Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business.
Summary
Canary Litecoin ETF (the “Trust”)
was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on September 24, 2024. The Trust continuously issues common shares representing fractional
undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust (“Shares”). The Shares of the Trust are listed on The Nasdaq Stock
Market, LLC (“Nasdaq” or the “Exchange”) under the ticker symbol “LTCC.” Canary Capital Group LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company, 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, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, is the transfer agent
of the Trust (in such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”) and the administrator and accounting agent 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 (the “Coinbase Custodian”) and BitGo Trust Company, Inc. (“BitGo”) (BitGo and the Coinbase
Custodian, the “Custodians”) are the custodians of the Trust’s Litecoin (“LTC”), 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 a Trust Agreement, dated October 6, 2025, 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 product. The Trust sells or redeems its Shares in blocks of 10,000 Shares (a “Basket”) based
on the quantity of LTC attributable to each Share of the Trust (net of accrued but unpaid expenses and liabilities).
The Trust’s inception
of operations was October 27, 2025. The Trust had no operations prior to October 27, 2025, other than matters relating to its organization
and the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”). On September 22, 2025, Charlie Lee (the
“Seed Capital Investor”) purchased 40,000 Shares at a per-Share price of $25 (the “Seed Shares”). Total proceeds
to the Trust from the sale of the Seed Shares was $1,000,000 which was held in cash. The Trust purchased $1,000,000 in LTC with the proceeds
of the Seed Shares upon commencement of investment operations. The Seed Capital Investor will act as a statutory underwriter in connection
with the Seed Shares.
The Sponsor maintains a website
https://canaryetfs.com/ltcc/, 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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (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 is
to seek to provide exposure to the price of LTC held by the Trust, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations and other liabilities.
Principal Investment Strategies
In seeking to achieve its investment
objective, the Trust holds LTC and establishes its net asset value (“NAV”) on each business day by reference to the CoinDesk
Litecoin CCIXber 60m New York Rate (the “Pricing Benchmark”). The Pricing Benchmark is calculated by CoinDesk Indices (the
“Benchmark Provider”) based on a 60-minute time-weighted average price of the LTC-USD CCIXber Reference Rate (the “Underlying
Index”), which is an aggregation of executed trade flow of major LTC trading platforms (“Constituent Platforms”). The
Benchmark Provider publishes the Pricing Benchmark.
LTC, the Litecoin Blockchain and the Litecoin Network
Litecoin, or LTC, is a digital
asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the peer-to-peer Litecoin Network, a decentralized network of computers
that operates on cryptographic protocols. No single entity owns or operates the Litecoin Network, the infrastructure of which is collectively
maintained by a decentralized user base. The Litecoin Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called LTC, which are recorded
on a public transaction ledger known as a blockchain. LTC can be used to pay for goods and services on the Litecoin 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.
1
Litecoin is an alternative
software implementation of Bitcoin that was created in late 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former Google employee, who set out to create a proof-of-work
currency that could be an alternative to Bitcoin. Ultimately, this resulted in a clone of Bitcoin. Although Litecoin is thus very similar
to Bitcoin, there are several key differences between the Litecoin Network and the Bitcoin Network. These differences include a block
generation time of approximately two and a half minutes for LTC as compared to ten minutes for Bitcoin, and a cap on the number of coins
that will be created of 84 million LTC, as compared to 21 million for Bitcoin. As a result of these differences, transactions using LTC
occur four times faster than transactions using Bitcoin and at a lower cost. Litecoin also implemented scrypt, a distinct hashing algorithm
different from Bitcoin’s SHA-256 hashing algorithm, which does not require ASICs and therefore results in less centralized mining
hash power.
The Litecoin Network is decentralized
and does not require governmental authorities or financial institution intermediaries to create, transmit or determine the value of LTC.
Rather, LTC is created and allocated by the Litecoin Network protocol through a “mining” process. The value of LTC is determined
by the supply of and demand for LTC on the digital asset trading platforms or in private end-user-to-end-user transactions.
Similar to the Bitcoin Network,
the Litecoin Network operates on a proof-of-work model. New LTC is created and rewarded to the miners of a block in the Litecoin Blockchain
for verifying transactions. The Litecoin Blockchain is effectively a decentralized database that includes all blocks that have been mined
by miners and it is updated to include new blocks as they are solved. Each LTC transaction is broadcast to the Litecoin Network and, when
included in a block, recorded in the Litecoin Blockchain. As each new block records outstanding LTC transactions, and outstanding transactions
are settled and validated through such recording, the Litecoin Blockchain represents a complete, transparent and unbroken history of all
transactions of the Litecoin Network. The current miner reward of 6.25 LTC per block was reduced by 50%, from 12.5 LTC per block, in August
2023, and will be further reduced by another 50% every 840,000 blocks, or approximately four years, thereafter. A block of transactions
is confirmed on the Litecoin Network approximately every 2.5 minutes.
Similar to Bitcoin, LTC
can be used to pay for goods and services or 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. Additionally, LTC is used to pay transaction
fees to miners for verifying transactions on the Litecoin Network.
Overview of the Litecoin Network’s Operations
In order to own, transfer or
use LTC directly on the Litecoin Network (as opposed to through an intermediary, such as a custodian), a person generally must have internet
access to connect to the Litecoin Network. LTC transactions may be made directly between end-users without the need for a third-party
intermediary. To prevent the possibility of double-spending LTC, a user must notify the Litecoin Network of the transaction by broadcasting
the transaction data to its network peers. The Litecoin Network provides confirmation against double-spending by memorializing every transaction
in the Litecoin Blockchain, which is publicly accessible and transparent. This memorialization and verification against double-spending
is accomplished through the Litecoin Network mining process, which adds “blocks” of data, including recent transaction information,
to the Litecoin Blockchain.
Overview of Litecoin
Prior to engaging in LTC transactions
directly on the Litecoin Network, a user generally must first install on a computer or mobile device a Litecoin Network software program
that will allow the user to generate a private and public key pair associated with an LTC address commonly referred to as a “wallet.”
The Litecoin Network software program and the LTC address also enable the user to connect to the Litecoin Network and transfer LTC to,
and receive LTC from, other users.
