accounts into a segregated account. In the aftermath of the theft, certain core developers and contributors pursued a “hard fork” of the Ethereum Network in order to erase any record of the theft. Despite these efforts, the price of ETH reportedly dropped approximately 35% in the aftermath of the attack and subsequent hard fork. In addition, in July 2017, a vulnerability in a smart contract for a multi-signature wallet software developed by Parity led to a reportedly $30 million theft of ETH, and in November 2017, a new vulnerability in Parity’s wallet software reportedly led to roughly $160 million worth of ETH being indefinitely frozen in an account. Furthermore, in April 2018, a batch overflow bug was found in many Ethereum-based ERC20-compatible smart contract tokens that allows hackers to create a large number of smart contract tokens, causing multiple crypto asset platforms worldwide to shut down ERC20-compatible token trading. Similarly, in March 2020, a design flaw in the MakerDAO smart contract caused forced liquidations of crypto assets at significantly discounted prices, resulting in millions of dollars of losses to users who had deposited crypto assets into the smart contract. In another example, in February 2022, a vulnerability in a smart contract for Wormhole, a bridge between the Ethereum and Solana Networks led to a $320 million theft of Ethereum. While persons associated with Solana Labs and/or the Solana Foundation are understood to have played a key role in bringing the network back online, the broader community also played a key role, as Solana validators coordinated to upgrade and restart the network. Other smart contracts, such as bridges between blockchain networks and decentralized finance (“DeFi”) protocols have also been manipulated, exploited or used in ways that were not intended or envisioned by their creators such that attackers syphoned over $3.8 billion worth of digital assets from smart contracts in 2022. Problems with the development, deployment, and operation of smart contracts may have an adverse effect on the value of PENGU, just as they have for other digital assets like Ethereum.

 

In some cases, smart contracts can be controlled by one or more “admin keys” or users with special privileges, or “super users”. These users may have the ability to unilaterally make changes to the smart contract, enable or disable features on the smart contract, change how the smart contract receives external inputs and data, and make other changes to the smart contract. Furthermore, in some cases inadequate public information may be available information asymmetries may exist, even with respect to open-source smart contracts or applications; certain participants may have hidden informational or technological advantages, making for an uneven playing field. There may be opportunities for bad actors to perpetrate fraudulent schemes and engage in illicit activities and other misconduct, such as exit scams and rug pulls (orchestrated by developers and/or influencers who promote a smart contract or application and, ultimately, escape with the money at an agreed time), or Ponzi or similar fraud schemes.

 

Many DeFi applications are currently deployed on the Solana Network, and smart contracts relating to DeFi applications currently represent a significant source of demand for SOL. DeFi applications may achieve their investment purposes through self-executing smart contracts that may allow users to invest digital assets in a pool from which other users can borrow without requiring an intermediate party to facilitate these transactions. These investments may earn interest to the investor based on the rates at which borrowers repay the loan, and can generally be withdrawn by the investor. For smart contracts that hold a pool of digital asset reserves, smart contract super users or admin key holders may be able to extract funds from the pool, liquidate assets held in the pool, or take other actions that decrease the value of the digital assets held by the smart contract in reserves. Even for digital assets that have adopted a decentralized governance mechanism, such as smart contracts that are governed by the holders of a governance token, such governance tokens can be concentrated in the hands of a small group of core community members, who would be able to make similar changes unilaterally to the smart contract. If any such super user or group of core members unilaterally make adverse changes to a smart contract, the design, functionality, features and value of the smart contract, its related digital assets may be harmed. In addition, assets held by the smart contract in reserves may be stolen, misused, burnt, locked up or otherwise become unusable and irrecoverable. Super users can also become targets of hackers and malicious attackers. If an attacker is able to access or obtain the super user privileges of a smart contract, or if a smart contract’s super users or core community members take actions that adversely affect the smart contract, users who transact with the smart contract may experience decreased functionality of the smart contract or may suffer a partial or total loss of any digital assets they have used to transact with the smart contract. Furthermore, the underlying smart contracts may be insecure, contain bugs or other vulnerabilities, or otherwise may not work as intended. Any of the foregoing could cause users of the DeFi application to be negatively affected, or could cause the DeFi application to be the subject of negative publicity. Because DeFi applications may be built on the Solana Network, public confidence in the Solana Network itself could be negatively affected, such sources of demand could diminish and the value of PENGU could decrease. Similar risks apply to any smart contract or decentralized application, not just DeFi applications.

 

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Validators May Suffer Losses Due To Staking, Or Staking May Prove Unattractive To Validators, Which Could Make The Solana Network Less Attractive.

 

Validation on the Solana Network requires SOL to be transferred into smart contracts on the underlying blockchain networks not under the Trust’s or anyone else’s control. If the Solana Network source code or protocol fail to behave as expected, suffer cybersecurity attacks or hacks, experience security issues, or encounter other problems, such assets may be irretrievably lost. In addition, the Solana Networks dictate requirements for participation in validation activity, and may impose penalties, if the relevant activities are not performed correctly. The Solana Network sanction (i.e., “slashing”) is imposed if a validator commits malicious acts related to the validation of blocks with invalid transactions. On the Solana Network, slashing generally operates by social consensus, rather than being automatically hardwired into the protocol’s code. The Solana community generally aspires to slash 100% of staked assets in cases where a Solana node is maliciously trying to violate safety rules and 0% during routine operation. There is currently no automatic slashing in the Solana Network. Rather, for regular consensus, after a safety violation, the Solana Network will halt. The validators will analyze the data prior to the halt and figure out who was responsible and propose that the stake of the malicious actors responsible for the safety violation should be slashed after restart, typically 100%. Separately, as part of the “activating” and “de-activating” or “cooling down” processes of staking, staked SOL will be inaccessible for a variable period of time determined by a range of factors, including [ ], resulting in potential inaccessibility during those periods. “Activation” is the funding of a validator to be included in the active set, thereby allowing the validator to participate in the Solana Network’s proof-of-stake consensus protocol. “De-activating” is the request to exit from the active set and no longer participate in the Solana Network’s proof-of-stake consensus protocol. As part of these “activating” and “de-activating” processes of staking on the Solana Network, any staked SOL will be inaccessible for a period of time. The duration of activating and exiting periods are dependent on a range of factors. However, depending on demand, un-staking can take between one to several epochs to complete. An Epoch is approximately two days long on the Solana Network.

 

The Solana Network requires the payment of base fees and the practice of paying prioritization fees is common, and such fees can become significant as the amount and complexity of the transaction grows, depending on the degree of network congestion and the price of SOL. Any cybersecurity attacks, security issues, hacks, penalties, slashing events, or other problems could damage validators’ willingness to participate in validation, discourage existing and future validators from serving as such, and adversely impact the Solana Network’s adoption or the price of PENGU. Any disruption of validation on the Solana Network could interfere with network operations and cause the Solana Network to be less attractive to users and application developers than competing blockchain networks, which could cause the price of PENGU to decrease. The limited liquidity during the “activation” or “de-activation” processes could dissuade potential validators from participating, which could interfere with network operations or security and cause the Solana Network to be less attractive to users and application developers than competing blockchain networks, which could cause the price of PENGU to decrease.

 

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Proof-Of-Stake Blockchains Are A Relatively Recent Innovation, And Have Not Been Subject To As Widespread Use Or Adoption Over As Long Of A Period Of Time As Traditional Proof-Of-Work Blockchains.

 

Certain digital assets, such as bitcoin, use a “proof-of-work” consensus algorithm. The genesis block on the Bitcoin blockchain was mined in 2009, and Bitcoin’s blockchain has been in operation since then. Many newer blockchains enabling smart contract functionality, including the current Ethereum Network following the completion of the Merge in 2022, use a newer consensus algorithm known as “proof-of-stake.” While their proponents believe that they may have certain advantages, the “proof-of-stake” consensus mechanisms and governance systems underlying many newer blockchain protocols, including the Solana Network, and their associated digital assets – including the PENGU held by the Trust – have not been tested at scale over as long of a period of time or subject to as widespread use or adoption as, for example, Bitcoin’s proof-of-work consensus mechanism has. This could lead to these blockchains, and their associated digital assets, having undetected vulnerabilities, structural design flaws, suboptimal incentive structures for network participants (e.g., validators), technical disruptions, or a wide variety of other problems, any of which could cause these blockchains not to function as intended, lead to outright failure to function entirely causing a total outage or disruption of network activity, or to suffer other operational problems or reputational damage, leading to a loss of users or adoption or a loss in value of the associated digital assets, including the Trust’s assets. Over the long term, there can be no assurance that the proof-of-stake blockchain on which the Trust’s assets rely will achieve widespread scale or adoption or perform successfully; any failure to do so could negatively impact the value of the Trust’s assets.

 

Operational Cost May Exceed The Award For Validating Transaction, And Increased Transaction Fees May Adversely Affect The Usage Of The Solana Network.

 

If transaction confirmation fees become too high, the marketplace may be reluctant to use the Solana Network. This may result in decreased usage and limit expansion of the Solana Network in the retail, commercial and payments space, adversely impacting investment in the Trust. Conversely, if the reward for validators or the value of the transaction fees is insufficient to motivate validators, they may cease to validate transactions.

 

Ultimately, if the awards of new SOL costs of validating transactions grow disproportionately, miners may operate at a loss, transition to other networks, or cease operations altogether. Each of these outcomes could, in turn, slow transaction validation and usage, which could have a negative impact on the Solana Network and could adversely affect the value of the SOL held by the Trust.

 

As a result of SOL’s fee burning mechanism, the incentives for validators to validate transactions with higher gas fees are reduced, since those validators would not receive those gas fees.

 

An acute cessation of validator operations would reduce the collective processing power on the Solana Network, which would adversely affect the transaction verification process by temporarily decreasing the speed at which blocks are added to the blockchain and make the blockchain more vulnerable to a malicious actor obtaining control in excess of the relevant threshold of the processing power on the blockchain. Reductions in processing power could result in material, though temporary, delays in transaction confirmation time. Any reduction in confidence in the transaction verification process or may adversely impact the value of Shares of the Trust or the ability of the Sponsor to operate.

 

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Risks Associated with Investing in Pudgy Penguin NFTs and the Ethereum Network

 

Marketplace demand of NFTs is unpredictable.

 

The appetite in the marketplace is unpredictable as it is related to NFTs and may change over time. The trading of NFTs in the open market are based purely on marketplace demand.

 

There is no assurance of appreciation of Portfolio NFTs or sufficient cash distributions resulting from the ultimate sale of the Portfolio NFTs.

 

There is no assurance that the Portfolio NFTs will appreciate, maintain its present value, or be sold at a profit. The marketability and value of the Portfolio NFTs will depend upon many factors beyond the Trust’s control. There can be no assurance that there will be a ready market for the Portfolio NFTs, since investment in NFTs is generally illiquid, nor is there any assurance that sufficient cash will be generated from the sale of Portfolio NFTs to compensate investors for their investment.

 

Investing in NFTs subjects the Trust to increased valuation risk.

 

The Trust is subject to valuation risk. Valuation risk is the risk that the Portfolio NFTs in which the Trust invests are priced incorrectly. This may occur due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability, human error or the inherently imprecise nature of valuing Portfolio NFTs given the illiquid nature of the asset class and limited sales information that would allow for price discovery. The Sponsor intends to address this by employing a rigorous fair valuation process that is designed to take into account all relevant information that may bear on the fair value of Portfolio NFTs. While the Sponsor may consider inputs provided by NFT marketplaces, such as OpenSea, it does not rely on such inputs and takes into consideration a variety of factors and inputs from other sources in determining the fair value of Portfolio NFTs. There is the risk that the Portfolio NFTs are priced incorrectly due to issues arising from potential conflicts of interests of the Sponsor with respect to fair valuation of Portfolio NFTs. If the Trust ascribes a higher value to assets and their value subsequently drops or fails to rise because of market factors, returns on the Trust’s investment may be lower than expected and investors could experience losses.

 

The Trust’s investments are generally expected to be fair valued by the Sponsor as defined under, and in accordance with the procedures described under, “Determination of Net Asset Value” below. Such fair valuations may take into account information provided by third-party service providers or valuation agents. There is no assurance that the Trust could sell Portfolio NFTs for the value established for it at any time and it is possible that the Trust would incur a loss because Portfolio NFTs is sold at a discount to its established value. For non-cash generating assets, such as NFTs, valuation is heavily reliant on an analysis of publicly available sales history of similar assets. Experts often differ on which historical sales are comparable and the degree of comparability and the data set used is not comprehensive because private sales data is generally unavailable. If assets are mispriced, Shareholders could lose money upon sale in connection with a sale or could pay too much for Shares purchased.

 

The Sponsor may not be able to find buyers for the Portfolio NFTs at reasonable prices.

 

NFTs can be a highly illiquid asset and objects can go unsold when sent to auction. Even in the event that the Trust attempts to sell Portfolio NFTs, the Trust cannot guarantee that there will be a buyer at any reasonable price. Additionally, if the Portfolio NFTs do go to an auction sale and is not sold, such failure could reduce the value of the Portfolio NFTs in the marketplace and make it more difficult to sell in the future.

 

Portfolio NFTs may be sold at a loss.

 

Any sale of Portfolio NFTs could be executed at an inopportune time and potentially at a loss. The Trust intends to hold Portfolio NFTs for an extended period of time. However, the Trust may elect to sell at a loss if it is determined that such a transaction would be necessary to meet its redemption obligations or in the event of a liquidation of the Trust. Circumstances may arise that may compel the Trust to sell the Portfolio NFTs at an inopportune time and potentially at a loss, such as if the Trust faces litigation or regulatory challenges. There can be no assurance that Portfolio NFTs can ever be sold or that sale of all Portfolio NFTs would occur at a price that would result in a profit for the Trust.

 

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The value of digital art NFTs relies in part on the development, general acceptance and adoption and usage of blockchain assets, rather than solely on the digital artwork itself.

 

Digital art NFTs such as Pudgy Penguin NFTs are a means to establish proof of ownership of digital art through cryptographic key pairs, the public key of the creator(s) or artist(s) who created the digital artwork and the private key of the holder representing a verified instance (whether unique or part of a series) of that digital artwork. The purchase of a digital art NFT gives the holder the right to hold, transfer and/or sell the NFT. The NFT does not itself include any physical manifestation of the digital art. The value of digital art NFTs is derived from the cryptographic record of ownership, rather than solely on the digital artwork itself; a digital artwork originated as an NFT (i.e., the actual file or files constituting the artwork of which ownership is represented by an NFT) may have no value absent the NFT, depending on what other rights were conveyed with the NFT, for example a copyright interest that could be transferred separate from the NFT. Thus, the value of the digital art NFT relies in part on the continued development, acceptance, adoption and usage of the applicable blockchain.

 

There can be no assurance that the market for NFTs will be sustained, which may materially adversely affect the value of NFTs, and consequently the value of related Series and the amount of distributions made to Interest Holders.

 

The market for digital assets, including, without limitation, NFTs, whether related to digital art or otherwise, is still nascent. Accordingly, the market for NFTs may not maintain current levels of value or growth. If such levels are not maintained, it may be difficult or impossible for the Trust to resell any Pudgy Penguin NFT at a desirable price or at all. The prices of NFTs have already been subject to dramatic fluctuations, which in turn may materially adversely affect any Series for which the Underlying Asset is an NFT.

 

The Ethereum Blockchain network on which the ERC-721 protocol is based, and thus ownership and transfer of underlying NFT assets are recorded, utilizes code that is subject to change at any time. These changes may have unintended consequences for underlying NFT assets.

 

Currently, most NFT assets are built as ERC-721 tokens recorded on the Ethereum Blockchain. In addition to the aforementioned risks regarding development and acceptance of blockchain networks, other changes, such as upgrades to Ethereum’s blockchain or a change in how transactions are confirmed on the Ethereum Blockchain, may have unintended, adverse effects on NFTs built under the ERC-721 standard. Any such changes to the Ethereum network could negatively affect the value of any underlying NFT assets based on Ethereum Blockchain.

 

The Trust may face cybersecurity risks related to it Portfolio NFT holdings.

 

NFTs in general, and the Pudgy Penguin NFTs specifically, may be an attractive target for cybersecurity attacks. For example, a perpetrator could seek to obtain the private key associated with a digital wallet holding an NFT to access and sell the NFT without valid authorization, and the owner of the NFT may have limited recourse due to the nature of blockchain transactions and of cybercrimes generally. NFT marketplaces may also be vulnerable to attacks where an unauthorized party acquires the necessary credentials to access user accounts. The safeguards the Sponsor has implemented or may implement in the future to protect against cybersecurity threats may be insufficient.

 

Risks Associated with Investing in the Trust

 

Investment-Related Risks.

 

Investing in Portfolio Digital Assets and, consequently, the Trust, is speculative. The prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets is volatile, and market movements of the Portfolio Digital Assets are difficult to predict. Supply and demand changes rapidly are affected by a variety of factors, including regulation and general economic trends, such as interest rates, availability of credit, credit defaults, inflation rates and economic uncertainty. All investments made by the Trust will risk the loss of capital. Therefore, an investment in the Trust involves a high degree of risk, including the risk that the entire amount invested may be lost. No guarantee or representation is made that the Trust’s investment program will be successful, that the Trust will achieve its investment objective or that there will be any return of capital invested to investors in the Trust, and investment results may vary.

 

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The NAV may not always correspond to the market price of the Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

The NAV of the Trust will change as fluctuations occur in the market prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets holdings. Shareholders should be aware that the public trading price per share may be different from the NAV for a number of reasons, including price volatility and the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for shares are related, but not identical, to the supply and demand forces influencing the market prices of the Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

Different from directly owning the Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

The performance of the Trust will not reflect the specific return an investor would realize if the investor actually held or purchased the Portfolio Digital Assets directly. The differences in performance may be due to factors such as fees and transaction costs. Investors will also forgo certain rights conferred by owning the Portfolio Digital Assets directly, such as the right to claim air drops. See “A Temporary Or Permanent “Fork” or a “Clone” Of The Solana Blockchain Could Adversely Affect The Value Of The Shares.”

 

Liquidity risk.

 

The Trust’s and the Authorized Participants’ ability to buy or sell the Portfolio Digital Assets may be adversely affected by limited trading volume, lack of a market maker, or legal restrictions. It is also possible that spot market or governmental authority may suspend or restrict trading in one or more of the Portfolio Digital Assets altogether. Therefore, it may not always be possible to execute a buy or sell order at the desired price or to liquidate an open position due to market conditions on spot markets, regulatory issues affecting a Portfolio Digital Asset or other issues affecting counterparties. PENGU and Pudgy Penguin NFTs are new assets with a very limited trading history. Therefore, the markets these assets may be less liquid and more volatile than other markets for more established products.

 

The value of the Shares may be influenced by a variety of factors unrelated to the value of the Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

The value of the Shares may be influenced by a variety of factors unrelated to the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets that may have an adverse effect on the price of the Shares. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following factors:

 

Unanticipated problems or issues with respect to the mechanics of the Trust’s operations and the trading of the Shares may arise, in particular due to the fact that the mechanisms and procedures governing the creation and offering of the Shares and storage of Portfolio Digital Assets have been developed specifically for this product;

 

The Trust could experience difficulties in operating and maintaining its technical infrastructure, including in connection with expansions or updates to such infrastructure, which are likely to be complex and could lead to unanticipated delays, unforeseen expenses and security vulnerabilities;

 

The Trust could experience unforeseen issues relating to the performance and effectiveness of the security procedures used to protect the Trust’s account with the Custodian, or the security procedures may not protect against all errors, software flaws or other vulnerabilities in the Trust’s technical infrastructure, which could result in theft, loss or damage of its assets; or

 

Service providers may decide to terminate their relationships with the Trust due to concerns that the introduction of privacy enhancing features to the Ethereum or Solana Network may increase the potential for Portfolio Digital Assets to be used to facilitate crime, exposing such service providers to potential reputational harm.

 

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Any of these factors could affect the value of the Shares, either directly or indirectly through their effect on the Trust’s assets.

 

Authorized Participants’ buying and selling activity associated with the creation and redemption of Baskets may adversely affect an investment in the Shares.

 

While the Trust currently only facilitates the creation and redemption of Baskets in exchange for cash, Authorized Participants may take long or short positions in Portfolio Digital Assets for hedging or other purposes and in some cases those positions may be substantial relative to the digital asset market as a whole. Authorized Participants’ purchase of Portfolio Digital Assets in connection with Basket creation orders may cause the price of SOL to increase, which will result in higher prices for the Shares. Increases in the Portfolio Digital Assets prices may also occur as a result of Portfolio Digital Assets purchases by other market participants who attempt to benefit from an increase in the market prices of Portfolio Digital Assets when baskets are created. The market price of the Portfolio Digital Assets may therefore decline immediately after Baskets are created.

 

Selling activity associated with sales of Portfolio Digital Assets by Authorized Participants in connection with redemption orders may decrease Portfolio Digital Assets prices, which will result in lower prices for the Shares. Decreases in Portfolio Digital Assets prices may also occur as a result of selling activity by other market participants.

 

In addition to the effect that purchases and sales of Portfolio Digital Assets by Authorized Participants may have on the price of Portfolio Digital Assets, sales and purchases of Portfolio Digital Assets by similar investment vehicles (if developed) could impact the prices of Portfolio Digital Assets. If the prices of Portfolio Digital Assets declines, the trading price of the Shares will generally also decline.

 

Arbitrage transactions intended to keep the price of Shares closely linked to the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets may be problematic if the process for the creation and redemption of Baskets encounters difficulties, which may adversely affect an investment in the Shares.

 

If the processes of creation and redemption of Shares (which depend on timely transfers of Portfolio Digital Assets to and by the Custodian) encounter any unanticipated difficulties due to, for example, the price volatility of Portfolio Digital Assets, the insolvency, business failure or interruption, default, failure to perform, security breach, or other problems affecting the Custodian, the closing of Portfolio Digital Assets trading platforms due to fraud, failures, security breaches or otherwise, or network outages or congestion, spikes in transaction fees demanded by validators, or other problems or disruptions affecting the Solana or Ethereum Networks, then potential market participants, such as the Authorized Participants and their customers, who would otherwise be willing to purchase or redeem Baskets to take advantage of any arbitrage opportunity arising from discrepancies between the price of the Shares and the price of the underlying Portfolio Digital Assets may not take the risk that, as a result of those difficulties, they may not be able to realize the profit they expect.

 

Alternatively, in the case of a network outage or other problems affecting the Solana Network, the processing of transactions on the Solana or Ethereum Networks may be disrupted, which in turn may prevent trading counterparties from depositing or withdrawing Portfolio Digital Assets from their custody accounts, which in turn could affect the creation or redemption of Baskets. If this is the case, the liquidity of the Shares may decline and the price of the Shares may fluctuate independently of the price of Portfolio Digital Assets and may fall or otherwise diverge from NAV.

 

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The use of cash creations and redemptions, as opposed to in-kind creations and redemptions, may adversely affect the arbitrage transactions by Authorized Participants intended to keep the price of the Shares closely linked to the prices of Portfolio Digital Assets and, as a result, the price of the Shares may fall or otherwise diverge from NAV.

