Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our
financial condition and results of operations should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our financial
statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”).
This Quarterly Report contains “forward-looking
statements” with respect to the Trust’s financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance
and business. Statements preceded by, followed by or that include words such as “may,” “might,” “will,”
“should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,”
“predict,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of these terms and other similar expressions are
intended to identify some of the forward-looking statements. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in this
Quarterly Report that address activities, events or developments that will or may occur in the future, including such matters as changes
in market prices and conditions (for bitcoin and the Shares), 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 on certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor 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 Quarterly Report;
● general economic, market and business conditions;
● the use of technology by us and our vendors, including the Custodians, in conducting our business, including disruptions in our computer
systems and data centers and our transition to, and quality of, new technology platforms;
● changes in laws or regulations, including those concerning taxes, made by governmental authorities or regulatory bodies;
● the costs and effects of any litigation or regulatory investigations;
● our ability to maintain a positive reputation; and
● other world economic and political developments.
Consequently, all the forward-looking statements
made in this Quarterly Report are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the 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 the Shares. Should one or more of these risks discussed in
the Quarterly Report 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.
Overview of the Trust
CoinShares Bitcoin ETF
(the “Trust”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on January 20, 2021. The fiscal year for the Trust is December
31st. The Trust issues common units of beneficial interest (“Shares”), which represent units of fractional undivided
beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust. The Shares of the Trust are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC
(“Nasdaq” or the “Exchange”). CoinShares Co., a Delaware corporation, is the sponsor of the Trust (the
“Sponsor”). CSC Delaware Trust Company is the trustee of the Trust (the “Trustee”). U.S. Bancorp Fund
Services, LLC is the transfer agent of the Trust (in such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”) and the administrator of the
Trust (in such capacity, the “Administrator”), Paralel Distributors LLC is the marketing agent of the Trust (the
“Marketing Agent”), Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (“Coinbase”), BitGo Trust Company, Inc.
(“BitGo”), and Komainu (Jersey) Limited (“Komainu” and collectively with Coinbase and BitGo, the
“Custodians”) are the custodians of the Trust’s bitcoin, Coinbase, Inc., an affiliate of Coinbase, is the prime
broker of the Trust (the “Prime Broker”), and U.S. Bank, N.A., an affiliate of the Transfer Agent and Administrator, is
the cash custodian of the Trust (the “Cash Custodian”). The operations of the Trust are governed by the provisions of
the First Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust, among the Trustee, the Sponsor, and the shareholders from time to time
thereunder (the “Shareholders”), as may be amended from time to time (the “Trust Agreement”). The Trust is
an exchange-traded fund that sells or redeems common shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in blocks of 5,000 Shares
(a “Basket”) based on the quantity of bitcoin attributable to each Share of the Trust (net of accrued but unpaid
expenses and liabilities). There are an unlimited number of authorized Shares.
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The Trust’s inception
of operation was January 11, 2024. The Trust had no operations prior to January 11, 2024, other than matters relating to its organization
and the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).
The offering of the Trust’s
Shares is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in accordance with the 1933 Act.
Shares of the Trust trade
on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol BRRR.
The Sponsor maintains a
website (coinshares.com/us/etf/brrr/), through which the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current
Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), can be accessed free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material
is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Additional information regarding the Trust may also be found on the SEC’s
EDGAR database at www.sec.gov .
Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies
Investment Objectives
The investment objective
of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the value of a bitcoin as represented by the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate
– New York Variant (the “Index”), less the Trust’s liabilities and expenses.
Principal Investment Strategies
In seeking to achieve its
investment objective, the Trust holds bitcoin and values its Shares daily based on the value of bitcoin as reflected by the Index, which
is an independently calculated value based on an aggregation of executed trade flow of major bitcoin spot exchanges. The Sponsor is authorized
under the Trust Agreement to substitute an alternative index, reference rate, or other methodology for valuing bitcoin for the Index for
purposes of the Trust’s investment objective and valuation policies at its sole discretion and without Shareholder approval. The
Shares are designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in bitcoin.
Valuation of Bitcoin; Use of the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate –
New York Variant
On each day other than a
Saturday or a Sunday, or a day on which Nasdaq is closed for regular trading (a “Business Day”), as soon as practicable after
4:00 p.m. ET, the Trust evaluates the bitcoin held by the Trust as reflected by the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate – New York Variant
for the Bitcoin – U.S. Dollar trading pair (the “ CF Benchmarks Index”)
and determines the net asset value of the Trust and the net asset value per Share (“NAV”).