Each Litecoin Network address,
or wallet, is associated with a unique “public key” and “private key” pair. To receive LTC, the LTC 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 LTC. 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 the private key, the user may permanently lose access to the LTC contained in the associated address.
Likewise, LTC is irretrievably lost if the private key associated with them is deleted and no backup has been made. When sending LTC,
a user’s Litecoin Network software program must validate the transaction with the associated private key. In addition, since every
computation on the Litecoin Network requires processing power, there is a transaction fee involved with the transfer that is paid by the
payor. The resulting digitally validated transaction is sent by the user’s Litecoin Network software program to the Litecoin Network
miners to allow transaction confirmation.
As discussed in greater detail
below in “—Creation of New LTC,” Litecoin Network miners record and confirm transactions when they mine and add blocks
of information to the Litecoin Blockchain. When a miner mines a block, it creates that block, which includes data relating to (i) newly
submitted and accepted transactions; (ii) a reference to the prior block in the Litecoin Blockchain; and (iii) the satisfaction of the
consensus mechanism to mine the block. The miner becomes aware of outstanding, unrecorded transactions through the data packet transmission
and distribution discussed above.
2
Upon the addition of a block
included in the Litecoin Blockchain, the Litecoin Network software program of both the spending party and the receiving party will show
confirmation of the transaction on the Litecoin Blockchain and reflect an adjustment to the LTC balance in each party’s Litecoin
Network public key, completing the LTC transaction. Once a transaction is confirmed on the Litecoin Blockchain, it is irreversible.
Some LTC transactions are conducted
“off-blockchain” and are therefore not recorded in the Litecoin Blockchain. Some “off-blockchain” transactions
involve the transfer of control over, or ownership of, a specific digital wallet holding LTC or the reallocation of ownership of certain
LTC 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 Litecoin Blockchain, information and data regarding off-blockchain transactions are generally
not publicly available. Therefore, off-blockchain transactions are not truly LTC transactions in that they do not involve the transfer
of transaction data on the Litecoin Network and do not reflect a movement of LTC between addresses recorded in the Litecoin Blockchain.
For these reasons, off-blockchain transactions are subject to risks as any such transfer of LTC ownership is not protected by the protocol
behind the Litecoin Network or recorded in, and validated through, the blockchain mechanism.
Creation of New LTC
Initial Creation of LTC
The initial creation of LTC
was in connection with a clone of the Bitcoin blockchain in 2011. All additional LTC have been created through the mining process.
Mining Process
The Litecoin Network is
kept running by computers all over the world. In order to incentivize those who incur the computational costs of securing the network
by validating transactions, there is a reward that is given to the computer that was able to create the latest block on the chain. Every
two and a half minutes, on average, a new block is added to the Litecoin Blockchain with the latest transactions processed by the network,
and the computer that generated this block is currently awarded 6.25 LTC, which was reduced by 50%, from 12.5 LTC, in August 2023. Due
to the nature of the algorithm for block generation, this process (generating a “proof-of-work”) is guaranteed to be random.
Over time, rewards are expected to be proportionate to the computational power of each machine.
The
process by which LTC is “mined” results in new blocks being added to the Litecoin Blockchain and new LTC tokens being issued
to the miners. Computers on the Litecoin Network engage in a set of prescribed complex mathematical calculations in order to add a block
to the Litecoin Blockchain and thereby confirm LTC transactions included in that block’s data.
To begin mining, a user can
download and run Litecoin Network mining software, which turns the user’s computer into a “node” on the Litecoin Network
that validates blocks. Each block contains the details of some or all of the most recent transactions that are not memorialized in prior
blocks, as well as a record of the award of LTC to the miner who added the new block. Each unique block can be solved and added to the
Litecoin Blockchain by only one miner. Therefore, all individual miners and mining pools on the Litecoin Network are engaged in a competitive
process of constantly increasing their computing power to improve their likelihood of solving for new blocks. As more miners join the
Litecoin Network and its processing power increases, the Litecoin Network adjusts the complexity of the block-solving equation to maintain
a predetermined pace of adding a new block to the Litecoin Blockchain approximately every two and a half minutes. A miner’s proposed
block is added to the Litecoin Blockchain once a majority of the nodes on the Litecoin Network confirms the miner’s work. Miners
that are successful in adding a block to the Litecoin Blockchain are automatically awarded LTC for their effort and may also receive transaction
fees paid by transferors whose transactions are recorded in the block. This reward system is the method by which new LTC enter into circulation
to the public.
The Litecoin Network is designed
in such a way that the reward for adding new blocks to the Litecoin Blockchain decreases over time. Once new LTC tokens are no longer
awarded for adding a new block, miners will only have transaction fees to incentivize them, and as a result, it is expected that miners
will need to be better compensated with higher transaction fees to ensure that there is adequate incentive for them to continue mining.
Limits on LTC Supply
The Litecoin Network is
structured to allow a maximum of 84 million LTC to be created, which are mined over time with the creation of each new block. The supply
of new LTC is mathematically controlled so that the number of LTC grows at a limited rate pursuant to a pre-set schedule. The number
of LTC awarded for solving a new block is automatically halved after every 840,000 blocks are added to the Litecoin Blockchain. Currently,
the fixed reward for solving a new block is 6.25 LTC per block, and this is expected to decrease by half to become 3.125 LTC after the
next 840,000 blocks since the last reward reduction have entered the Litecoin Network, which is expected to be approximately July 2027.
This deliberately controlled rate of LTC creation means that the number of LTC in existence will increase at a controlled rate until
the number of LTC in existence reaches 84 million LTC.
3
As of February 2026, approximately
76.9 million LTC were outstanding. It is estimated that the full 84 million LTC limitation will be reached in or near the year 2140.
Modifications to the LTC Protocol
The Litecoin Network is an
open-source project with no official developer or group of developers that controls it. However, the Litecoin Network’s development
has historically been overseen by a core group of developers. The core developers are able to access, and can alter, the Litecoin Network
source code and, as a result, they are responsible for quasi-official releases of updates and other changes to the Litecoin Network’s
source code.
The release of updates to the Litecoin Network’s source
code does not guarantee that the updates will be automatically adopted.
