SUBJECT TO COMPLETION
Dated June 15, 2026

THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

 

Defiance China Memory & Storage ETF (CRAM)

 

listed on [ ] (the “Exchange”)

 

PROSPECTUS

 

[ ], 2026

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has not approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Summary Information	3
Defiance China Memory & Storage ETF	3
Additional Information About the Fund	12
Portfolio Holdings Information	22
Management	22
How to Buy and Sell Shares	23
Dividends, Distributions, and Taxes	25
Distribution	28
Premium/Discount Information	28
Additional Notices	28
Financial Highlights	29

 

SUMMARY INFORMATION

 

DEFIANCE CHINA MEMORY & STORAGE ETF– FUND SUMMARY

 

Investment Objective

 

Defiance China Memory & Storage ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the BITA China Memory & Storage Index (the “Index”).

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses(1) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fee		[ ]	%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees		None
Other Expenses(2)		[ ]	%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(3)		[ ]	%
(1)	The Fund’s investment adviser, Tidal Investments LLC (the “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, will pay, or require a sub-adviser to pay, all expenses incurred by the Fund excluding advisory fees, sub-advisory fees (if applicable), interest charges on any borrowings made for investment purposes, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and litigation expenses and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses.
(2)	Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
(3)	The cost of investing in swaps, including the embedded cost of the swap and the operating expenses of the referenced assets, is an indirect expense that is not included in the above fee table and is not reflected in the expense example.

Expense Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you may pay on your purchases and sales of Shares. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

1 Year	3 Years
$[ ]	$[ ]

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

Overview

 

The Fund uses a “passive management” (or indexing) approach to seek to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index. The Index is constructed using a rules-based methodology that identifies publicly listed companies economically tied to China that derive significant revenue from the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain, as classified by BITA GmbH (the “Index Provider”).

 

Index Overview

 

The Index is designed to track the performance of companies listed on exchanges in mainland China and Hong Kong that are principally engaged in the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain. To be eligible for inclusion, a company must derive at least 50% of its revenue from the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain or demonstrate material involvement (assessed on revenue exposure, disclosed investments, research and development activity, strategic partnerships, government contracts, or patent filings) in any of the following China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities:

 

●

Dynamic Random-Access Memory (“DRAM”);

●

NOT AND (“NAND”) Flash;

●

NOT OR (“NOR”) Flash;

●

Static Random-Access Memory (“SRAM”) and Niche Memory;

●

Memory Modules and Solid-State Storage;

	●	Memory Interface and Buffer Chips;
	●	Storage and Flash Controllers;
	●	Memory Foundry;
	●	Memory Packaging and Testing;
	●	Memory Branding and Distribution; and/or
	●	Enabling Equipment, Materials, and Intellectual Property.

 

The Index includes only ordinary shares of companies which are listed on exchanges in mainland China and Hong Kong and companies with shares traded as American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) in the U.S.

 

To qualify for initial inclusion, a company generally must have: (i) a free-float percentage of at least 10%; (ii) a market capitalization of at least $100 million; (iii) a three-month average daily trading value of at least $1.0 million. The Index also applies modified eligibility rules for certain initial public offerings (“IPOs”). Companies who satisfy the eligibility criteria are included in the Index. If a company has more than one share class that qualifies for inclusion in the Index on a stand-alone basis, only the highest ranked share class will be considered for composition, as ranked by three-month average daily trading value.

 

The Index utilizes a modified float-adjusted market capitalization weighting methodology. Constituents are weighted based on their free-float adjusted market capitalizations, subject to a maximum weight of 25% per constituent and to a limit that the cumulative weight of all constituents representing more than 5% of the Index cannot exceed 45% of the total Index weight. Excess weight above the cap is redistributed proportionally among the remaining constituents. The Index also imposes a floor of 0.1% to all securities.

 

The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Please see the prospectus section titled “Additional Information About the Fund,” for a more complete description of the Index’s methodology.

