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iShares Bitcoin Trust

For the period ended Mar 31, 2024. Filed May 8, 2024.

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About this filing

A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.

Mar 31, 2024 · Filed May 8, 2024

IBIT$42.88-0.3%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026

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Notes to Financial Statements

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

March 31, 2024

1 - Organization

The iShares Bitcoin Trust (the “Trust”) was organized on* June 8, 2023as a Delaware statutory trust. The trustee is BlackRock Fund Advisors (the “Trustee”), which is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Trust. The Trust’s sponsor is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the “Trust Administrator”. The Trust is governed by the provisions of the Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) executed by the Sponsor, the Trustee and Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national association (“Delaware Trustee”), as of October 17, 2023.*The Trust issues units of beneficial interest (“Shares”) representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in its net assets.

On* January 5, 2024,BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. (the “Seed Capital Investor”) redeemed 4,000 shares of common stock for $100,000 ($25.00 per share) (the “Seed Shares”) for cash and the Seed Capital Investor purchased 400,000 Shares at a per-Share price of $25.00 (“Seed Creation Baskets”). Total proceeds to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Creation Baskets were $10,000,000. The Seed Capital Investor is an affiliate of the Sponsor. The Sponsor’s fee started accruing daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.25% of the net asset value of the Trust on January 5, 2024.*

The Trust’s registration statement on Form S-1 relating to its continuous public offering of Shares was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on* January 10, 2024 (“Effective Date”) and the Shares were listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“NASDAQ”) on January 11, 2024.*

The Trust seeks to reflect generally the performance of the price of bitcoin. The Trust seeks to reflect such performance before payment of the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. The Shares are intended to constitute a simple means for an investor to make an investment similar to an investment in bitcoin.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form10-Q and the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim period financial statements, have been made. Interim period results arenot necessarily indicative of results for a full-year period. These financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Trust’s financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended* December 31, 2023,as filed with the SEC on March 4, 2024.*

The Trust qualifies as an investment company solely for accounting purposes andnot for any other purpose and follows the accounting and reporting guidance under the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic946, Financial Services - Investment Companies, but isnot registered, and isnot required to be registered, as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of1940, as amended.

2 - Significant Accounting Policies

A.Basis of Accounting

The following significant accounting policies are consistently followed by the Trust in the preparation of its financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

B.Bitcoin

Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (the “Bitcoin Custodian”) is responsible for safekeeping the bitcoin owned by the Trust. The Bitcoin Custodian is appointed by the Trustee.

The net asset value of the Trust equals the total assets of the Trust, which consists solely of bitcoin and cash, less total liabilities of the Trust, each determined by the Trustee pursuant to policies established from time to time by the Trustee or its affiliates or otherwise described herein. The Trust’s periodic financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic820, “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC Topic820”) and utilize an exchange traded price from the Trust’s principal market for bitcoin as of11:59 p.m. ET 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 engages athird party vendor to obtain a price from a principal market for bitcoin, which is determined and designated by suchthird party vendor daily based on its consideration of several exchange characteristics, including oversight, and the volume and frequency of trades.

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The Sponsor has the exclusive authority to determine the Trust’s net asset value, which it has delegated to the Trustee under the Trust Agreement. The Trustee has delegated to the Trust Administrator the responsibility to calculate the net asset value of the Trust and the net asset value per Share (“NAV”), based on a pricing source selected by the Trustee. In determining the Trust’s net asset value, the Trust Administrator values the bitcoin held by the Trust based on an index (the “Index”), unless the Sponsor in its sole discretion determines that the Index is unreliable. The methodology used to calculate the Index price to value bitcoin in determining the net asset value of the Trust* may**not* be deemed consistent with U.S. GAAP. The CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate – New York Variant for the Bitcoin – U.S. Dollar trading pair (the “CF Benchmarks Index”) shall constitute the Index, unless the CF Benchmarks Index isnot available or the Sponsor in its sole discretion determines the CF Benchmarks Index is unreliable as the Index and therefore determinesnot to use the CF Benchmarks Index as the Index. If the CF Benchmarks Index isnot available or the Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that the CF Benchmarks Index is unreliable (together a “Fair Value Event”), the Trust’s holdings* may*be fair valued on a temporary basis in accordance with the fair value policies approved by the Trustee.