Users and miners must accept any changes made
to the Litecoin source code by downloading the proposed modification of the Litecoin Network’s source code. A modification of the
Litecoin Network’s source code is effective only with respect to the Litecoin Network users and miners that download it. If a modification
is accepted by only a percentage of users and miners, a division in the Litecoin 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 “Risks Associated with LTC, the Litecoin Blockchain and the Litecoin Network—A temporary or permanent “fork”
or a “clone” could adversely affect the value of the Shares.” Consequently, as a practical matter, a modification to
the source code becomes part of the Litecoin Network only if accepted by participants collectively having most of the processing power
on the Litecoin Network.
Core development of the Litecoin
Network source code has increasingly focused on modifications of the Litecoin Network protocol to increase speed and scalability and also
allow for non-financial, next generation uses. The Trust’s activities will not directly relate to such projects, though such projects
may utilize LTC as tokens for the facilitation of their non-financial uses, thereby potentially increasing demand for LTC and the utility
of the Litecoin Network as a whole. Conversely, projects that operate and are built within the Blockchain may increase the data flow on
the Litecoin Network and could either “bloat” the size of the Litecoin Blockchain or slow confirmation times. At this time,
such projects remain in early stages and have not been materially integrated into the Litecoin Blockchain or the Litecoin Network.
In May 2022, a Litecoin Network
upgrade incorporated MimbleWimble, an additional encryption feature. MimbleWimble serves two purposes: (i) concealing the transacted amount
of Litecoin and (ii) detecting fraudulent activity if the transaction amount is changed while being processed. In June 2025, the Litecoin
Network was upgraded with LitVM, which is a zero knowledge Layer-2 network that enables smart contracts, supports cross-chain swaps and
enhances privacy and scalability.
Forms of Attack Against the Litecoin Network
All networked systems are vulnerable
to various kinds of attacks. As with any computer network, the Litecoin Network contains certain flaws. For example, the Litecoin Network
is currently vulnerable to a “51% attack” where, if a mining pool were to gain control of more than 50% of the hash rate for
a digital asset, a malicious actor would be able to gain full control of the network and the ability to manipulate the Litecoin Blockchain.
As of the date of this Annual Report, the top three largest mining pools controlled over 50% of the hash rate of the Litecoin Network.
Any future attacks on the Litecoin Network could negatively impact the perception of the Litecoin Network, the value of Litecoin, and
the value of the Shares.
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 digital assets. Any similar attacks on the Litecoin Network that impact the ability to transfer LTC could have a material
adverse effect on the price of LTC and the value of the Shares.
Market Participants
Miners
Miners range from LTC enthusiasts
to professional mining operations that design and build dedicated machines and data centers, including mining pools, which are groups
of miners that act cohesively and combine their processing power to solve blocks (in the case of proof-of-work) or stake coins (in the
case of proof-of-stake). When a pool mines a new block, the pool operator receives the LTC and, after taking a nominal fee, splits the
resulting reward among the pool participants based on the processing power each of them contributed to mine such block. Mining pools
provide participants with access to smaller, but steadier and more frequent, LTC payouts. See “—Creation of New LTC”
above.
4
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 LTC transactions through the direct sending of LTC over the Litecoin Network. The retail sector
also includes transactions in which consumers pay for goods or services with LTC through direct transactions or third-party service providers
such as BitPay, Coinbase and GoCoin. While the use of Bitcoin to purchase goods and services from commercial or service businesses is
developing, the use of LTC has not been adopted as broadly.
Service Sector
This sector includes companies
that provide a variety of services including the buying, selling, payment processing and storing of LTC. For example, Coinbase, Crypto.com,
Kraken, and LMAX Digital are some of the largest digital asset trading platforms by volume traded. Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC
and BitGo Trust Company Inc., the Custodians for the Trust, are digital asset custodians that provide custodial accounts that store LTC
for users. As the Litecoin Network continues 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 the Litecoin Network.
Competition
Thousands of digital assets,
as tracked by CoinMarketCap.com as of February 2026, 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 LTC has enjoyed some success in its limited history, the aggregate
value of outstanding LTC is smaller than that of Bitcoin and Ethereum and may be eclipsed by the more rapid development of other digital
assets. Some industry groups are also creating private, permissioned blockchain versions of digital assets. For example, J.P. Morgan and
others are developing an open source platform called Quorum, which is described as a version of Ethereum designed for use by the financial
services industry. Similar events may occur with LTC.
Regulation of Litecoin 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, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the 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.
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’s Executive
Order, titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” aimed to reorient the federal government’s
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
Executive 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.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
LTC or any other digital asset as a “security” or how LTC or the Trust would be treated under any new or revised regulatory
framework.
In addition, the previous chair
of the SEC has stated that the SEC has authority under existing laws to regulate the digital asset sector, and 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 are subject to securities
regulations. The outcomes of these proceedings, as well as ongoing and future regulatory actions may alter, perhaps to a materially adverse
extent, the nature of an investment in the Shares or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate. Additionally, U.S. state and federal
as well as 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.
5
Custody of the Trust’s Assets
LTC Custody Generally
The Trust’s Custodians
keep custody of the Trust’s LTC. The Trust’s LTC is held in segregated accounts opened in the name of the Trust on the Custodians’
books and records.
Custody of LTC typically
involves the generation, storage and utilization of private keys. These private keys are used to effect transfer transactions
( i.e. , transfers of LTC from an address associated with the private key to another address). Cold storage is a safeguarding
method with multiple layers of protections and protocols, by which the private key(s) corresponding to the Trust’s LTC 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 hacking. 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. A limited number of employees at the Custodians are involved in private key management operations, and the Custodians
have represented that no single individual has access to full private keys. While the Custodians generally keep a substantial
portion of the Trust’s LTC in cold storage on an ongoing basis, from time to time, a portion of the Trust’s LTC is held
in a hot wallet outside of cold storage temporarily as part of trade facilitation in connection with creations and redemptions of
Baskets or to sell LTC to pay Trust expenses.
The Custodians may receive
deposits of LTC but may not send LTC without the use of the corresponding private keys. In order to send LTC 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, a Custodian can upload the fully signed transaction to an online network and
transfer the LTC. Because the Custodians 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.