 

The use of cash creations and redemptions, as opposed to in-kind creations and redemptions, could cause delays in trade execution due to potential operational issues arising from implementing a cash creation and redemption model, which involves more complex operational steps (and therefore execution risk) than the originally contemplated in-kind creation and redemption models. Such delays could cause the execution price associated with such trades to materially deviate from the prices used to determine the NAV. Even though the Authorized Participant is responsible for the dollar cost of such difference in prices, Authorized Participants could default on their obligations to the Trust, or such potential risks and costs could lead Authorized Participants, who would otherwise be willing to purchase or redeem Baskets to take advantage of any arbitrage opportunity arising from discrepancies between the price of the Shares and the price of the underlying Portfolio Digital Assets, to elect to not participate in the Trust’s Share creation and redemption processes. This may adversely affect the arbitrage mechanism intended to keep the price of the Shares closely linked to the price of Portfolio Digital Assets, and as a result, the price of the Shares may fall or otherwise diverge from NAV. If the arbitrage mechanism is not effective, purchases or sales of Shares on the secondary market could occur at a premium or discount to NAV, which could harm Shareholders by causing them to buy Shares at a price higher than the value of the underlying Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust or sell Shares at a price lower than the value of the underlying Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust, causing Shareholders to suffer losses.

 

The Authorized Participants serve in such capacity for several competing exchange-traded products, which could adversely affect the Trust’s operations and the secondary market for the Shares.

 

Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Trust. Some or all of the Trust’s Authorized Participants are expected to serve as authorized participants or market makers for one or more exchange-traded products that compete with the Trust. This may make it more difficult to engage or retain Authorized Participants for the Trust. Furthermore, because there is no obligation on the part of the Authorized Participants to engage in creation and redemption or market making activities with respect to the Trust’s Shares, decisions by the Authorized Participants to not engage with the Trust or its Shares may result in a decline in the liquidity of the Shares and the price of the Shares may fluctuate independently of the price of Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets (i.e., at a greater premium or discount to the Trust’s NAV).

 

Security threats and cyber-attacks could result in the halting of Trust operations and a loss of Trust assets or damage to the reputation of the Trust, each of which could result in a reduction in the price of the Shares.

 

Security breaches, cyber-attacks, computer malware and computer hacking attacks have been a prevalent concern in relation to digital assets. Multiple thefts of digital assets from other holders have occurred in the past. Because of the pseudonymous nature of the Solana and Ethereum Networks, thefts can be difficult to trace, which may make the Portfolio Digital Assets a particularly attractive target for theft. Cyber security failures or breaches of one or more of the Trust’s service providers (including, but not limited to, the Transfer Agent, the Distributor, the Administrator, or the Custodian) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs.

 

The Trust and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems (including mobile devices and cloud-based service offerings) may expose the Trust to potential risks linked to cyber-security breaches of those technological or information systems. The Sponsor believes that the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets held in the Trust’s account with the Custodian will be an appealing target to hackers or malware distributors seeking to destroy, damage or steal the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets or private keys and will only become more appealing as the Trust’s assets grow. While the Trust, the Sponsor and the Custodian have implemented procedures to identify and or stop new security threats and expect to adapt to technological changes in the digital asset industry, to the extent such efforts are unsuccessful the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets may be subject to theft, loss, destruction or other attack.

 

Additionally, access to the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets could be restricted by natural events (such as an earthquake or flood) or human actions (such as a terrorist attack). The Sponsor has evaluated the security procedures in place for safeguarding the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets. Nevertheless, the security procedures cannot guarantee the prevention of any loss due to a security breach, software defect or act of God that may be borne by the Trust.

 

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The security procedures and operational infrastructure may be breached due to the actions of outside parties, error or malfeasance of an employee of the Sponsor, the Custodian, or otherwise, and, as a result, an unauthorized party may obtain access to the Trust’s account with the Custodian, the private keys or other data of the Trust. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees of the Sponsor, the Custodian, or the Trust’s other service providers to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to the Trust’s infrastructure. As the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, or may be designed to remain dormant until a predetermined event and often are not recognized until launched against a target, the Sponsor and the Custodian may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures.

 

An actual or perceived breach of the Trust’s account with the Custodian could harm the Trust’s operations, result in partial or total loss of the Trust’s assets, damage the Trust’s reputation and negatively affect the market perception of the effectiveness of the Trust, all of which could in turn reduce demand for the Shares, resulting in a reduction in the price of the Shares. The Trust may also cease operations, the occurrence of which could similarly result in a reduction in the price of the Shares.

 

While the Sponsor and the Trust’s service providers have established business continuity plans and systems that they respectively believe are reasonably designed to prevent cyber-attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been, or cannot be, identified. Service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Trust, which could be negatively impacted as a result, see “Liability and Indemnification” and “Material Contracts” below.

 

If the Trust’s holdings of Portfolio Digital Assets are lost, stolen or destroyed under circumstances rendering a party liable to the Trust, the responsible party may not have the financial resources sufficient to satisfy the Trust’s claim. For example, as to a particular event of loss, the only source of recovery for the Trust may be limited to the relevant custodian or, to the extent identifiable, other responsible third parties (for example, a thief or terrorist), any of which may not have the financial resources (including liability insurance coverage) to satisfy a valid claim of the Trust. Similarly, as noted below, the Trust’s Custodian has limited liability to the Trust, which could adversely affect the Trust’s ability to seek recovery from them, even when the Custodian’s actions or failure to act are the cause of the Trust’s loss.

 

It may not be possible, either because of a lack of available policies or because of prohibitive cost, for the Trust to obtain insurance that would cover losses of the Portfolio Digital Assets. If an uninsured loss occurs or a loss exceeds policy limits, the Trust could lose all of its assets.

 

The Trust’s risk management processes and policies may prove to not be adequate to prevent any loss of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

Custody of digital assets presents inherent and unique risks relating to access loss, theft and means of recourse in such scenarios. The Sponsor is continuing to monitor and evaluate the Trust’s risk management processes and policies and believes that the current risk management processes and procedures are reasonably designed and effective. The Trust does not normally interact with any digital asset trading platforms, and the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets is held in a cold storage wallet with the Custodian, a duly chartered New York limited liability trust company, pursuant to an express custodial relationship. The Sponsor believes that the security procedures that the Sponsor and the Custodian utilize, such as hardware redundancy, segregation and offline data storage (i.e., the maintenance of data on computers and/or storage media that is not directly connected to or accessible from the internet and/or networked with other computers, also known as “cold storage”) protocols are reasonably designed to safeguard the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets from theft, loss, destruction or other issues relating to hackers and technological attack. Despite the number of security procedures that the Sponsor and Custodian employ, it is impossible to guarantee the prevention of any loss due to a security breach, software defect, act of God, pandemic or riot that may be borne by the Trust. Notwithstanding the above, the Sponsor and the Custodian are responsible for their own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. In the event that the Trust’s risk management processes and policies prove to not be adequate to prevent any loss of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets and such loss is not covered by insurance or is otherwise recoverable, the value of the Shares will decrease as a result and investors would experience a decrease in the value of their investment.

 

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The Trust’s Custodian could become insolvent or become subject to a receivership or bankruptcy proceeding, which may result in a loss of or delay in access to Trust assets.

 

If the Custodian becomes insolvent or subject to a receivership or bankruptcy proceeding, the Trust’s operations may be adversely affected, and there is a risk that the insolvency, receivership or bankruptcy of the Custodian may result in the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Trust’s assets or in a significant delay in the Trust having access to those assets.

 

The Trust’s assets will be held in one or more accounts maintained for the Trust by the Custodian. [The Custodian is a limited liability trust company organized under the New York Banking Law and is subject to the supervision of New York Department of Financial Services.] The Custodial Services Agreement for Trust assets contains an agreement by the parties to treat the Portfolio Digital Assets credited to the Trust as financial assets under Article 8 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code (“Article 8”), in addition to stating that the Custodian will serve as a securities intermediary with respect to such assets. Further, the Custodian has agreed to hold Trust assets for the benefit of the Trust as the entitlement holder, and while the Trust assets will be commingled with assets of the Custodian’s other customers in an omnibus account, such assets will not be commingled with the Custodian’s proprietary assets. While other types of assets held in a similarly-segregated manner have been deemed not to be part of the asset custodian’s bankruptcy estate under various regulatory regimes, bankruptcy courts have not yet fully addressed the appropriate treatment of custodial holdings of digital assets and any such determination may be highly fact-specific.

 

Given that the contractual protections and legal rights of customers with respect to digital assets held on their behalf by third parties are relatively untested in a bankruptcy or receivership proceeding of an entity such as the Custodian, in the event of an insolvency, receivership or bankruptcy proceeding with respect to the Custodian, there is a risk that the Trust’s assets may be considered the property of the bankruptcy estate of the Custodian, and that customers of the Custodian – including the Trust – may be at risk of being treated as general unsecured creditors of the Custodian and subject to the risk of total loss or markdowns on value of such assets. Moreover, even if the Trust’s assets ultimately are not treated as part of the Custodian’s bankruptcy estate, the automatic stay could apply until the bankruptcy court made such a determination, and the limited precedent and fact-dependent nature of the determination could delay or preclude the return of such assets to the Trust. Further, the bankruptcy court may permit the Custodian to retain possession or custody of its customers’ assets until any claims the estate may have against the customers (including the Trust) are resolved.

 

An actual or perceived business failure or interruption, default, failure to perform security breach or other problems affecting the Custodian could harm the Trust’s operations, result in partial or total loss of the Trust’s assets, damage the Trust’s reputation and negatively affect the market perception of the effectiveness of the Trust, all of which could in turn reduce demand for the Shares, resulting in a reduction in the price of the Shares.

 

The Trust may change the custodial arrangements described in this Prospectus at any time without notice to Shareholders.

 

Loss of a critical banking relationship for, or the failure of a bank used by, the Trust could adversely impact the Trust’s ability to create or redeem Baskets, or could cause losses to the Trust.

 

The Cash Custodian is necessary to facilitate the creation and redemption of Baskets (in exchange for cash subscriptions by Authorized Participants, or in exchange for redemptions of Shares by Authorized Participants), and other cash movements, including in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Digital Assets by the Sponsor to effectuate subscriptions for cash and the selling of Portfolio Digital Assets to effect redemptions for cash and, to the extent applicable, other Trust expenses, and in extraordinary circumstances, to effect the liquidation of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets. The Trust relies on the Cash Custodian to hold any cash related to the purchase or sale of Portfolio Digital Assets. To the extent that the Trust or Sponsor face difficulty establishing or maintaining banking relationships, the loss of the Trust’s banking partners, including the Cash Custodian, or the imposition of operational restrictions by these banking partners and the inability of the Trust to utilize other financial institutions may result in a disruption of creation and redemption activity of the Trust, or cause other operational disruptions or adverse effects for the Trust. In the future, it is possible that the Trust could be unable to establish accounts at new banking partners, or that the banks with which the Trust is able to establish relationships may not be as large or well-capitalized or subject to the same degree of prudential supervision as the existing providers.

 

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The Trust could also suffer losses in the event that a bank in which the Trust holds customer cash, including the Cash Custodian, fails, becomes insolvent, enters receivership, is taken over by regulators, enters financial distress, or otherwise suffers adverse effects to its financial condition or operational status. Recently, some banks have experienced financial distress. If the Cash Custodian were to experience financial distress or its financial condition is otherwise affected, the Cash Custodian’s ability to provide services to the Trust could be affected. Moreover, the future failure of the Cash Custodian or other bank at which the Trust maintains cash could result in losses to the Trust, to the extent the balances are not covered by deposit insurance. As a result, the Trust could suffer losses.

 

The Trust is subject to risks due to its concentration of investments in a single asset class.

 

Unlike other funds that may invest in diversified assets, the Trust’s investment strategy is concentrated in a single asset within a single asset class. This concentration maximizes the degree of the Trust’s exposure to a variety of market risks associated with digital assets. By concentrating its investment strategy solely in digital assets, any losses suffered as a result of a decrease in the price of digital assets can be expected to reduce the value of an interest in the Trust and will not be offset by other gains if the Trust were to invest in underlying assets that were diversified.

 

The lack of active trading markets for the Shares may result in losses on Shareholders’ investments at the time of disposition of Shares.

 

Although Shares of the Trust are expected to be publicly listed and traded on an exchange, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. If Shareholders need to sell their Shares at a time when no active market for them exists, the price Shareholders receive for their Shares, assuming that Shareholders are able to sell them, may be lower than the price that Shareholders would receive if an active market did exist and, accordingly, a Shareholder may suffer losses.

 

Several factors may affect the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objective on a consistent basis.

 

There can be no assurance that the Trust will achieve its investment objective. Prospective investors should read this entire Prospectus and consult with their own advisers before subscribing for Shares. Factors that may affect the Trust’s ability to meet its investment objective include: (1) Authorized Participants’ ability to purchase and sell Portfolio Digital Assets in an efficient manner to effectuate creation and redemption orders; (2) transaction fees associated with the Solana Network; (3) the digital asset markets becoming illiquid or disrupted; (4) the need to conform the Trust’s portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law requirements; (5) early or unanticipated closings of the markets on which Portfolio Digital Assets trade, resulting in the inability of Authorized Participants to execute intended portfolio transactions; and (6) accounting standards.

 

The development and commercialization of the Trust is subject to competitive pressures.

 

The Trust and the Sponsor face competition with respect to the creation of competing products. The Sponsor’s competitors may have greater financial, technical and human resources than the Sponsor. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be effective competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. In addition, the timing of the Trust in reaching the market and the fee structure of the Trust relative to similar products may have a detrimental effect on the scale and sustainability of the Trust. The Sponsor’s competitors may be able to launch similar products to the Trust before the launch of the Trust due to, for example, the satisfaction of all regulatory requirements required to launch before the Trust is able to do so. Accordingly, the Sponsor’s competitors may commercialize a product involving digital assets more rapidly or effectively than the Sponsor is able to, which could adversely affect the Sponsor’s competitive position, the likelihood that the Trust will achieve initial market acceptance and the Sponsor’s ability to generate meaningful revenues from the Trust (i.e., revenues that would commercially justify the Sponsor continuing to devote time and resources to the operation of the Trust), which in turn could cause the Sponsor to dissolve and terminate the Trust.

 

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In addition, to the extent that the Trust incurs transaction expenses in connection with the creation and redemption process, litigation expenses, indemnification obligations under the Trust’s service provider agreements and other Extraordinary Expenses that are not Sponsor-paid Expenses, such expenses will be borne by the Trust. To the extent that the Trust fails to attract a sufficiently large amount of investors, the effect of such expenses on the value of the Shares may be significantly greater than would be the case if the Trust had attracted more assets.

 

The Sponsor may need to find and appoint a replacement custodian quickly, which could pose a challenge to the safekeeping of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

The Sponsor could decide to replace the Custodian as the custodian of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets, or the Custodian may cease providing the custodial services necessary for the Trust’s normal operations. For example, the Trust’s custodian may become insolvent and enter bankruptcy or receivership proceedings, or discontinue business operations with little or no warning to the Sponsor or the Trust. Transferring maintenance responsibilities of the Trust’s account with the Custodian to another party will likely be complex and could subject the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets to the risk of loss during the transfer, which could have a negative impact on the performance of the Shares or result in loss of the Trust’s assets.

 

The Sponsor may not be able to find a party willing to serve as the custodian under the same terms as the current Custodial Services Agreement. To the extent that Sponsor is not able to find a suitable party willing to serve as the custodian, the Sponsor may be required to terminate the Trust and liquidate the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

Limited recourse.

 

The Custodian has limited liability for any loss, claim, or damage to the Trust, impairing the ability of the Trust to recover losses relating to its Portfolio Digital Assets and any recovery may be limited, except to the extent of a final, non-appealable judicial determination that such loss, claim or damage directly resulted from the gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud of the Custodian. In addition, the Custodian is generally not be liable for any loss caused, directly or indirectly, by the failure of the Trust to adhere to the Custodian’s policies and procedures that have been disclosed to the Trust, a force majeure event or certain actions determined by the Custodian to be necessary or advisable to inspect and protect the security of the Trust’s assets. Furthermore, the Custodian is generally not liable for a loss caused, directly or indirectly, by any failure or delay to act by any service provider to the Custodian or any system failure (other than a system failure caused by the gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud of the Custodian or the Custodian’s affiliates), that prevents the Custodian from fulfilling its obligations.

 

Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustee and the Sponsor will not be liable for any liability or expense incurred absent fraud, gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee or the Sponsor or breach by the Sponsor of the Trust Agreement, as the case may be. As a result, the recourse of the Trust or the Shareholder to Trustee or the Sponsor may be limited.

 

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The value of the Shares will be adversely affected if the Trust is required to indemnify the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Transfer Agent or the Custodian.

 

Each of the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Transfer Agent and the Custodian has a right to be indemnified by the Trust for certain liabilities or expenses that it incurs without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on its part. Therefore, the Sponsor, Trustee, Transfer Agent or the Custodian may require that the assets of the Trust be sold in order to cover losses or liability suffered by it. Any sale of that kind would reduce the Portfolio Digital Assets holdings of the Trust and the value of the Shares.

 

Intellectual property rights claims may adversely affect the Trust and the value of the Shares.

 

The Sponsor is not aware of any intellectual property rights claims that may prevent the Trust from operating and holding Portfolio Digital Assets. However, third parties may assert intellectual property rights claims relating to the operation of the Trust and the mechanics instituted for the investment in, holding of and transfer of Portfolio Digital Assets. Regardless of the merit of an intellectual property or other legal action, any legal expenses to defend or payments to settle such claims would be Extraordinary Expenses that would be borne by the Trust through the sale or transfer of its Portfolio Digital Assets and any threatened action that reduces confidence in long-term viability or the ability of end-users to hold and transfer Portfolio Digital Assets may adversely affect the value of the Shares. Additionally, a meritorious intellectual property rights claim could prevent the Trust from operating and force the Sponsor to terminate the Trust and liquidate its Portfolio Digital Assets. As a result, an intellectual property rights claim against the Trust could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

Unforeseeable risks.

 

Digital assets gained commercial acceptance only within recent years and, as a result, there is little data on its long-term investment potential. Additionally, due to the rapidly evolving nature of the digital asset markets, including advancements in the underlying technology, changes to the Portfolio Digital Assets may expose investors in the Trust to additional risks which are impossible to predict.

 

The Sponsor’s policies and procedures may not fully mitigate the risk of conflicts of interest.

 

The Sponsor does not have operating practices that require personnel to pre-clear personal trading activity. In general, pre-clearance policies prohibit employees and agents from engaging in certain personal trading activity without first obtaining pre-clearance of the transaction from the firm’s chief compliance officer, chief financial officer, or some senior officer with similar responsibilities.

 

Without implementing pre-clearance requirements, the Sponsor may not be able to fully mitigate the risk of conflicts of interest or avoid the appearance of impropriety in connection with the purchase and sale of Portfolio Digital Assets. There is no guarantee that every employee, officer, director, or similar person associated with the Sponsor, or its affiliates will refrain from engaging in insider trading in violation of their duties to the Trust and Sponsor.

 

This risk is present in traditional financial markets and is not unique to Portfolio Digital Assets. If such employees or others affiliated with the Sponsor engage in illegal conduct or conduct which fails to meet applicable regulatory standards, the Sponsor and its affiliates could be the target of civil or criminal fines, penalties, punishments, or other regulatory sanctions or lawsuits or could be the target of an investigation. Any of these outcomes could cause the Trust and Shareholders to suffer harm.

 

The Sponsor and its affiliates may also participate in transactions related to Portfolio Digital Assets, either for their own account (subject to certain internal employee trading operating practices) or for the account of others, such as clients, and such transactions may occur prior to, during, or after the commencement of this offering. Such transactions may not serve to benefit the Shareholders of the Trust and may have a positive or negative effect on the value of the Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust and, consequently, on the market value of Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

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Potential conflicts of interest may arise among the Sponsor or its affiliates and the Trust. The Sponsor and its affiliates have no fiduciary duties to the Trust and its Shareholders other than as provided in the Trust Agreement, which may permit them to favor their own interests to the detriment of the Trust and its Shareholders.

 

The Sponsor will manage the affairs of the Trust. Conflicts of interest may arise among the Sponsor and its affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust and its Shareholders, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, the Sponsor may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates over the Trust and its Shareholders. These potential conflicts include, among others, the following:

 

the Sponsor has no fiduciary duties to, and is allowed to take into account the interests of parties other than, the Trust and its Shareholders in resolving conflicts of interest, provided the Sponsor does not act in bad faith;

 

the Trust has agreed to indemnify the Sponsor, the Trustee and their respective affiliates pursuant to the Trust Agreement;

 

the Sponsor is responsible for allocating its own limited resources among different clients and potential future business ventures, to each of which it may owe fiduciary duties;

 

the Sponsor and its staff also service affiliates of the Sponsor, and may also service other digital asset investment vehicles, and their respective clients and cannot devote all of its, or their, respective time or resources to the management of the affairs of the Trust;

 

the Sponsor, its affiliates and their officers and employees are not prohibited from engaging in other businesses or activities, including those that might be in direct competition with the Trust;

 

affiliates of the Sponsor may start to have substantial direct investments in Portfolio Digital Assets, or other digital assets or companies in the digital assets ecosystem that they are permitted to manage taking into account their own interests without regard to the interests of the Trust or its Shareholders, and any increases, decreases or other changes in such investments could affect the Portfolio Digital Assets prices and, in turn, the value of the Shares; and

 

the Sponsor decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to perform services for the Trust.

 

By purchasing the Shares, Shareholders agree and consent to the provisions set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

Risks Related to Pricing.

 

The Trust’s portfolio will be priced, including for purposes of determining the NAV, based upon the valuation policies of the Sponsor. The prices of Portfolio Digital Assets in U.S. dollars or in other currencies available from other valuation systems may not be equal to the prices used to calculate the NAV.

 

The NAV of the Trust will change as fluctuations occur in the market price of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets holdings. Shareholders should be aware that the public trading price per Share may be different from the NAV for a number of reasons, including price volatility; trading activity; the closing of Portfolio Digital Assets trading platforms due to fraud, failure, security breaches or otherwise; and the fact that supply-and-demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares are related, but not identical, to the supply-and-demand forces influencing the market prices of Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

In the event that the value of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets holdings is incorrectly calculated, neither the Sponsor nor the Administrator will be liable for any error and such misreporting of valuation data could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

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Regulatory Risk

 

As digital assets have grown in both popularity and market size, the U.S. Congress and a number of U.S. federal and state agencies have been examining the operations of digital asset networks, digital asset users and the digital asset spot market. Many of these state and federal agencies have brought enforcement actions and issued advisories and rules relating to digital asset markets. The SEC has recently charged certain large U.S. digital asset trading platforms of supporting trading and settlement of securities in violation of the U.S. federal securities laws. Specifically, the SEC has alleged that these exchanges are operating as unregistered securities exchanges, brokers and clearing agencies. For example, on June 5, 2023, the SEC filed lawsuits against cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Binance alleging, among other things, their operation of an unlicensed securities exchange. Although the SEC has not alleged that PENGU or Pudgy Penguin NFTs are securities, the outcome of these enforcement actions and others may result in the substantial restructuring of the digital asset market in the United States. Moreover, until these actions are resolved, the structure of the digital asset market in the United States will remain subject to substantial regulatory risk, which may impact the demand for digital assets and the continued availability of existing exchanges and offerings. The U.S. Congress is also actively preparing new legislation to address certain market structure issues relating to digital assets and stablecoins. The outcome of this legislation is unknown. Both the outcome of the pending SEC enforcement actions and federal legislation are highly uncertain and may alter, perhaps to a materially adverse extent, the nature of an investment in the Shares and/or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate.

