Franklin Templeton Digital Holdings Trust: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2025

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Form 10-Q. This Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in this Form 10-Q that address activities, events or developments that may occur in the future, including such matters as future bitcoin prices, bitcoin sales, costs, objectives, changes in commodity prices and market conditions (for bitcoin and the shares), the Trust’s and the Fund’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans and references to the Trust’s and the Fund’s future success and other similar matters are forward-looking statements. Words such as “could,” “would,” “may,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “predict,” and variations on such words or negatives thereof, and similar expressions that reflect our current views with respect to future events and Fund performance, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed therein. We express our estimates, expectations, beliefs, and projections in good faith and believe them to have a reasonable basis. However, we make no assurances that management’s estimates, expectations, beliefs, or projections will be achieved or accomplished. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update any forward-looking statements even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future, except as required by the federal securities laws.

Organization and Trust Overview

The Franklin Templeton Digital Holdings Trust (the “Trust”) was formed as a Delaware statutory trust on September 6, 2023, and is governed by the provisions of an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated as of January 5, 2024. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) and is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). The Trust currently offers a single series, the Franklin Bitcoin ETF (the “Fund”), which is the sole series of the Trust. The Sponsor of the Trust and the Fund (the “Sponsor”) is Franklin Holdings, LLC. The Sponsor is not subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund, or a commodity trading advisor with respect to the Fund. The Fund issues shares (the “Shares”), which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in the Fund. The Shares of the Fund are listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Cboe BZX Exchange” or the “Exchange”).

The Shares were first listed for trading and the Fund commenced operations on January 11, 2024.

The Fund seeks to reflect generally the performance of the price of bitcoin before payment of the Fund's expenses and liabilities. The Shares are intended to offer a convenient means of making an investment similar to an investment in bitcoin relative to acquiring, holding and trading bitcoin directly on a peer-to-peer or other basis or via a digital asset platform. The Shares have been designed to remove obstacles associated with the complexities and operational burdens involved in a direct investment in bitcoin by providing an investment with a value that reflects the price of the bitcoin owned by the Fund at such time, less the Fund's expenses and liabilities. The Fund is not a proxy for a direct investment in bitcoin. Rather, the Shares are intended to provide a cost-effective alternative means of obtaining investment exposure through the securities markets that is similar to an investment in bitcoin. The Fund is a passive investment vehicle and is not a leveraged product. The Sponsor does not actively manage the bitcoin held by the Fund.

The Fund issues Shares only to eligible financial institutions called Authorized Participants and only in one or more blocks of 50,000 Shares (“Creation Units”). Creation Units are redeemable only by Authorized Participants. Creation Units are issued and redeemed in exchange for cash. Individual Shares will not be redeemed by the Fund but the Shares are listed and traded on the Exchange under the ticker symbol “EZBC”. The market price of the Shares may be different than the Fund’s NAV per Share. The Fund issues Shares in Creation Units on a continuous basis at the applicable NAV per Share on the creation order date.

The Fund’s only ordinary recurring expense is expected to be the Sponsor’s fee. In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume the ordinary fees and expenses incurred by the Fund, including but not limited to the following: the fees charged by the Administrator, the Marketing Agent, the Custodians and the Trustee, Cboe BZX Exchange listing fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the DTC, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, tax reporting fees, audit fees, license fees and expenses, and up to $500,000 per annum in ordinary legal fees and expenses. The Sponsor paid the costs of the Fund’s organization and the initial offering costs, and may not seek reimbursement of such costs.