The Sponsor allocates the Trust’s
LTC between segregated accounts at each Custodian. In determining the amount and percentage of the Trust’s LTC to allocate to each
Custodian, the Sponsor considers: (i) the concentration of the Trust’s LTC at each Custodian; (ii) the Sponsor’s assessment
of the safety and security policies and procedures of each Custodian; (iii) the insurance policies of each Custodian; (iv) the fees and
expenses associated with the storage of the Trust’s LTC at each Custodian; (v) the fees and expenses associated with the transfer
to or from the account at each Custodian; and (vi) any other factor the Sponsor deems relevant in making the allocation determination.
The Sponsor does not intend to disclose the amount or percentage of the Trust’s LTC held at either Custodian, and the Sponsor may
change the allocation between the Custodians at any time and without notice to Shareholders. The fees and expenses associated with the
transfer of LTC between the accounts at each Custodian will be borne by the Sponsor, not the Trust or the Shareholders. Any transfer of
LTC between the accounts at each Custodian will occur “on-chain” over the Litecoin Network. On-chain transactions are subject
to all of the risks of the Litecoin Network, including the risk that transactions will be made erroneously and are generally irreversible.
The Trust may engage third-party
custodians or vendors besides the Custodians and Cash Custodian to provide custody and security services for all or a portion of its LTC
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 Custodians and the Trust’s other service providers. The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion,
add or terminate Custodians at any time. The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, change the custodians for the Trust’s LTC holdings,
but has 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 LTC 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. The Trust may hold cash
and cash equivalents on a temporary basis to pay expenses or facilitate creation and redemption transactions. 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.
Custody with the Coinbase Custodian
LTC custodied by the Coinbase
Custodian maintained in cold storage is not commingled with assets of Coinbase Custodian or its respective affiliates or with assets of
other customers of the Coinbase Custodian. The Coinbase Custodian has also agreed in the Coinbase Custodial Services Agreement that it
will not, directly or indirectly, lend, pledge, hypothecate or rehypothecate any of the Trust’s LTC, and that the Trust’s
LTC assets are not treated as general assets of the Coinbase Custodian but are instead considered custodial assets that remain the Trust’s
property. Additionally, the Coinbase Custodian has agreed to provide the Trust or its authorized independent public accountant with confirmation
of or access to information sufficient to confirm the LTC held by the Coinbase Custodian for the Trust and that the Trust’s LTC
is held in a separate, segregated account under the Trust’s name.
The Coinbase Custodian’s internal audit team performs
periodic internal audits over custody operations, and the Coinbase Custodian has represented that
Systems and Organizational Control (“SOC”) attestations covering private key management controls are also performed on the
Coinbase Custodian by an external provider.
6
The Coinbase Custodian’s
parent, Coinbase Global, Inc. (“Coinbase Global”) maintains a commercial crime insurance policy in an amount up to $320 million,
which is intended to cover the loss of client assets held by Coinbase Global and all of its subsidiaries, including the Coinbase Custodian
(collectively, Coinbase Global and its subsidiaries are referred to as the “Coinbase Insureds”), 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 Coinbase Insureds is shared among all of Coinbase Global’s customers, is not specific to the Trust or to customers holding
LTC with the Coinbase Custodian and may not be available or sufficient to protect the Trust from all possible losses or sources of losses.
In the event of a fork
of the LTC blockchain, the Coinbase Custodian may, in its sole discretion, determine whether or not to support (or cease supporting) either
branch of the LTC blockchain entirely, provided that they shall use commercially reasonable efforts to avoid ceasing to support both branches
of such forked protocol and will support, at a minimum, the original digital asset. Provided that the Coinbase Custodian shall make commercially
reasonable efforts to assist the Trust and take the necessary steps to enable the Trust to retrieve and/or obtain any assets related to
a fork, airdrop or similar event, the Coinbase Custodian shall not have any liability, obligation or responsibility whatsoever arising
out of or relating to the operation of an unsupported branch of the LTC blockchain in the event of a fork. The Coinbase Custodian does
not have any responsibility to support airdrops. The Trust Agreement provides, and the Sponsor has communicated to the Custodians, that
the Trust disclaims all rights to Incidental Rights (“IR”) and IR Virtual Currencies.
Under the Coinbase Custodial
Services Agreement, the Coinbase Custodian’s liability is subject to the following limitations, among others: (i) other than with
respect to claims and losses arising from fraud or willful misconduct, among others, the Coinbase Custodian’s aggregate liability
under the Coinbase Custodial Services Agreement shall not exceed the greater of (A) the aggregate fees paid by the Trust to the Coinbase
Custodian in the 12 months prior to the event giving rise to the Coinbase Custodian’s liability, and
(B) the value of the affected LTC giving rise to
the Coinbase Custodian’s liability; (ii) the Coinbase Custodian’s aggregate liability in respect of each cold storage address
shall not exceed $100 million; and (iii) in respect of any incidental, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or similar losses, the
Coinbase Custodian is not liable, even if the Coinbase Custodian has been advised of or knew or should have known of the possibility thereof.
The Coinbase 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 Coinbase Custodian.
Custody with BitGo
BitGo
is also authorized to safeguard the Trust’s LTC holdings allocated to it by the Sponsor. BitGo maintains one or more custody accounts
on its books, pursuant to the terms of the BitGo Custodial Services Agreement, for the receipt, safekeeping, and maintenance of LTC.
As a regulated custodian,
BitGo is subject to a detailed statutory and regulatory framework, including holding customer assets in segregated client accounts on
behalf of customers. 100% of Trust assets and private keys safekept by BitGo will be held in cold storage in segregated accounts and are
never commingled with BitGo or other client assets. BitGo applies industry standards, such as CryptoCurrency Security Standard (CCSS)
and SOC1 and SOC2, while also working with the most trusted brands in the industry and offering clients comprehensive insurance solutions.
The BitGo ecosystem and
architecture for private key management include the BitGo Platform, hardware security modules (“HSMs”) and modular
services. The BitGo cold custody solution is built on BitGo’s security to manage keys on behalf of customers. BitGo only signs
transactions that have been authorized by the Sponsor and follow the policies set by the account administrators.
The primary keys and backup
keys are created offline using an Offline Vault Console (“OVC”) on air gapped laptops during a secure ceremony to create hardened
cryptographic seeds that power the BitGo Platform. This is to ensure only machines which have no access to the internet are able to securely
see private key material.
