Bitwise Ethereum ETF

Previous wording

The Bitwise Ethereum ETF (the “Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust formed on February 16, 2024. The Trust issues common shares (“Shares”) representing units of undivided beneficial ownership of the Trust. The Shares are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange”) under the ticker symbol “ETHW.” The Trust’s commencement of operations was July 22, 2024.

Current wording

Bitwise Ethereum ETF (the “Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust formed on February 16, 2024. The Trust continuously issues common shares (“Shares”), representing units of undivided beneficial ownership of the Trust. The Shares are listed on the NYSE Arca Inc. (the “Exchange”) under the ticker symbol “ETHW.” The Trust’s commencement of operations was July 22, 2024. The Trust is sponsored and managed by Bitwise Investment Advisers, LLC (the “Sponsor”).

Previous wording

The Trust’s investment objective is to seek to provide exposure to the value of ether held by the Trust, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations and other liabilities. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust holds ether and establishes its net asset value (“NAV”) by reference to the CME CF Ether – Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant (“Pricing Benchmark”). The Pricing Benchmark is calculated by CF Benchmarks Ltd. based on an aggregation of executed trade flow of major ether trading platforms. The Trust is sponsored and managed by Bitwise Investment Advisers, LLC (the “Sponsor”).

Current wording

The Trust’s investment objective is to seek to provide shareholders of the Trust (“Shareholders”) with exposure to the value of ether held by the Trust that is reflective of the actual ether market in which investors can purchase or sell ether, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations and other liabilities. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust holds ether and establishes its net asset value (“NAV") by reference to the CME CF Ether – Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant (“Pricing Index”). The Pricing Index was designed to provide a daily, 4:00 p.m. ET reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of one ether that may be used to develop financial products and is calculated by CF Benchmarks Ltd. (the “Benchmark Provider”) based on an aggregation of executed trade flow of major ether trading platforms (“Constituent Platforms”).

Previous wording

The Shares may trade at a premium over, or a discount to, the NAV per Share as a result of price volatility, trading volume and closings of the exchanges on which the Sponsor purchases ethers on behalf of the Trust 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 price of ether. As a result of the foregoing, the price of the Shares as quoted on the Exchange has varied from the value of the Trust’s NAV per Share since the Shares were approved for quotation on July 22, 2024.

Current wording

The Shares may trade at a premium over, or a discount to, the NAV per-share as a result of price volatility, trading volume and closings of the exchanges on which the Sponsor purchases ether on behalf of the Trust 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 price of ether. As a result of the foregoing, the price of the Shares as quoted on the Exchange has varied from the value of the Trust’s NAV per-share since the Shares were approved for quotation on July 23, 2024.

Previous wording

The Trust agreed to pay the unitary Sponsor Fee of 0.20% per annum of the Trust’s ether holdings. The Sponsor contractually waived the Sponsor Fee until January 22, 2025, and will accrue at an annual rate of 0.20% of the Trust’s net assets beginning thereafter. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust is expected to be the Sponsor Fee. In exchange for the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume and pay the normal operating expenses of the Trust, which include the Trustee’s monthly fee and out-of-pocket expenses, the fees of the Trust’s regular service providers (Cash Custodian, Ether Custodian, Prime Execution Agent, Marketing Agent, Transfer Agent and Administrator), exchange listing fees, tax reporting fees, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and up to $500,000 per annum in ordinary legal fees and expenses. The Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion to assume legal fees and expenses of the Trust in excess of $500,000 per annum. The Sponsor will also pay the costs of the Trust’s organization.

Current wording

Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume and pay the normal operating expenses of the Trust, which include the Trustee’s monthly fee and out-of-pocket expenses, the fees of the Trust’s regular service providers (Cash Custodian, Ether Custodian, Prime Execution Agent, Marketing Agent, Transfer Agent and Administrator), exchange listing fees, tax reporting fees, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and up to $500,000 per annum in ordinary legal fees and expenses. The Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion to assume legal fees and expenses of the Trust in excess of $500,000 per annum. The Sponsor also agreed to pay the costs of the Trust’s organization.

Previous wording

The Trust does not hold a cash balance except in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets (blocks of 10,000 Shares) or to pay expenses not assumed by the Sponsor. To pay for expenses not assumed by the Sponsor that are denominated in U.S. dollars, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, may sell the Trust’s ether as necessary to pay such expenses. The cash proceeds of the sale will be sent to the Sponsor, which will use such proceeds to pay the expenses. Any remaining cash will be distributed back to the Cash Custodian. The Sponsor expects that the Trust will have an immaterial amount of cash flow from its operations and that its cash balance will be insignificant at the end of each reporting period. The Trust’s only sources of cash are proceeds from the sale of Baskets and ether. The Trust will not borrow to meet liquidity needs.

Current wording

The Trust does not hold a cash balance except in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets (blocks of 10,000 Shares) or to pay expenses not assumed by the Sponsor. To pay for expenses not assumed by the Sponsor that are denominated in U.S. dollars, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, may sell the Trust’s ether as necessary to pay such expenses. The cash proceeds of the sale will be sent to the Sponsor to pay the expenses. Any remaining cash will be distributed back to the Cash Custodian. The Sponsor expects that the Trust will have an immaterial amount of cash flow from its operations and that its cash balance will be insignificant at the end of each reporting period. The Trust’s only sources of cash are proceeds from the sale of Baskets and ether. The Trust will not borrow to meet liquidity needs.

Previous wording

The Trust’s periodic financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board 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 ether on the Trust’s financial statement measurement date. The Sponsor determines in its sole discretion the valuation sources and policies used to prepare the Trust’s financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Trust intends to engage a third-party vendor to obtain a price from a principal market for ether, which will be either the market the Trust normally transacts in for ether or, if the Trust does not normally transact in any market or such market suffers an operational interruption and is unavailable, 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 U.S. 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.

Current wording

The Trust’s periodic financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board 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 ether on the Trust’s financial statement measurement date. The Sponsor determines in its sole discretion the valuation sources and policies used to prepare the Trust’s financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Trust has engaged a third-party vendor to obtain a price from a principal market for ether, which will be either the market the Trust normally transacts in for ether or, if the Trust does not normally transact in any market or such market suffers an operational interruption and is unavailable, 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 U.S. 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.