The Sponsor’s fee is accrued daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.19% of the net asset value of the Fund and is payable at least quarterly in arrears in U.S. dollars or in-kind or any combination thereof. The Sponsor may, at its sole discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s fee for stated periods of time. The Sponsor is under no obligation to waive any portion of its fees and any such waiver shall create no obligation to waive any such fees during any period not covered by the waiver. The Fund will sell bitcoin as needed to pay the Sponsor’s fee. The Fund bears transaction costs, including any bitcoin network fees or other similar transaction fees, in connection with any sales of bitcoin necessary to pay the Sponsor’s fee, as well as other Fund expenses (if any) that are not assumed by the Sponsor (expenses assumed by the Sponsor are specified above). Any bitcoin network fees and similar transaction fees incurred in connection with the creation or redemption of Creation Units are borne by the Authorized Participant. For a period from January 12, 2024 to August 2, 2024, the Sponsor waived a portion of the Sponsor’s Fee so that the Sponsor’s Fee after the fee waiver would be equal to 0.00% of the net asset value of the Fund for the first $10.0 billion of the Fund’s assets. Fees accrued for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 were $296,639. Prior to the implementation of the waiver, for the one day period January 11, 2024, the Fund accrued the Sponsor fee of 0.29% ($21). In the future, if the Sponsor decides to waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s Fee, Shareholders will be notified in a prospectus supplement, in the Fund’s periodic reports and/or on the Fund’s website for the Fund.

The Fund is an “emerging growth company” as that term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and, as such, the Fund may elect to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

The NAV of the Trust is used by the Trust in its day-to-day operations to measure the net value of the Trust’s assets. The NAV is calculated on each business day and is equal to the aggregate value of the Trust’s assets less its liabilities based on the Index price. In determining the NAV of the Trust on any business day, the Administrator will calculate the price of the bitcoin held by the Trust as of 4:00 PM ET on such day. The Administrator will also calculate the “NAV per Share” of the Trust, which equals the NAV of the Trust divided by the number of outstanding Shares. For purposes of making these calculations, a business day means any day other than a day when the Exchange is closed for regular trading.

The Administrator will rely on the Index as the index price to be used when determining NAV. However, determining the value of the Trust’s bitcoin using the Index is not in accordance with GAAP, and therefore is not used in the Trust’s financial statements. The Trust’s bitcoins are carried, for financial statement purposes, at fair value, as required by GAAP. The Trust determines the fair value of bitcoin based on the price provided by the bitcoin market that the Trust considers its “principal market” as of 11:59:59 PM, ET on the valuation date. The net asset value of the Trust determined on a GAAP basis is referred to as the “Principal Market NAV” and the net asset value of the Trust per Share determined on a GAAP basis is referred to as the “Principal Market NAV per Share.”

The Sponsor identifies and determines the Fund’s principal market (or in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market) for bitcoin consistent with the application of fair value measurement framework in FASB ASC 820-10. The principal market is the market where the reporting entity would normally enter into a transaction to sell the asset or transfer the liability. The principal market must be available to and be accessible to the reporting entity. The reporting entity is the Trust, on behalf of the Fund.

Under ASC 820-10, a principal market is generally the market with the greatest volume and activity level for the asset or liability. The determination of the principal market will generally be based on the market with the greatest volume and level of activity that can be accessed.

NAV and NAV per Share are not measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and are not intended as substitute for Principal Market and Principal Market NAV per Share, respectively.

Critical Accounting Policies

The Trust’s and the Fund’s financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the Fund’s as well as the Trust’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates and assumptions affect the Fund’s as well as the Trust’s application of accounting policies. A description of the valuation of bitcoin, a critical accounting policy that is important to understanding the results of operations and financial position of the Trust and the Fund is presented in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K in the section entitled “Calculation of Net Asset Value, Valuation of Bitcoin and The CF Benchmark Index.” In addition, please refer to Note 2 to the financial statements included in this report for further discussion of the Trust’s and the Fund’s accounting policies.

Discussion of Operations

At September 30, 2025, the Custodian held 5,789.9639 bitcoins on behalf of the Fund, with a market value of $661,347,104 (cost: $423,536,877) based on the Principal Market Price at period end.