 

Because the Index is focused on companies engaged in China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities, the Index, and consequently the Fund, is expected to be concentrated in industries within the information technology sector and the semiconductor & semiconductor equipment and technology hardware, storage & peripherals industries.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in investments that provide exposure to the component securities of the Index. For purposes of this policy, investments providing exposure to Index component securities include: (i) the component securities themselves; (ii) depositary receipts representing such securities; and (iii) derivative instruments (e.g., options and total return swaps) that provide economic exposure to one or more Index component securities or to the Index. For purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy, derivative instruments are valued at their notional value.

 

The Fund seeks to track the performance of the Index by investing in, or obtaining economic exposure to, the securities included in the Index. The Fund generally uses a “replication” strategy, meaning it will invest directly or indirectly in all, or substantially all, of the component securities of the Index. The Fund may also use a “representative sampling” strategy, under which it invests in a sample of securities that collectively are expected to have investment characteristics similar to those of the Index when the Adviser believes doing so is in the best interests of the Fund.

 

The Fund may obtain exposure to the Index synthetically through derivatives, including total return swaps and listed options referencing the Index or one or more Index component securities. The Fund may use short-dated, in-the-money call options and other option strategies designed to provide investment exposure similar to direct ownership of underlying securities.

 

The Fund also may invest in securities, options contracts, swaps, or other investments not included in the Index when the Adviser believes such investments will help the Fund track the Index, enhance performance, manage risk, or otherwise benefit the Fund. These investments may include securities of companies that are economically connected to the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities, as well as investments made in connection with corporate actions, Index reconstitutions, liquidity management, or other portfolio management purposes.

 

The Fund may invest in listed equity securities, including common stocks and other equity interests, and may invest up to 15% of its net assets in private companies engaged in China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities. The Fund may also invest in ADRs, cash and cash equivalents, money market funds, and short-term instruments.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

 

Principal Investment Risks

 

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share, trading price, yield, total return, and/or ability to meet its investment objective. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Information About the Fund—Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund.”

 

An investment in the Fund entails risk. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective and there is a risk that you could lose all of your money invested in the Fund. The Fund is not a complete investment program. It is important that investors closely review all of the risks listed below and understand them before making an investment in the Fund.

 

Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Chinese Investment Risk. The Fund’s significant investments in instruments that provide exposure to Chinese companies subject the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability.

 

Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. Internal social unrest or confrontations with neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation.

 

China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China’s or the region’s security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, supply chain diversification, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions or a trade war between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. The Fund’s portfolio may include companies that are subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, the Fund is generally expected to invest in such companies.

 

Chinese companies are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. Chinese companies may also be subject to significantly weaker recordkeeping requirements than the requirements imposed upon U.S. companies.

 

Semiconductor & Semiconductor Equipment Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs.

 

Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals Industry Risk. Technology hardware, storage and peripherals companies can be significantly affected by competitive pressures, aggressive pricing, technological developments, changing domestic demand, the ability to attract and retain skilled employees and availability and price of components. The market for products produced by these companies is characterized by rapidly changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. The success of technology hardware companies depends in substantial part on the timely and successful introduction of new products. An unexpected change in one or more of the technologies affecting an issuer’s products or in the market for products based on a particular technology could have a material adverse effect on a participant’s operating results. Many of these companies rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret laws to establish and protect their proprietary rights in their products and technologies. There can be no assurance that the steps taken by the companies to protect their proprietary rights will be adequate to prevent misappropriation of their technology or that competitors will not independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to such companies’ technology.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in internet software and services, technology hardware and storage peripherals, electronic equipment instruments and components, and semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, among other things. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face rapid product obsolescence due to technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Failure to introduce new products, develop and maintain a loyal customer base, or achieve general market acceptance for their products could have a material adverse effect on a company’s business. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on intellectual property and the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:

 

	●	Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks.
	●	Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares.
	●	Developed Markets Risk. Many developed market countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign companies. Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices.