 

Although neither the SEC nor the CFTC has exerted direct authority over the Portfolio Digital Assets, the SEC and CFTC have broad authority over the regulation of issuances of securities (including digital asset securities) and commodity interests (including derivative instruments utilizing or referencing digital assets). The SEC and CFTC’s engagement with the digital asset industry has had a material impact on the development of digital asset markets, including initial coin offerings, margin trading, regulated and unregulated derivatives markets, and decentralized finance markets. For example, the SEC has issued guidance as to the application of the securities laws to digital assets and initiated enforcement actions against certain digital asset issuers and offerings on the basis that such digital assets and offerings are securities under U.S. securities laws. In these actions, the SEC reasoned that the unregistered offer and sale of digital assets can, in certain circumstances, including ICOs, be considered an illegal public offering of securities. Similarly, the CFTC, together with the Department of Justice, has initiated enforcement actions against digital asset trading platforms relating to violations of the CEA, on the basis that such platforms engaged in illegal, off-exchange retail commodity transactions in digital assets and digital asset derivative transactions. Further enforcement actions against participants in the digital asset industry could have negative impacts the price of digital assets.

 

In August 2021, the previous chair of the SEC, stated that he believed investors using digital asset trading platforms are not adequately protected, and that activities on the platforms can implicate the securities laws, commodities laws and banking laws, raising a number of issues related to protecting investors and consumers, guarding against illicit activity, and ensuring financial stability. It is not possible to predict whether the U.S. Congress will grant additional authorities to the SEC or other regulators, what the nature of such additional authorities might be, how they might impact the ability of digital assets markets to function or how any new regulations that may flow from such authorities might impact the value of digital assets generally and Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust specifically.

 

On January 21, 2025, the SEC’s acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda announced the SEC Crypto Task Force. The task force has an objective of developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets. Following the task force announcement, on January 23, 2025, President Trump executed the Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology Executive Order. It is currently unknown how the actions or recommendations of the task force and this Executive Order or future governmental actions may impact the status of the Portfolio Digital Assets or any other digital asset as a “security” or how the Portfolio Digital Assets or the Trust would be treated under any new or revised regulatory framework.

 

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In addition to the SEC’s actions targeting digital assets and trading platforms directly, the SEC has also targeted regulated investments that provide exposure to digital assets indirectly. For example, in a recent letter regarding the SEC’s review of proposed rule changes to list and trade shares of certain ether-related investment vehicles on public markets, the SEC staff stated that it has significant investor protection concerns regarding the markets for digital assets, including the potential for market manipulation and fraud. In March 2018, it was reported that the SEC was examining as many as 100 investment funds with strategies focused on digital assets. The reported focus of the examinations is on the accuracy of risk disclosures to investors in these funds, digital asset pricing practices, and compliance with rules meant to prevent the theft of investor funds, as well as on information gathering so that the SEC can better understand new technologies and investment products. It has further been reported that some of these funds have received subpoenas from the SEC’s Enforcement Division. Additionally, the SEC’s Division of Examinations (then the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (“OCIE”)) stated that digital assets remained an examination priority for 2024. In particular, the Division of Examinations stated it intended to focus its examinations on the offer, sale, recommendation of, advice regarding, trading in, and other activities in crypto assets or related products.

 

OFAC has added digital currency addresses to the list of Specially Designated Nationals whose assets are blocked, and with whom U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing. Such actions by OFAC, or by similar organizations in other jurisdictions, may introduce uncertainty in the market as to whether a Portfolio Digital Asset that has been associated with such addresses in the past can be easily sold. This “tainted” asset may trade at a substantial discount to untainted assets. Reduced fungibility in the markets for Portfolio Digital Assets may reduce the liquidity of Portfolio Digital Assets and therefore adversely affect its price.

 

In December 2020, FinCEN, a bureau within the U.S. Treasury Department, proposed a rule that would require financial institutions to submit reports, keep records, and verify the identity of customers for certain transactions to or from so-called “unhosted” wallets, also commonly referred to as self-hosted wallets. In May 2021, the U.S. Department of Treasury proposed new rules potentially requiring businesses to record transactions in digital assets that exceed $10,000 in value. It remains unclear if these proposed rules will ultimately be adopted.

 

President Trump’s January 23, 2025 Executive Order, titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology, aimed to reorient the federal governments approach to digital assets. The Executive Order emphasized the importance of the digital asset industry in innovation and economic development, and outlined policies to support the growth and use of digital assets, blockchain technology and related technologies. President Trump’s order also revoked former President Biden’s March 9, 2022 Executive Order, titled, “Responsible Development of Digital Assets” and the U.S. Department of Treasury’s July 7, 2022 “Framework for International Engagement of Digital Assets” and all policies, directives and guidance issued pursuant to those items produced by the previous administration. The consequences of federal regulation of digital assets and digital asset activities could have a material adverse effect on the Trust and the Shares. If the Sponsor determines not to comply with such regulatory and registration requirements, it may seek to cease certain or all of the Trust’s operations. Any such action could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The entire cryptocurrency industry experienced a significant drawdown in 2022, particularly throughout the latter half of the year. The decline was due to numerous factors, including a slowing macroeconomic environment, rising interest rates, expiring pandemic financial assistance, and the public collapse of several major industry participants, including Three Arrows Capital, Voyager, Celsius, and most recently, FTX and Genesis. The cryptocurrency industry’s turbulent drawdown in 2022 is expected to draw increased regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. Congress, SEC, and CFTC.

 

Under regulations from the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”), businesses involved in certain digital asset business activity involving New York or a New York resident must apply for a license, commonly known as a BitLicense, from the NYDFS and must comply with anti-money laundering, cyber security, consumer protection, and financial and reporting requirements, among others. As an alternative to a BitLicense, a firm can apply for a charter to become a limited purpose trust company under New York law qualified to engage in digital asset business activity. Other states have considered or approved digital asset business activity statutes or rules, passing, for example, regulations or guidance indicating that certain digital asset business activities constitute money transmission requiring licensure. The regulation of digital asset activity under state money transmission laws varies substantially. Differences between state regimes increase the complexity and compliance burden of operating digital asset businesses across the U.S. In an attempt to address these issues, the Uniform Law Commission passed a model law in July 2017, the Uniform Regulation of Virtual Currency Businesses Act, which has many similarities to the BitLicense and features a multistate reciprocity licensure feature, wherein a business licensed in one state could apply for accelerated licensure procedures in other states. As of [_______], 2025, only California, Louisiana and Rhode Island has adopted the model law, while Iowa has introduced the model law. It is still unclear; however, how many states will ultimately adopt some or all of the model legislation.

 

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On February 15, 2022, Representative Warren Davidson introduced the “Keep Your Coins Act,” which is intended “[t]o prohibit Federal agencies from restricting the use of convertible virtual currency by a person to purchase goods or services for the person’s own use, and for other purposes.” That same day, Congressman Josh Gottheimer also announced a discussion draft of the “Stablecoin Innovation and Protection Act,” which is intended to define “qualified stablecoins” to differentiate them from “more volatile cryptocurrencies.”

 

On March 17, 2022, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jack Reed, Mark Warner, and Jon Tester introduced the Digital Asset Sanctions Compliance Enhancement Act in an attempt to ensure blacklisted Russian individuals and businesses do not use cryptocurrency to evade economic sanctions. The bill does not come without controversy, however, as it “would place sweeping restrictions on persons who build, operate and use cryptocurrency networks even if they have no knowledge or intent to help anyone evade sanctions,” according to policy group Coin Center.

 

On March 28, 2022, Representative Stephen Lynch, along with co-sponsors Jesús G. García, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Alma Adams, introduced H.R. 7231, the Electronic Currency and Secure Hardware Act (ECASH Act), which would direct the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (not the Federal Reserve) to develop and issue a digital analogue to the U.S. dollar, or “e-cash,” which is intended to “replicate and preserve the privacy, anonymity-respecting, and minimal transactional data-generating properties of physical currency instruments such as coins and notes to the greatest extent technically and practically possible,” all without requiring a bank account. E-cash would be legal tender, payable to the bearer and functionally identical to physical U.S. coins and notes, “capable of instantaneous, final, direct, peer-to-peer, offline transactions using secured hardware devices that do not involve or require subsequent or final settlement on or via a common or distributed ledger, or any other additional approval or validation by the United States Government or any other third-party payments processing intermediary,” including fully anonymous transactions, and “interoperable with all existing financial institutions and payment systems and generally accepted payments standards and network protocols, as well as other public payments programs.”

 

On April 6, 2022, Senator Pat Toomey released a draft of his Stablecoin Transparency of Reserves and Uniform Safe Transactions Act, or Stablecoin TRUST Act. The draft bill contemplates a “payment stablecoin,” which is convertible directly to fiat currency by the issuer. Only an insured depositary institution, a money transmitting business (authorized by its respective state authority) or a new “national limited payment stablecoin issuer” would be eligible to issue payment stablecoins. Additionally, payment stablecoins would be exempt from the federal securities requirements, including the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).

 

On June 7, 2022, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis introduced the “Responsible Financial Innovation Act,” which was drafted to “create a complete regulatory framework for digital assets that encourages responsible financial innovation, flexibility, transparency and robust consumer protections while integrating digital assets into existing law.” Importantly, the legislation would assign regulatory authority over digital asset spot markets to the CFTC and codify that digital assets that meet the definition of a commodity would be regulated by the CFTC.

 

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In 2023, Congress continued to consider several stand-alone digital asset bills, including a formal process to determine when digital assets will be treated as either securities to be regulated by the SEC or commodities under the purview of the CFTC, what type of federal/state regulatory regime will exist for payment stablecoins and the how the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) will apply to cryptocurrency providers. The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (“FIT for the 21st Century Act”) advanced through the House and was ultimately passed on May 22, 2024 in a vote along bipartisan lines. The FIT for the 21st Century Act would require the SEC and the CFTC to jointly issue rules or guidance that would outline their process in delisting a digital asset that they deem inconsistent with the CEA, federal securities laws and the FIT for the 21st Century Act. The bill, in part, would also provide a certification process for blockchains to be recognized as decentralized, which would allow the SEC to challenge claims made by token issuers about meeting the outlined standards.

 

Legislative efforts have also focused on setting criteria for stablecoin issuers and what rules will govern redeemability and collateral. The Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act of 2023, as introduced by House Finance Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (the “McHenry bill”), would make it unlawful for any entity other than a permitted payment stablecoin issuer to issue a payment stablecoin. The McHenry bill would establish bank-like regulation and supervision for federal qualified nonbank payment stablecoin issuers. These requirements include capital, liquidity and risk management requirements, application of the Bank Secrecy Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act’s customer privacy requirements, certain activities limits, and broad supervision and enforcement authority. The McHenry bill would grant state regulators primary supervision, examination and enforcement authority over state stablecoin issuers, leaving the Federal Reserve Board with secondary, backup enforcement authority for “exigent” circumstances. The McHenry bill would also amend the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the 1940 Act, the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to specify that payment stablecoins are not securities for purposes of those federal securities laws.

 

Several other bills have advanced through Congress to curb crypto as a payment gateway for illicit activity and money laundering. The “Blockchain Regulatory Clarity Act” would provide clarity to the regulatory classification of digital assets, providing market certainty for innovators and clear jurisdictional boundaries for regulators by affirming that blockchain developers and other related service providers that do not custody customer funds are not money transmitters. The “Financial Technology Protection Act,” another bipartisan measure, would set up an independent Financial Technology Working Group to combat terrorism and illicit financing in cryptocurrency. The “Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act” aims to protect certain blockchain platforms from being designated as money-services businesses. Both acts advanced through the House with bipartisan support.

 

In a similar effort to prevent money laundering and stop crypto-facilitated crime and sanctions violations, bipartisan legislation was introduced to require DeFi services to meet the same anti-money laundering and economic sanctions compliance obligations as other financial companies. DeFi generally refers to applications that facilitate peer-to-peer financial transactions that are recorded on blockchains. By design, DeFi provides anonymity, which can allow malicious and criminal actors to evade traditional financial regulatory tools. Noting that transparency and sensible rules are vital for protecting the financial system from crime, the “Crypto-Asset National Security Enhancement and Enforcement (CANSEE) Act” was introduced. The CANSEE Act would end special treatment for DeFi by applying the same national security laws that apply to banks and securities brokers, casinos and pawn shops, and other cryptocurrency companies like centralized trading platforms. DeFi services would be forced to meet basic obligations, most notably to maintain anti-money laundering programs, conduct due diligence on their customers, and report suspicious transactions to FinCEN.

 

The continued evolution of federal, state and foreign government regulators and policymakers will continue to impact the viability and success of digital asset markets, broadly, and the Portfolio Digital Assets, specifically.

 

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Shareholders do not have the protections associated with ownership of shares in an investment company registered under the 1940 Act or commodity pools under the Commodity Exchange Act.

 

The 1940 Act establishes a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for investment companies. Regulation of investment companies under the 1940 Act is designed to, among other things: prevent insiders from managing the companies to their benefit and to the detriment of public investors; prevent the inequitable or discriminate issuance of investment company securities and prevent the use of unsound or misleading methods of computing asset values. For example, registered investment companies subject to the 1940 Act must have a board of directors, a certain minimum percentage of whom must be independent (generally, at least a majority). Further, after an initial two-year period, such registered investment companies’ advisory and sub-advisory contracts must be annually reapproved by a majority of (1) the entire board of directors and (2) the independent directors. Additionally, such registered investment companies are subject to prohibitions and restrictions on transactions with their affiliates and required to maintain fund assets with special types of custodians (generally, banks or broker-dealers). Moreover, such registered investment companies are subject to significant limits on the use of leverage, as well as limits on the form of capital structure and the types of securities a registered fund can issue.

 

The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act, and the Sponsor believes that the Trust is not permitted or required to register under such act. Consequently, Shareholders do not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in investment companies.

 

The Trust will not hold or trade in commodity interests regulated by the CEA, as administered by the CFTC. Furthermore, the Sponsor believes that the Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and that neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee is subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading advisor in connection with the operation of the Trust. Consequently, Shareholders will not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in CEA-regulated instruments or commodity pools.

 

Future and current regulations by a United States or foreign government or quasi-governmental agencies could have an adverse effect on an investment in the Trust.

 

The regulation of Portfolio Digital Assets and related products and services continues to evolve, may take many different forms and will, therefore, impact Portfolio Digital Assets and their usage in a variety of manners. The inconsistent, unpredictable, and sometimes conflicting regulatory landscape may make it more difficult for digital asset businesses to provide services, which may impede the growth of the digital asset economy and have an adverse effect on consumer adoption of digital asset. There is a possibility of future regulatory change altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Trust or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate. Additionally, changes to current regulatory determinations of a digital asset’s status as not being a security, changes to regulations surrounding digital asset futures or related products, or actions by a United States or foreign government or quasi-governmental agencies exerting regulatory authority over digital assets, the Solana and Ethereum Networks, digital asset trading, or related activities impacting other parts of the digital asset market, may adversely impact digital assets and therefore may have an adverse effect on the value of your investment in the Trust.

 

Digital assets currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in many foreign jurisdictions such as the European Union, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Russia, Israel, Poland, India, Hong Kong, Canada and Singapore. Cybersecurity attacks by state actors, particularly for the purpose of evading international economic sanctions, are likely to attract additional regulatory scrutiny to the acquisition, ownership, sale and use of digital assets. The effect of any existing regulation or future regulatory change on the Trust or the Portfolio Digital Assets is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to the Trust and the value of the Shares.

 

Various foreign jurisdictions have adopted, and may continue to adopt in the near future, laws, regulations or directives that affect digital assets, particularly with respect to digital asset markets, trading venues and service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. Such laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the United States and may negatively impact the acceptance of digital assets by users, merchants and service providers outside the United States and may therefore impede the growth or sustainability of the digital asset economy in these jurisdictions as well as in the United States and elsewhere, or otherwise negatively affect the value of digital asset, and, in turn, the value of the Shares.

 

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Future regulations may require the Trust or the Sponsor to become registered, which may cause the Trust to liquidate.

 

Current and future legislation, SEC and CFTC rulemaking, and other regulatory developments may impact the manner in which digital assets are treated. If any of the Portfolio Digital Assets is determined to be a “security” under federal or state securities laws by the SEC or any other agency, or in a proceeding in a court of law or otherwise, it may have material adverse consequences for the Portfolio Digital Assets’ utility and accordingly for their continued adoption. In the face of such developments, the required registrations and compliance steps may result in extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to the Trust. Specifically, the Trust and the Sponsor may be subject to additional regulatory requirements including under the 1940 Act, and the Sponsor may be required to register as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act. If the Sponsor determines not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, the Sponsor will terminate the Trust. Any such termination could result in the liquidation of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets at a time that is disadvantageous to Shareholders. Alternatively, compliance with these requirements could result in additional expenses to the Trust or significantly limit the ability of the Trust to pursue its investment objective. These additional requirements may result in extraordinary, recurring and/or nonrecurring expenses of the Trust, thereby materially and adversely impacting the Shares. If the Sponsor and/or the Trust determines not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, the Sponsor may terminate the Trust. Any such termination could result in the liquidation of the Trust’s digital asset at a time that is disadvantageous to Shareholders.

 

If regulatory changes or interpretations of an Authorized Participant’s, the Trust’s or the Sponsor’s activities require the regulation of an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor as a money services business under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act or as a money transmitter or digital asset business under state regimes for the licensing of such businesses, an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor may be required to register and comply with such regulations, which could result in extraordinary, recurring and/or nonrecurring expenses to the Authorized Participant, Trust or Sponsor or increased commissions for the Authorized Participant’s clients, thereby reducing the liquidity of the Shares.

 

To the extent that the activities of any Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor cause it to be deemed a “money services business” under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, such Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor may be required to comply with FinCEN regulations, including those that would mandate the implementation of an anti-money laundering program, the submission of certain reports to FinCEN and the maintenance of certain records. Similarly, the activities of an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor may require it to be licensed as a money transmitter or as a digital asset business, such as under NYDFS’ BitLicense regulation.

 

Such additional regulatory obligations may cause the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor to incur Extraordinary Expenses. If the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor decide to seek the required licenses, there is no guarantee that they will receive them in a timely manner. In addition, to the extent an Authorized Participant, the Trust, or the Sponsor is found to have operated without appropriate state or federal licenses, it may be subject to investigation, administrative or court proceedings, and civil or criminal monetary fines and penalties, all of which could harm the reputation of the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor and affect the value of the Shares. Furthermore, an Authorized Participant, the Trust, or the Sponsor may not be able to acquire necessary state licenses or be capable of complying with certain federal or state regulatory obligations applicable to money services businesses, money transmitters, and businesses engaged in digital asset activity in a timely manner. The Authorized Participant may also instead decide to terminate its role as Authorized Participant of the Trust, or the Sponsor may decide to terminate the Trust. Termination by the Authorized Participant may decrease the liquidity of the Shares, which may adversely affect the value of the Shares, and any termination of the Trust in response to the changed regulatory circumstances may be at a time that is disadvantageous to the Shareholders.

 

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Tax Risk

 

The ongoing activities of the Trust may generate tax liabilities for Shareholders.

 

As described below under “United States Federal Income Tax Consequences—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders,” it is expected that the Trust would be taxed as a C corporation and returns to an owner of Shares would be on an after-tax basis. Each sale or other disposition of Portfolio Digital Assets by the Trust (including, under current Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) guidance, the use of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay expenses of the Trust) will give rise to gain or loss and will therefore constitute a taxable event for the Trust.

 

Because the Trust will be a C corporation and neither a regulated investment company nor a grantor trust, the Trust will not be able to make in-kind redemption on a tax-free basis. If the Trust redeems Shares in-kind, the Trust will recognize gain in the asset distributed as if the Trust had sold the asset at it fair market value at the time of the redemption.

 

The Trust will not be able to make capital gains dividends. However, a portion of the distributions from the Trust may be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividends” for individual investors. See “United States Federal Income Tax Consequences—Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.”

 

The tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets and transactions involving Portfolio Digital Assets for United States federal income tax purposes may change.

 

Under current IRS guidance, the Portfolio Digital Assets are treated as property, not as currency, for U.S. federal income tax purposes and transactions involving payment in Portfolio Digital Assets in return for goods and services are treated as barter exchanges. Such exchanges result in capital gain or loss measured by the difference between the price at which Portfolio Digital Assets is exchanged and the taxpayer’s basis in the Portfolio Digital Assets. However, because Portfolio Digital Assets is are new technological innovation, because IRS guidance has taken the form of administrative pronouncements that may be modified without prior notice and comment, and because there is as yet little case law on the subject, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in Portfolio Digital Assets or in transactions relating to investments in Portfolio Digital Assets may change from that described in this Prospectus, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change in the U.S. federal income tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets may have a negative effect on prices of Portfolio Digital Assets and may adversely affect the value of the Shares. In this regard, the IRS has indicated that it has made it a priority to issue additional guidance related to the taxation of virtual currency transactions, such as transactions involving Portfolio Digital Assets. While it has started to issue such additional guidance, whether any future guidance will adversely affect the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in Portfolio Digital Assets or in transactions relating to investments in Portfolio Digital Assets is unknown. Moreover, future developments that may arise with respect to digital currencies may increase the uncertainty with respect to the treatment of digital currencies for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets and transactions involving Portfolio Digital Assets for state and local tax purposes is not settled.

 

Because Portfolio Digital Assets is a new technological innovation, the tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets for state and local tax purposes, including, without limitation state and local income and sales and use taxes, is not settled. It is uncertain what guidance, if any, on the treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets for state and local tax purposes may be issued in the future. A state or local government authority’s treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets may have negative consequences, including the imposition of a greater tax burden on investors in Portfolio Digital Assets or the imposition of a greater cost on the acquisition and disposition of Portfolio Digital Assets generally. Any such treatment may have a negative effect on prices of Portfolio Digital Assets and may adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

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Non-U.S. Holders may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on distributions from the.

 

Unless reduced by applicable treaties, distributions treated as dividends will be subject to a 30% withholding tax to non-U.S. Shareholders.

 

Other Risks

 

The Exchange on which the Shares are listed may halt trading in the Trust’s Shares, which would adversely impact a Shareholder’s ability to sell Shares.

 

The Trust’s Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange under the market symbol “____.” Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or, in light of the Exchange rules and procedures, for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading is subject to trading halts or pauses caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules and/or “limit up/limit down” rules that require trading to be halted or paused for a specified period based on a specified market decline. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Trust’s Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.

 

The liquidity of the Shares may also be affected by the withdrawal from participation of Authorized Participants, which could adversely affect the market price of the Shares.

 

In the event that one or more Authorized Participants or market makers that have substantial interests in the Trust’s Shares withdraw or “step away” from participation in the purchase (creation) or sale (redemption) of the Trust’s Shares, the liquidity of the Shares will likely decrease, which could adversely affect the market price of the Shares and result in Shareholders incurring a loss on their investment.

 

The market infrastructure of the markets for Portfolio Digital Assets could result in the absence of active Authorized Participants able to support the trading activity of the Trust.

 

Digital assets are extremely volatile, and concerns exist about the stability, reliability and robustness of many spot markets where digital assets trade. In a highly volatile market, or if one or more spot markets supporting the digital asset market faces an issue, it could be extremely challenging for any Authorized Participants to provide continuous liquidity in the Shares. There can be no guarantee that the Sponsor will be able to find an Authorized Participant to actively and continuously support the Trust.

 

Shareholders that are not Authorized Participants may only purchase or sell their Shares in secondary trading markets, and the conditions associated with trading in secondary markets may adversely affect Shareholders’ investment in the Shares.

 

Only Authorized Participants may create or redeem Baskets. All other Shareholders that desire to purchase or sell Shares must do so through the Exchange or in other markets, if any, in which the Shares may be traded. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to the NAV per Share.

 

The Sponsor relies heavily on key personnel.

 

The Sponsor relies heavily on key personnel to manage its activities. These key personnel intend to allocate their time managing the Trust in a manner that they deem appropriate. If such key personnel were to leave or be unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an adverse effect on the management of the Sponsor.