Results of Operations for the three months ended September 30, 2025

For the three months ended September 30, 2025, 1,400,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 810.3845 of bitcoin and 300,000 Shares were redeemed in exchange for 173.6506 of bitcoin. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $62.86 and ended the period at $66.11. The 5.17% increase in the Fund’s NAV from $62.86 at June 30, 2025 to $66.11 at September 30, 2025 is directly related to the 5.22% increase in the price of bitcoin. The Fund’s NAV increased slightly less than the price of bitcoin on a percentage basis due to the Sponsor’s fee of $296,673 for the period.

Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin for the three months ended September 30, 2025, was approximately $28,407,027 which includes a realized gain of $93,759 on the sale of bitcoin to pay the Sponsor Fee, net realized gain on investment in bitcoin sold for redemptions of $7,197,214 and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in bitcoin of approximately $21,116,054. Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin for the period was driven by bitcoin price appreciation from $108,560.00 per unit as of June 30, 2025 to $114,223.01 per unit as of September 30, 2025. Net increase in net assets resulting from operation was approximately $28,110,354 for the three months ended September 30, 2025, which consisted of the net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin of $28,407,027, offset by the Sponsor Fee of $296,673. Net assets increased to approximately $661,050,465 on September 30, 2025. The increase in net assets primarily resulted from the aforementioned bitcoin price appreciation and net capital share transactions of approximately of $73,510,896.

Results of Operations for the three months ended September 30, 2024

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, 3,050,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 1,768.8331 bitcoins and 950,000 Shares were redeemed in exchange for 550.9655 bitcoins. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $36.75 and ended the period at $36.92. The increase in NAV per Share was due to a higher price of bitcoin of $63,677.63 at period end, which represented an increase of 0.49% from $63,369.30 at June 30, 2024.

The change in net assets from operations for the three months ended September 30, 2024 was $2,672,031, which was due to (i) payment of the Sponsor’s Fee of $192,723, (ii) Less waiver and reimbursement of $69,438, and (iii) a net change in realized gain (loss) from bitcoin sold for redemptions and unrealized appreciation on investment in bitcoin of $2,795,316.

Results of Operations for the six months ended September 30, 2025

For the six months ended September 30, 2025, 2,450,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 1,418.5352 of bitcoin and 1,000,000 Shares were redeemed in exchange for 579.0817 of bitcoin. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $48.05 and ended the period at $66.11. The 37.59% increase in the Fund’s NAV from $48.05 at March 31, 2025 to $66.11 at September 30, 2025 is directly related to the 37.69% increase in the price of bitcoin. The Fund’s NAV increased slightly less than the price of bitcoin on a percentage basis due to the Sponsor’s fee of $533,982 for the period.

Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin for the six months ended September 30, 2025, was approximately $156,945,145 which includes a realized gain of $157,400 on the sale of bitcoin to pay the Sponsor Fee, net realized gain on investment in bitcoin sold for redemptions of $16,152,784 and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in bitcoin of approximately $140,634,961. Net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin for the period was driven by bitcoin price appreciation from $82,956.00 per unit as of March 31, 2025 to $114,223.01 per unit as of September 30, 2025. Net increase in net assets resulting from operation was approximately $156,411,163 for the six months ended September 30, 2025, which consisted of the net realized and change in unrealized gain on investment in bitcoin of $156,945,145, offset by the Sponsor Fee of $533,982. Net assets increased to approximately $661,050,465 on September 30, 2025. The increase in net assets primarily resulted from the aforementioned bitcoin price appreciation and net capital share transactions of approximately of $93,781,959.

Results of Operations for the six months ended September 30, 2024

For the six months ended September 30, 2024, 5,850,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 3,392.8311 bitcoins and 1,950,000 Shares were redeemed in exchange for 1,130.9639 bitcoins. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $40.95 and ended the period at $36.92. The decrease in NAV per Share was due to a lower price of bitcoin of $63,677.63 at period end, which represented a decrease of 9.80% from $70,596.99 at March 31, 2024.