 

Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.

 

Focused Portfolio Risk. The Fund will hold a relatively focused portfolio that may contain exposure to the securities of fewer issuers than the portfolios of other ETFs. Holding a relatively focused portfolio may increase the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of one or a few investments.

 

Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.

 

Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.

 

Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investment exposure will be concentrated in (or substantially exposed to) the same industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Management Risk. The risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by the investment adviser will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment adviser and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be an imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying reference asset and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested.

 

In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:

 

Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly moves with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in values options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund’s options contracts are exercised or expire it may enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses.   Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify appropriate counterparties. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide the desired synthetic exposure to the underlying security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, transaction, or other costs associated with using swap transactions may have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.

 

The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets, securities, or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in the reference asset.

 

If the underlying security experiences a significant price movement that causes a material change in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to maintain exposure consistent with its investment objective. This may temporarily reduce the Fund’s ability to maintain its intended level of synthetic exposure until replacement transactions can be established.

 

Certain of the swap agreements entered into by the Fund may be unfunded total return swaps, pursuant to which the Fund does not make an initial investment of the full notional amount of the swap. As a result, the Fund is exposed to the risk that its counterparty will be unable to meet its obligations under the swap agreement, and the Fund’s exposure to a counterparty generally equals the net amount owed to the Fund based on the daily change in value of the reference asset. In the event of a counterparty default or insolvency, the Fund may incur losses in excess of the collateral, if any, posted by the counterparty, and the timing and amount of any recovery may be uncertain. In addition, the use of unfunded swap agreements may create economic leverage for the Fund, which may magnify gains and losses and increase the volatility of the Fund’s returns.

 

Equity Total Return Swaps. A total return swap (also sometimes referred to as a synthetic equity swap or “contract for difference” when written with respect to an equity security or basket of equity securities) is an agreement between two parties under which the parties agree to make payments to each other so as to replicate the economic consequences that would apply had a purchase or short sale of the underlying reference instrument or index thereof taken place. For example, one party agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on the notional amount of an underlying equity security and any dividends declared with respect to that equity security. In return the other party makes payments, typically at a floating rate, calculated based on the notional amount.

 

Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery. Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.

 

ETF Risks

 

Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.

 

Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.

 

Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.

 

High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings as it seeks to track the Index. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.

 

Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.

 

Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.

 

IPO/SPAC/de-SPAC Risk. The Fund may invest in companies that have recently completed an IPO, are derived from a SPAC, or are derived from a de-SPAC business combination, including SPACs that have not yet completed a business combination (“Pre-Combination” SPACs). These companies may be unseasoned and lack a trading history, a track record of reporting to investors, and widely available research coverage. IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPAC business combinations are thus often subject to extreme price volatility and speculative trading. These stocks may have above-average price appreciation in connection with the IPO or relevant transaction prior to the Fund’s purchase. The price of stocks selected may not continue to appreciate and the performance of these stocks may not replicate the performance exhibited in the past. In addition, IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPAC business combinations may share similar illiquidity risks of private equity and venture capital. The ownership of many IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPACs often includes large holdings by venture capital and private equity investors who seek to sell their shares in the public market in the months following an IPO or relevant transaction when shares restricted by lock-up are released, causing greater volatility and possible downward pressure during the time that locked-up shares are released, and SPAC investments may involve additional risks, including pricing misalignment, limited publicly available information, dependence on the sponsor’s ability to identify and consummate a business combination, potential conflicts of interest, and, in the case of Pre-Combination SPACs, the risk that a suitable business combination is not completed within a specified time period, which may result in liquidation of the SPAC.