The CF Benchmarks Index is
calculated as of 4:00 p.m. ET. The CF Benchmarks Index is designed based on the IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks and is a Registered
Benchmark under UK Benchmark Regulations (“BMR”). The administrator of the CF Benchmarks Index is CF Benchmarks Ltd. (the
“Index Administrator”) a UK incorporated company, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”)
of the UK as a Benchmark Administrator, under UK BMR.
Results of Operations
The Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 and 2025
The Trust’s net asset
value decreased from $429,730,949 at March 31, 2026, to $342,354,115 at June 30, 2026. The change in the Trust’s net assets resulted
from a decrease in outstanding Shares, which fell from 22,335,000 at March 31, 2026, to 20,795,000 at June 30, 2026, as a result of 390,000
Shares (78 Baskets) being created and 1,930,000 Shares (386 Baskets) being redeemed during the quarter, and a decrease in the value
of bitcoin, which depreciated 14.4% from $68,198 at March 31, 2026, to $58,391 at June 30, 2026.
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The net asset value per Share decreased
14.4% from $19.24 at March 31, 2026, to $16.46 at June 30, 2026.
The net asset value per Share
of $23.10 at May 11, 2026 was the highest during the quarter, compared with a low of $16.46 at June 30, 2026.
The decrease in net assets
from operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 was $54,679,956, resulting from a decrease in unrealized gain on the Trust’s
bitcoin investment of $57,019,947, realized gains on the disposition of bitcoin of $2,614,338 and Sponsor Fees incurred of $274,347.
The Trust’s net asset
value increased from $480,386,204 at March 31, 2025, to $ 625,787,170 at June 30, 2025. The
change in the Trust’s net assets resulted from an increase in outstanding Shares, which rose from 20,450,000 at March 31, 2025,
to 20,705,000 at June 30, 2025, as a result of 1,645,000 Shares being created and 1,390,000 Shares being redeemed during the quarter,
and an increase in the value of bitcoin, which appreciated 28.7% from $83,057 at March 31, 2025, to $106,930 at June 30, 2025. The net
asset value per Share increased 28.7% from $23.49 at March 31, 2025, to $30.22 at June 30, 2025.
The net asset value per Share
of $31.54 at May 22, 2025 was the highest during the quarter, compared with a low of $21.70 at April 8, 2025.
The increase in net assets
from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2025 was $141,141,457, resulting from an increase in unrealized gain on the Trust’s
bitcoin investment of $130,366,125, realized gains on the disposition of bitcoin of $11,139,128, and Sponsor Fees incurred of $363,796.
The Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 and 2025
The Trust’s net asset
value decreased from $505,380,907 at December 31, 2025, to $342,354,115 at June 30, 2026. The change in the Trust’s net assets resulted
from a decrease in the value of bitcoin, which depreciated 33.4% from $87,650 at December 31, 2025, to $58,391 at June 30, 2026, partially
offset by an increase in outstanding Shares from 20,425,000 at December 31, 2025, to 20,795,000 at June 30, 2026. The net asset value
per Share decreased 33.5% from $24.74 at December 31, 2025, to $16.46 at June 30, 2026.
The decrease in net assets from operations for
the six months ended June 30, 2026 was $175,369,710, resulting from a decrease in unrealized gain on the Trust’s bitcoin investment
of $177,737,232, realized gains on the disposition of bitcoin of $2,930,850 and Sponsor Fees incurred of $563,328.
The Trust’s net asset value decreased from
$826,115,990 at December 31, 2024, to $ 625,787,170 at June 30, 2025. The change in the Trust’s
net assets resulted from a decrease in outstanding Shares, which fell from 31,260,000 at December 31, 2024, to 20,705,000 at June 30,
2025, and an increase in the value of bitcoin, which appreciated 14.5% from $93,381 at December 31, 2024, to $106,930 at June 30, 2025.
The net asset value per Share increased 14.3% from $26.43 at December 31, 2024, to $30.22 at June 30, 2025.