For the six months ended September 30, 2024, net decrease in net assets resulting from operations was $33,618,247, which was due to (i) payment of the Sponsor’s Fee of $368,406, (ii) Less waiver and reimbursement of $245,121, and (iii) net realized loss and change in unrealized depreciation on investment in bitcoin of $33,494,962.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Fund is not aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events, or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to its liquidity needs. The Fund’s only ordinary recurring expense is expected to be the Sponsor’s fee. In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume the ordinary fees and expenses incurred by the Fund, including but not limited to the following: the fees charged by the Administrator, the Marketing Agent, the Custodians and the Trustee, Cboe BZX Exchange listing fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the DTC, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, tax reporting fees, audit fees, license fees and expenses, up to $500,000 per annum in ordinary legal fees and expenses. The Sponsor will also pay the costs of the Fund’s organization and the initial offering costs, and may not seek reimbursement of such costs.

The Sponsor’s fee is accrued daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.19% of the net asset value of the Fund and is payable at least quarterly in arrears in U.S. dollars or in-kind or any combination thereof. The Sponsor may, at its sole discretion and from time to time, waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s fee for stated periods of time. The Sponsor is under no obligation to waive any portion of its fees and any such waiver shall create no obligation to waive any such fees during any period not covered by the waiver. The Fund will sell bitcoin as needed to pay the Sponsor’s fee. From January 12, 2024 to August 2, 2024, the Sponsor waived a portion of the Sponsor’s Fee so that the Sponsor’s Fee after the fee waiver would be equal to 0.00% of the net asset value of the Fund for the first $10.0 billion of the Fund’s assets. Fees accrued for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 were $296,639. In the future, if the Sponsor decides to waive all or a portion of the Sponsor’s Fee, Shareholders will be notified in a prospectus supplement, in the Fund’s periodic reports and/or on the Sponsor’s website for the Fund.

The Fund bears transaction costs, including any bitcoin network fees or other similar transaction fees, in connection with any sales of bitcoin necessary to pay the Sponsor’s fee, as well as other Fund expenses (if any) that are not assumed by the Sponsor (expenses assumed by the Sponsor are specified above). Any bitcoin network fees and similar transaction fees incurred in connection with the creation or redemption of Creation Units are borne by the Authorized Participant.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

At September 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025, the Fund as well as the Trust did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements

Historical Bitcoin Prices

Analysis of Movements in the Price of Bitcoin

As movements in the price of bitcoin are expected to directly affect the price of the Fund’s shares, it is important for investors to understand and follow movements in the price of bitcoin. Past movements in the bitcoin price are not indicators of future movements.

The following chart shows movements in the price of bitcoin based on the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate – New York Variant for the Bitcoin – U.S. Dollar trading pair (the “CF Benchmarks Index”) in U.S. dollars per unit over the period from July 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025.

The average, high, low and end-of-period bitcoin prices based on the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate - New York Variant for the period are as below:

(1) The end of period bitcoin price is the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate - New York Variant on the last business day of the period.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Fund is a passive investment vehicle. It is not actively managed. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek to reflect generally the performance of the price of bitcoin before payment of the Fund’s expenses and liabilities. Fluctuations in the price of bitcoin will affect the value of the Fund’s Shares.

Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The duly authorized officers of the Sponsor, performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, and have concluded as of the end of the period covered by this report on Form 10-Q that the disclosure controls and procedures of the Trust operated effectively at reasonable assurance levels.

The disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Trust files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified in the applicable rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the duly authorized officers of the Sponsor performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. It is important to note that no set of controls, no matter how reasonably designed, can detect every error.

The duly authorized officers of the Sponsor, performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of the Fund's disclosure controls and procedures, and have concluded as of the end of the period covered by this report on Form 10-Q that the disclosure controls and procedures of the Fund operated effectively at reasonable assurance levels.

The disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Trust files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, on behalf of the Fund, are recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified in the applicable rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the duly authorized officers of the Sponsor performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. It is important to note that no set of controls, no matter how reasonably designed, can detect every error.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Trust’s and the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s and/or the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.

Each of the Sarbanes-Oxley certifications included as exhibits to this filing apply with respect to both the operations of both the Fund, as the sole series of the Trust, and the Trust as registrant.

Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. Except as noted below, there have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in our 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing the Trust and the Fund. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

Prices of bitcoin may be affected due to stablecoins (including Tether and USDC), the activities of stablecoin issuers and their regulatory treatment

While the Fund does not invest in stablecoins, it may nonetheless be exposed to risks that stablecoins pose for the bitcoin market and other digital asset markets. Stablecoins are digital assets designed to have a stable value over time as compared to typically volatile digital assets and are typically marketed as being pegged to a fiat currency, such as the U.S. dollar, at a certain value. Although the prices of stablecoins are intended to be stable, their market value may fluctuate. This volatility has in the past apparently impacted the price of bitcoin. Stablecoins are a relatively new phenomenon, and it is impossible to know all of the risks that they could pose to participants in the bitcoin market. Like CBDCs, stablecoins could compete with, or replace, bitcoin and other digital assets as a medium of exchange or store of value. In addition, some have argued that some stablecoins, particularly Tether, are improperly issued without sufficient backing in a way that, when the stablecoin is used to pay for bitcoin, could cause artificial rather than genuine demand for bitcoin, artificially inflating the price of bitcoin, and also argue that those associated with certain stablecoins may be involved in laundering money.

USDC is a reserve-backed stablecoin issued by Circle Internet Financial that is commonly used as a method of payment in digital asset markets, including the bitcoin market. While USDC is designed to maintain a stable value at 1 U.S. dollar at all times, on March 10, 2023, the value of USDC fell below $1.00 for multiple days after Circle Internet Financial disclosed that US$3.3 billion of the USDC reserves were held at Silicon Valley Bank, which had entered FDIC receivership earlier that day. Stablecoins are reliant on the U.S. banking system and U.S. treasuries, and the failure of either to function normally could impede the function of stablecoins, and therefore could adversely affect the value of the Shares.

Given the foundational role that stablecoins play in global digital asset markets, their fundamental liquidity can have a dramatic impact on the broader digital asset market, including the market for bitcoin. A significant portion of the digital asset market continues to depend on stablecoins such as Tether and USDC. As such, any disruption in the operation or perceived stability of these stablecoins such as a disorderly de-pegging event or a loss of market confidence resulting in a run on reserves could lead to substantial market volatility across digital assets more broadly.

Additional risks such as operational failures (e.g., technical issues that prevent settlement), concerns regarding the adequacy or transparency of reserve assets backing stablecoins, the use of unbacked or undercollateralized stablecoins in potentially manipulative trading practices and regulatory scrutiny of stablecoin issuers or intermediaries, including exchanges that facilitate stablecoin transactions, may also adversely affect market confidence and liquidity. Further, these risks are underscored by recent legislative developments. On July 18, 2025, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act of 2025 (“GENIUS Act”) was enacted, establishing a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins. The GENIUS Act will become effective on July 18, 2028. The GENUIS Act prohibits the issuance or use of payment stablecoins unless the issuer obtains a qualifying license and complies with a range of regulatory requirements, including reserve backing with liquid assets, redemption rights, governance standards, and operational transparency. The GENIUS Act also restricts the payment of interest on stablecoins and imposes oversight on both bank and nonbank issuers. The enactment of the GENIUS Act, or the removal or migration of prominent stablecoins from the Bitcoin network, could reduce the willingness of market participants to engage in digital asset transactions that rely on stablecoins, diminish liquidity in the bitcoin market, and adversely affect the price of bitcoin. Any such developments could, in turn, materially and adversely impact the value of the Shares.

Disruptions or other problems in the supply chain for bitcoin mining hardware and difficulties in obtaining new hardware could cause harm to the Bitcoin network

Manufacture, assembly and delivery of hardware and components for mining operations can be complex and protracted processes, in the course of which various problems could arise, including disruptions or delays in the supply chain, product quality control issues, as well as other external factors.