 

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Shareholders have no right or power to take part in the management of the Trust. Accordingly, no investor should purchase Shares unless such investor is willing to entrust all aspects of the management of the Trust to the Trustee and the Sponsor.

 

Additionally, there can be no assurance that all of the personnel who provide services to the Trust will continue to be associated with the Trust for any length of time. The loss of the services of one or more such individuals could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to realize its investment objective.

 

The Trust is new, and if it is not profitable, the Trust may terminate and liquidate at a time that is disadvantageous to Shareholders.

 

The Trust is new. If the Trust does not attract sufficient assets to remain open, or if the trust experiences excessive withdrawals, then the Trust could be terminated and liquidated at the direction of the Sponsor (or required to do so because it is delisted by the Exchange). Termination and liquidation of the Trust could occur at a time that is disadvantageous to Shareholders. When the Trust’s assets are sold as part of the Trust’s liquidation, the resulting proceeds distributed to Shareholders may be less than those that may be realized in a sale outside of a liquidation context.

 

Shareholders do not have the rights enjoyed by investors in certain other vehicles and may be adversely affected by a lack of statutory rights and by limited voting and distribution rights.

 

The Shares have limited voting and distribution rights. For example, Shareholders do not have the right to elect directors, the Trust may enact splits or reverse splits without Shareholder approval, and the Trust is not required to pay regular distributions, although the Trust may pay distributions at the discretion of the Sponsor.

 

Shareholders may be adversely affected by creation or redemption orders that are subject to postponement, suspension or rejection under certain circumstances.

 

The Trust may, in its discretion, suspend the right of creation or redemption or may postpone the redemption or purchase settlement date, for (1) any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which the fulfillment of a purchase order or the redemption distribution is not reasonably practicable, or (2) such other period as the Sponsor determines to be necessary for the protection of the Shareholders of the Trust. When determining whether such an emergency exists, the Sponsor may consider, among other things, the overall impact such emergency has had on price, volume, volatility and liquidity in digital asset markets; the Sponsor’s view on the how long such emergency will persist; and the Sponsor’s view on whether such emergency is likely to ease or worsen. An emergency could include situations where the Trust is unable to transact in digital asset or where the Trust is unable to value its digital asset holdings, such as a circumstance where a digital asset trading platform experiences technical failure, power outage, network error or other circumstance resulting in a market-wide halt to trading, or the Trust is unable to access the digital asset in the Trust’s custody account at the Custodian due to technical or operating issues at the Trust or the Custodian. Such disruptions may have an effect on overall liquidity, which may have a detrimental effect on the value of the Shares.

 

In addition, the Trust may reject a redemption order if the order is not in proper form as described in the Authorized Participant Agreement or if the fulfillment of the order might be unlawful. Any such postponement, suspension or rejection could adversely affect a redeeming Authorized Participant. Suspension of creation privileges may adversely impact how the Shares are traded and arbitraged on the secondary market, which could cause them to trade at levels materially different (premiums and discounts) from the fair value of their underlying holdings.

 

The Trust Agreement includes provisions that limit Shareholders’ voting rights and restrict Shareholders’ right to bring a derivative action.

 

Under the Trust Agreement, Shareholders generally have no voting rights and the Trust will not have regular Shareholder meetings. Shareholders take no part in the management or control of the Trust. Accordingly, Shareholders do not have the right to authorize actions, appoint service providers or take other actions as may be taken by shareholders of other trusts or companies where shares carry such rights. The Sponsor may take actions in the operation of the Trust that may be adverse to the interests of Shareholders and may adversely affect the value of the Shares.

 

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Moreover, pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement, Shareholders’ statutory right under Delaware law to bring a derivative action (i.e., to initiate a lawsuit in the name of the Trust in order to assert a claim belonging to the Trust against a fiduciary of the Trust or against a third-party when the Trust’s management has refused to do so) is restricted. Under Delaware law, a shareholder may bring a derivative action if the shareholder is a shareholder at the time the action is brought and either (i) was a shareholder at the time of the transaction at issue or (ii) acquired the status of shareholder by operation of law or the Trust’s governing instrument from a person who was a shareholder at the time of the transaction at issue. Additionally, Section 3816(e) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act specifically provides that a “beneficial owner’s right to bring a derivative action may be subject to such additional standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in the governing instrument of the statutory trust, including, without limitation, the requirement that beneficial owners owning a specified beneficial interest in the statutory trust join in the bringing of the derivative action.” In addition to the requirements of applicable law and in accordance with Section 3816(e), the Trust Agreement provides that no Shareholder will have the right, power or authority to bring or maintain a derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of the Trust unless two or more Shareholders who (i) are not “Affiliates” (as defined in the Trust Agreement) of one another and (ii) collectively hold at least 10.0% of the outstanding Shares join in the bringing or maintaining of such action, suit or other proceeding. This provision applies to any derivative actions brought in the name of the Trust other than claims under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

Due to this additional requirement, a Shareholder attempting to bring or maintain a derivative action in the name of the Trust will be required to locate other Shareholders with which it is not affiliated and that have sufficient Shares to meet the 10.0% threshold based on the number of Shares outstanding on the date the claim is brought and thereafter throughout the duration of the action, suit or proceeding. This may be difficult and may result in increased costs to a Shareholder attempting to seek redress in the name of the Trust in court. Moreover, if Shareholders bringing a derivative action, suit or proceeding pursuant to this provision of the Trust Agreement do not hold 10.0% of the outstanding Shares on the date such an action, suit or proceeding is brought, or such Shareholders are unable to maintain Share ownership meeting the 10.0% threshold throughout the duration of the action, suit or proceeding, such Shareholders’ derivative action may be subject to dismissal. As a result, the Trust Agreement limits the likelihood that a Shareholder will be able to successfully assert a derivative action in the name of the Trust, even if such Shareholder believes that he or she has a valid derivative action, suit or other proceeding to bring on behalf of the Trust.

 

CALCULATION OF NAV

 

Under normal circumstances, the Trust’s only assets will be the Portfolio Digital Assets and, under limited circumstances, cash. The Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets are carried, for financial statement purposes, at fair value, as required by the U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Trust’s NAV will be determined by the Administrator once each Exchange trading day at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (“ET”), or as soon thereafter as practicable. The NAV for a normal trading day will be released after 4:00 p.m. ET. Trading during the core trading session on the Exchange typically closes at 4:00 p.m. ET. However, NAVs are not officially struck until later in the day (often by 5:30 p.m. and almost always by 8:00 p.m.). The pause between 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (or later) provides an opportunity for the Sponsor to algorithmically detect, flag, investigate, and correct unusual pricing should it occur.

 

The Administrator will calculate the NAV of the Trust by determining total value of the Trust’s portfolio investments, cash and other assets in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies (the “Valuation Policies”), less any liabilities (including accrued expenses). The Trust’s NAV per Share is calculated by dividing the Trust’s NAV by the number of Shares then outstanding.

 

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Portfolio Cryptocurrencies

 

Portfolio Cryptocurrencies traded on more than one digital asset trading platform are valued at the last sale price reflected at 4:00 p.m. ET on the digital asset trading platform representing the principal market for such Portfolio Cryptocurrency on the business day for which such value is being determined. The Sponsor may, but is not required, to engage a third-party pricing service or index provider to provide pricing data with respect to the Portfolio Cryptocurrencies. Portfolio Cryptocurrencies for which market prices are unavailable, or Portfolio Cryptocurrencies for which the Sponsor determines that the bid and/or ask price or a counterparty valuation does not reflect market value, will be valued at fair value, as determined in good faith by the Sponsor, pursuant to the Valuation Policy. Circumstances in which market prices may be unavailable include, but are not limited to, when trading in a Portfolio Cryptocurrency is suspended, the exchange on which the security is traded is subject to an unscheduled close or disruption or material events occur after the close of the exchange on which the security is principally traded. In these circumstances, the Trust determines fair value in a manner that fairly reflects the market value of the security on the valuation date based on consideration of any information or factors it deems appropriate. These may include, but are not limited to, recent transactions in comparable securities, information relating to the specific security and developments in the markets.

 

Portfolio NFTs

 

The Fund generally expects that the Portfolio NFTs it holds will be fair valued by the Sponsor in accordance with the Valuation Policies and with assistance from certain Trust service providers. Listed below is a summary of certain of the methodologies generally used currently to fair value Portfolio NFTs held by the Trust under the Valuation Policies. The Portfolio NFTs held by the Trust will be fair valued based on some or all the following fair valuation methodologies:

 

Assessment of the acquisition cost of Portfolio NFT investments adjusted by premium or discount factors based on the Sponsor’s assessment of economic, environmental conditions or other events that may result in higher or lower prices for NFT investments generally.

Assessment of recent comparable public and, to the extent verifiable, private sale prices for similar NFTs that are available and reliable and price trend information for comparable NFTs.

Assessment of NFT collection-level pricing information and benchmarks that are available and reliable and price trend information for such specific NFT collection’s works.

Assessment of pricing information provided by third-party service providers or valuation agents.

Assessment of any other available information that the Sponsor deems relevant to the valuation of the Portfolio NFTs.

 

Fair value pricing of Portfolio NFTs will require subjective determinations about the value of Pudgy Penguin NFTs, NFTs and digital assets generally. Fair values may differ from prices that are used by others, for the same or similar investments. Also, the use of fair value pricing may not always result in adjustments to the prices of assets or liabilities held by the Trust. It is possible that the fair value determined for an investment may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of such asset. Thus, fair valuation may have an unintended dilutive or accretive effect on the value of Shareholders’ investments in the Trust.

 

ITV

 

[The ITV will be calculated by using the prior day’s closing NAV per Share of the Trust as a base and updating that value throughout the trading day to reflect changes in the most recently reported price level of the CME SOL Real Time Price. The ITV disseminated during the Exchange core trading session hours should not be viewed as an actual real-time update of the NAV, because NAV per Share is calculated only once at the end of each trading day based upon the relevant end-of-day values of the Trust’s investments. The ITV will be disseminated on a per-Share basis every 15 seconds during regular Exchange core trading session hours of 9:30 a.m. ET to 4:00 p.m. ET. The Exchange will disseminate the ITV value through the facilities of CTA/CQ High Speed Lines that allow for high-speed data transmission. In addition, the ITV will be published on the Exchange’s website and will be available through online information services such as Bloomberg and Reuters.

 

Dissemination of the ITV provides additional information that is not otherwise available to the public and may be useful to investors and market professionals in connection with the trading of the Shares on the Exchange. Investors and market professionals will be able throughout the trading day to compare the market price of the Trust and the ITV. If the market price of the Shares diverges significantly from the ITV, market professionals will have an incentive to execute arbitrage trades. For example, if the Trust appears to be trading at a discount compared to the ITV, a market professional could buy the Shares on the Exchange and sell short futures contracts. Such arbitrage trades can tighten the tracking between the market price of the Trust and the ITV and thus can be beneficial to all market participants.]

 

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The Sponsor reserves the right to adjust the Share price of the Trust in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits. Such splits would decrease (in the case of a split) or increase (in the case of a reverse split) the proportionate NAV per Share, but would have no effect on the net assets of the Trust or the proportionate voting rights of Shareholders or the value of any Shareholder’s investment.

 

The Trust’s periodic financial statements may not utilize the NAV of the Trust to the extent the methodology used to calculate the NAV is deemed not to be consistent with GAAP. The Trust’s periodic financial statements will be prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC Topic 820”) and utilize an exchange-traded price from the Trust’s principal market for Portfolio Cryptocurrencies and [      ] for Portfolio NFTs on the Trust’s financial statement measurement date. The Sponsor will determine in its sole discretion the valuation sources and policies used to prepare the Trust’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The Trust intends to engage a third-party vendor to obtain a price from a principal market for each of the Portfolio Cryptocurrencies, which will be determined and designated by such third-party vendor daily based on its consideration of several exchange characteristics, including oversight, and the volume and frequency of trades. Under GAAP, such a price is expected to be deemed a Level 1 input in accordance with the ASC Topic 820 because it is expected to be a quoted price in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRUST

 

The Trust

 

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust, formed on ________, 202_, pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act. The Trust continuously issues shares representing fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust that may be purchased and sold on the Exchange. The Trust will operate pursuant to Trust Agreement, as amended and/or restated from time to time. CSC Delaware Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, is the Delaware trustee of the Trust. The Trust is managed and controlled by the Sponsor. The Sponsor is a limited liability company formed in the state of Delaware on September 12, 2024.

 

The number of outstanding Shares is expected to increase and decrease from time to time as a result of the creation and redemption of Baskets. The creation and redemption of Baskets requires the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of cash represented by the NAV of the Baskets being created or redeemed. The total amount of cash required for the creation of Baskets will be based on the combined net assets represented by the number of Baskets being created or redeemed. The Sponsor recognizes that the size of the Baskets may impact the effectiveness of the arbitrage mechanism of the Trust’s creation and redemption process, and accordingly may adjust the size of the Baskets to enhance the activities of the Authorized Participants in the secondary market for the Trust’s Shares.

 

The Trust has no fixed termination date.

 

The Trust’s Fees and Expenses

 

The Trust will pay the Sponsor an annual unified fee of ____% of the Trust’s average daily net assets (the “Sponsor Fee”). The Sponsor Fee is paid by the Trust to the Sponsor as compensation for services performed under the Trust Agreement. The Administrator will calculate the Sponsor Fee in respect of each day by reference to the prior day’s NAV. Except for periods during which all or a portion of the Sponsor Fee is being waived, the Sponsor Fee will accrue daily in U.S. dollars and be payable monthly in cash. [To the extent there are any on-chain transaction fees incurred in connection with the transfers of [    ] to pay the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor, and not the Trust, shall bear such fees.] The Sponsor may, at its sole discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of the Sponsor Fee for stated periods of time. The Sponsor is under no obligation to waive any portion of its fees and any such waiver shall create no obligation to waive any such fees during any period not covered by the waiver.

 

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As partial consideration for its receipt of the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor is obligated under the Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other expenses incurred by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs, excluding taxes, but including: (i) the fees of the Trust’s third-party service providers including, but not limited to, the Distributor, the Administrator, the Custodian, the Cash Custodian, the Transfer Agent, and the Trustee, (ii) the fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or trading of the Shares on the Exchange (including customary legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses), (iii) legal fees and expenses incurred in the ordinary course, (iv) audit fees, (v) regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to the registration of the Trust and Shares, including any ongoing filings related to the offering of Shares, under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, (vi) printing and mailing costs, (vii) costs of maintaining the Trust’s website and (viii) applicable license fees (each, a “Sponsor-paid Expense” and collectively, the “Sponsor-paid Expenses”), provided that any expense that qualifies as an Extraordinary Expense (as defined below) will not be deemed to be a Sponsor-paid Expense. There is no cap on the amount of Sponsor-paid Expenses. The Sponsor has also assumed all fees and expenses related to the organization and offering of the Trust and the Shares.

 

The Trust may incur certain extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses that are not Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, brokerage and transaction costs associated with the sale or transfer of Portfolio Digital Assets, taxes and governmental charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the Trust, the Trust’s assets, or the interests of Shareholders, any indemnification of the Custodian or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust, and extraordinary legal fees and expenses, including any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation matters (collectively, “Extraordinary Expenses”). To the extent on-chain transaction fees are incurred in connection with transfers or sales of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay Extraordinary Expenses, the Trust will bear such fees.

 

To the extent it does not have cash readily available, the Sponsor shall cause the transfer or sale of Portfolio Digital Assets in such quantity as may be necessary to permit the payment of Trust expenses and liabilities not assumed by the Sponsor or for payment of redemption proceeds to Authorized Participants. In connection with such sales, the selection of which specific Portfolio Digital Assets to transfer or sell shall be made in the Sponsors sole discretion. The Trust will not bear any costs associated with the transfer or sale of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay the Sponsor Fee. To the extent the Trust incurs any Extraordinary Expenses, the Trust will bear the costs of any transfers or sales of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay such expenses. The Trust will seek to transfer Portfolio Digital Assets at such times and in the smallest amounts required to permit such payments as they become due. The amount of Portfolio Digital Assets transferred or sold may vary from time to time depending on the actual sales price of such assets relative to the Trust’s expenses and liabilities (e.g., if the price of PENGU falls, the amount of PENGU needed to be transferred or sold to pay an expense denominated in U.S. dollars will increase). To the extent the Trust must buy or sell Portfolio Digital Assets, the Trust may do so through a third-party digital asset broker or dealer, or, in the case of Portfolio NFTs, through an NFT marketplace. When the Trust buys or sells Portfolio Cryptocurrencies, the Sponsor seeks quotes from its trading counterparties. Such transactions are typically conducted over the counter rather than over a trading platform or similar order matching service. The Sponsor will select third party brokers or dealers that it believes have implemented adequate anti-money laundering, know-your-customer and other legal compliance policies and procedures.

 

[Under the terms of each Authorized Participant Agreement, the Authorized Participants will be responsible for any brokerage or transaction costs associated with the sale or transfer of SOL incurred in connection with the fulfillment of a creation or redemption order.]

 

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Termination of the Trust

 

The Sponsor will notify Shareholders at least thirty (30) days before the date for termination of the Trust Agreement and the Trust if any of the following occurs:

 

Shares are delisted from the Exchange and are not approved for listing on another national securities exchange within five business days of their delisting;

 

180 days have elapsed since the Trustee notified the Sponsor of the Trustee’s election to resign or since the Sponsor removed the Trustee, and a successor trustee has not been appointed and accepted its appointment;

 

the SEC determines that the Trust is an investment company under the 1940 Act, and the Sponsor has made the determination that termination of the Trust is advisable;

 

the CFTC determines that the Trust is a commodity pool under the Commodity Exchange Act, and the Sponsor has made the determination that termination of the Trust is advisable;

 

the Trust is determined to be a “money service business” under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and is required to comply with certain FinCEN regulations thereunder or is determined to be a “money transmitter” (or equivalent designation) under the laws of any state in which the Trust operates and is required to seek licensing or otherwise comply with state licensing requirements, and the Sponsor has made the determination that termination of the Trust is advisable;

 

a United States regulator requires the Trust to shut down or forces the Trust to liquidate its Portfolio Digital Assets or seizes, impounds or otherwise restricts access to the Trust Estate (as defined in the Trust Agreement);

 

any ongoing event exists that either prevents the Trust from making or makes impractical the Trust’s reasonable efforts to make a fair determination of the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets for purposes of determining the NAV of the Trust;

 

the Sponsor determines that the aggregate net assets of the Trust in relation to the operating expenses of the Trust make it unreasonable or imprudent to continue the business of the Trust;

 

60 days have elapsed since DTC or another depository has ceased to act as depository with respect to the Shares, and the Sponsor has not identified another depository that is willing to act in such capacity;

 

the Trustee elects to terminate the Trust after the Sponsor is conclusively deemed to have resigned effective immediately as a result of the Sponsor being adjudged bankrupt or insolvent, or a receiver of the Sponsor or of its property being appointed, or a trustee or liquidator or any public officer taking charge or control of the Sponsor or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation and a successor sponsor has not been appointed; or

 

the Sponsor elects to terminate the Trust after the Trustee, Administrator or the Custodian (or any successor trustee, administrator or custodian) resigns or otherwise ceases to be the trustee, administrator or custodian of the Trust, as applicable, and no replacement trustee, administrator and/or custodian acceptable to the Sponsor is engaged.

 

In addition, the Trust may be dissolved at any time for any reason by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. In respect of termination events that rely on Sponsor determinations to terminate the Trust (e.g., if the SEC determines that the Trust is an investment company under the 1940 Act; the CFTC determines that the Trust is a commodity pool under the CEA; the Trust is determined to be a money transmitter under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN; or, following a resignation by a trustee or custodian, the Sponsor determines that no replacement is acceptable to it), the Sponsor may consider, without limitation, the profitability to the Sponsor and other service providers of the operation of the Trust, any obstacles or costs relating to the operation or regulatory compliance of the Trust relating to the determination’s triggering event, and the ability to market the Trust to investors. To the extent that the Sponsor determines to continue operation of the Trust following a determination’s triggering event, the Trust will be required to alter its operations to comply with the triggering event. In the instance of a determination that the Trust is an investment company, the Trust and Sponsor would have to comply with the regulations and disclosure and reporting requirements applicable to investment companies and investment advisers. In the instance of a determination that the Trust is a commodity pool, the Trust and the Sponsor would have to comply with regulations and disclosure and reporting requirements applicable to commodity pools and commodity pool operators or commodity trading advisers. In the event that the Trust is determined to be a money transmitter, the Trust and the Sponsor will have to comply with applicable federal and state registration and regulatory requirements for money transmitters and/or money service businesses. In each such case and in the case of the Sponsor’s determination as to whether a potential successor trustee or custodian is acceptable to it, the Sponsor will not be liable to anyone for its determination of whether to continue or to terminate the Trust.

 

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Upon termination of the Trust, the affairs of the Trust shall be wound up and all assets owned by the Trust shall be liquidated as promptly as is consistent with obtaining the fair value thereof. The proceeds of the liquidation of the Trust’s assets will be distributed in cash. The Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, will sell the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets at market prices and will distribute to the Shareholders any amounts of the cash proceeds of the liquidation remaining after the satisfaction of all outstanding liabilities of the Trust and the establishment of reserves for applicable taxes, other governmental charges and contingent or future liabilities as the Sponsor will determine. Shareholders are not entitled to any of the Trust’s underlying Portfolio Digital Assets holdings upon the dissolution of the Trust. Following completion of winding up of its business by the Sponsor, the Trustee, upon written directions of the Sponsor, will cause a certificate of cancellation of the Trust’s Certificate of Trust to be filed in accordance with applicable Delaware law. Upon the termination of the Trust, the Sponsor will be discharged from all obligations under the Trust Agreement except for its certain obligations that survive termination of the Trust Agreement.

 

Amendments

 

The Trust Agreement can be amended by the Sponsor in its sole discretion and without the Shareholders’ consent by making an amendment, a Trust Agreement supplemental thereto, or an amended and restated trust agreement. Any such restatement, amendment and/or supplement to the Trust Agreement will be effective on such date as designated by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. However, any amendment to the Trust Agreement that affects the duties, liabilities, rights or protections of the Trustee will require the Trustee’s prior written consent, which it may grant or withhold in its sole discretion. Every Shareholder, at the time any amendment so becomes effective, will be deemed, by continuing to hold any Shares or an interest therein, to consent and agree to such amendment and to be bound by the Trust Agreement as amended thereby. In no event will any amendment impair the right of Authorized Participants to surrender baskets and receive therefor the amount of Trust assets represented thereby (less fees in connection with the surrender of Shares and any applicable taxes or other governmental charges), except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law. The Trust will notify Shareholders of any amendments to the Trust Agreement in a Prospectus supplement and/or a current report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports.

 

THE TRUST’S SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

The Sponsor

 

The Sponsor arranged for the creation of the Trust and is responsible for the ongoing registration of the Shares for their public offering in the United States and the listing of Shares on the Exchange. The Sponsor will not exercise day-to-day oversight over the Trustee, or the Custodian. The Sponsor, or its agent, will develop a marketing plan for the Trust, will prepare marketing materials regarding the Shares of the Trust, and will exercise the marketing plan of the Trust on an ongoing basis. The Sponsor has agreed to pay all normal operating expenses except for Extraordinary Expenses out of the Sponsor’s unified fee.

 

The Sponsor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canary Capital Group Inc. At present, the primary business activities of ________ and its subsidiaries are: (i) the provision of investment advisory, management, shareholder, investment information and assistance and certain fiduciary services for individual and institutional investors; (ii) the provision of securities brokerage services; (iii) the management and development of real estate; and (iv) the investment in and operation of a number of emerging businesses.

