BLCN

About BLCN

The Fund seeks long-term growth by tracking the investment returns, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index was developed through a partnership between Reality Shares, Inc. and Nasdaq, Inc. (together, the “Index Providers”). The Index is designed to measure the returns of companies that are committing material resources to developing, researching, supporting, innovating or utilizing blockchain technology for their proprietary use or for use by others (“Blockchain Companies”). These Blockchain Companies are committing material resources to further the use and deployment of blockchain technology to, for example, streamline the distribution and verification of cross-border payments; more efficiently store and secure cloud-based digital data; facilitate trusted transactions based on data security and privacy; and mitigate risk in supply chain management, among other uses. Blockchain technology is an emerging technology that is redefining how a record of value is transacted. Blockchain technology seeks to solve transactional challenges of counterparty trust and the need for a central repository or ledger by providing a transparent and secure process to transfer and digitally record information on a shared transaction database through a secure, decentralized, peer-to-peer distributed ledger. In this regard, it is designed to facilitate the transfer of information or property between users such that the transfer is guaranteed to be secure and known to all participants and shared across a distributed network where, once verified, the legitimacy of the transfer cannot be challenged. Blockchain technology may be used to support a vast array of business applications in many different industries and markets, and the extent of its versatility has not yet been fully explored. As a result, the Index may include equity securities of operating companies that focus on or have exposure to a wide variety of industries and countries, including emerging markets. The Index universe of Blockchain Companies consists of companies publicly traded in markets across the globe that research and analysis conducted by the Index Providers identify as exhibiting Blockchain Company characteristics. The Index universe is then narrowed to include only those Blockchain Companies with market capitalizations greater than $200 million, the shares of which are exchange-traded and have a six-month average daily trading volume greater than $1,000,000 as of the Index’s reconstitution date. The remaining Blockchain Companies are then ranked to determine the leading Blockchain Companies as measured by their Blockchain Score™ which is a proprietary ranking system developed by the Index Providers designed to identify those Blockchain Companies expected to benefit most (e.g., from increased economic profit, operational efficiencies or transformational business practices) from the innovation, adoption, deployment and commercialization of blockchain technology. The 50 to 100 leading Blockchain Companies with the highest Blockchain Scores™ are then selected as the Index constituents. Constituents are weighted in the Index based on their Blockchain Scores™, with Blockchain Companies having higher Blockchain Scores™ weighted more heavily. The Index is reconstituted quarterly on the third Friday in March, June, September and December. The Index is rebalanced as part of each September reconstitution. The Index is rebalanced as part of each March, June and December reconstitution only if new constituents are added to the Index or if a single constituent accounts for more than 10% of the Index. As of March 31, 2024, the Nasdaq Blockchain Economy Index included companies with a capitalization range of $425.9 million to $3.1 trillion. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets, including any borrowings for investment purposes, will be invested in component securities of the Index. This investment policy may be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. The Fund expects to invest in common stocks, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). The Fund does not intend to invest in cryptocurrency directly, but may have indirect exposure to cryptocurrency by virtue of its investments in companies that: operate in the cryptocurrency industry; may use one or more cryptocurrencies, such as in exchange for a company’s goods or services; trade financial instruments that are directly tied to cryptocurrencies; invest in other companies that interact with cryptocurrency; or otherwise have exposure to cryptocurrencies (“Cryptocurrency Operating Companies”). The Fund generally uses a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning that it will invest in all of the securities included in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index. The Fund may, however, use a representative sampling approach to achieve its investment objective when SRN Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, believes it is in the best interest of the Fund. For example, among other reasons, the Fund may use a representative sampling approach when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in replicating the Index or when an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid. When the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may invest in a subset, or “sample,” of the securities included in the Index and whose risk, return and performance characteristics generally match the risk, return and performance characteristics of the Index as a whole. The Fund may invest in other securities that are not components of the Index that the Adviser believes will help the Fund track the Index. The Fund seeks to remain fully invested at all times in securities that provide exposure to the Index without regard to market conditions, trends or direction. To the extent the Index has significant exposure to a particular sector or is concentrated in a particular industry, the Fund will necessarily have significant exposure to that sector or be concentrated in that industry. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has significant exposure to the Technology and Financials sectors, as each such sector is defined by the Bloomberg Industry Classification Standard. The sectors in which the Index components, and thus the Fund’s investments, may be focused will vary as the composition of the Index changes over time.