abrdn Silver ETF Trust

1. Organization

The abrdn Silver ETF Trust (the “Trust”) is a common law trust formed on July 20, 2009 (the “Date of Inception”) under New York law pursuant to a depositary trust agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) executed by abrdn ETFs Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) and The Bank of New York Mellon as Trustee (the “Trustee”). The Trust holds silver and issues abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF (“Shares”) in minimum blocks of 50,000 Shares (also referred to as “Baskets”) in exchange for deposits of silver and distributes silver in connection with the redemption of Baskets. Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust which are issued by the Trust. The Sponsor is a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of abrdn Inc., which is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of abrdn plc. The Trust is governed by the Trust Agreement.

Effective November 12, 2024, Brian Kordeck resigned as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor. Mr. Kordeck had served as Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant. Effective November 12, 2024, Sharon Ferrari was appointed Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor. Ms. Ferrari serves as Principal Financial Officer of the Registrant.

The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of physical silver, less the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. The Trust is designed to provide an individual owner of beneficial interests in the Shares (a “Shareholder”) an opportunity to participate in the silver market through an investment in securities.

2. Significant Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires those responsible for preparing financial statements to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Trust.

2.1. Basis of Accounting

The Sponsor has determined that the Trust falls within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 946,Financial Services—Investment Companies, and has concluded that for reporting purposes, the Trust is classified as an Investment Company. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act.

2.2. Valuation of Silver

The Trust follows the provisions of ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”). ASC 820 provides guidance for determining fair value and requires increased disclosure regarding the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Effective May 23, 2024, the Trustee, at the direction of the Sponsor, entered into an Allocated Account Agreement and Unallocated Account Agreement with ICBC Standard Bank Plc (“ICBC”), providing for the custody of the Trust’s silver. Effective August 8, 2024, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. no longer serves as a custodian of the Trust’s silver. At December 31, 2024, all of the Trust’s silver was held at ICBC or a sub-custodian selected by ICBC.

The Trust’s silver is recorded at fair value. The cost of silver is determined according to the average cost method and the fair value is based on the London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) Silver Price. Realized gains and losses on transfers of silver, or silver distributed for the redemption of Shares, are calculated on a trade date basis as the difference between the fair value and average cost of silver transferred.

The ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) conducts an electronic, over-the-counter silver auction in London, England to establish a fixing price for an ounce of silver once each trading day, which is disseminated by major market vendors (the “LBMA Silver Price”). The LBMA Silver Price is established by the LBMA-authorized bullion banks and market makers participating in the auction.

Once the value of silver has been determined, the net asset value (the “NAV”) is computed by the Trustee by deducting all accrued fees, expenses and other liabilities of the Trust, including the remuneration due to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor’s Fee”), from the fair value of the silver and all other assets held by the Trust.

The Trust recognizes changes in fair value of the investment in silver as changes in unrealized gains or losses on investment in silver through the Statement of Operations.

The per Share amount of silver exchanged for a purchase or redemption is calculated daily by the Trustee using the LBMA Silver Price to calculate the silver amount in respect of any liabilities for which covering silver sales have not yet been made, and represents the per Share amount of silver held by the Trust, after giving effect to its liabilities, to cover expenses and liabilities and any losses that may have occurred.

Fair Value Hierarchy

ASC 820 establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The three levels of inputs are as follows:

To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in level 3.

The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

The Trust’s investment in silver is classified as a level 1 asset, as its value is calculated using unadjusted quoted prices from primary market sources.

The categorization of the Trust’s assets is as shown below:

There were no transfers between levels during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

2.3. Silver Receivable and Payable

Silver receivable or payable represents the quantity of silver covered by contractually binding orders for the creation or redemption of Shares respectively, where the silver has not yet been transferred to or from the Trust’s account. Generally, ownership of silver is transferred within one business day of the trade date. At December 31, 2024, the Trust had $6,898,661 of silver receivable for the creation of Shares andno silver payable for the redemption of Shares. At December 31, 2023, the Trust hadno silver receivable or payable for the creation or redemption of Shares.