 

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The principal office of the Sponsor is:

 

Canary Capital Group LLC

1131 4th Avenue S #230

Nashville, TN 37210

(615) 200-0788

 

The Trustee

 

CSC Delaware Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, acts as the trustee of the Trust for the purpose of creating a Delaware statutory trust in accordance with the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (“DSTA”). The Trustee is appointed to serve as the trustee of the Trust in the State of Delaware for the sole purpose of satisfying the requirement of Section 3807(a) of the DSTA that the Trust have at least one trustee with a principal place of business in the State of Delaware.

 

Duties of the Trustee.

 

The Trustee is appointed to serve as the trustee of the Trust in the State of Delaware for the sole purpose of satisfying the requirement of Section 3807(a) of the DSTA that the Trust have at least one trustee with a principal place of business in the State of Delaware. The duties of the Trustee will be limited to (i) accepting legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware and (ii) the execution of any certificates required to be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State which the Delaware Trustee is required to execute under the DSTA.

 

Resignation, discharge or removal of Trustee; successor Trustees.

 

The Trustee may resign at any time by giving at least one hundred eighty (180) days’ advance written notice to the Sponsor. The Sponsor may remove the Trustee at any time by giving at least sixty (60) days’ advance written notice to the Trustee. Upon effective resignation or removal, the Trustee will be discharged of its duties and obligations.

 

If the Trustee resigns or is removed, the Sponsor, acting on behalf of the Shareholders, is required to use reasonable efforts to appoint a successor trustee. Any successor Trustee must satisfy the requirements of Section 3807 of the DSTA. Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee cannot become effective until a written acceptance of appointment is delivered by the successor Trustee to the outgoing Trustee and the Sponsor and any fees and expenses due to the outgoing Trustee are paid or waived by the outgoing Trustee. Following compliance with the preceding sentence, the successor will become fully vested with the rights, powers, duties and obligations of the outgoing Trustee under the Trust Agreement, with like effect as if originally named as Trustee, and the outgoing Trustee shall be discharged of its duties and obligations herein. If no successor Trustee shall have been appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within forty-five (45) days after the giving of such notice of resignation or removal, the Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

If the Trustee resigns and no successor trustee is appointed within one hundred eighty (180) days after the date the Trustee issues its notice of resignation, the Sponsor will terminate and liquidate the Trust and distribute its remaining assets.

 

Liability of the Trustee.

 

The Trustee shall not be liable under any circumstances, except for its own fraud, willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence with respect to its express duties under the Trust Agreement. The Trustee will have no obligation to monitor or supervise the obligations of the Sponsor, Transfer Agent, Administrator, Custodian, or any other person.

 

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Trustee’s Fee and Indemnity.

 

The Trustee will be compensated by the Trust, out of the Sponsors Fee, for the Trustee’s fees. The Trustee will be indemnified by the Trust for any expenses it incurs that arise out of or are imposed upon or asserted at any time against it in connection with the execution or delivery of the Trust Agreement relating to or arising out of the creation, operation or termination of the Trust, or the performance of its obligations pursuant to the Trust Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby, except to the extent that such expenses result from gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Trustee; provided that any such indemnification will be recoverable only from the assets of the Trust.

 

The Trustee and any of the officers, directors, affiliates, employees and agents of the Trustee shall be indemnified by the Trust and held harmless against any loss, damage, liability (including liability under state or federal securities laws), claim, action, suit, cost, expense, disbursement (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel generally and in connection with its enforcement of its indemnification rights), tax or penalty of any kind and nature whatsoever, to the extent arising out of, imposed upon or asserted at any time against such indemnified person in connection with the execution or delivery of the Trust Agreement, the performance of its obligations under the Trust Agreement, the creation, operation or termination of the Trust or the transactions contemplated therein; provided, however, that (i) the Trust shall not be required to indemnify any such indemnified person for any such expenses which are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence related to the express duties of the Trustee and (ii) any such indemnification will be recoverable only from the assets of the Trust; provided however that, to the extent that the Trust has not satisfied such indemnification obligation by the sixtieth (60th) day following written demand therefor, the Sponsor shall indemnify and hold the Trustee harmless from and against any such amounts. As security for any amounts owing to the Trustee under the above-referenced indemnity, the Trustee shall have a lien against the Trust property. The obligations of the Trust to indemnify such indemnified persons under the Trust Agreement shall survive resignation or removal of the Trustee and the termination of the Trust Agreement.

 

The Administrator

 

Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust. In addition, the Administrator makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities to provide such services. The Administrator will also facilitate the instruction to transfer Portfolio Digital Assets required for the operation of the Trust.

 

The Custodian

 

The Custodian is responsible for safekeeping all of the Portfolio Digital Assets owned by the Trust. The Custodian was selected by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has responsibility for opening the Digital Asset Account with the Custodian. In addition, the Custodian facilitates the transfer of Portfolio Digital Assets required for the operation of the Trust upon instructions from the Sponsor or the Administrator.

 

The Transfer Agent

 

____ serves as the transfer agent for the Trust. The Transfer Agent: (1) facilitates the issuance and redemption of Shares of the Trust; (2) responds to correspondence by Trust Shareholders and others relating to its duties; (3) maintains Shareholder accounts; and (4) makes periodic reports to the Trust. The Trust’s Transfer Agent will facilitate the settlement of Shares in response to the placement of creation orders and redemption orders from financial firms that are authorized to purchase or redeem Shares with the Authorized Participants.

 

The Cash Custodian

 

____ also serves as the cash custodian for the Trust. The Cash Custodian is responsible for safekeeping all cash assets of the Trust.

 

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The Distributor

 

The Distributor is responsible for working with the Administrator to review and approve, or reject, purchase and redemption orders of Baskets placed by Authorized Participants and for reviewing and approving the marketing materials prepared by the Sponsor for compliance with applicable SEC and FINRA advertising laws, rules, and regulations.

 

Trading Counterparties

 

The Trust buys and sells Portfolio Cryptocurrencies through trading counterparties selected by the Sponsor (not any Authorized Participant). The Trust does not currently intend to engage a prime broker or other liquidity provider providing similar services. As of ________, the Trust has entered into agreements with each of ________, ________ and _______ to serve as a trading counterparty to the Trust. ________ is an Authorized Participant. The Sponsor is not aware of, nor has it requested any information relating to, any other affiliation or material relationship between such trading counterparties and the Authorized Participants or other service providers of the Trust in executing a transaction in Portfolio Cryptocurrencies with the Trust. The agreements with the trading counterparties provide that once the Sponsor determines based on its execution procedures which counterparty to execute a trade with and the Sponsor has placed a trade with a specific counterparty, that counterparty is contractually obligated to settle that trade. The trading counterparties will have no obligation to participate in cash orders for creations and redemptions. Each of these third parties are, and any other trading counterparty the Trust places orders with in the future will be, subject to U.S. federal and/or state licensing requirements or similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions and maintain practices and policies designed to comply with AML and KYC regulations or similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions.

 

CUSTODY OF THE TRUST’S ASSETS

 

The Trust has entered into an agreement with the Custodian, the Custody Agreement, pursuant to which the Custodian will custody all of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets in a segregated account from time to time (the “Vault Balance”). The Custodian will keep a substantial portion of the private keys associated with the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets in “cold storage” or similarly secure technology (the “Cold Vault Balance”), with any remainder of the Vault Balance held as a “Hot Vault Balance.” The Sponsor expects that all of the Trust’s assets and private keys will be held in cold storage of the Custodian on an ongoing basis.

 

Custody of Portfolio Digital Assets typically involves the generation, storage and utilization of private keys. These private keys are used to effect transfer transactions (i.e., transfers of Portfolio Digital Assets from an address associated with the private key to another address). Cold storage of private keys may involve keeping such keys on a non-networked computer or electronic device or storing the private keys on a storage device or printed medium and deleting the keys from all computers. Cold storage is a safeguarding method with multiple layers of protections and protocols, by which the private key(s) corresponding to the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets is (are) generated and stored in an offline manner. Private keys are generated in offline computers that are not connected to the internet so that they are resistant to being hacked. By contrast, in hot storage, the private keys are held online, where they are more accessible, leading to more efficient transfers, though they are potentially more vulnerable to being hacked. While the Custodian will generally keep all of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets in cold storage on an ongoing basis, it is possible that, from time to time, portions of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets will be held outside of cold storage temporarily as part of trade facilitation in connection with creations and redemptions of Baskets, to sell Portfolio Digital Assets including to pay Trust expenses, or to pay the Sponsor Fee, as necessary. The Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets held in the Cold Vault Balance by the Custodian are held in segregated wallets and therefore are not commingled with the Custodian’s or other customer assets. The private key materials are stored within secure storage facilities within the U.S. and Europe. For security reasons exact locations are never disclosed. A limited number of employees at the Custodian are involved in private key management operations, and the Custodian has represented that no single individual has access to full private keys. The Custodian carefully considers the design of the physical, operational and cryptographic systems for secure storage of the Trust’s private keys in an effort to lower the risk of loss or theft. No such system is perfectly secure and loss or theft due to operational or other failure is always possible.

 

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The Custodian’s internal audit team performs periodic internal audits over custody operations, and the Custodian has represented that Systems and Organizational Control attestations covering private key management controls are also performed on the Custodian by an external provider.

 

Under the terms of the Custody Agreement, the Sponsor maintains sole discretion in allocating Portfolio Digital Assets among the Hot Vault Balance and Cold Vault Balance. Portfolio Digital Assets custodied by the Custodian is not commingled with assets of Custodian or its affiliates or with assets of other customers of Custodian. Neither the Trust, the Sponsor, nor any other entity is permitted to lend, pledge, hypothecate or rehypothecate any of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets. The Custodian has also agreed in the Custody Agreement that it will not, directly or indirectly, lend, pledge, hypothecate or rehypothecate any of the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets, and that the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets assets are not treated as general assets of the Custodian but are instead considered custodial assets that remain the Trust’s property. Additionally, the Custodian has agreed to provide the Trust or its authorized independent public accountant with confirmation of or access to information sufficient to confirm the Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Custodian for the Trust and that the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets is held in a separate, segregated account under the Trust’s name. Under the Custody Agreement, the Custodian is required to obtain and maintain, at its sole expense, commercially reasonable insurance coverage for the custody services it provides to the Trust. The Custody Agreement does not require that private key information with respect to the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets be kept in a particular physical location.

 

The Custodian may receive deposits of Portfolio Digital Assets but may not send Portfolio Digital Assets without use of the corresponding private keys. In order to send Portfolio Digital Assets when the private keys are kept in cold storage, unsigned transactions must be physically transferred to the offline cold storage facility and signed using a software/hardware utility with the corresponding offline keys. At that point, the Custodian can upload the fully signed transaction to an online network and transfer the Portfolio Digital Assets. Because the Custodian may need to retrieve private keys from offline storage prior to initiating transactions, the initiation or crediting of withdrawals or other transactions may be delayed.

 

Under the Custody Agreement, the Custodian’s liability is limited as follows, among others: (i) other than with respect to claims and losses arising from spot trading of Portfolio Digital Assets, or fraud or willful misconduct, among others, the Custodian’s aggregate liability under the Custody Agreement shall not exceed the greater of (A) the greater of (x) $5 million and (y) the aggregate fees paid by the Trust to the Custodian in the 12 months prior to the event giving rise to the Custodian’s liability, and (B) the value of the affected Portfolio Digital Assets or cash giving rise to the Custodian’s liability; (ii) the Custodian’s aggregate liability in respect of each cold storage address shall not exceed $100 million; (iii) in respect of the Custodian’s obligations to indemnify the Trust and its affiliates against third party claims and losses to the extent arising out of or relating to, among others, the Custodian’s violation of any law, rule or regulation with respect to the provision of its services, the Custodian’s liability shall not exceed the greater of (A) $5 million and (B) the aggregate fees paid by the Trust to the Custodian in the 12 months prior to the event giving rise to the Custodian’s liability; and (iv) in respect of any incidental, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or similar losses, the Custodian is not liable, even if the Custodian has been advised of or knew or should have known of the possibility thereof. The Custodian is not liable for delays, suspension of operations, failure in performance, or interruption of service to the extent it is directly due to a cause or condition beyond the reasonable control of the Custodian. Under the Custody Agreement, except in the case of its negligence, fraud, material violation of applicable law or willful misconduct, the Custodian shall not have any liability, obligation, or responsibility for any damage or interruptions caused by any computer viruses, spyware, scareware, Trojan horses, worms or other malware that may affect the Trust’s computer or other equipment, or any phishing, spoofing or other attack, unless the Custodian fails to have commercially reasonable policies, procedures and technical controls in place to prevent such damages or interruptions.

 

The Custodian maintains a commercial crime insurance policy, which is intended to cover the loss of client assets held in cold storage, including from employee collusion or fraud, physical loss including theft, damage of key material, security breach or hack, and fraudulent transfer. The insurance maintained by the Custodian is shared among all of the Custodian’s customers, is not specific to the Trust or to customers holding Portfolio Digital Assets with the Custodian, and may not be available or sufficient to protect the Trust from all possible losses or sources of losses.

 

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The Custodian may terminate the Custody Agreement for any reason upon providing the applicable notice to the Trust, or immediately for “Cause” (as defined in the Custody Agreement), including, among others, if the Trust: materially breaches the Custody Agreement and such breach remains uncured, or undergoes a bankruptcy event.

 

The Transfer Agent will facilitate the settlement of Shares in response to the placement of creation orders and redemption orders from Authorized Participants. The Trust has entered into the Cash Custody Agreement with ________ under which BNY Mellon acts as custodian of the Trust’s cash and cash equivalents.

 

The Trust may engage third-party custodians or vendors besides the Custodian and the Cash Custodian to provide custody and security services for all or a portion of its Portfolio Digital Assets and/or cash, and the Sponsor will pay the custody fees and any other expenses associated with any such third-party custodian or vendor. The Sponsor is responsible for overseeing the Custodian and the Trust’s other service providers. The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, add or terminate Portfolio Digital Asset custodians at any time. The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, change the custodian for the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Asset holdings, but it will have no obligation whatsoever to do so or to seek any particular terms for the Trust from other such custodians. However, the Sponsor will only enter into Portfolio Digital Asset custody arrangements with custodians that meet the Sponsor’s criteria, including an agreement to maintain Trust assets in a segregated account, to maintain insurance and to store the Trust’s private keys in cold storage or in such other manner as the Sponsor determines provides reasonable protection for the Trust’s assets from loss or theft.

 

Forks and Air Drops

 

In the event of a fork, the Custodial Services Agreement provides that the Custodian may evaluate the consequences of a fork and determine which chain resulting from the fork it will support as an eligible asset for its customers including the Trust. The Custodian will determine in its sole discretion whether to support and make available to clients assets resulting from forks or air drops. In the event that the Trust may have a right to claim assets resulting from a fork or air drop, the Custodian will seek approval of the Trust before claiming such assets on behalf of the Trust and making an entry of ownership on the Custodian’s books and records for the Trust’s account. The Sponsor has not communicated any anticipatory disclaimer to the Custodian regarding forked or air dropped assets and will disclaim or claim them on a case-by-case basis.

 

Custody of the Trust’s Cash

 

The Trust generally does not intend to hold cash or cash equivalents except for cash received from Authorized Participants in connection with a creation transaction or cash held by the Trust pending distribution to Authorized Participants in a redemption transaction or payment of Trust expenses. The Trust has entered into a Cash Custody Agreement with the Cash Custodian under which the Cash Custodian acts as custodian of the Trust’s cash.

 

FORM OF SHARES

Registered Form

 

Shares are issued in registered form in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The Transfer Agent has been appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of transferring Shares in certificated form. The Transfer Agent keeps a record of all Shareholders and holders of the Shares in certified form in the registry. The Sponsor recognizes transfers of Shares in certificated form only if done in accordance with the Trust Agreement. The beneficial interests in such Shares are held in book-entry form through participants and/or accountholders in DTC.

 

Book Entry

 

Individual certificates are not issued for the Shares. Instead, Shares are represented by one or more global certificates, which are deposited by the Administrator with DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the Shares outstanding at any time. Shareholders are limited to (1) participants in DTC such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC Participants”), (2) those who maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant (“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those who hold interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants, in each case who satisfy the requirements for transfers of Shares. DTC Participants acting on behalf of Shareholders holding Shares through such participants’ accounts in DTC will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities eligible for DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Shares are credited to DTC Participants’ securities accounts following confirmation of receipt of payment.

 

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DTC

 

DTC has advised us as follows: It is a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the 1934 Act. DTC holds securities for DTC Participants and facilitates the clearance and settlement of transactions between DTC Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of DTC Participants.

 

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

The Shares are only transferable through the book-entry system of DTC. Shareholders who are not DTC Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC by instructing the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by instructing the Indirect Participant or other entity through which their Shares are held) to transfer the Shares. Transfers are made in accordance with standard securities industry practice.

 

Transfers of interests in Shares with DTC are made in accordance with the usual rules and operating procedures of DTC and the nature of the transfer. DTC has established procedures to facilitate transfers among the participants and/or accountholders of DTC. Because DTC can only act on behalf of DTC Participants, who in turn act on behalf of Indirect Participants, the ability of a person or entity having an interest in a global certificate to pledge such interest to persons or entities that do not participate in DTC, or otherwise take actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the lack of a certificate or other definitive document representing such interest.

 

DTC has advised us that it will take any action permitted to be taken by a Shareholder (including, without limitation, the presentation of a global certificate for exchange) only at the direction of one or more DTC Participants in whose account with DTC interests in global certificates are credited and only in respect of such portion of the aggregate principal amount of the global certificate as to which such DTC Participant has or DTC Participants have given such direction.

 

SEED CAPITAL INVESTOR

 

[On ____, 202_, ____ (the “Seed Capital Investor”), an affiliate of the Sponsor, purchased one (1) Share at a per-Share price of $___ (the “Seed Share”). Delivery of the Seed Share was made on ____, 202_. Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Share were $___. On ____, 202_, the Seed Share was redeemed for cash and the Seed Capital Investor purchased ____ Shares at a per-Share price of $____ (the “Seed Baskets”). Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Baskets were $____. On ____, 202_, the Trust purchased ____ PENGU with the proceeds of the Seed Baskets. As of the date of the Prospectus, these ____Shares represent all of the outstanding Shares. The Seed Capital Investor will act as a statutory underwriter in connection with the Seed Baskets. See “Plan of Distribution” for additional information. The Seed Capital Investor may offer all of the Shares comprising the Seed Share and the Seed Baskets to the public pursuant to this Prospectus.]

 

The Seed Capital Investor will not receive from the Trust, the Sponsor or any of their affiliates any fee or other compensation in connection with the sale of the Seed Baskets. The Seed Capital Investor will be acting as a statutory underwriter with respect to the Seed Baskets.

 

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The Seed Capital Investor will not act as an Authorized Participant with respect to the Seed Baskets, and its activities with respect to the Seed Baskets will be distinct from those of an Authorized Participant. Unlike most Authorized Participants, the Seed Capital Investor is not in the business of purchasing and selling securities for its own account or the accounts of others. The Seed Capital Investor will not act as an Authorized Participant to purchase (or redeem) Baskets in the future.

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

Buying and Selling Shares

 

Most investors buy and sell Shares of the Trust in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares trade on the Exchange under the ticker symbol “____.” Shares are bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, most investors incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shareholders are encouraged to review the terms of their brokerage account for details on applicable charges.

 

Authorized Participants

 

The offering of the Trust’s Shares is a best efforts offering. In addition to, and independent of the initial purchase of the Seed Baskets (described above), the Trust continuously offers Baskets consisting of ________ Shares to Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants pay a transaction fee for each order they place to create or redeem one or more Baskets.

 

The Authorized Participants will deliver only cash to create Shares and will receive only cash when redeeming Shares. Further, Authorized Participants will not directly or indirectly purchase, hold, deliver, or receive Portfolio Digital Assets as part of the creation or redemption process or otherwise direct the Trust or a third party with respect to purchasing, holding, delivering, or receiving Portfolio Digital Assets as part of the creation or redemption process.

 

The offering of Baskets is being made in compliance with Rule 2310 of the FINRA Rules. Accordingly, Authorized Participants will not make any sales to any account over which they have discretionary authority without the prior written approval of a purchaser of Shares.

 

The per share price of Shares offered in Baskets on any subsequent day will be the total NAV of the Trust calculated shortly after the close of the Exchange on that day divided by the number of issued and outstanding Shares of the Trust. An Authorized Participant is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of Shares.

 

By executing an Authorized Participant Agreement, an Authorized Participant becomes part of the group of parties eligible to purchase Baskets from, and put Baskets for redemption to, the Trust. An Authorized Participant is under no obligation to create or redeem baskets or to offer to the public Shares of any Baskets it does create.

 

Because new Shares can be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the Trust, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, will be occurring. Authorized Participants, other broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some of their activities may result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that would render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. For example, the initial Authorized Participant will be a statutory underwriter with respect to the initial purchase of Baskets and the Seed Capital Investor will be a statutory underwriter with respect to the Seed Basket. Any purchaser who purchases Shares with a view towards distribution of such Shares may be deemed to be a statutory underwriter. In addition, an Authorized Participant, other broker-dealer firm or its client will be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases a basket from the Trust, breaks the basket down into the constituent Shares and sells the Shares to its customers; or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for the Shares. In contrast, Authorized Participants may engage in secondary market or other transactions in Shares that would not be deemed “underwriting.” For example, an Authorized Participant may act in the capacity of a broker or dealer with respect to Shares that were previously distributed by other Authorized Participants. A determination of whether a particular market participant is an underwriter must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that would lead to designation as an underwriter and subject them to the prospectus-delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

 

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Dealers who are neither Authorized Participants nor “underwriters” but are nonetheless participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus-delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act.

 

While the Authorized Participants may be indemnified by the Sponsor, they will not be entitled to receive a discount or commission from the Trust or The Sponsor for their purchases of Baskets.

 

As of ________, ________ and ________have each executed an Authorized Participant Agreement.

 

Selling Shareholders

 

The Sponsor or its affiliates, or a fund or unit investment trust for which the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor serves as sponsor or investment advisor, may purchase Shares of the Trust through a broker-dealer or other investors, including in secondary market transactions, and because the Sponsor and its affiliates may be deemed affiliates of the Trust, the Shares are being registered to permit the resale of these Shares by affiliates of the Trust from time to time after any such purchase. The Trust will not receive any of the proceeds from the resale of such Shares.

 

Selling shareholders (each, a “Selling Shareholder”) may sell Shares owned by them directly or through broker-dealers, in accordance with applicable law, on any national securities exchange on which the Shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, through trading systems, in the OTC market or in transactions other than on these exchanges or systems at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected through brokerage transactions, privately negotiated trades, block sales, entry into options or other derivatives transactions or through any other means authorized by applicable law. Selling Shareholders may redeem Shares held in Basket size through an Authorized Participant. See “Conflicts of Interest.”

 

CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES

 

The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets. Baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of cash represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed (the “Basket Deposit”). The amount of cash required in a Basket Deposit (the “Basket Cash Deposit”) is based on the value of the quantity of the Portfolio Digital Assets and cash attributable to each Share of the Trust (net of accrued but unpaid Sponsor Fees and any accrued but unpaid Extraordinary Expenses) being created or redeemed determined as of 4:00 p.m. EST on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received.

 

Authorized Participants are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem Baskets. Authorized Participants must be (1) registered broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and other financial institutions, that are not required to register as broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions described below and (2) DTC Participants. To become an Authorized Participant, a person must enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor. As of the Trust’s commencement of operations, Baskets may only be purchased or redeemed by Authorized Participants for cash.