Undisclosed personnel
at BitGo hold so-called sharded keys. When they are reconstituted, they are able to sign a transaction which moves funds in the public
blockchain. To mitigate collusion, the individuals who have the sharded keys are different from those who have access to the vaults where
the signings happen.
The private key is reconstituted
in the OVC, but only in internal memory. At no point is it displayed or shown to any user. After signing is done, the key is no longer
available in memory. The OVC is run in a read-only disk, so once the laptop is powered off, there is no non-volatile storage of any kind
to write back to disk. The OVC operates using a RAM disk, where it simulates a real hard disk, but it is completely ephemeral and is wiped
as soon as the machine is power cycled or rebooted, thus wiping the reconstituted private key and preventing it from being copied or compromised.
7
BitGo is a South Dakota
trust company and the private keys are strategically distributed across various geographic locations within the United States. In order
to enhance security measures, BitGo refrains from disclosing the exact locations of these keys.
At time of wallet creation, BitGo creates a unique key
pair within its HSM in order to give each client a unique wallet on- chain.
These online keys are wrapped by the BitGo HSM and
stored within BitGo’s data vault for the BitGo Platform keys used to sign transactions.
As all custody wallets
are segregated, the existence of LTC held by the Trust can be verified on-chain by the Sponsor or any other authorized party.
BitGo cold wallets are supported
by a $250 million insurance policy issued by Lloyd’s of London. The specifics of the policy include Cyber Insurance, E&O and
General specie. Any copying and theft of private keys, insider theft or dishonest acts by BitGo employees or executives, and loss of keys
directly related to BitGo’s custody of keys would be covered by this amount at a minimum. This insurance policy is shared among
all of BitGo’s clients and is not specific to the Trust or to customers holding LTC and may not be available or sufficient to protect
the Trust from all possible losses or sources of losses. The Sponsor may purchase additional insurance coverage through BitGo’s
underwriter, though the Sponsor has not purchased such additional insurance coverage as of the date of this Annual Report. BitGo is not
FDIC-insured. BitGo has established a business continuity plan that will support its ability to conduct business in the event of a significant
business disruption. This plan is reviewed and updated annually, and can be updated more frequently, if deemed necessary, by BitGo in
its sole discretion. Should BitGo be impacted by a significant business disruption, BitGo aims to minimize business interruption as quickly
and efficiently as possible.
BitGo’s fork policy is
that, in the event of an upcoming modification to the LTC Network that could result in a digital asset network fork or airdrop, BitGo
will use best commercial efforts to provide the value of the forked digital asset. BitGo may not support airdrops, side chains, or other
derivative, enhanced, or forked protocols, tokens, or coins which supplement or interact with an asset supported by BitGo and assumes
absolutely no responsibility in respect to new protocols. The Trust Agreement provides, and the Sponsor has communicated to the Custodians,
that the Trust disclaims all rights to Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currencies.
The BitGo Custodial Services
Agreement commenced on the effective date, as detailed in the agreement, and will continue for one (1) year, unless earlier terminated
in accordance with the terms of the BitGo Custodial Services Agreement. After the initial term, the BitGo Custodial Services Agreement
will automatically renew for successive renewal terms, as established in the agreement, unless either party notifies the other of its
intention not to renew with prior notice. BitGo may terminate the BitGo Custodial Services Agreement immediately if BitGo perceives a
risk of legal or regulatory non-compliance associated with the Trust’s custodial account activity, among other reasons. The Sponsor
may terminate the BitGo Custodial Services Agreement at any time upon providing at least thirty (30) days’ written notice to BitGo,
paying outstanding amounts and an early termination fee.
Forks and Airdrops
In the event of a fork, the
Custodial Services Agreements provide that the Custodians 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 Custodians will determine in their sole
discretion whether to support and make available to clients assets resulting from forks or airdrops. In the event that the Trust may have
a right to claim assets resulting from a fork or airdrop, the Custodians will seek approval from the Trust before claiming such assets
on behalf of the Trust and making an entry of ownership on the Custodians’ books and records for the Trust’s account with
the Custodians. The Sponsor will disclaim such assets except as described herein. The Sponsor has not communicated any anticipatory disclaimer
to the Custodians regarding forked or airdropped 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 financial firms that are authorized to purchase or redeem Shares
with the Trust (known as “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.
The Pricing Benchmark
The net assets of the
Trust and its Shares are valued on a daily basis with reference to the Pricing Benchmark as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”),
which integrates spot market prices from various digital asset trading platforms. The Pricing Benchmark is designed to reflect the performance
of LTC in U.S. dollars. The Trust uses the Pricing Benchmark to calculate its NAV, which is the aggregate U.S. dollar value of LTC in
the Trust, based on the Pricing Benchmark, less its liabilities and expenses. “NAV per Share” is calculated by dividing NAV
by the number of Shares currently outstanding. NAV and NAV per Share are not measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. NAV is not intended to be
a substitute for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV calculated in accordance with GAAP, and NAV per Share is not intended to be a
substitute for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV per Share calculated in accordance with GAAP.
8
The Sponsor, in its sole discretion,
may cause the Trust to price its portfolio based upon an index, benchmark or standard other than the Pricing Benchmark at any time, with
prior notice to the Shareholders, if investment conditions change or the Sponsor believes that another index, benchmark or standard better
aligns with the Trust’s investment objectives and strategy. The Sponsor may make this decision for a number of reasons, including,
but not limited to, a determination that the Pricing Benchmark price of LTC differs materially from the global market price of LTC and/or
that third parties are able to purchase and sell LTC on public or private markets not included among the Constituent Platforms, and such
transactions may take place at prices materially higher or lower than the Pricing Benchmark price. The Sponsor, however, is under no obligation
whatsoever to make such changes in any circumstance. In the event that the Sponsor intends to establish the Trust’s NAV by reference
to an index, benchmark or standard other than the Pricing Benchmark, it will provide Shareholders with notice in a prospectus supplement
and/or through a current report on Form 8-K or in the Trust’s annual or quarterly reports.
Pricing Benchmark Methodology
The Pricing Benchmark is a U.S. dollar-denominated
composite reference rate for the price of LTC. The Pricing Benchmark is designed to (1) mitigate the effects of fraud, manipulation and
other anomalous trading activity from impacting the LTC reference rate,
(2) provide a volume-weighted fair value of LTC, and (3)
appropriately handle and adjust for non-market related events.