2.4. Creations and Redemptions of Shares

The Trust expects to create and redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 50,000 Shares). The Trust issues Shares in Baskets to Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis. Individual investors cannot purchase or redeem Shares in direct transactions with the Trust. An Authorized Participant is a person who (1) is a registered broker-dealer or other securities market participant such as a bank or other financial institution which is not required to register as a broker-dealer to engage in securities transactions; (2) is a participant in The Depository Trust Company; (3) has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Trustee and the Sponsor; and (4) has established an Authorized Participant Unallocated Account with the Trust’s Custodian or other silver bullion clearing bank. An Authorized Participant Agreement is an agreement entered into by each Authorized Participant, the Sponsor and the Trustee which provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of Baskets and for the delivery of the silver required for such creations and redemptions. An Authorized Participant Unallocated Account is an unallocated silver account established with the Custodian or a silver bullion clearing bank by an Authorized Participant.

The creation and redemption of Baskets is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of silver represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which is based on the combined NAV of 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.

Authorized Participants may, on any business day, place an order with the Trustee to create or redeem one or more Baskets. Effective May 28, 2024, the settlement period for Shares is one business day. Prior to May 28, 2024, the standard settlement period for Shares was two business days. In the event of a trade date at period end, where a settlement is pending, a respective account receivable and/or payable will be recorded. When silver is exchanged in settlement of a redemption, it is considered a sale of silver for financial statement purposes.

The amount of silver represented by the Baskets created or redeemed can only be settled to the nearest 1/1000th of an ounce. As a result, the value attributed to the creation or redemption of Shares may differ from the value of silver to be delivered or distributed by the Trust. In order to ensure that the correct amount of silver is available at all times to back the Shares, the Sponsor accepts an adjustment to its Sponsor Fee in the event of any shortfall or excess on each transaction. For each transaction, this amount is not more than 1/1000th of an ounce of silver.

As the Shares of the Trust are subject to redemption at the option of Authorized Participants, the Trust has classified the outstanding Shares as Net Assets. Changes in the number of Shares outstanding are presented in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets.

2.5. Income Taxes

The Trust is classified as a “grantor trust” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust itself will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, the Trust’s income and expenses will “flow through” to the Shareholders, and the Trustee will report the Trust’s proceeds, income, deductions, gains, and losses to the Internal Revenue Service on that basis.

The Sponsor has evaluated whether or not there are uncertain tax positions that require financial statement recognition and has determined thatno reserves for uncertain tax positions are required as of December 31, 2024 or December 31, 2023.

2.6. Investment in Silver

Changes in ounces of silver and their respective values for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 are set out below:

2.7. Expenses / Realized Gains / Losses

The primary expense of the Trust is the Sponsor’s Fee, which is paid by the Trust through in-kind transfers of silver to the Sponsor.

The Trust will transfer silver to the Sponsor to pay the Sponsor’s Fee that accrues daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.45% of the adjusted daily net asset value (“ANAV”) of the Trust, paid monthly in arrears. Presently, the Sponsor is continuing to voluntarily waive a portion of its fee and reduce the Sponsor’s Fee to 0.30% (which it has done since the Date of Inception).

The Sponsor has agreed to assume administrative and marketing expenses incurred by the Trust, including the Trustee’s monthly fee and out of pocket expenses, the Custodian’s fee and the reimbursement of the Custodian’s expenses, exchange listing fees, United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and up to $100,000 per annum in legal expenses.

For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the Sponsor’s Fee, net of fees waived by the Sponsor, was $3,923,620, $3,247,514 and $3,061,148, respectively.

At December 31, 2024 and at December 31, 2023, the fees payable to the Sponsor were $366,328 and $271,244, respectively.

As a result of the waiver, the Sponsor’s Fee waived for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $1,961,810, $1,623,757 and $1,530,574, respectively.