 

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In connection with a Cash Creation Order (as defined below) or Cash Redemption Order (as defined below), an Authorized Participant is responsible for any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfers fees, network fees and stamp taxes (the “Transaction Fee”). The Transaction Fee may be reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the Sponsor. Authorized Participants who make deposits with the Trust in exchange for Baskets receive no fees, commissions or other form of compensation or inducement of any kind from either the Trust or the Sponsor, and no such person will have any obligation or responsibility to the Sponsor or the Trust to effect any sale or resale of Shares.

 

Certain Authorized Participants and their agents and affiliates are expected to be capable of participating directly in the spot markets. Some Authorized Participants or their agents and affiliates may from time to time buy or sell Portfolio Digital Assets and may profit in these instances. To the extent that the activities of Authorized Participants or their agents and affiliates have a meaningful effect on the digital asset markets, it could affect the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets and impact the ability of the Authorized Participants to effectively arbitrage the difference between the price at which the shares trade and the NAV of the Trust. While the Sponsor currently expects that Authorized Participants’ and their agents’ and affiliates’ direct activities in the Portfolio Digital Asset or securities markets in connection with the creation and redemption activities of the Trust will not significantly affect the price of Portfolio Digital Assets or the Shares, the impact of the activities of the Trust and its Authorized Participants and their agents and affiliates on digital asset or securities markets is unknown and beyond the control of the Sponsor.

 

Each Authorized Participant will be required to be registered as a broker-dealer under the 1934 Act and a member in good standing with FINRA, or exempt from being or otherwise not required to be licensed as a broker-dealer or a member of FINRA, and will be qualified to act as a broker or dealer in the states or other jurisdictions where the nature of its business so requires. Certain Authorized Participants may also be regulated under federal and state banking laws and regulations. Each Authorized Participant has its own set of rules and procedures, internal controls and information barriers as it determines is appropriate in light of its own regulatory regime.

 

The following description of the procedures for the creation and redemption of Baskets is only a summary and a Shareholder should refer to the form of Authorized Participant Agreement for more detail. A form of Authorized Participant Agreement will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this Prospectus is a part.

 

Creation Procedures

 

On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to create one or more Baskets. For purposes of processing creation and redemption orders, a “business day” means any day other than a day when the Exchange is closed for regular trading. Purchase orders must be placed by the close of Regular Trading Hours on the Exchange or an earlier time as determined and communicated by the Sponsor and its agent. A purchase order will be effective on the date it is received in good order by the Transfer Agent (“Purchase Order Date”).

 

The manner by which creations are made is dictated by the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement. Creation orders are denominated and settled in cash (“Cash Creation Order”). By placing a Cash Creation Order, an Authorized Participant agrees to facilitate the deposit of cash with the Cash Custodian. If an Authorized Participant fails to consummate the foregoing, the order will be cancelled or delayed until the full cash deposit has been received. An Authorized Participant may not withdraw a creation order without the prior consent of the Sponsor in its discretion.

 

Following an Authorized Participant’s Cash Creation Order, the Trust’s account at the Cash Custodian must be credited with the Basket Cash Deposit amount by the end of the following business day or such earlier or later time as may be agreed upon by the Authorized Participant and the Sponsor following the Purchase Order Date. Upon receipt of the Basket Cash Deposit amount in the Trust’s account at the Cash Custodian, the Transfer Agent will notify the Distributor, the Authorized Participant, and the Sponsor that the Basket Cash Amount has been deposited. The Transfer Agent will then direct DTC to credit the number of Shares created to the Authorized Participant’s DTC account.

 

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Determination of Required Deposits

 

The amount of the Basket Deposit changes from day to day. On each day that the Exchange is open for regular trading, the Administrator adjusts the quantity of cash constituting the Basket Deposit as appropriate to reflect the NAV of the Trust. The computation is made by the Administrator as promptly as practicable after 4:00 p.m. EST or at an earlier time set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement or otherwise provided to all Authorized Participants on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Baskets to be effected based on the NAV of Shares as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form.

 

The Basket Cash Deposit is an amount of cash that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the Trust, net of accrued expenses and other liabilities, on the Purchase Order Date, as the number of Shares constituting a Basket is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on the Purchase Order Date, plus the amount of any Transaction Fee. For a discussion of how the Trust determines the value of Portfolio Digital Assets, see “Calculation of NAV” above. The Basket Cash Deposit so determined is communicated via electronic mail message to all Authorized Participants.

 

To the extent the price at which the Trust executes an Portfolio Digital Asset purchase in connection with a Cash Creation exceeds the amount described in the paragraph above, the Authorized Participant that placed such order will be responsible for any such difference in price.

 

Delivery of Required Deposits

 

An Authorized Participant who places a purchase order must follow the procedures outlined in the “Creation Procedures” section of this Prospectus. Upon receipt of the deposit amount by the Cash Custodian, the Transfer Agent will direct DTC to credit the number of Shares ordered to the Authorized Participant’s DTC account on the following business day or such later time as may be agreed upon by the Authorized Participant and the Sponsor, following the Purchase Order Date. The Sponsor has the authority to set or modify the cut-off time for purchase orders in order for the creation of Baskets to be effected based on the NAV calculation at 4:00 p.m. EST as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. Cut-off times are communicated periodically to Authorized Participants. In circumstances where purchase orders are due before 4:00 p.m. EST, Authorized Participants will not know the total Basket Deposit at the time they submit a purchase order for the Basket. The Trust’s NAV and the price of a Basket Deposit could rise or fall substantially between the time a purchase order is submitted and the time the amount of the purchase price in respect thereof is determined, and the risk of such price movements will be borne solely by the Authorized Participant.

 

Rejection of Purchase Orders

 

The Sponsor or its designee has the absolute right, but does not have any obligation, to reject any purchase order or Basket Deposit if the Sponsor determines that:

 

the purchase order is not in proper form;

 

the Basket Deposit delivered is not as specified by the Trust through the Sponsor and/or Transfer Agent, and the Sponsor has not consented to acceptance of a deposit that varies from the designated portfolio;

 

the acceptance of the Basket Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Trust;

 

the acceptance of the Basket Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful;

 

the acceptance of the Basket Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Sponsor, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners of the Trust; or

 

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there exist circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Transfer Agent, or the Sponsor that make it impossible to process purchase orders for all practical purposes.

 

The Sponsor may in its sole discretion limit the number of Shares created pursuant to purchase orders on any specified day without notice to the Authorized Participants and may direct the Distributor to reject any purchase orders in excess of such capped amount. The Sponsor may choose to limit the number of Shares created pursuant to purchase orders when it deems so doing to be in the best interest of Shareholders. It may choose to do so when it believes the market is too volatile to execute a Portfolio Digital Asset transaction, when it believes the price of the Portfolio Digital Assets is being inconsistently, irregularly, or discontinuously published from trading venues and other data sources, or when it believes other similar circumstances may create a scenario in which accepting purchase orders would not be in the best interests of the Shareholders. The Sponsor does not believe that the Trust’s ability to arrive at such a determination will have a significant impact on the Shares in the secondary market because it believes that the ability to create Shares would be reinstated shortly after such determination is made, and any entity desiring to create Shares would be able to do so once the ability to create Shares is reinstated. However, it is possible that such a determination would cause the Shares to trade at premiums or discounts relative to the Trust’s NAV on the secondary market if arbitrageurs believe that there is risk that the creation and redemption process is not available, as this process is a component of keeping the price of the Shares on the secondary market closely aligned to the Trust’s NAV.

 

Neither the Sponsor, nor the Transfer Agent, nor the Trust will be liable for the rejection of any purchase order or Basket Deposit.

 

Redemption Procedures

 

The procedures by which an Authorized Participant can redeem one or more Baskets mirror the procedures for the creation of Baskets. On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by the close of Regular Trading Hours on the Exchange or an earlier time as determined and communicated by the Sponsor and its agent. A redemption order will be effective on the date it is received by the Transfer Agent (“Redemption Order Date”).

 

The manner by which redemptions are made is dictated by the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement. Redemption orders are denominated and settled in cash (“Cash Redemption Order”). By placing a Cash Redemption Order, an Authorized Participant agrees to facilitate the deposit of Shares with the Transfer Agent. If an Authorized Participant fails to consummate the foregoing, the order will be cancelled or delayed until the required Shares have been received. An Authorized Participant may not withdraw a redemption order without the prior consent of the Sponsor in its discretion.

 

In the case of a Cash Redemption Order, the redemption distribution from the Trust consists of a transfer to the Authorized Participant of an amount of cash that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the Trust, net of accrued expenses and other liabilities, on the Redemption Order Date, as the number of Shares to be redeemed under the purchase order is in proportion to the total number of Shares outstanding on the Redemption Order Date. The redemption distribution due from the Trust will be delivered once the Transfer Agent notifies the Cash Custodian, the Distributor and the Sponsor that the Authorized Participant has delivered the Shares represented by the Baskets to be redeemed to the Transfer Agent’s DTC account. If the Transfer Agent’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the Shares of the Baskets to be redeemed, the redemption distribution will be cancelled or delayed until such time as the Transfer Agent confirms receipt of all such Shares.

 

By placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Trust by the end of the following business day or such later time as may be agreed upon by the Authorized Participant and the Sponsor following the Redemption Order Date. An Authorized Participant may not withdraw a redemption order without the prior consent of the Sponsor in its discretion.

 

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Determination of Redemption Distribution

 

The redemption distribution from the Trust will consist of a transfer to the redeeming Authorized Participant of an amount of cash that is determined in the same manner as the determination of Basket Deposits discussed above.

 

Delivery of Redemption Distribution

 

Once the Transfer Agent notifies the Custodian, the Cash Custodian, the Distributor and the Sponsor that the Shares have been received in the Transfer Agent’s DTC account, the Administrator instructs the Custodian to transfer cash amount from the Trust’s Cash Custodian account to the Authorized Participant. For a Cash Redemption Order, the redemption distribution due from the Trust will be sent by the Cash Custodian to the Authorized Participant on the following business day or such later time as may be agreed upon by the Authorized Participant and the Sponsor, following the Redemption Order Date if, by 4:00 p.m. EST, on such business day, the Transfer Agent’s DTC account has been credited with the Baskets to be redeemed. If the Transfer Agent’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the Baskets to be redeemed by such time, the redemption distribution will be cancelled or delayed until such time as the Transfer Agent confirms receipt of all such Shares.

 

Rejection of Redemption Orders

 

Redemption orders must be made in whole Baskets. The Distributor acting by itself or through the person authorized to take redemption orders in the manner provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement may, in its sole discretion, reject any redemption order (1) the Sponsor determines not to be in proper form or (2) if requested by the Distributor, the Authorized Participant fails to deliver or execute supporting documentation evidencing ownership or the Authorized Participant’s right to deliver sufficient Shares.

 

Suspension of Orders

 

The Sponsor may, in its discretion, suspend redemption or creation transactions during any period when the transfer books of the Transfer Agent are closed or if circumstances outside the control of the Sponsor or its delegate make it for all practicable purposes not feasible to process Redemption Orders or for any other reason at any time or from time to time. For example, the Sponsor may determine that it is necessary to suspend redemptions to allow for the orderly liquidation of the Trust’s assets. If the Sponsor has difficulty liquidating the Trust’s positions, e.g., because of a market disruption event or an unanticipated delay in the liquidation of a position in an over-the-counter contract, it may be appropriate to suspend creations and redemptions until such time as such circumstances are rectified. Neither the Distributor, the person authorized to take redemption orders in the manner provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement, nor the Custodian will be liable to any person or in any way for any loss or damages that may result from any such suspension or postponement. Any such suspension may cause to price of the Shares to deviate more significantly from the Trust’s NAV per Share than would be the case if such suspension had not occurred. The Trust will notify Shareholders of any such suspension in a Prospectus supplement and/or a current report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports.

 

Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees

 

In connection with a Cash Creation Order or Cash Redemption Order, an Authorized Participant is responsible for the Transaction Fee, which consist of the operational processing and brokerage costs, transfers fees, network fees and stamp taxes. The Transaction Fee may be reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the Sponsor.

 

Tax Responsibility

 

Authorized Participants are responsible for any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax, recording tax, value added tax or similar tax or governmental charge applicable to the creation or redemption of baskets, regardless of whether or not such tax or charge is imposed directly on the Authorized Participant, and agree to indemnify the Sponsor and the Trust if they are required by law to pay any such tax, together with any applicable penalties, additions to tax and interest thereon.

 

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Secondary Market Transactions

 

As noted, the Trust will create and redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets. The creation and redemption of baskets are only made in exchange for delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of cash equal to the number of Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received.

 

As discussed above, Authorized Participants are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem Baskets. Authorized Participants must be registered broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and other financial institutions that are not required to register as broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions. An Authorized Participant is under no obligation to create or redeem Baskets, and an Authorized Participant is under no obligation to offer to the public Shares of any Baskets it does create.

 

Authorized Participants that do offer to the public Shares from the Baskets they create will do so at per-Share offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares on the Exchange, the NAV of the Trust at the time the Authorized Participant purchased the Baskets, the NAV of the Shares at the time of the offer of the Shares to the public, the supply of and demand for Shares at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the Portfolio Digital Assets. Baskets are generally redeemed when the price per Share is at a discount to the NAV per Share. Shares initially comprising the same basket but offered by Authorized Participants to the public at different times may have different offering prices. An order for one or more Baskets may be placed by an Authorized Participant on behalf of multiple clients. Authorized Participants who make deposits with the Trust in exchange for Baskets receive no fees, commissions or other forms of compensation or inducement of any kind from either the Trust or the Sponsor and no such person has any obligation or responsibility to the Sponsor or the Trust to effect any sale or resale of Shares.

 

Shares are expected to trade in the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares may trade in the secondary market at prices that are lower or higher relative to their NAV per Share. The amount of the discount or premium in the trading price relative to the NAV per Share may be influenced by various factors, including the number of Shareholders who seek to purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market and the liquidity of the Portfolio Digital Assets.

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Proceeds received by the Trust from the issuance of Baskets consist of cash. Deposits of cash are held by the Cash Custodian on behalf of the Trust until (i) transferred in connection with the purchase of Portfolio Digital Assets, (ii) delivered out in connection with redemptions of Baskets or (iii) transferred to pay fees due to the Sponsor and Trust expenses and liabilities not assumed by the Sponsor.

 

When the Trust uses cash proceeds from creation transactions to purchase Portfolio Digital Assets, the Trust will receive Portfolio Digital Assets from a third party that is not an Authorized Participant. The Trust—not any Authorized Participant—is responsible for selecting the third party to deliver the Portfolio Digital Assets. Furthermore, the third party will not be acting as an agent of any Authorized Participant with respect to the delivery of the Portfolio Digital Assets to the Trust or acting at the direction of any Authorized Participant with respect to the delivery of the Portfolio Digital Assets to the Trust. The Trust will redeem Shares by delivering Portfolio Digital Assets to a third party that is not an Authorized Participant. The Trust—not any Authorized Participant—is responsible for selecting the third party to receive the Portfolio Digital Assets. In addition, the third party will not be acting as an agent of any Authorized Participant with respect to the receipt of the Portfolio Digital Assets from the Trust or acting at the direction of any Authorized Participant with respect to the receipt of the Portfolio Digital Assets from the Trust. The third party will be unaffiliated with the Trust and the Sponsor.

 

OWNERSHIP OR BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN THE TRUST

 

The beneficial interest in the Trust is divided into Shares. Each Share of the Trust represents an equal beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust, and each holder of Shares is entitled to receive such holder’s pro rata share of distributions of income and capital gains, if any.

 

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All Shares are fully paid and non-assessable. No Share will have any priority or preference over any other Share of the Trust. All distributions, if any, will be made ratably among all Shareholders from the assets of the Trust according to the number of Shares held of record by such Shareholders on the record date for any distribution or on the date of termination of the Trust, as the case may be. Except as otherwise provided by the Sponsor, Shareholders will have no preemptive or other right to subscribe to any additional Shares or other securities issued by the Trust.

 

The Sponsor will have full power and authority, in its sole discretion, without seeking the approval of the Trustee or the Shareholders (a) to establish and designate and to change in any manner and to fix such preferences, voting powers, rights, duties and privileges of the Trust as the Sponsor may from time to time determine, (b) to divide the beneficial interest in the Trust into an unlimited amount of shares, with or without par value, as the Sponsor will determine, (c) to issue shares without limitation as to number (including fractional shares), to such persons and for such amount of consideration, subject to any restriction set forth in the By-Laws, if any, at such time or times and on such terms as the Sponsor may deem appropriate, (d) to divide or combine the shares into a greater or lesser number without thereby materially changing the proportionate beneficial interest of the shares in the assets held, and (e) to take such other action with respect to the shares as the Sponsor may deem desirable. The ownership of Shares will be recorded on the books of the Trust or a transfer or similar agent for the Trust. No certificates certifying the ownership of Shares will be issued except as the Sponsor may otherwise determine from time to time. The Sponsor may make such rules as it considers appropriate for the issuance of share certificates, transfer of Shares and similar matters. The record books of the Trust as kept by the Trust, or any transfer or similar agent, as the case may be, will be conclusive as to the identity of the Shareholders and as to the number of Shares held from time to time by each.

 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

There are present and potential future conflicts of interest inherent in the Trust’s structure and operation you should consider before you purchase Shares. The Sponsor will use this notice of conflicts as a defense against any claim or other proceeding made. If the Sponsor is not able to resolve these conflicts of interest adequately, it may impact the Trust’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

 

The Sponsor and its affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities and may expand the range of services that they provide over time. The Sponsor and its affiliates will generally not be restricted in the scope of their business or in the performance of any such services (whether now offered or undertaken in the future), even if such activities could give rise to conflicts of interest, and whether or not such conflicts are described herein. In the ordinary course of their business activities, the Sponsor and its affiliates may engage in activities where the interests of the Sponsor and its affiliates or the interests of their clients conflict with the interests of the Trust. Certain employees of the Sponsor also have responsibilities relating to the business of one or more affiliates. These employees are not restricted in the amount of time that may be allocated to the business activities of the Sponsor’s affiliates, and the allocation of such employees’ time between the Sponsor and its affiliates may change over time.

 

In addition, the Sponsor and its affiliates may also be responsible for managing other accounts in addition to the services that they provide to the Trust, including other accounts of the Sponsor or its affiliates. Other accounts may include, without limitation, private or SEC-registered funds, separately managed accounts, or investments owned by the Sponsor or its affiliates. Management of other accounts in addition to services provided to the Trust can present certain conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof. The other accounts might have similar or different investment objectives or strategies as the Trust, or otherwise hold, purchase or sell investments that are eligible to be held, purchased or sold by the Trust, or may take positions that are opposite in direction from those taken by the Trust.

 

The Sponsor and its affiliates may from time to time obtain exposure to Portfolio Digital Assets through investments in the Trust and may hold a material position in the Trust. The Trust will not receive any of the proceeds from the resale by the Sponsor or its affiliates of these Shares, and the sale of such Shares may impact the price at which Shareholders may be able to sell their Shares. In addition, the Sponsor and its affiliates may have substantial direct investments in digital assets outside of the Trust. The Sponsor and its affiliates are permitted to manage such investments, taking into account their own interests, without regard to the interests of the Trust or its Shareholders. The Sponsor and its affiliates reserve the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, to sell into the market or redeem through an Authorized Participant at any time some or all of the Shares of the Trust acquired for their own accounts. The Sponsor and its affiliates face potential conflicts of interest in determining whether, when and in what amount to sell or redeem Shares of the Trust. The Sponsor and its affiliates are under no obligation to consider the effect of sales or redemptions on the Trust and other Shareholders in deciding whether to sell or redeem their Shares. The Sponsor and its affiliates may invest or trade in digital assets for their own accounts, which activities may conflict or compete with the Trust. Additionally, the Sponsor does not have policies and procedures requiring that personnel pre-clear trading activity in certain digital assets, including the Portfolio Digital Assets. The Sponsor may not be able to fully mitigate the risk of conflicts of interest in connection with the purchase and sale of digital assets. There is no guarantee that every employee, officer, director, or similar person associated with the Sponsor and its affiliates will refrain from engaging in impermissible activity in violation of their duties to the Trust and Sponsor.

 

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The Sponsor will have the authority to manage the operations of the Trust, and this may create or give the appearance of a conflict with shareholders’ best interests. The Sponsor may select service providers that are affiliates, including the Custodian, the Distributor, and the Administrator. The Sponsor may have a conflict of interest in selecting an affiliated service provider because doing so increases the overall revenue for its affiliates. You should be aware that there may be less expensive service providers or parties with greater experience or expertise than the affiliates selected by the Sponsor. Because of the Sponsor’s affiliated status, it may be disincentivized from replacing affiliated service providers. In connection with this conflict of interest, Shareholders should understand that affiliated service providers will be compensated for providing services to the Trust. Clients of the affiliated service providers may pay commissions at negotiated rates which are greater or less than the rate paid by the Sponsor. The Sponsor and any affiliated service provider may, from time to time, have conflicting demands in respect of their obligations to the Trust and, in the future, to other clients.

 

The Sponsor may indemnify its officers, directors and key employees with respect to their activities on behalf of other funds, if the need for indemnification arises. This potential indemnification could cause the Sponsor’s assets to decrease. If the Sponsor’s other sources of income are not sufficient to compensate for the indemnification, it could cease operations, which could in turn result in Trust losses and/or termination of the Trust.

 

Resolution of Conflicts Procedures

 

The Trust Agreement will provide that whenever a conflict of interest exists between the Sponsor or any of its affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust or any Shareholders or any other person, on the other hand, the Sponsor will resolve such conflict of interest considering the relative interest of each party (including its own interest) and the benefits and burdens relating to such interests, any customary or accepted industry practices, and any applicable accepted accounting practices or principles.

 

Issues Relating to Valuations of Assets

 

To the extent it is required to do so, the Sponsor will value the Trust’s assets in accordance with the valuation policies of the Sponsor; however, the manner in which the Sponsor exercises its discretion with respect to valuation decisions will impact the valuation of assets of the Trust. To the extent that fees are based on valuations, the exercise of discretion in valuation by the Sponsor will give rise to conflicts of interest including in connection with the calculation of Sponsor Fees. In addition, various divisions and units within the Sponsor and its affiliates are required to value assets, including in connection with managing or advising other accounts for clients, such as registered and unregistered funds and owners of separately managed accounts. These various divisions, units and affiliated entities may, but are under no obligation to, share information regarding valuation techniques and models or other information relevant to the valuation of a specific asset or category of assets. Regardless of whether or not the Sponsor has access to such information, to the extent the Sponsor values the assets held by the Trust, the Sponsor will value investments according to its valuation policies, and may value an identical asset differently than such other divisions, units or affiliated entities.

 

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DUTIES OF THE SPONSOR

 

The general fiduciary duties that would otherwise be imposed on the Sponsor (which would make its operation of the Trust as described herein impracticable due to the strict prohibition imposed by such duties on, for example, conflicts of interest on behalf of a fiduciary in its dealings with its beneficiaries), will be replaced entirely by the terms of the Trust Agreement (to which terms all Shareholders, by subscribing to the Shares, are deemed to consent).