Additionally, the Trust Administrator monitors for unusual prices and escalates to the Trustee if detected. If the CF Benchmarks Index isnot used, the Trust will notify Shareholders in a prospectus supplement, in its periodic Exchange Act reports and/or on the Trust’s website. The Trust Administrator calculates the NAV of the Trust once on each day other than a Saturday or a Sunday, or a day on which NASDAQ is closed for regular trading (a “Business Day”). The NAV for a normal trading day will be released after4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”). Trading during the core trading session on NASDAQ typically closes at4:00 p.m. ET. However, NAVs arenot officially released until after the completion of a comprehensive review of the NAV and prices utilized to determine the NAV of the Trust by the Trust Administrator. Upon the completion of the end of day reviews by the Trust Administrator the NAV is released to the public typically by5:30 p.m. ET and generallyno later than8:00 p.m. ET. The period between4:00 p.m. ET and the NAV release after5:30 p.m. ET (or later) provides an opportunity for the Trust Administrator and the Trustee to detect, flag, investigate, and correct unusual pricing should it occur and implement a Fair Value Event, if necessary. Any such correction could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

The Trust’s periodic financial statements donot utilize net asset value of the Trust to the extent the methodology used to calculate the Index is deemednot to be consistent with U.S. GAAP.

Gain or loss on sales of bitcoin is calculated on a trade date basis using the average cost method.

The following tables summarize activity in bitcoin for thethree months ended* March 31, 2024:*

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024QuantityCostFair ValueRealized Gain (Loss)
Beginning balance—$—$—$—
Bitcoin purchased252,01613,984,757,95713,984,757,957—
Bitcoin sold for the redemption of shares————
Bitcoin sold to pay expenses(5)(257,005)(357,530)100,525
Net realized gain——100,525—
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation——3,806,745,993—
Ending balance252,011$13,984,500,952$17,791,246,945$100,525

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C.Calculation of Net Asset Value

On each Business Day, as soon as practicable after4:00 p.m. ET, the net asset value of the Trust is obtained by subtracting all accrued fees, expenses and other liabilities of the Trust from the total assets held by the Trust. The Trustee computes the net asset value per Share by dividing the net asset value of the Trust by the number of Shares outstanding on the date the computation is made.

D.Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash includes non-interest bearing, non-restricted cash maintained withone banking institution that doesnot exceed U.S. federally insured limits.

E.Offering of the Shares

Shares are issued and redeemed continuously in aggregations of 40,000 Shares (a “Basket”) or integral multiples thereof, based on the quantity of bitcoin attributable to each Share (net of accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s fee and any accrued but unpaid expenses or liabilities). Individual investors cannot purchase or redeem Shares in direct transactions with the Trust. The Trust only transacts with registered broker-dealers that are eligible to settle securities transactions through the book-entry facilities of the Depository Trust Company and that have entered into a contractual arrangement with the Sponsor governing, among other matters, the creation and redemption of Shares (such broker-dealers, the “Authorized Participants”).

F.Federal Income Taxes

The Trust is treated as a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes and, therefore,no provision for federal income taxes is required. Any interest, expenses, gains and losses are passed through to the holders of Shares of the Trust. The Sponsor has analyzed applicable tax laws and regulations and their application to the Trust as of* March 31, 2024and doesnot* believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

3 - Trust Expenses

The Sponsor’s fee is accrued daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.25% of the net asset value of the Trust and is payable at least quarterly in arrears in U.S. dollars or in-kind or any combination thereof. The Sponsor* may,at its sole discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s fee for stated periods of time. The Sponsor is underno* obligation to waive any portion of its fees and any such waiver shall createno obligation to waive any such fees during any periodnot covered by the waiver. For atwelve-month period, starting* January 11, 2024,the Sponsor will waive a portion of the Sponsor’s fee so that the Sponsor’s fee after the fee waiver will be equal to 0.12% of the net asset value of the Trust for thefirst* $5.0 billion of the Trust’s assets. In the future, if the Sponsor decides to waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s fee, Shareholders will be notified in a prospectus supplement, in its periodic Exchange Act reports and/or on the Trust’s website. For the period ended* March 31, 2024,*the amount waived was $1,074,550.

The Sponsor has agreed to assume the marketing and the following administrative expenses of the Trust: the fees of the Trustee, the Delaware Trustee, the Trust Administrator, the Bitcoin Custodian, and The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Cash Custodian”), NASDAQ listing fees, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, tax reporting fees, audit fees, license fees and expenses and up to $500,000 per annum in ordinary legal fees and expenses. The Sponsor* maydetermine in its sole discretion to assume legal fees and expenses of the Trust in excess of the $500,000 per annum required under the Trust Agreement. To the extent that the Sponsor doesnot* voluntarily assume such fees and expenses, they will be the responsibility of the Trust.

4 - Related Parties

The Sponsor and the Trustee are considered to be related parties to the Trust. The Trustee’s fee is paid by the Sponsor and isnot a separate expense of the Trust.

As of* March 31, 2024,*BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., an affiliate of the Sponsor, owned 400,000 Shares of the Trust, or 0.09%, of the Trust.