 

Warrants and Rights Risk. The Fund may receive or invest in warrants or rights in connection with its purchase of equity securities, including SPAC units. Warrants and rights do not represent an ownership interest in the issuer but instead confer the right to purchase underlying securities at a specified price, subject to the terms of the instrument. Accordingly, holders of warrants or rights generally do not have voting rights, receive dividends, or have rights with respect to the assets of the issuer. Investments in warrants and rights are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. The value of warrants and rights may be highly volatile and may not move in tandem with the value of the underlying securities. In addition, warrants and rights are complex financial instruments, and their accounting treatment and valuation involve significant judgment. For example, depending on their terms and the specific facts and circumstances of the issuer, warrants may be classified as equity or as assets or liabilities of the issuer, which can affect their valuation and increase the risk of error. Warrants and rights are also subject to the risk that they may expire worthless if not exercised or sold prior to expiration. In addition, the effective cost of acquiring the underlying securities upon exercise (i.e., the purchase price of the warrant or right plus the exercise price) may exceed the market value of the underlying securities at the time of exercise. With respect to SPAC-related investments, if a SPAC does not complete a business combination within the specified time period, any associated warrants or rights held by the Fund may expire worthless.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.

 

Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund has not completed a full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus. When such information is included, this section will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance history from year to year and showing how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Although past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future, historical performance may give you some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.

 

Management 

 

Investment Adviser: Tidal Investments LLC serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers:

 

The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Andy Hicks, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2026.

 

Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 2026.

 

CFA^® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute.

 

Purchase and Sale of Shares

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.

 

Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (the “bid” price) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (the “ask” price) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market. This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “bid-ask spread.”

 

When available, information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, how often Shares traded on the Exchange at a premium or discount, and bid-ask spreads can be found on the Fund’s website at https://www.defianceetfs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless an investment is in an individual retirement account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.

 

Financial Intermediary Compensation

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser, or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more information.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.

 

An investment objective is fundamental if it cannot be changed without the consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares. The Fund’s investment objective has not been adopted as a fundamental investment policy and therefore the Fund’s investment objective may be changed without the consent of the Fund’s shareholders upon approval by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Tidal Trust V (the “Trust”) and at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

There is no assurance that any Fund will achieve its investment objective and an investment in any Fund could lose a substantial amount of money over a short period of time. No single fund is a complete investment program.

 

The Fund’s 80% policy is non-fundamental and can be changed without shareholder approval. However, Fund shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice prior to any such change.

 

As described in the Fund’s principal investment strategies in the Prospectus, the Fund employs a flexible investment approach designed to provide exposure to the Index through a combination of direct investments in equity securities and indirect or synthetic investment techniques, including derivatives.

 

The Fund seeks to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in, or obtain economic exposure to, the component securities of the Index. The Fund generally employs a “replication” strategy, meaning that it will invest directly or indirectly in all, or substantially all, of the securities comprising the Index. The Fund may also use a “representative sampling” strategy when the Adviser believes such strategy is in the best interests of the Fund. Under a representative sampling approach, the Fund may invest in a subset of Index securities whose aggregate investment characteristics are expected to resemble those of the Index as a whole. Representative sampling may be utilized when replicating the Index would involve practical difficulties or substantial costs, when one or more Index components become temporarily illiquid or unavailable, or due to legal, regulatory, tax, or other limitations applicable to the Fund but not the Index.

 

The Fund may obtain exposure to the Index synthetically, in whole or in part, through derivatives, including total return swaps referencing the Index or one or more Index component securities, listed options, and other derivative instruments or option strategies designed to replicate the performance characteristics of underlying equity securities.

 

Direct and Synthetic Investments

 

The Fund may invest in equity securities either directly or indirectly (synthetically) through the use of derivatives, including options and swap agreements. The Fund generally expects to utilize indirect investment techniques, in part, to facilitate compliance with the qualification requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the Internal Revenue Code.