Mining operations can ordinarily only be profitable if the costs associated with bitcoin mining, including hardware costs, are lower than the price of bitcoin itself. In the course of the normal operation of bitcoin mining facilities, miners and other critical equipment and materials related to data center construction and maintenance, such as containers, switch gears, transformers and cables, will experience ordinary wear and tear and may also face more significant malfunctions. Declines in the condition of miners and other hardware will require bitcoin miners, over time, to repair or replace those miners.

Additionally, as the technology evolves, miners may be required to acquire newer models of mining hardware and machines to remain competitive in the market. Any upgrading process may require substantial capital investment, and miners may face challenges in doing so on a timely and cost-effective basis. The business of bitcoin miners will be subject to limitations inherent within the supply chain of their mining hardware equipment and components, including competitive, governmental, and legal limitations, and other events. For example, many miners will significantly rely on foreign imports to obtain mining hardware equipment and materials. Any global trade disruption, introductions of tariffs, trade barriers and bilateral trade frictions, together with any potential downturns in the global economy resulting therefrom, could adversely affect the necessary supply chains for mining hardware. Depending on the magnitude of such effects on the mining hardware supply chain, shipments of parts for mining hardware, or new mining hardware and equipment, may be delayed.

There are a small number of major suppliers of bitcoin mining hardware globally, and a significant amount of bitcoin mining hardware manufacturing is located in China. Mining hardware manufacturers may fail to supply the mining hardware due to their inability to manufacture sufficient mining hardware, whether due to shortages of components or resources such as semiconductors, or changes of laws and trade restrictions (including export/import restrictions, quotas or tariffs), or due to insolvency, or non-performance or default on their contracts. Trade policies such as export/import restrictions, quotas or tariffs may reduce the ability of bitcoin mining hardware suppliers to supply miners with bitcoin mining hardware or create a shortage or lack of components necessary for their manufacture or repair. If bitcoin miners are unable to source mining hardware from those suppliers (for example due to overwhelming global demand for bitcoin miners, or due to trade restrictions, or other causes) at commercially reasonable prices, or at all, and replacement or substitute sources of bitcoin mining hardware prove to be unavailable, there could be a negative impact on bitcoin mining globally. These could affect the Bitcoin network by making it more difficult for transactions to be confirmed, increase transaction costs, or affect the Bitcoin network’s security, among other negative effects, any of which could negatively affect the value of bitcoin and consequently the Shares.

Further, the first-generation application specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips and other critical components for mining equipment may be subject to price fluctuations or shortages. For example, the ASIC chip is the key component of a mining machine as it determines the efficiency of the device. The production of ASIC chips typically requires highly sophisticated silicon wafers, which currently only a small number of fabrication facilities, or wafer foundries, in the world are capable of producing. There have been previous microchip shortages which led to price fluctuations and disruption in the supply of key bitcoin mining hardware components. ASIC chips have recently been subject to supply and demand fluctuations, significant price increases and shortages. Shortages of ASIC chips could create problems in the supply chain for bitcoin mining equipment, negatively affecting the Bitcoin network by making it more difficult for transactions to be confirmed or increasing transaction costs, or even affecting network security, which again could cause the value of bitcoin and the Shares to decline.

If regulators or public utilities take actions that restrict or otherwise impact mining activities, such actions could result in decreased security of a digital asset network, including the Bitcoin network, which could adversely affect the value of the Shares

Concerns have been raised about the electricity required to secure and maintain digital asset networks. Although measuring the electricity consumed by the process of securing and maintaining digital asset networks is difficult because these operations are performed by various machines with varying levels of efficiency, the process consumes a significant amount of energy. Driven by concerns around energy consumption and the impact on public utility companies, various states and cities have implemented, or are considering implementing, moratoriums on mining activity in their jurisdictions.

The operations of digital asset networks can consume significant amounts of electricity, which may have a negative environmental impact and give rise to public opinion against allowing, or government regulations restricting, the use of electricity for mining operations, in the case of proof-of-work networks. Additionally, miners on proof-of-work networks may be forced to cease operations during an electricity shortage or power outage, or if electricity prices increase where the mining activities are performed.