With respect to expenses not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor, the Trustee will, at the direction of the Sponsor or in its own discretion, sell the Trust’s silver as necessary to pay these expenses. When selling silver to pay expenses, the Trustee will endeavor to sell the smallest amounts of silver needed to pay these expenses in order to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than silver. Other than the Sponsor’s Fee, the Trust hadno expenses during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Unless otherwise directed by the Sponsor, when selling silver the Trustee will endeavor to sell at the price established by the LBMA. The Trustee will place orders with dealers (which may include the Custodian) through which the Trustee expects to receive the most favorable price and execution of orders. The Custodian may be the purchaser of such silver only if the sale transaction is made at the next LBMA Silver Price or such other publicly available price that the Sponsor deems fair, in each case as set following the sale order. A gain or loss is recognized based on the difference between the selling price and the average cost of silver. Neither the Trustee nor the Sponsor is liable for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of any sale.

Realized gains and losses result from the transfer of silver for Share redemptions and / or to pay expenses and are recognized on a trade date basis as the difference between the fair value and average cost of silver transferred.

2.8 Segment Reporting

In this reporting period, the Trust adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280) - Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures (“ASU 2023-07”). Adoption of the new standard impacted disclosures only and did not affect the Trust's financial position nor the results of its operations. Operating segments are components of a public entity that engage in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expenses, have discrete financial information available, and have their operating results regularly reviewed by the public entity's chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) when assessing segment performance and making decisions about segment resources. The Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor acts as the Fund's CODM. The CODM monitors the operating results of the Trust as a whole, and the Trust's asset allocation is managed in accordance with its Prospectus. The Trust operates as a single operating and reporting segment pursuant to its investment objective and principal investment strategy. The Trust's prospectus describes the Trust's fees, investment objective, principal investment strategy and principal risks, among other items. The Fund's portfolio composition, total returns, expense ratios and changes in net assets used by the CODM to assess segment performance and make resource allocations are consistent with the information presented within the Trust's financial statements. The accompanying financial statements detail the Fund's segment assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses. Segment assets are reflected on the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities as “Total Assets” and significant segment expenses are listed on the Statement of Operations.

2.9. Subsequent Events

In accordance with the provisions set forth in FASB ASC 855-10,Subsequent Events, the Trust’s management has evaluated the possibility of subsequent events impacting the Trust’s financial statements through the filing date. During this period, no material subsequent events requiring adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements were identified.

3. Related Parties

The Sponsor and the Trustee are considered to be related parties to the Trust. The Trustee and the Custodian and their affiliates may from time to time act as Authorized Participants and purchase or sell Shares for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. In addition, the Trustee and the Custodian and their affiliates may from time to time purchase or sell silver directly, for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. The Trustee’s and Custodian’s fees are paid by the Sponsor and are not separate expenses of the Trust.

4. Concentration of Risk

The Trust’s sole business activity is the investment in silver, and substantially all the Trust’s assets are holdings of silver, which creates a concentration of risk associated with fluctuations in the price of silver. Several factors could affect the price of silver, including: (i) global silver supply and demand, which is influenced by factors such as forward selling by silver producers, purchases made by silver producers to unwind silver hedge positions, central bank purchases and sales, and production and cost levels in major global silver-producing countries; (ii) investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation; (iii) currency exchange rates; (iv) interest rates; (v) investment and trading activities of hedge funds and commodity funds; and (vi) global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations. In addition, there is no assurance that silver will maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. In the event that the price of silver declines, the Sponsor expects the value of an investment in the Shares to decline proportionately. Each of these events could have a material effect on the Trust’s financial position and results of operations.

5. Indemnification

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, the Trustee (and its directors, employees and agents) and the Sponsor (and its members, managers, directors, officers, employees and affiliates) are indemnified by the Trust against any liability, cost or expense it incurs without gross negligence, bad faith, willful misconduct or willful malfeasance on its part and without reckless disregard on its part of its obligations and duties under the Trust’s organizational documents. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Trust that have not yet occurred.

ABRDN SILVER ETF TRUST

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned in the capacities thereunto duly authorized.

Exhibit Index