 

The Fund may utilize listed options to obtain synthetic exposure to portfolio securities. The Fund primarily expects to use short-dated (generally one month or less), in-the-money call options to obtain investment exposure substantially similar to direct ownership of underlying equity securities without holding such securities directly. The Fund also may employ other option strategies intended to provide substantially similar economic exposure, including combinations of purchased call options and written put options with identical strike prices.

 

In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with financial institutions to synthetically replicate the performance of securities included in the Fund’s portfolio or otherwise provide exposure consistent with the Fund’s investment objective. These swap agreements may include total return swaps and other types of swap arrangements with durations ranging from one day to more than one year and may correspond to the Fund’s scheduled Index reconstitutions or other portfolio management considerations. Under a swap agreement, the Fund and the counterparty generally agree to exchange payments based on the performance or return of a referenced security or basket of securities, calculated with respect to a specified notional amount.

 

The Fund may invest in securities, derivatives, or other investments that are not included in the Index when the Adviser believes such investments will assist the Fund in tracking the Index, enhance performance, manage risk, facilitate efficient portfolio management, or otherwise benefit the Fund. Such investments may include securities of companies that are not Index constituents but that operate in, support, or are otherwise economically connected to the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities, including companies that the Adviser believes may benefit from trends affecting the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain.

 

The Fund’s investments may also include non-Index securities acquired in connection with corporate actions, mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, restructurings, initial public offerings, Index reconstitutions, additions, deletions, or other changes to the composition of the Index. In addition, the Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds, derivatives, cash and cash equivalents, short-term instruments, money market funds, or other investment vehicles for liquidity management, cash equitization, collateral management, tax efficiency, regulatory compliance, or other portfolio management purposes.

 

The Fund may invest in listed equity securities, including common stocks, business trust shares, and other equity interests in business enterprises. The Fund also may invest up to 15% of its net assets in equity securities of private companies engaged in China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities that are not publicly listed on a national securities exchange.

 

The Fund may invest in ADRs to the extent such securities are included in, or otherwise consistent with, the Fund’s investment strategy. The Fund may also hold cash, cash equivalents, and short-term instruments pending investment or for defensive, collateral, or liquidity purposes.

 

Additional Information About the Index

 

The Index’s initial universe consists of publicly listed equity securities for which sufficient relevant information is available from public sources. The initial universe is screened using the following criteria, which are based on each company’s financial information for the most recent quarter:

 

To be eligible for inclusion, a company must derive at least 50% of its revenue from the China memory and storage semiconductor value chain or demonstrate material involvement (assessed on revenue exposure, disclosed investments, research and development activity, strategic partnerships, government contracts, or patent filings) in any of the following China memory and storage semiconductor value chain activities:

 

A.

Thematic Screening: The Index only includes companies that derive either at least 50% of their revenue from, or demonstrate material involvement to, the China and memory storage semiconductor value chain below. A company’s material involvement is assessed based on revenue exposure, disclosed investments, research and development activity, strategic partnerships, government contracts, or patent filings. The Index defines the China and memory storage semiconductor chain as involvement in the following:

 

●

DRAM: Design and manufacture of dynamic memory, spanning Double Data Rate/Graphics Double Data Rate  DRAM chips, Low-Power Double Rate memory, HBM stacks, and specialty/niche DRAM.

 

●

NAND Flash: Design and manufacture of NAND flash memory, including Single-Level Cell and 3D NAND die, and the conversion of die into enterprise solid-state storage;

 

●

NOR Flash and Specialty Non-Volatile Memory: NOR flash, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, and other specialty non-volatile memory for code-storage and embedded applications;

 

●

SRAM and Niche Memory: Static and other volatile or niche memory devices (SRAM and Pseudo SRAM (“PSRAM”)), including automotive- and industrial-grade products;

 

●

Memory Modules and Solid-State Storage: Memory modules (Dual In-Line Memory Module/Registered Dual In-Line Memory Module), solid-state drives, embedded storage (embedded MultiMediaCard/Universal Flash Storage), memory cards, and removable storage products;