The Benchmark Price is determined
by the Benchmark Provider through a process in which trade data is cleansed and compiled in such a manner as to algorithmically reduce
the impact of anomalistic or manipulative trading. This is accomplished by adjusting the weight of each data input based on price deviation
relative to the observable set, as well as recent and long-term trading volume at each venue relative to the observable set. The Benchmark
Price is calculated using non-GAAP methodology and is not used in the Trust’s financial statements.
Determination of the Benchmark Price
The Benchmark Price is determined
by producing a time-weighted average price (“TWAP”) of the LTC-USD CCIXber (the “Underlying Index”) by using the
closing minute values between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm ET. The Reference Index applies an algorithm to the price of LTC on the Constituent
Platforms calculated on a per second basis over a 24-hour period.
The Underlying Index
The Underlying
Index is designed to represent the fair market price of LTC in U.S. dollars by aggregating real trading data from multiple cryptocurrency
exchanges. The calculation is based on a 24-hour volume-weighted average price, with additional adjustments to ensure accuracy, reliability,
and resistance to manipulation.
To determine the rate,
the Underlying Index collects every individual LTC-USD and LTC-USDC trade from the Constituent Platforms. Each trade record includes the
price at which LTC was traded for USD, the amount (volume) of LTC traded, the exact time the trade occurred, and the Constituent Platform
where the trade took place.
The system gathers trade data
in real time, updating the Underlying Index every time a new LTC-USD and LTC-USDC trade is reported by any of the Constituent Platforms.
For each exchange, the system looks at all LTC-USD and LTC-USDC trades that occurred in the past 24 hours. Each trade’s price is
multiplied by the amount of LTC traded, giving more influence to larger trades. The sum of all these “price x volume” values
is divided by the total volume traded in the 24-hour period, producing a volume-weighted average price for each Constituent Platform.
Once the volume-weighted
average prices are calculated for all Constituent Platforms, the Underlying Index combines them, with each Constituent Platform’s
contribution to the final rate weighted according to its trading volume. This means that Constituent Platforms with more trading activity
have a greater influence on the final rate. If a Constituent Platform has not reported a recent trade, its influence on the Underlying
Index is reduced over time, ensuring the Underlying Index reflects the most current market conditions. The methodology also includes an
outlier detection step; if a Constituent Platform’s price is significantly different from the others, its influence is reduced or
removed to prevent distortion of the index.
Selection of Constituent Platforms
To determine which Constituent
Platforms are included in the Underlying Index, a structured and multi-step methodology is followed to ensure that only the most reliable
and representative trading venues are selected. The process begins by establishing a broad universe of potential platforms, which includes
all cryptocurrency exchanges that meet the baseline eligibility criteria set out in the CoinDesk Digital Asset Policy Methodology. These
criteria require that an exchange must be classified as either Category 1 or Category 2, with Category 1
generally referring to U.S.-licensed exchanges and Category 2 to non-U.S. licensed exchanges that still meet certain standards. There
must be at least two Category 1 exchanges included, ensuring a foundation of regulated and reputable platforms.
9
From this initial universe,
further quantitative filters are applied. Each exchange’s trading volume for the relevant currency pair over the prior three months
is measured as a percentage of the total trading volume across all eligible exchanges. For exchanges already contributing to the Underlying
Index, a minimum of 2% of total volume is required, while new or non-contributing exchanges must meet a 3% threshold. Additionally, only
exchanges that support direct USD-denominated trading for the asset in question are considered. Any exchange that has been specifically
excluded under the policy methodology is automatically ineligible.
Once the eligible universe is
established, exchanges are ranked by their three-month trading volume. The two highest-ranked Category 1 exchanges are selected first.
If there are not enough Category 1 exchanges meeting the volume requirement, the threshold is relaxed until two are included. The remaining
Constituent Platforms are then chosen based on overall trading volume, up to a maximum of eight platforms in total. If, after this process,
there are fewer than three eligible exchanges, the volume requirements are further relaxed to ensure a minimum of three Constituent Platforms
are included. In rare cases where even these relaxed standards cannot be met, the Index Committee will determine the appropriate course
of action, which may include further adjustments or, if necessary, the removal of the index.
This methodology ensures that
the Underlying Index is constructed from a universe of exchanges that are not only active and liquid, but also meet high standards for
regulatory compliance and operational integrity. The process is reviewed and updated quarterly, with ongoing monitoring to address any
anomalies or disruptions, thereby maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the index over time.
As of March 26, 2026, the
digital asset trading platforms included in the Underlying Index were Coinbase, Crypto.com, Kraken and LMAX Digital. As further
described below, the Sponsor and the Trust reasonably believe each of these digital asset trading platforms are in material
compliance with applicable licensing requirements based on the trading platform category and jurisdiction, as detailed below, and
maintain practices and policies designed to comply with Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) and Know-Your-Customer
(“KYC”) regulations.
Coinbase: A U.S.-based
trading platform registered as a Money Services Business (“MSB”) with FinCEN and licensed as a virtual currency business under
the New York Department of Financial Services BitLicense (“BitLicense”), as well as a money transmitter in various U.S. states.
Crypto.com: A Singapore-based
trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with FinCEN, and that is licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S. states
and chartered as a non-depository trust company by the New Hampshire Banking Department. Crypto.com does not hold a BitLicense.
Kraken: A U.S.-based
trading platform registered as an MSB with FinCEN and licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S. states. Kraken does not hold a BitLicense.
LMAX Digital : A
U.K.-based trading platform registered as a broker with FCA. LMAX Digital does not hold a BitLicense. The domicile, regulation and legal
compliance of the digital asset trading platforms included in the Underlying Index varies.
Information regarding each digital asset trading platform
may be found, where available, on the websites for such digital asset trading
platforms, among other places.
Although the Pricing Benchmark
and the Underlying Index are designed to accurately capture the market price of LTC, third parties may be able to purchase and sell LTC
on public or private markets not included among the Constituent Platforms, and such transactions may take place at prices materially higher
or lower than the Benchmark Price. Moreover, there may be variances in the prices of LTC on the various digital asset trading platforms,
including as a result of differences in fee structures or administrative procedures on different digital asset trading platforms. To the
extent such prices differ materially from the Benchmark Price, investors may lose confidence in the Shares’ ability to track the
market price of LTC.