 

Additionally, under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor will have the following obligations as a sponsor of the Trust:

 

Execute, file, record and/or publish all certificates, statements and other documents and do any and all other things as may be appropriate for the formation, qualification and operation of the Trust and for the conduct of its business in all appropriate jurisdictions;

 

Retain independent public accountants to audit the accounts of the Trust;

 

Employ attorneys to represent the Trust;

 

Select the Trust’s Trustee, Administrator, Transfer Agent, Custodian, Distributor, insurer(s) and any other service provider(s) and cause the Trust to enter into contracts with such service provider(s);

 

Provide for the safekeeping and use of the Trust’s assets;

 

Not employ or permit others to employ the Trust’s assets in any manner except for the benefit of the Trust;

 

At all times act with integrity and good faith and exercise due diligence in all activities relating to the Trust and in resolving conflicts of interest;

 

Enter into directly or through its delegates an Authorized Participant Agreement with each Authorized Participant and discharge the duties and responsibilities of the Trust and the Sponsor thereunder;

 

Receive directly or through its delegates from Authorized Participants and process or cause its delegates to process properly submitted purchase orders, as will be described in the Trust Agreement and in the Authorized Participant Agreement;

 

In connection with purchase orders, receive directly or through its delegates the amount of cash in a Basket;

 

In connection with purchase orders, after accepting a purchase order and receiving the corresponding amount of cash, either directly or through its delegates, direct the Trust’s Transfer Agent to credit the Baskets to fill the Authorized Participant’s purchase order;

 

Receive directly or through its delegates from Authorized Participants and process or cause its delegates to process properly submitted redemption orders, as will be described in the Trust Agreement and in the Authorized Participant Agreement;

 

Interact with the Custodian and any other party as required;

 

Cause the Trust to comply with all rules, orders and regulations of the Exchange, and take all such other actions that may reasonably be taken and are necessary for the Shares to remain listed, quoted or traded on the Exchange until the Trust is terminated or the Shares are no longer listed, quoted or traded on the Exchange;

 

Assist in the preparation and filing of reports and proxy statements (if any) to the Shareholders, the periodic updating of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and other reports and documents for the Trust required to be filed by the Trust with the SEC and other governmental bodies;

 

Perform such other services as the Sponsor believes the Trust may from time to time require; and

 

In general, to carry out any other business in connection with or incidental to any of the foregoing powers, to do everything necessary, suitable or proper for the accomplishment of any purpose or the attainment of any object or the furtherance of any power herein set forth, either alone or in association with others, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant or growing out of or connected with the aforesaid business or purposes, objects or powers.

 

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To the extent that a law (common or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust, the Shareholders or to any other person, the Sponsor will not be liable to the Trust, the Shareholders or to any other person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of the Trust Agreement or this Prospectus unless such reliance constitutes gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct on the part of the Sponsor.

 

LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

 

Trustee

 

The Trustee will not be liable for the acts or omissions of the Sponsor, nor will the Trustee be liable for supervising or monitoring the performance and the duties and obligations of the Sponsor or the Trust under the Trust Agreement. The Trustee will not be personally liable under any circumstances, except for its own fraud, willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence. In particular, but not by way of limitation:

 

(a) the Trustee will not be personally liable for any error of judgment made in good faith except to the extent such error of judgment constitutes gross negligence on its part;

 

(b) no provision of the Trust Agreement will require the Trustee to expend or risk its personal funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of its rights or powers under the Trust Agreement;

 

(c) under no circumstances will the Trustee be personally liable for any representation, warranty, covenant, agreement, or indebtedness of the Trust;

 

(d) the Trustee will not be personally responsible for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of the Trust Agreement or for the due execution hereof by the Sponsor;

 

(e) the Trustee will incur no liability to anyone in acting upon any signature, instrument, notice, resolution, request, consent, order, certificate, report, opinion, bond or other document or paper reasonably believed by it to be genuine and reasonably believed by it to be signed by the proper party or parties. The Trustee may accept a certified copy of a resolution of any governing body of any corporate party as conclusive evidence that such resolution has been duly adopted by such body and that the same is in full force and effect. As to any fact or matter the manner of ascertainment of which is not specifically prescribed herein, the Trustee may for all purposes hereof rely on a certificate, signed by an authorized officer of the Sponsor or any other corresponding directing party, as to such fact or matter, and such certificate will constitute full protection to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in reliance thereon;

 

(f) in the exercise or administration of the trust hereunder, the Trustee (i) may act directly or through agents or attorneys pursuant to agreements entered into with any of them, and the Trustee will not be liable for the default or misconduct of such agents or attorneys if such agents or attorneys will have been selected by the Trustee in good faith and with due care and (ii) may consult with counsel, accountants and other skilled persons to be selected by it in good faith and with due care and employed by it, and it will not be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith by it in accordance with the advice or opinion of any such counsel, accountants or other skilled persons;

 

(g) except as will be expressly provided in the Trust Agreement, the Trustee will act solely as a trustee under the Trust Agreement and not in its individual capacity, and all persons having any claim against the Trustee by reason of the transactions contemplated by the Trust Agreement will look only to the Trust’s property for payment or satisfaction thereof; and

 

(h) the Trustee will not be liable for punitive, exemplary, consequential, special or other similar damages under any circumstances.

 

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The Trustee or any officer, affiliate, director, employee, or agent of the Trustee (each, an “Indemnified Person”) will be entitled to indemnification from the Sponsor or the Trust, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any and all losses, claims, taxes, damages, reasonable expenses, and liabilities (including liabilities under State or federal securities laws) of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively, “Expenses”), to the extent that such Expenses arise out of or are imposed upon or asserted against such Indemnified Persons with respect to the creation, operation or termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery or performance of the Trust Agreement or the transactions contemplated in the Trust Agreement; provided, however, that the Sponsor and the Trust will not be required to indemnify any Indemnified Person for any Expenses that are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of such Indemnified Person.

 

The obligations of the Sponsor and the Trust to indemnify the Indemnified Persons will survive the termination of the Trust Agreement.

 

Sponsor

 

The Sponsor will not be under any liability to the Trust, the Trustee or any Shareholder for any action taken or for refraining from the taking of any action in good faith pursuant to the Trust Agreement, or for errors in judgment or for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of the sale of any Portfolio Digital Assets or other assets held in trust hereunder; provided, however, this provision will not protect the Sponsor against any liability to which it would otherwise be subject by reason of its own gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct. The Sponsor may rely in good faith on any paper, order, notice, list, affidavit, receipt, evaluation, opinion, endorsement, assignment, draft or any other document of any kind prima facie properly executed and submitted to it by the Trustee, the Trustee’s counsel or by any other Person for any matters arising hereunder. The Sponsor will in no event be deemed to have assumed or incurred any liability, duty, or obligation to any Shareholder or to the Trustee other than as expressly provided for herein. The Trust will not incur the cost of that portion of any insurance which insures any party against any liability, the indemnification of which is herein prohibited.

 

In addition, as will be described in the Trust Agreement, (i) whenever a conflict of interest exists or arises between the Sponsor or any of its affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust, on the other hand; or (ii) whenever the Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or therein provides that the Sponsor will act in a manner that is, or provides terms that are, fair and reasonable to the Trust, the Sponsor will resolve such conflict of interest, take such action or provide such terms, considering in each case the relative interest of each party (including its own interest) to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interests, and any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles. In the absence of bad faith by the Sponsor, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the Sponsor will not constitute a breach of the Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or of any duty or obligation of the Sponsor at law or in equity or otherwise.

 

The Sponsor and its shareholders, members, directors, officers, employees, affiliates and subsidiaries (each a “Sponsor Indemnified Party”) will be indemnified by the Trust and held harmless against any loss, liability or expense incurred hereunder without gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct on the part of such Sponsor Indemnified Party arising out of or in connection with the performance of its obligations under the Trust Agreement or any actions taken in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement. Any amounts payable to a Sponsor Indemnified Party under Section 6.7 of the Trust Agreement may be payable in advance or will be secured by a lien on the Trust. The Sponsor will not be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any legal action that in its opinion may involve it in any expense or liability; provided, however, that the Sponsor may, in its discretion, undertake any action that it may deem necessary or desirable in respect of the Trust Agreement and the rights and duties of the parties hereto and the interests of the Shareholders and, in such event, the legal expenses and costs of any such action will be expenses and costs of the Trust and the Sponsor will be entitled to be reimbursed therefor by the Trust. The obligations of the Trust to indemnify the Sponsor Indemnified Parties will survive the termination of the Trust Agreement.

 

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Custodian

 

The Custodian has limited liability, impairing the ability of the Trust to recover losses relating to its Portfolio Digital Asset and any recovery may be limited, even in the event of fraud. In addition, the Custodian may not be liable for any delay in performance of any of its custodial obligations by reason of any cause beyond its reasonable control, including force majeure events, war or terrorism, and may not be liable for any system failure or third-party penetration of its systems. As a result, the recourse of the Trust to Custodian may be limited.

 

Cash Custodian

 

In carrying out its duties and obligations under the Cash Custody Agreement, the Cash Custodian shall exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence and shall be liable to the Trust for all loss, damage and expense suffered or incurred by the Trust resulting from the failure of the Cash Custodian to exercise such reasonable care, prudence and diligence. The Trust has agreed to indemnify the Cash Custodian and its nominees from all loss, damage and expense suffered or incurred by the Cash Custodian or its nominee in the performance of its duties.

 

PROVISIONS OF LAW

 

According to applicable law, indemnification of the Sponsor is payable only if the Sponsor determined, in good faith, that the act, omission or conduct that gave rise to the claim for indemnification was in the best interest of the Trust and the act, omission or activity that was the basis for such loss, liability, damage, cost or expense was not the result of negligence or misconduct and such liability or loss was not the result of negligence or misconduct by the Sponsor, and such indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of the assets of the Trust.

 

 

Provisions of Federal and State Securities Laws

 

This offering is made pursuant to federal and state securities laws. The SEC and state securities agencies take the position that indemnification of the Sponsor that arises out of an alleged violation of such laws is prohibited unless certain conditions are met.

 

These conditions require that no indemnification of the Sponsor or any underwriter for the Trust may be made in respect of any losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities laws unless: (i) there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations as to the party seeking indemnification and the court approves the indemnification; (ii) such claim has been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the party seeking indemnification; or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against the party seeking indemnification and finds that indemnification of the settlement and related costs should be made, provided that, before seeking such approval, the Sponsor or other indemnitee must apprise the court of the position held by regulatory agencies against such indemnification. These agencies are the SEC and the securities administrator of the State or States in which the plaintiffs claim they were offered or sold interests.

 

MANAGEMENT; VOTING BY SHAREHOLDERS

 

The Shareholders of the Trust take no part in the management or control, and have no voice in, the Trust’s operations or business. Except in limited circumstances, Shareholders will have no voting rights under the Trust Agreement.

 

The Sponsor will generally have the right to amend the Trust Agreement as it applies to the Trust provided that the Shareholders have the right to vote only if expressly required under Delaware or federal law or rules or regulations of the Exchange, or if submitted to the Shareholders by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. No amendment affecting the Trustee will be binding upon or effective against the Trustee unless consented to by the Trustee in the form of an instruction letter.

 

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The Trust does not have any directors, officers or employees. The creation and operation of the Trust has been arranged by the Sponsor. The Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of the Sponsor are as follows:

 

Steven McClurg – Chief Executive Officer

 

Steven McClurg has considerable finance and fintech experience. Most recently, Mr. McClurg served as the Chief Investment Officer of Valkyrie Investments. Mr. McClurg also founded Theseus Capital, a Blockchain-powered asset management platform, followed by joining Blockchain-focused merchant bank, Galaxy Digital, where he continued as Managing Director, building their asset management and public funds businesses. Most relevant, Mr. McClurg was a Managing Director at Guggenheim Partners, where he was a portfolio manager and responsible for portfolio construction and strategy for fixed income and private equity. He also has experience in leadership roles in technology companies such as Electronic Arts. Mr. McClurg holds a Master of Science and an MBA from Pepperdine University, where he has served as an adjunct professor.

 

Josh Olszewicz – Portfolio Manager

 

Josh Olszewicz is a cryptocurrency analyst and trader with over a decade of experience trading crypto markets. Previously, Mr. Olszewicz was Head of Research and Portfolio Manager at Valkyrie, a specialized alternative asset management firm. Mr. Olszewicz also served as a trader at Techemy Capital, a boutique digital asset investment management company and as a head writing contributor at Brave New Coin, focusing on cryptocurrency and asset fundamental and technical analysis. Mr. Olszewicz holds a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University, where he has served as an adjunct professor.

 

Kevin Farragher – Portfolio Manager

 

[To be provided]

 

BOOKS AND RECORDS

 

The Trust keeps its books of record and account at the office of the Sponsor located at ________, or at the offices of the Administrator, or such office, including of an administrative agent, as it may subsequently designate upon notice. The books and records are open to inspection by any person who establishes to the Trust’s satisfaction that such person is a Shareholder upon reasonable advance notice at all reasonable times during usual business hours of the Trust.

 

The Trust will keep a copy of the Trust Agreement on file in the Sponsor’s office which will be available for inspection by any Shareholder at all times during its usual business hours upon reasonable advance notice.

 

STATEMENTS, FILINGS, AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS

 

After the end of each fiscal year, the Sponsor will cause to be prepared an annual report for the Trust containing audited financial statements. The annual report will be in such form and contain such information as will be required by applicable laws, rules and regulations and may contain such additional information which the Sponsor determines shall be included. The annual report will be filed with the SEC and the Exchange and will be distributed to such persons and in such manner, as is required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

 

The Sponsor is responsible for the registration and qualification of the Shares under the federal securities laws. The Sponsor will also prepare, or cause to be prepared, and file any periodic reports or updates required under the 1934 Act. The Administrator will assist and support the Sponsor in the preparation of such reports.

 

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The Administrator will make such elections, file such tax returns, and prepare, disseminate and file such tax reports, as it is advised to by its counsel or accountants or as required from time to time by any applicable statute, rule or regulation.

 

FISCAL YEAR

 

The fiscal year of the Trust is the calendar year. The Sponsor may select an alternate fiscal year to the extent permitted under applicable law.

 

GOVERNING LAW; CONSENT TO DELAWARE JURISDICTION

 

The rights of the Sponsor, the Trust, DTC (as registered owner of the Trust’s global certificate for Shares) and the Shareholders are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware. The Sponsor, the Trust and DTC and, by accepting Shares, each DTC Participant and each Shareholder, consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware and any federal courts located in Delaware, provided that (i) the forum selection provisions do not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the 1934 Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction and (ii) the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the 1933 Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Such consent is not required for any person to assert a claim of Delaware jurisdiction over the Sponsor, the Trust. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Section 22 of the 1933 Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Further, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the exclusive forum jurisdiction for actions arising under the 1933 Act or 1934 Act.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Litigation and Claims

 

Within the past five years of the date of this Prospectus, there have been no material administrative, civil or criminal actions against the Sponsor, the Trust or any principal or affiliate of any of them. This includes any actions pending, on appeal, concluded, threatened, or otherwise known to them.

 

Legal Opinion

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP has advised the Sponsor in connection with the Shares being offered. Chapman and Cutler LLP also advises the Sponsor with respect to its responsibilities as sponsor of, and with respect to matters relating to, the Trust. Chapman and Cutler LLP will render an opinion regarding the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of ownership of the Shares. Certain opinions of counsel will be filed with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus is a part.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statement as of ________, included in this Prospectus has been so included in reliance on the report of ________, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

 

Administration Agreement

 

Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust, including valuing the Trust’s Portfolio Digital Assets and calculating the NAV per Share of the Trust and the NAV of the Trust and supplying pricing information to the Sponsor for the relevant website. In addition, the Administrator makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. The Administrator will also facilitate the instruction to transfer the Portfolio Digital Assets required for the operation of the Trust.

 

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Standard of Care; Limitations of Liability

 

The Administrator shall exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence in carrying out all of its duties and obligations under the Administration Agreement, and shall be liable to the Trust only for direct losses suffered or incurred by the Trust resulting from the failure of the Administrator to exercise its standard of care.

 

The Administrator shall be responsible for the performance only of such duties as are set forth in the Administration Agreement and, except as otherwise provided in the Administration Agreement, shall have no responsibility for the actions or activities of any other party, including other service providers.

 

The Administrator shall have no liability in respect of any loss, damage or expense suffered by the Trust insofar as such loss, damage or expense arises from the performance of the Administrator’s duties hereunder in reliance upon records that were maintained for the Trust by entities other than the Administrator prior to the Administrator’s appointment as administrator for the Trust. Unless directly caused by or resulting from, the failure of the Administrator to exercise its standard of care, the Administrator shall have no liability for errors of judgment or for any loss or damage resulting from the performance or nonperformance of its duties under the Administration Agreement.

 

Neither the Trust nor the Administrator shall be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, punitive or consequential damages, including lost profits, of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) arising in connection with the Administration Agreement even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

 

The Administrator shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under the Administration Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its control, including, without limitation, work stoppage, power or other mechanical failure, computer virus, natural disaster, governmental action or communication disruption.

 

Indemnity

 

The Trust will indemnify the Administrator against, and hold Administrator harmless from, any loss, damage, or expense that may be imposed on, incurred by, or asserted against the Administrator as a result of any action or omission taken in accordance with any instruction, except to the extent that such loss, damage, or expense is caused by the negligence, misfeasance or willful misconduct of the Administrator in the manner in which it carries out the instruction.

 

The Trust agrees to indemnify and hold the Administrator and its directors, officers, employees and agents harmless from all loss, cost, damage and expense, including reasonable fees and expenses for counsel, incurred by the Administrator resulting from any claim, demand, action or suit in connection with any action or omission by the Administrator in the performance of its duties under the Administration Agreement, or as a result of the Administrator acting upon any instructions reasonably believed by it to have been communicated to it or upon reasonable reliance on information or records given or made by the Trust. However, the Trust will not indemnify the Administrator from losses, damages and expenses occasioned by or resulting from the negligence, misfeasance or willful misconduct of the Administrator, its officers, employees or agents as the case may be.

 

Administrator’s Fee

 

Pursuant to the Trust’s unitary fee structure, the Administrator’s fee is paid by the Sponsor in accordance with the Administration Agreement.

 

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Governing Law

 

The Administration Agreement is governed by the laws of the ________.

 

Termination of the Administration Agreement

 

The Administration Agreement shall continue in full force and effect until the first to occur of: (i) termination for convenience by the Administrator by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed to the Trust, such termination to take effect not sooner than ninety (90) days after the date of such delivery; (ii) termination for convenience by the Trust by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed to the Administrator, such termination to take effect not sooner than thirty (30) days after the date of such delivery; (iii) termination by the Administrator, by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed to the Trust if the Administrator reasonably determines that servicing the Trust raises regulatory or reputational concerns, with such termination to take effect not sooner than sixty (60) days after the date of such delivery; or (iv) termination by the either party by written notice delivered to the other party, based upon: (a) the terminating party’s determination that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the other party is insolvent or that the financial condition of the other party is deteriorating in any material respect, in which case termination shall take effect upon the other party’s receipt of such notice or at such later time as the terminating party shall designate; (b) the other party committing a material breach of the Administration Agreement, and failing to remedy such material breach within ninety (90) days of being given written notice of the material breach, unless the parties agree to extend the period to remedy the breach; or (c) the relevant state or federal authority withdrawing its authorization of the either party.

 

Custody Agreement

 

Pursuant to the Custody Agreement, the Custodian is responsible for providing the Trust with segregated cold wallet digital asset custody. The Trust’s assets with the Custodian are held in segregated wallets and are therefore not commingled with corporate or other customer assets. The Custodian also segregates each of the accounts (comprising multiple wallets in some cases) that a client (such as the Trust) may hold with the Custodian, and each such account’s balance represents the account’s on-chain balance, which can be independently verified by the client or third-party auditors as needed. This approach applies to each asset supported by the Custodian.

 

Private key materials are generated and subsequently stored in a form whereby no private key is stored in a decrypted format. The private key materials are stored within the Custodian’s secure storage facilities within the U.S. and Europe. For security reasons, these exact locations are never disclosed.

 

Personnel supporting key operations are very limited and the Custodian requires a background check prior to onboarding, and where required, annually thereafter. No single individual associated with the Custodian has access to full private keys. Private key decryption and subsequent transaction signing instead require access to multiple systems and human operators in order to reconstitute a key and perform an on-chain transaction. For security purposes, the Custodian does not disclose specifics around the roles and numbers of individuals involved in these processes.

 

The Custodian maintains an annually renewed insurance policy in the amount of $320 million with comprehensive coverage terms and conditions. This insurance policy covers the loss of client assets held in cold storage at the Custodian. This insurance program, which has continuously run since 2013, provides the Custodian and its clients with some of the broadest and deepest insurance coverage in the crypto industry, with coverage designed to be comprehensive, including losses from employee collusion or fraud, physical loss (including theft), or damage of key material, security breach or hack, and fraudulent transfer.

 

The Custodian maintains an Internal Audit team that performs periodic internal audits over custody operations. System and Organization Controls (“SOC”) attestations are also performed on the Custodian’s services. The SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 reports produced cover private key management controls. A SOC 1 Type 2 report addresses the controls at a service organization that are likely to be relevant to user entities’ internal control over financial reporting. A SOC 2 Type 2 report addresses controls at a service organization relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy in order to support users’ evaluations of their own systems of internal control.

 

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The Custodian will not be liable for any amount greater than the value of the supported digital assets on deposit in the Trust’s custodial account(s) at the time of the event giving rise to the liability, subject further to the maximum liability limit of $100 million for each cold storage address.

 

Distribution Agreement

 

Pursuant to a distribution agreement (the “Distribution Agreement”) between the Trust and ________, ________ assists the Sponsor and the Administrator with certain functions and duties relating to distribution and marketing of Shares including reviewing and approving marketing materials.

 

Indemnity and Limitations on Liability

 

In its capacity as Distributor, ________ is indemnified and held harmless against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages, or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising by reason of any person acquiring any shares, based upon the ground that the Trust’s offering documents included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading under the 1933 Act, or any other statute or the common law. However, the Trust will not indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of Distributor. In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Trust in favor of Distributor or any person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Distributor or any person against any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which the Distributor or such person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Distribution Agreement, or (ii) is the Trust to be liable under its indemnity agreement with respect to any claim made against the Distributor or any person indemnified unless the Distributor or person, as the case may be, shall have notified the Trust in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Distributor or any such person (or after the Distributor or such person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).

 

Term and Termination

 

The Distribution Agreement may be terminated by either party at the end of the initial term or the end of any renewal term on sixty (60) days’ prior written notice.

 

Governing Law

 

The Distribution Agreement is governed by the laws of the ________.

 

Transfer Agency Agreement

 

________ serves as the Transfer Agent. The Transfer Agent, among other things, provides transfer agent services with respect to the creation and redemption of Baskets by Authorized Participants, the issuance and redemption of Shares, the payment, if any, of distributions with respect to the Shares, the recording of the issuance of the Shares and the maintaining of certain records therewith.

 

Resignation, Discharge or Removal of Transfer Agent

 

Either the Trust or the Transfer Agent may terminate the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement for cause for the reasons set forth in the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, such as either party’s bankruptcy or committing a material breach of the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement. The Trust may terminate the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement prior to the expiration of the initial term upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice in the event that the Sponsor determines to liquidate the Trust and terminate its registration with the SEC.

 

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Limitation on Transfer Agent’s Liability

 

The Transfer Agent will not be liable for the disposition of EUAs or moneys, or for any action taken or omitted or for any loss or injury resulting from its actions or its performance or lack of performance of its duties under the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement in the absence of negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith on its part. In no event will the Transfer Agent be liable for acting in accordance with or conclusively relying upon any instruction, notice, demand, certificate or document (i) from the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Administrator or the Cash Custodian or any entity acting on behalf of any of them which the Transfer Agent believes is given as authorized by the Trust Agreement, the Administration Agreement or the Cash Custody Agreement, respectively; or (ii) from or on behalf of any Authorized Participant which the Transfer Agent believes is given pursuant to or is authorized by an Authorized Participant Agreement (provided that the Transfer Agent has complied with the verification procedures specified in the Authorized Participant Agreement). In no event will the Transfer Agent be liable for acting or omitting to act in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. In addition, the Transfer Agent will not be liable for any delay in performance or for the non-performance of any of its obligations under the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement by reason of causes beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, war or terrorism. The Transfer Agent will not be liable for any indirect, consequential, punitive or special damages, regardless of the form of action and whether or not any such damages were foreseeable or contemplated, or for an amount in excess of the value of the Trust’s assets.