 

●

Memory Interface and Buffer Chips: Register clock drivers (“RCD”), data buffers, Multiplexed Rank RCD/Multiplexed Rank Data Buffer, clock drivers, serial presence-detect, and Compute Express Link memory-expansion controllers;

 

●

Storage and Flash Controllers: Master controllers for solid-state drives and flash storage;

 

●

Memory Foundry: Wafer fabrication of memory and embedded-memory devices;

 

●

Memory Packaging and Testing: Assembly, packaging, and test (i.e. Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) of memory and storage devices, including advanced stacked/HBM packaging;

 

●

Memory Branding and Distribution: Branding, channel, and distribution of memory and storage products; and/or

 

●

Enabling Equipment, Materials and Intellectual Property: Specialized equipment, materials, and intellectual property or design services dedicated to memory and storage production.

 

B.

Exclusion Criteria: The Index will include only ordinary shares and ADRs.

 

C.

Market Capitalization and Liquidity: To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, companies must have

 

●

Free float market capitalization of at least 10% (i.e., at least 10% of outstanding shares must be publicly available for trading and not held by insiders or controlling shareholders);

 

●

market capitalization exceeding 1.0 billion; and

 

●

a three-month average daily traded value of at least $1 million.

 

D.

Exchange Requirements: To be eligible, a company’s securities must be listed on an exchange in mainland China or Hong Kong.

 

E.

One Share Class per Company: If a company has more than one share class that qualifies for inclusion in the Index on a stand-alone basis, only the highest ranked share class will be considered for composition, as ranked by three-month daily traded value.

 

F.

Initial Public Offerings: Modified investability rules are applied for recent IPOs. Such high-exposure IPOs and companies pivoting to activities related to the index topic, with a proven thematic exposure  higher  than  the  minimum  requirement may  be  added  immediately  via  an  extraordinary addition with an associated divisor adjustment with  the Index weights of existing constituents being  adjusted pro-rata.

 

Companies who meet the eligibility criteria are included in the Index as constituents.

 

To avoid undue concentration, the initial weights of all Index constituents are subject to the following capping constraints:

 

●

The maximum security weight is 25% of the total Index weight.

 

●

The cumulative weight of all constituents representing more than 5% of the Index cannot exceed the total Index weight. The weights in excess are redistributed proportionally among the rest of the uncapped securities.

 

●

A floor of 0.1% is applied to all securities.

  

The Index is reconstituted and rebalanced (reconstitution means the Index is updated with new eligible companies based on current data; rebalancing means the weights of the companies in the Index are adjusted) on a quarterly basis in March, June, September and December.

 

Manager of Managers Structure

 

Although the Fund is not currently sub-advised, the Fund and the Adviser have received exemptive relief from the SEC permitting the Adviser (subject to certain conditions and the approval of the Board) to change or select new sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The relief also permits the Adviser to materially amend the terms of agreements with a sub-adviser (including an increase in the fee paid by the Adviser to the sub-adviser (and not paid by the relevant Fund)) or to continue the employment of a sub-adviser after an event that would otherwise cause the automatic termination of services with Board approval, but without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any sub-adviser changes. The Adviser has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee a sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The exemptive relief applies to sub-advisers that are either wholly owned by the Adviser or its parent company, as well as to unaffiliated sub-advisers, including those whose affiliation arises solely from their sub-advisory relationship.

 

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in other investment companies beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) in rules under the 1940 Act, subject to certain conditions. The Fund may rely on Rule 12d1-4 of the 1940 Act, which provides an exemption from Section 12(d)(1) that allows the Fund to invest beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) if the Fund satisfies certain conditions specified in Rule 12d1-4, including, among other conditions, that the Fund and its advisory group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) an acquired fund (e.g., hold more than 25% of the outstanding voting securities of an acquired fund that is a registered open-end management investment company).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The following information is in addition to, and should be read along with, the description of the Fund’s principal investment risks in the section titled “Fund Summary— Principal Investment Risks” above. Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund’s, regardless of the order in which it appears. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds.