Calculation of NAV
Under normal circumstances,
the Trust’s only asset will be LTC and, under limited circumstances, cash. The Trust’s LTC is carried, for financial statement
purposes, at fair value, as required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Trust’s NAV is determined
by the Administrator once each Exchange trading day at 4:00 p.m. ET, or as soon thereafter as practicable. The NAV for a normal trading
day is 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. ET). The pause between 4:00 p.m.
and 5:30 p.m. ET (or later) provides an opportunity for the Sponsor to algorithmically detect, flag, investigate, and correct unusual
pricing should it occur.
10
The Administrator calculates
the NAV of the Trust by multiplying the number of LTC held by the Trust by the Pricing Benchmark Price for such day, adding any additional
receivables and subtracting the accrued but unpaid expenses and liabilities of the Trust. The Trust’s NAV per Share is calculated
by dividing the Trust’s NAV by the number of Shares then outstanding. The Administrator determines the price of the Trust’s
LTC by reference to the Pricing Benchmark, which is published between 4:00p.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET on every calendar day. The methodology
used to calculate the Pricing Benchmark Price to value LTC in determining the NAV of the Trust may not be deemed consistent with GAAP.
To the extent the methodology used to calculate the Pricing Benchmark is deemed inconsistent with GAAP, the Trust will utilize an alternative
GAAP-consistent pricing source for purposes of the Trust’s periodic financial statements.
The Sponsor has the exclusive
authority to determine the NAV of the Trust. The Sponsor has delegated to the Administrator the responsibility to calculate the NAV of
the Trust and the NAV, based on a pricing source selected by the Sponsor ( i.e. , the Pricing Benchmark). The Administrator determines
the NAV of the Trust each business day. In determining the NAV of the Trust, the Administrator values the LTC held by the Trust based
on the Pricing Benchmark, unless otherwise determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. If the Pricing Benchmark is not available
or the Sponsor in its sole discretion determines that the Pricing Benchmark should not be used, the Trust’s holdings may be fair
valued in accordance with the policy approved by the Sponsor. The Sponsor does not anticipate that the need to “fair value”
LTC will be a common occurrence.
The Indicative Trust Value
(the “ITV”) is 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 Pricing Benchmark. 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
is 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.
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 determined by reference to the Pricing Benchmark to the extent the methodology used to
calculate the Pricing Benchmark 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 LTC 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 LTC, 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 ASC Topic 820 because it is expected to be a quoted price in active
markets for identical assets or liabilities.
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 LTC 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 LTC 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 LTC Trading Counterparties, 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 LTC Trading Counterparties from whom the Sponsor acquires or
disposes of the Trust’s LTC, the principal market in each scenario is determined by looking at the market-based level of volume
and LTC trading activity. LTC Trading Counterparties 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.
11
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 LTC trading venues (Exchange Markets, as defined in the
FASB ASC Master Glossary), which are selected by the Sponsor and its affiliates in their sole discretion. Those markets include Binance,
Bitfinex, Bitflyer, Bitstamp, Coinbase Pro, Crypto.com, Gemini, HitBTC, Huobi, Kraken, KuCoin, OKEx, Poloniex. The Sponsor then calculates
on each valuation period, the highest volume venue during the 60-minute period prior to 4:00 p.m. ET for LTC, and confirms such values
with a service provider. The Sponsor then identifies that market as the principal market for LTC during that period, and uses the price
for LTC from that venue at 4:00 p.m. ET as the principal market price.
Expenses
Expenses to Be Paid by the Sponsor
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 Marketing Agent, the Administrator, the Custodians, the Cash Custodian, the Transfer Agent,
the Benchmark Provider, 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.
Extraordinary and Other Expenses
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 LTC, 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 Custodians 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 LTC 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 LTC 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. The Trust
will not bear any costs associated with the transfer or sale of LTC 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 LTC to pay such expenses. The Trust will seek to transfer LTC 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 LTC, the amount of LTC transferred or sold may vary from time
to time depending on the actual sales price of LTC relative to the Trust’s expenses and liabilities ( e.g. , if the price of
LTC falls, the amount of LTC 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 LTC, the Trust may do so through a third-party digital asset broker or dealer. When the Trust buys or sells
LTC, the Sponsor seeks quotes from its LTC 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 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 LTC incurred in connection with the fulfillment of a creation or redemption order.
12
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 LTC or cash represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed (the “Basket Deposit”). The
amount of LTC required in a Basket Deposit (the “Basket LTC Deposit”) and the amount of cash required in a Basket Deposit
(the “Basket Cash Deposit”) are based on the quantity or value of the quantity, as applicable, of LTC or 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. ET 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 Marketing Agent.
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 LTC 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 LTC market, it could affect the price of LTC
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 LTC or securities markets in connection with the creation and redemption activities of the Trust will not significantly
affect the price of LTC or the Shares, the impact of the activities of the Trust and its Authorized Participants and their agents and
affiliates on LTC 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 is filed as an exhibit to the Trust’s registration statement.
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 Transfer 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 may be denominated and settled in an amount
of LTC (“In-Kind Creation Order”) or cash (“Cash Creation Order”). By placing an In-Kind Creation Order, an Authorized
Participant agrees to facilitate the deposit of LTC with the Custodians, either directly or indirectly through an Authorized Participant
designee. By placing a Cash Creation Order, an Authorized Participant agrees to facilitate the deposit of cash with the Cash Custodian.
An Authorized Participant may not withdraw a creation order without the prior consent of the Sponsor in its discretion.
Following an In-Kind Creation
Order from an Authorized Participant, the Trust’s account at the Custodians must be credited with the required LTC by 11:00 a.m.
ET on the following business day or such other time designated by the Sponsor. The Authorized Participant or its Authorized Participant
designee will normally send the required LTC in an “on-chain” transaction over the Litecoin Network. Such on-chain transactions
are subject to the risks associated with Litecoin Network transactions, including the irreversibility of transactions made in error or
unavoidable delays due to Litecoin Network congestion. Upon receipt of the Basket LTC Deposit amount in the Trust’s account at the
Custodians, the Administrator will notify the Transfer Agent. 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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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 11:00 a.m.