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5 - Indemnification

The Trust Agreement provides that the Sponsor shall indemnify the Trustee, its directors, employees, delegees and agents against, and hold each of them harmless from, any loss, liability, claim, cost, expense or judgment of any kind whatsoever (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) that is incurred by any of them and that arises out of or is related to (1) any offer or sale by the Trust of blocks of Baskets (2) acts performed or omitted pursuant to the provisions of the Trust Agreement, (A) by the Trustee, its directors, employees, delegees and agents or (B) by the Sponsor or (3) any filings with or submissions to the SEC in connection with or with respect to the Shares, except that the Sponsor shallnot have any obligations to pay any indemnification amounts incurred as a result of and attributable to (x) the willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith of, or material breach of the terms of the Trust Agreement by, the Trustee, (y) information furnished in writing by the Trustee to the Sponsor expressly for use in the registration statement, or any amendment thereto, filed with the SEC relating to the Shares that isnot materially altered by the Sponsor or (z) any misrepresentations or omissions made by an authorized participant (other than the Sponsor) in connection with such authorized participant’s offer and sale of Shares.

The Trust Agreement provides that the Trustee shall indemnify the Sponsor, its directors, employees, delegees and agents against, and hold each of them harmless from, any loss, liability, claim, cost, expense or judgment of any kind whatsoever (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) (1) caused by the willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith of the Trustee or (2) arising out of any information furnished in writing to the Sponsor by the Trustee expressly for use in the registration statement, or any amendment thereto or periodic report, filed with the SEC relating to the Shares that isnot materially altered by the Sponsor.

The Trust Agreement provides that the Sponsor and its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, affiliates (as such term is defined under the Securities Act of1933, as amended) and subsidiaries and agents shall be indemnified from the Trust and held harmless against any loss, liability, claim, cost, expense or judgment of any kind whatsoever (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) arising out of or in connection with the performance of their obligations under the Trust Agreement or any actions taken in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement and incurred without their (1) willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith or (2) reckless disregard of their obligations and duties under the Trust Agreement.

The Trust has agreed that the Cash Custodian will only be responsible for any loss or damage suffered by the Trust as a direct result of the Cash Custodian’s negligence, fraud or willful default in the performance of its duties.

The Trust’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown because it involves future potential claims against the Trust, which cannot be predicted with any certainty.

6 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

In the normal course of business, the Trust* mayenter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that maybe made against the Trust that havenot* yet occurred.

7 - Concentration Risk

Substantially all of the Trust’s assets are holdings of bitcoin, which creates a concentration risk associated with fluctuations in the value of bitcoin. Accordingly, a decline in the value of bitcoin will have an adverse effect on the value of the Shares of the Trust. Factors that* may*have the effect of causing a decline in the value of bitcoin include negative perception of digital assets; a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the digital asset markets; the closure or temporary shutdown of digital asset platforms due to fraud, business failure, security breaches or government mandated regulation; and a loss of investor confidence.

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8 - Financial Highlights

The following financial highlights relate to investment performance and operations for a Share outstanding for thethree months ended* March 31, 2024.*

Three Months Ended March 31,
Net asset value per Share, beginning of period$25.00
Net investment loss(a)(0.02)
Net realized and unrealized gain(b)15.23
Net increase in net assets from operations15.21
Net asset value per Share, end of period$40.21
Total return, at net asset value(c)(d)(e)(f)52.94%
Ratio to average net assets:
Net investment loss(g)(0.18)%
Total expenses(g)0.24%
Total expenses after fees waived(g)0.18%
(a)Based on average Shares outstanding during the period.
(b)The amounts reported for a Share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses on investment for the period due to the timing of Share transactions in relation to the fluctuating fair values of the Trust’s underlying investment.
(c)Based on the change in net asset value of a Share during the period.
(d)Percentage is not annualized.
(e)For the period January 10, 2024 (Effective Date) to March 31, 2024.
(f)For the period January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024, the Trust’s total return was 60.84%.
(g)Percentage is annualized.

9 - Investment Valuation

U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price the Trust would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Trust’s policy is to value its investment at fair value.

Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities. Inputs* maybe based on independent market data (“observable inputs”) or they maybe internally developed (“unobservable inputs”). These inputs are categorized into a disclosure hierarchy consisting ofthree* broad levels for financial reporting purposes. The level of a value determined for an asset or liability within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Thethree levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 −Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2 −Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not considered to be active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means; and
Level 3 −Unobservable inputs that are unobservable for the asset or liability, including the Trust’s assumptions used in determining the fair value of investments.

At* March 31, 2024,the value of the bitcoin held by the Trust is categorized as Level1.*

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