 

Chinese Investment Risk. The Fund’s significant investments in instruments that provide exposure to Chinese companies subject the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability.

 

Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. Internal social unrest or confrontations with neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation.

 

China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China’s or the region’s security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China’s rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, supply chain diversification, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions or a trade war between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. The Fund’s portfolio may include companies that are subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, the Fund is generally expected to invest in such companies.

 

Chinese companies are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. Chinese companies may also be subject to significantly weaker recordkeeping requirements than the requirements imposed upon U.S. companies. 

 

The Chinese government also plays a major role in the country’s economic policies regarding foreign investments. Foreign investors, such as the Fund, are subject to the risk of loss from expropriation or nationalization of their investment assets and property, governmental restrictions on foreign investments and the repatriation of capital invested. These risks to foreign investors may impact the ability of the Fund to track the Index, which is not subject to such restrictions. If the Fund is no longer able to seek to track the yield and price performance of the Index, the Fund will consider all options available to it, including possibly changing the Index, the performance of which it seeks to track, or its investment objective. The Chinese government also may intervene or seek to control the operations, structure, or ownership of Chinese companies, including with respect to foreign investors of such companies. For example, the Fund may invest to a significant extent in variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures. VIE structures can vary, but generally consist of a U.S.-listed company with contractual arrangements, through one or more wholly-owned special purpose vehicles, with a Chinese company that ultimately provides the U.S.-listed company with contractual rights to exercise control over and obtain economic benefits from the Chinese company. The VIE structure enables foreign investors, such as the Fund, to obtain investment exposure similar to that of an equity owner in a Chinese company in situations in which the Chinese government has restricted or prohibited the ownership of such company by foreign investors. As a result, an investment in a VIE structure subjects the Fund to the risks associated with the underlying Chinese company. Intervention by the Chinese government into the operation or ownership of VIE structures could significantly and adversely affect the Chinese company’s performance and thus, the value of the Fund’s investment in the VIE, as well as the enforceability of the VIE’s contractual arrangements with the underlying Chinese company. In the event of such an occurrence, the Fund, as a foreign investor, may have little or no legal recourse. The Fund’s investment in a VIE structure is also subject to the risk that the underlying Chinese company (or its officers, directors, or Chinese equity owners) may breach its contractual arrangements with the other entities in the VIE structure, or Chinese law changes in a way that adversely affects the enforceability of these arrangements, or those contracts are otherwise not enforceable under Chinese law, in which case the Fund may suffer significant losses on its VIE investments with little or no recourse available.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund’s investment exposure will be concentrated in (or substantially exposed to) the same industry or group of industries to the extent the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares that invest in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. 

 

Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in derivatives which exposes the Fund to the risk that the counterparty will not fulfill its obligation to the Fund. Counterparty risk may arise because of the counterparty’s financial condition (i.e., financial difficulties, bankruptcy, or insolvency), market activities and developments, or other reasons, whether foreseen or not. A counterparty’s inability to fulfill its obligation may result in significant financial loss to the Fund and the Fund may be unable to recover its investment from such counterparty or may obtain a limited and/or delayed recovery.

 

Counterparties may seek to hedge their exposure to individual clients (such as the Fund) by establishing offsetting exposures with other clients, however, there is no guarantee that counterparties will do so under all circumstances. Should a counterparty (e.g., a swap counterparty) terminate its relationship with the Fund, the Fund will seek to utilize other counterparties to seek to maintain its exposures. In addition, the Fund may enter into swap agreements with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk. Further, there is a risk that no suitable counterparties will be willing to enter into, or continue to enter into, transactions with the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.