ET on the following business day or such other time designated by the Sponsor. Upon receipt of the Basket Cash Deposit amount in the Trust’s
account at the Cash Custodian, the Transfer Agent will notify the Marketing Agent, the Authorized Participant, and the Sponsor that the
Basket Cash Amount has been deposited. The Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, will instruct an LTC trading counterparty to purchase the
amount of LTC equivalent in value to the cash deposit amount associated with the creation order, with such purchase transaction prearranged
to be executed, in the Sponsor’s reasonable efforts, at the Pricing Benchmark price used by the Trust to calculate NAV, taking into
account any spread, commissions, or other trading costs on the applicable Purchase Order Date. The resulting LTC will be deposited in
the Trust’s account with the Custodians. Any slippage incurred (including, but not limited to, any trading fees, spreads, or commissions),
on a cash equivalent basis, will be the responsibility of the Authorized Participant and not of the Trust or Sponsor. To the extent the
execution price of the LTC acquired by the trading counterparty exceeds the cash deposit amount, such cash difference will be the responsibility
of the Authorized Participant and not the Trust or Sponsor. The Transfer Agent will then direct DTC to credit the number of Shares created
to the Authorized Participant’s DTC account. To the extent the execution price of the LTC acquired by the trading counterparty is
less than the cash deposit amount, such excess cash will be returned to the Authorized Participant.
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 value of the Trust’s LTC and cash less accrued expenses. The computation is made
by the Administrator as promptly as practicable after 4:00 p.m. ET 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 LTC Deposit for a
given day is determined by dividing the number of LTC held by the Trust as of the opening of business on that business day, adjusted for
the amount of LTC constituting accrued expenses and other liabilities of the Trust as of the opening of business on that business day,
by the number of Shares outstanding at the opening of business and multiplying such amount by the number of Shares constituting a Basket.
Fractions of LTC smaller than .000001 are disregarded for purposes of the computation of the Basket LTC Deposit.
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 price of LTC, 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 LTC 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. The Sponsor expects that its LTC trading counterparties
will be able to provide pricing based on the Pricing Benchmark price at 4:00
p.m. ET, which would minimize or eliminate any such
shortfall. However, there can be no guarantee that the price at which the Trust executes LTC trades will be the Pricing Benchmark price
at 4:00 p.m. ET, and Authorized Participants bear the risk of any such differences 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 Annual Report.
Upon receipt of the deposit amount by the Custodians or Cash Custodian, as applicable, 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 Pricing Benchmark price at
4:00 p.m. ET as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. For example, the Sponsor may modify the cut-off
time in the event of an early market close, perceived capacity constraints from the Trust’s LTC trading counterparties, or highly
volatile markets. Cut-off times are communicated periodically to Authorized Participants. In circumstances where purchase orders are due
before 4:00 p.m. ET, 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.
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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 for any reason, including if
the Sponsor determines that:
a. the purchase order is not in proper form;
b.
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 an in-kind deposit that varies from the designated portfolio;
c. the acceptance of the Basket Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Trust;
d. the acceptance of the Basket Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful;
e.
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;
f.
the value of Baskets to be created exceeds a purchase authorization limit afforded to the Authorized
Participant by the Trust, and the Authorized Participant has not deposited an amount in excess of such purchase authorization with the
Custodians prior to the designated cut-off time; or
g.
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 Marketing Agent 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 an LTC transaction, when it believes the price of LTC is being inconsistently,
irregularly, or discontinuously published from LTC 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 with an additional safeguard
on LTC being removed from the LTC Account at the Custodians. 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 either in-kind
(“In-Kind Redemption Order”) or in cash (“Cash Redemption Order”). By placing a 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 an In-Kind Redemption
Order, the redemption distribution from the Trust consists of a movement of LTC to the Authorized Participant, or its Authorized Participant
designee, representing the amount of LTC held by the Trust, net of accrued expenses and other liabilities, evidenced by the Shares being
redeemed on the Redemption Order Date. 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. With respect to either an In-Kind Redemption
Order or Cash Redemption Order, the redemption distribution due from the Trust will be delivered once the Transfer Agent notifies the
Custodians or Cash Custodian, the Marketing Agent 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.
15
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.
Determination of Redemption Distribution
The redemption distribution
from the Trust will consist of a transfer to the redeeming Authorized Participant or its Authorized Participant designee of an amount
of either LTC (in the case of an In-Kind Redemption Order) or cash (in the case of a Cash Redemption Order) that is determined in the
same manner as the determination of Basket Deposits discussed above.
Delivery of Redemption Distribution
The Transfer Agent will notify
the Custodians, the Cash Custodian, the Marketing Agent and the Sponsor that the Shares have been received in the Transfer Agent’s
DTC account. For an In-Kind Redemption Order, the Sponsor will transfer the redemption LTC amount from the Custodians to the designated
wallet address of the Authorized Participant or its Authorized Participant designee. 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. ET, 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 Marketing Agent 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 Marketing Agent, 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 Marketing
Agent, the person authorized to take redemption orders in the manner provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement, nor the Custodians
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 the 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 creation order
or redemption order, an Authorized Participant is responsible for the Transaction Fee, which consists 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 LTC or 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 LTC. 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 LTC.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The Sponsor takes the position that the Trust is properly treated
as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Assuming that the Trust is a grantor trust, the
Trust will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Rather, if the Trust is a grantor trust, each beneficial owner of Shares is
treated as directly owning its pro rata share of the Trust’s assets and a pro rata portion of the Trust’s income, gain,
losses and deductions will “flow through” to each beneficial owner of Shares. If the Trust were not properly classified
as a grantor trust, the Trust might be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due to the
uncertain treatment of digital assets, with respect to staking and including forks, airdrops and similar occurrences for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, there can be no assurance in this regard. If the Trust were classified as a partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences of owning Shares generally would not be materially different from the tax
consequences described herein, although there might be certain differences, including with respect to timing. In addition, tax
information reports provided to beneficial owners of Shares would be made in a different form. If the Trust were not classified as
either a grantor trust or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be classified as a corporation for such
purposes. In that event, the Trust would be subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax (currently at the rate of 21%) on its
net taxable income and certain distributions made by the Trust to shareholders would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent
of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
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.