The increase in net assets from operations for
the six months ended June 30, 2025 was $64,528,638, resulting from a decrease in unrealized gain on the Trust’s bitcoin investment
of $51,464,017, realized gains on the disposition of bitcoin of $116,817,004, and Sponsor Fees incurred of $824,349.
Cash Resources and Liquidity
The Trust does not hold a
cash balance except in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets or to pay expenses not assumed by the Sponsor. To the extent
the Trust does not have available cash to facilitate redemptions or pay expenses not assumed by the Sponsor, the Trust will sell bitcoin.
When selling bitcoin on behalf of the Trust, the Sponsor endeavors to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than bitcoin.
As a consequence, 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 bitcoin. The Trust will not borrow to meet liquidity needs.
In exchange for the Sponsor
Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume most of the expenses incurred by the Trust. The Sponsor Fee accrues at an annual rate of 0.25% of
the Trust’s bitcoin holdings. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust is the Sponsor Fee. The Trust is not aware of
any trends, demands, conditions or events that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to its liquidity needs.
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Off Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations
The Trust has not used, nor
does it expect to use in the future, special purpose entities to facilitate off balance sheet financing arrangements and have no loan
guarantee arrangements or off balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business,
which may include indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services for the Trust.
While the Trust’s exposure under such indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, these general business indemnifications are
not expected to have a material impact on the Trust’s financial position.
Sponsor Fee payments made
to the Sponsor are calculated as a fixed percentage of the Trust’s bitcoin holdings. As such, the Sponsor cannot anticipate the
payment amounts that will be required under these arrangements for future periods as the Trust’s net assets are not known until
a future date.
Critical Accounting Policies
Principal Market and Fair Value Determination
The Trust’s
periodic financial statements may not utilize the net asset value of the Trust determined by reference to the Index to the extent the
methodology used to calculate the Index 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 bitcoin on the Trust’s financial statement measurement date. 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. The Sponsor will determine at its sole discretion the valuation sources and policies used to prepare the Trust’s
financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
To determine
which market is the Trust’s principal market (or in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market) for purposes
of calculating the Trust’s financial statements, the Trust follows ASC 820-10, which outlines the application of fair value accounting.
ASC 820-10 determines fair value to be the price that would be received for bitcoin in a current sale, which assumes an orderly transaction
between market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820-10 requires the Trust to assume that bitcoin is sold in its principal market
to market participants or, in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market. Market participants are defined as buyers
and sellers in the principal or most advantageous market that are independent, knowledgeable, and willing and able to transact. The Trust
may transact through digital asset brokers or dealers, in multiple markets, and its application of ASC 820-10 reflects this fact. The
Trust anticipates that, while multiple venues and types of markets will be available to the digital asset brokers or dealers from whom
the Sponsor acquires or disposes of the Trust’s bitcoin, the principal market in each scenario is determined by looking at the market-based
level of volume and bitcoin trading activity. Digital asset brokers or dealers may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market, Principal-to-Principal
Markets and Exchange Markets (each as defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary). Based on information reasonably available to the Trust,
Exchange Markets have the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to accessible Exchange Markets
as opposed to the Brokered Market, Dealer Market and Principal-to-Principal Markets to determine its principal market. As a result of
the aforementioned analysis, an Exchange Market has been selected as the Trust’s principal market. The Trust determines its principal
market (or in the absence of a principal market the most advantageous market) on a quarterly basis to determine which market is its Principal
Market for the purpose of calculating fair value for the creation of quarterly and annual financial statements.
The
Sponsor has developed a process for identifying a principal market, as prescribed in ASC 820-10, which outlines the application of
fair value accounting. The process begins by identifying publicly available, well-established and reputable bitcoin trading venues
(Exchange Markets, as defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary), which are selected by the Sponsor and its affiliates at their sole
discretion. The Sponsor then identifies the principal market for bitcoin during that period and uses the price for bitcoin from that
venue as of 4:00 p.m. ET as the principal market price.
Investment Company Considerations
The Trust
is an investment company for GAAP purposes and follows accounting and reporting guidance in accordance with the FASB ASC Topic 946, Financial
Services – Investment Companies. The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting for Bitcoin in accordance with its classification
as an investment company for accounting purposes. The Trust is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of
1940. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying
notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and these differences could be material.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk.
As a smaller reporting company, the Trust is not
required to provide the information required by this item.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.