 

Indemnification of Transfer Agent

 

The Transfer Agent, its directors, employees and agents shall be indemnified by the Trust and held harmless against any loss, liability or expense (including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) arising out of or in connection with the performance of its obligations under the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement and under each other agreement entered into by the Transfer Agent in furtherance of the administration of the Trust (including, without limiting the scope of the foregoing, any Authorized Participant Agreement) or for any other loss incurred without negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith in connection with the performance of its obligations under or any actions taken in accordance with the provisions of the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement or any such other agreement. Such indemnity shall include payment from the Trust of the costs and expenses incurred by such indemnified party in defending itself against any claim or liability in its capacity as Transfer Agent.

 

Governing Law

 

The Transfer Agency and Services Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of ________.

 

[Cash Custody Agreement

 

Under the Cash Custody Agreement, the Cash Custodian will keep safely all cash assets of the Trust delivered to the Cash Custodian and, on behalf of the Trust, the Cash Custodian shall, from time to time, accept delivery of cash assets for safekeeping. Amounts received in connection with the sale of Portfolio Digital Assets shall be deposited into the Cash Account.]

 

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Standard of Care; Limitations of Liability

 

The Cash Custodian shall exercise reasonable care, prudence and diligence and shall be liable to the Trust for all loss, damage and expense suffered or incurred by the Trust resulting from the failure of the Cash Custodian to exercise such reasonable care, prudence and diligence.

 

The Cash Custodian shall not be liable if the Cash Custodian (or any sub-custodian) is prevented, forbidden or delayed from performing, or omits to perform, any act or thing which the Cash Custody Agreement provides shall be performed or omitted to be performed, by reason of: (i) any provision of any present or future law or regulation or order of the United States of America, or any state thereof, or of any foreign country, or political subdivision thereof or of any court of competent jurisdiction; or (ii) any act of God or war or other similar circumstance beyond the control of the Cash Custodian, unless, in each case, such delay or nonperformance is caused by the breach by the Cash Custodian of its standard care or a malfunction or failure of equipment operated or utilized by the Cash Custodian other than a malfunction or failure beyond the Cash Custodian’s control and which could not reasonably be anticipated and/or prevented.

 

Indemnity

 

Under the Cash Custody Agreement, the Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Cash Custodian and its nominees from all loss, damage and expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) suffered or incurred by the Cash Custodian or its nominee caused by or arising from actions taken by the Cash Custodian on behalf of the Trust in the performance of its duties and obligations under the Cash Custody Agreement; provided however, that such indemnity shall not apply to loss, damage and expense occasioned by or resulting from the Cash Custodian’s breach of its standard of care.

 

Cash Custodian’s Fee

 

Pursuant to the Trust’s unitary fee structure, the Cash Custodian’s fees are paid by the Sponsor in accordance with the Cash Custody Agreement.

 

Governing Law

 

The Cash Custody Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of ________.

 

Termination of the Cash Custody Agreement

 

With respect to the Trust, the Cash Custody Agreement shall continue in full force and effect until the first to occur of: (a) termination by the Cash Custodian by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed to the Trust, such termination to take effect not sooner than ninety (90) days after the date of such delivery; (b) termination by the Trust by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed to the Cash Custodian, such termination to take effect not sooner than thirty (30) days after the date of such delivery; or (c) termination by the Trust by written notice delivered to the Cash Custodian, based upon the Trust’s determination that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the Cash Custodian is insolvent or that the financial condition of the Cash Custodian is deteriorating in any material respect, in which case termination shall take effect upon the Cash Custodian’s receipt of such notice or at such later time as the Trust shall designate.

 

UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

 

The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences associated with the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares by a U.S. Shareholder (as defined below), and certain U.S. federal income consequences that may apply to an investment in Shares by a Non-U.S. Shareholder (as defined below). The discussion below is based on the Code, Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative interpretations of the Code, all as in effect on the date of this Prospectus and all of which are subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. The tax treatment of Shareholders may vary depending upon their own particular circumstances. Except where noted, this discussion only deals with Shares held as capital assets (generally, property held for investment), and does not address special situations, including those of banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, dealers in securities, currencies, or commodities, tax-exempt organizations, tax-exempt or tax-advantaged retirement plans or accounts, traders using a mark-to-market method of accounting, entities that are partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, persons holding Shares as a position in a “hedging,” “straddle,” “conversion,” “constructive sale” or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, persons whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar, persons required for U.S. federal income tax purposes to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to the Shares as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement, or persons subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Moreover, the discussion below does not address the effect of any state, local or foreign tax law consequences that may apply to an investment in Shares. Purchasers of Shares are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to all federal, state, local and foreign tax law considerations potentially applicable to their investment in Shares.

 

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For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Shareholder” is a Shareholder that is:

 

an individual who is treated as a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

a corporation (or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

an estate, the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

a trust, if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

 

If a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds Shares, the tax treatment of a partner generally depends upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding Shares, the discussion below may not be applicable and we urge you to consult your own tax adviser for the U.S. federal income tax implications of the purchase, ownership and disposition of such Shares.

 

 

Taxation of the Trust

 

The Trust is expected to be classified as a domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and as such is expected to be obligated to pay U.S. federal and applicable state corporate taxes on its taxable income. This differs from investment companies that elect to be treated as “regulated investment companies” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), to avoid paying entity-level income taxes. In pursuing its investment objective, the Trust will not be required to comply with the diversification requirements of a regulated investment company.

 

The amount of taxes currently paid by the Trust will vary depending on the amount of income and gains derived from its investments. Taxes paid by the Trust will reduce your return from an investment in the Fund.

 

The Trust will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate tax rate, currently 21%, on any gain recognized by the Trust on any sale of assets by the Trust.

 

Taxation of U.S. Shareholders

 

The Trust may periodically make distributions to its Shareholders. To the extent such distributions are out of the Trust’s earnings and profits such distributions will be treated as dividends to the Shareholders. Such dividends may be eligible to be treated as “qualified dividends” for individual Shareholders or eligible for a dividends received deduction by corporate Shareholders depending other factual circumstances. If a distribution is not paid out of earnings and profits it will be treated, first, as a reduction of the Shareholder’s basis, and, to the extent the distribution exceeds the Shareholder’s basis as gain from the sale or disposition of the Shares. A distribution that reduces a Shareholder’s basis is not currently taxable but will increase the amount of gain or reduce the amount of loss recognized on an ultimate sale or disposition of the Shares.

 

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Current IRS guidance on the treatment of convertible virtual currencies classifies Portfolio Digital Assets as “property” that is not currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes and clarifies that Portfolio Digital Assets can be held as a capital asset, but it does not address several other aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets. Because Portfolio Digital Assets are new technological innovations, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of Portfolio Digital Assets or transactions relating to investments in Portfolio Digital Assets may evolve and change from that discussed below, possibly with retroactive effect. In this regard, the IRS has indicated that it has made it a priority to issue additional guidance related to the taxation of virtual currency transactions, such as transactions involving Portfolio Digital Assets. While the IRS has started to issue such additional guidance, whether any future guidance will adversely affect the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in Portfolio Digital Assets or in transactions relating to investments in Portfolio Digital Assets is unknown. Moreover, future developments that may arise with respect to digital currencies may increase the uncertainty with respect to the treatment of digital currencies for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The Trust expects to sell or use Portfolio Digital Assets to pay certain expenses of the Trust or to fund cash redemptions if and when applicable. If the Trust sells Portfolio Digital Assets (for example to generate cash to pay fees or expenses) or is treated as selling Portfolio Digital Assets (for example by using Portfolio Digital Assets to pay fees or expenses), the Trust will generally recognize gain or loss on the use of Portfolio Digital Assets to pay expenses.

 

Upon a Shareholder’s sale of some or all of its Shares, the Shareholder will recognize gain or loss on the sale in an amount equal to the difference between (a) the amount realized pursuant to the sale of the Shares, and (b) the Shareholder’s tax basis in the Shares sold. A Shareholder’s tax basis is generally the amount paid for the Shares, but is subject to some adjustments. Based on current IRS guidance, such gain or loss on the sale of Shares will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the Shareholder has a holding period of greater than one year in the Shares that were sold and otherwise will be short-term capital gain or loss.

 

Sales of Portfolio Digital Assets to fund cash redemptions are expected to result in gains and losses with such gains and losses expected to be treated as incurred by the Trust.

 

After any sale or redemption of less than all of a Shareholder’s Shares, the Shareholder’s tax basis for its Shares generally will be equal to its tax basis in its Shares immediately prior to the sale or redemption, less the portion of such basis which is taken into account in determining the amount of gain or loss recognized by the Shareholder upon such sale or cash redemption.

 

3.8% Tax on Net Investment Income

 

Certain U.S. Shareholders, who are individuals, are required to pay a 3.8% tax on the lesser of the excess of their modified adjusted gross income over a threshold amount ($250,000 for married persons filing jointly and $200,000 for single taxpayers) or their “net investment income,” which generally includes capital gains from the disposition of property. This tax is in addition to any capital gains taxes due on such investment income. A similar tax applies to estates and trusts. U.S. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding the effect, if any, this tax may have on their investment in the Shares.

 

Brokerage Fees and Trust Expenses

 

Any brokerage or other transaction fee incurred by a Shareholder in purchasing Shares will be treated as part of the Shareholder’s tax basis in the underlying assets of the Trust. Similarly, any brokerage fee incurred by a Shareholder in selling Shares will reduce the amount realized by the Shareholder with respect to the sale.

 

For tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, noncorporate taxpayers may deduct certain miscellaneous itemized deductions only to the extent they exceed in the aggregate 2% of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income.

 

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Investment by Certain Retirement Plans

 

Individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) and participant-directed accounts under tax-qualified retirement plans are limited in the types of investments they may make under the Code. Potential purchasers of Shares that are IRAs or participant-directed accounts under a Code section 401(a) plan should consult with their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a purchase of Shares.

 

United States Information Reporting and Backup Withholding; Tax Return Reporting for Cryptocurrency

 

The Trustee will file certain information returns with the IRS, and provide certain tax-related information to Shareholders, in connection with the Trust. To the extent required by applicable regulations, each Shareholder will be provided with information regarding its allocable portion of the Trust’s annual income, expenses, gains and losses (if any). A U.S. Shareholder may be subject to United States backup withholding tax in certain circumstances unless it provides its taxpayer identification number and complies with certain certification procedures. Non-U.S. Shareholders may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that they are not a United States person, and some Non-U.S. Shareholders may be required to meet certain information reporting or certification requirements imposed by Code requirements popularly referred to as “FATCA” in order to avoid certain information reporting and withholding tax requirements.

 

The amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a Shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle the Shareholder to a refund, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

 

Individual U.S. Shareholders will be required to report on their federal income tax return the receipt, acquisition, sale, or exchange of any financial interest in virtual currency, which includes a Shareholder’s interest in Portfolio Digital Assets held by the Trust.

 

Taxation of Authorized Participants

 

If an Authorized Participant invests in the Trust on its own behalf, the Authorized Participant will generally recognize income, gain, loss or deduction as described for U.S. Shareholders. If an Authorized Participant is acting as agent for one or more other persons, who are the beneficial owners of the Shares, the Authorized Participant will be obligated to issue an information statement to the beneficial owners, who will recognize the consequences described above for U.S. Shareholders.

 

Taxation in Jurisdictions Other Than the United States

 

Prospective purchasers of Shares that are based in or acting out of a jurisdiction other than the United States are advised to consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences under the laws of such jurisdiction (or any other jurisdiction other than the United States in which they are subject to taxation) of their purchase, holding, sale and redemption of or any other dealing in Shares and, in particular, as to whether any value added tax, other consumption tax or transfer tax is payable in relation to such purchase, holding, sale, redemption or other dealing.

 

The foregoing is only a general summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences associated with the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares by a U.S. Shareholder. Each prospective Shareholder should consult the Shareholder’s own tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. tax considerations relevant to an investment in Shares in the Shareholder’s particular tax situation.

 

PURCHASES BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

 

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) and/or Section 4975 of the Code impose certain requirements on: (i) employee benefit plans and certain other plans and arrangements, including individual retirement accounts and annuities, Keogh plans and certain collective investment funds or insurance company general or separate accounts in which such plans or arrangements are invested, that are subject to Title I of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the Code (collectively, “Plans”); and (ii) persons who are fiduciaries with respect to the investment of assets treated as “plan assets” within the meaning of U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) regulation 29 C.F.R. § 2510.3-101, as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA (the “Plan Assets Regulation”), of a Plan. Investments by Plans are subject to the fiduciary requirements and the applicability of prohibited transaction restrictions under ERISA and the Code. It is anticipated that the Shares will constitute “publicly-held offered securities” as defined in the Department of Labor Regulations § 2510.3-101(b)(2). Accordingly, Shares purchased by a Plan, and not the Plan’s interest in the underlying Portfolio Digital Assets held in the Trust represented by the Shares, should be treated as assets of the Plan, for purposes of applying the “fiduciary responsibility” and “prohibited transaction” rules of ERISA and the Code.

 

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“Governmental plans” within the meaning of Section 3(32) of ERISA, certain “church plans” within the meaning of Section 3(33) of ERISA and “non-U.S. plans” described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA, while not subject to the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, may be subject to any federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other law or regulation that is substantially similar to the foregoing provisions of ERISA and the Code. Fiduciaries of any such plans are advised to consult with their counsel prior to an investment in the Shares.

 

In contemplating an investment of a portion of Plan assets in the Shares, the Plan fiduciary responsible for making such investment should carefully consider, taking into account the facts and circumstances of the Plan, the “Risk Factors” discussed above and whether such investment is consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities. The Plan fiduciary should consider, among other issues, whether: (1) the fiduciary has the authority to make the investment under the appropriate governing plan instrument; (2) the investment would constitute a direct or indirect non-exempt prohibited transaction with a “party in interest” or “disqualified person” within the meaning of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code respectively; (3) the investment is in accordance with the Plan’s funding objectives; and (4) such investment is appropriate for the Plan under the general fiduciary standards of investment prudence and diversification, taking into account the overall investment policy of the Plan, the composition of the Plan’s investment portfolio and the Plan’s need for sufficient liquidity to pay benefits when due. When evaluating the prudence of an investment in the Shares, the Plan fiduciary should consider the DOL’s regulation on investment duties, which can be found at 29 C.F.R. § 2550.404a-1.

 

By investing, each Plan shall be deemed to acknowledge and agree that: (a) none of the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Custodian or any of their respective affiliates (the “Transaction Parties”) has through this Prospectus and related materials provided any investment advice within the meaning of Section 3(21) of ERISA to the Plan in connection with the decision to purchase, acquire, hold or dispose of such Shares; and (b) the information provided in this Prospectus and related materials will not make a Transaction Party a fiduciary to the Plan.

 

INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

This Prospectus contains information you should consider when making an investment decision about the Shares. You should rely only on the information contained in this Prospectus or any applicable Prospectus supplement. None of the Trust or the Sponsor has authorized any person to provide you with different information and, if anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell the Shares in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of the Shares is not permitted.

 

The information contained in this Prospectus was obtained from us and other sources we believe to be reliable.

 

You should disregard anything we said in an earlier document that is inconsistent with what is included in this Prospectus or any applicable Prospectus supplement. Where the context requires, when we refer to this “Prospectus,” we are referring to this Prospectus and (if applicable) the relevant Prospectus supplement.

 

You should not assume that the information in this Prospectus or any applicable Prospectus supplement is current as of any date other than the date on the front page of this Prospectus or the date on the front page of any applicable Prospectus supplement.

 

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We include cross references in this Prospectus to captions in these materials where you can find further related discussions. The table of contents tells you where to find these captions.

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

 

The Sponsor owns trademark registrations for the Trust. The Sponsor relies upon these trademarks through which it markets its services and strives to build and maintain brand recognition in the market and among current and potential investors. So long as the Sponsor continues to use these trademarks to identify its services, without challenge from any third-party, and properly maintains and renews the trademark registrations under applicable laws, rules and regulations, it will continue to have indefinite protection for these trademarks under current laws, rules and regulations.

 

The Sponsor also owns trademark registrations for the Sponsor. The Sponsor relies upon these trademarks through which it markets its services and strives to build and maintain brand recognition in the market and among current and potential investors. So long as the Sponsor continues to use these trademarks to identify its services, without challenge from any third-party, and properly maintains and renews the trademark registrations under applicable laws, rules and regulations; it will continue to have indefinite protection for these trademarks under current laws, rules and regulations.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

The Sponsor has filed on behalf of the Trust a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC under the 1933 Act. This Prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement (including the exhibits to the registration statement), parts of which have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about the Trust or the Shares, please refer to the registration statement, which is available online at www.sec.gov.

 

Information about the Trust and the Shares can also be obtained from the Trust’s website, which is www.canary.capital. The Trust’s website address is only provided here as a convenience to you and the information contained on or connected to the website is not part of this Prospectus or the registration statement of which this Prospectus is part. The Trust is subject to the informational requirements of the 1934 Act and will file certain reports and other information with the SEC under the 1934 Act.

 

The reports and other information are available online at www.sec.gov.

 

PRIVACY POLICY

 

The Trust and the Sponsor may collect or have access to certain nonpublic personal information about current and former Shareholders. Nonpublic personal information may include information received from Shareholders, such as a Shareholder’s name, social security number and address, as well as information received from brokerage firms about Shareholder holdings and transactions in Shares of the Trust.

 

The Trust and the Sponsor do not disclose nonpublic personal information except as required by law or as described in their Privacy Policy. In general, the Trust and the Sponsor restrict access to the nonpublic personal information they collect about Shareholders to those of their and their affiliates’ employees and service providers who need access to such information to provide products and services to Shareholders.

 

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The Trust and the Sponsor maintain safeguards that comply with federal law to protect Shareholders’ nonpublic personal information. These safeguards are reasonably designed to (1) ensure the security and confidentiality of Shareholders’ records and information, (2) protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of Shareholders’ records and information, and (3) protect against unauthorized access to or use of Shareholders’ records or information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any Shareholder.

 

Third-party service providers with whom the Trust and the Sponsor share nonpublic personal information about Shareholders must agree to follow appropriate standards of security and confidentiality, which includes safeguarding such nonpublic personal information physically, electronically and procedurally.

 

A copy of the Sponsor’s current Privacy Policy, which is applicable to the Trust, is available at ________.

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

[To be provided]

 98

 

 

Canary PENGU ETF

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

[To be provided]

 99

 

 

Canary PENGU ETF

Notes to Financial Statement

 

[To be provided]

 

 100

 

 

 

 

CANARY PENGU ETF

 

SHARES

 


 

PROSPECTUS

 


 

_______, 202_

 

Until _______, 2025 (25 calendar days after the date of this Prospectus) all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a Prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a Prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The Trust shall not bear any expenses incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered. These expenses shall be paid by Canary Capital Group LLC, the sponsor of the Trust. Except for the Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee and Exchange Listing Fee, all such expenses are estimated:

 

SEC registration fee (actual) $0 *
Listing fee (actual)   $____  
Auditor’s fees and expenses $____  
Legal fees and expenses $____  
Printing expenses $____  
Miscellaneous expenses $____  
Total   $____  

 

* An indeterminate number of the securities is being registered as may from time to time be sold at indeterminate prices. In accordance with Rules 456(d) and 457(u), the Trust is deferring payment of all of the additional registration fee and will pay the additional registration fee subsequently on an annual basis.

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

The Trust Agreement will provide that the Trust shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Trustee (including in its individual capacity) and any of the officers, directors, employees and agents of the Trustee (the “Indemnified Persons”) from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, claims, actions, suits, costs, expenses, disbursements (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel and fees and expenses incurred in connection with enforcement of its indemnification rights under the Trust Agreement), taxes and penalties of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively, “Expenses”), to the extent that such Expenses arise out of or are imposed upon or asserted at any time against such Indemnified Persons with respect to the performance of the Trust Agreement, the creation, operation or termination of the Trust or the transactions contemplated thereby; provided, however, that the Trust shall not be required to indemnify any Indemnified Person for any Expenses which are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of an Indemnified Person. If the Trust shall have insufficient assets or improperly refuses to pay an Indemnified Person within sixty (60) days of a request for payment owed hereunder, the Sponsor shall, as secondary obligor, compensate or reimburse the Trustee or indemnify, defend and hold harmless an Indemnified Person as if it were the primary obligor under the Trust Agreement; provided, however, that the Sponsor shall not be required to indemnify any Indemnified Person for any Expenses which are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of an Indemnified Person. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Expenses to be incurred by an Indemnified Person shall, from time to time, be advanced by, or on behalf of, the Sponsor prior to the final disposition of any matter upon receipt by the Sponsor of an undertaking by, or on behalf of, such Indemnified Person to repay such amount if it shall be determined that the Indemnified Person is not entitled to be indemnified under this Trust Agreement.

 

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

 

[On ____, 202_, ____ (the “Seed Capital Investor”), an affiliate of the Sponsor, purchased one (1) Share at a per-Share price of $___ (the “Seed Share”). Delivery of the Seed Share was made on ____, 202_. Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Share were $___. On ____, 202_, the Seed Share was redeemed for cash and the Seed Capital Investor purchased ____ Shares at a per-Share price of $____ (the “Seed Baskets”). Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Baskets were $____. On ____, 202_, the Trust purchased ____ PENGU with the proceeds of the Seed Baskets.]

 

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Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit    
No.   Exhibit Description

 

3.1*Trust Agreement

 

3.2*Certificate of Trust

 

5.1**Opinion of Chapman and Cutler LLP as to legality

 

8.1**Opinion of Chapman and Cutler LLP as to tax matters

 

10.1**Form of Initial Authorized Participant Agreement

 

10.2**Distribution Agreement

 

10.3**Custodial Services Agreement

 

10.4**Administration Agreement

 

10.5**Transfer Agency Agreement

 

10.6**Sponsor Agreement

 

10.7**Cash Custody Agreement (Custodian Agreement)

 

23.1**Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

23.2**Consent of Chapman and Cutler LLP (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1)

 

107*Filing Fee Tables

 

* Filed herewith

 

** To be filed by amendment

 

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 17. Undertakings.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i)to include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

 

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(ii)to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

 

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(4)That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

 

(i)If the registrant is relying on Rule 430B:

 

(A)each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

 

(B)each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or

 

(ii)If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

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(5)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

 

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii)the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv)any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(6) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Nashville, and the State of Tennessee, on March 20, 2025.

 

  CANARY PENGU ETF
     
  Canary Capital Group LLC,
  as Sponsor of the Trust
     
  By:   /s/ Steven McClurg
    Name:  Steven McClurg
    Title:  Chief Executive Officer  

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities* and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
/s/ Steven McClurg   Chief Executive Officer   March 20, 2025
Steven McClurg   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Josh Olszewicz   Portfolio Manager    
Josh Olszewicz   (Principal Financial Officer)   March 20, 2025
         
/s/ Kevin Farragher   Portfolio Manager    
Kevin Farragher   (Principal Accounting Officer)   March 20, 2025

 

* The registrant is a trust and the persons are signing in their capacities as officers of Canary Capital Group LLC, the Sponsor of the registrant.

 

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