 

Data Risk. The composition of the Index is heavily dependent on information and data supplied by third parties (“Data”). When Data proves to be incorrect or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon may lead to the inclusion or exclusion of securities from the Index universe that would have been excluded or included had the Data been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.

 

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of derivatives may result in larger losses or smaller gains than directly investing in securities. When the Fund uses derivatives, there may be an imperfect correlation between the value of the underlying reference asset and the derivative, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Because derivatives often require only a limited initial investment, the use of derivatives may expose the Fund to losses in excess of those amounts initially invested. In addition, the Fund’s investments in derivatives are subject to the following risks:

 

Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events. For the Fund in particular, the value of the options contracts in which it invests are substantially influenced by the value of the relevant underlying securities. The Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option positions held by the Fund may expire worthless. The options held by the Fund are exercisable at the strike price on their expiration date. As an option approaches its expiration date, its value typically increasingly move with the value of the underlying instrument. However, prior to such date, the value of an option generally does not increase or decrease at the same rate as the underlying instrument. There may at times be an imperfect correlation between the movement in the values of options contracts and the underlying instrument, and there may at times not be a liquid secondary market for certain options contracts. The value of the options held by the Fund will be determined based on market quotations or other recognized pricing methods. Additionally, as the Fund may continuously maintain indirect exposure to one or more of the underlying securities through the use of options contracts, as the options contracts it holds are exercised or expire it will enter into new options contracts, a practice referred to as “rolling.” If the expiring options contracts do not generate proceeds enough to cover the cost of entering into new options contracts, the Fund may experience losses.  

 

Swap Agreements. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the Adviser to structure such swap agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and to identify appropriate counterparties. If the Adviser is unable to enter into swap agreements that provide the desired synthetic exposure to the underlying security, the Fund may not meet its stated investment objective. Additionally, any financing, transaction, or other costs associated with using swap transactions may have the effect of lowering the Fund’s return.  

 

The swap agreements in which the Fund invests are generally traded in the over-the-counter market, which generally has less transparency than exchange-traded derivative instruments. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the return (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined reference assets, securities, or instruments. The gross return to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties is calculated based on a notional amount or the return on or change in value of a particular dollar amount invested in the reference asset.

 

If the underlying security experiences a significant price movement that causes a material change in the Fund’s net assets, the terms of a swap agreement between the Fund and its counterparty may permit the counterparty to close out the swap transaction with the Fund. In that event, the Fund may be unable to enter into another swap agreement or invest in other derivatives to maintain exposure consistent with its investment objective. This may temporarily reduce the Fund’s ability to maintain its intended level of synthetic exposure until replacement transactions can be established.

 

Certain of the swap agreements entered into by the Fund may be unfunded total return swaps, pursuant to which the Fund does not make an initial investment of the full notional amount of the swap. As a result, the Fund is exposed to the risk that its counterparty will be unable to meet its obligations under the swap agreement, and the Fund’s exposure to a counterparty generally equals the net amount owed to the Fund based on the daily change in value of the reference asset. In the event of a counterparty default or insolvency, the Fund may incur losses in excess of the collateral, if any, posted by the counterparty, and the timing and amount of any recovery may be uncertain. In addition, the use of unfunded swap agreements may create economic leverage for the Fund, which may magnify gains and losses and increase the volatility of the Fund’s returns.

 

Equity Total Return Swaps. A total return swap (also sometimes referred to as a synthetic equity swap or “contract for difference” when written with respect to an equity security or basket of equity securities) is an agreement between two parties under which the parties agree to make payments to each other so as to replicate the economic consequences that would apply had a purchase or short sale of the underlying reference instrument or index thereof taken place. For example, one party agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on the notional amount of an underlying equity security and any dividends declared with respect to that equity security. In return the other party makes payments, typically at a floating rate, calculated based on the notional amount.

 

Economic and Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in the general financial markets, a particular financial market, or other asset classes, due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics. The imposition by the U.S. of tariffs on goods imported from foreign countries and reciprocal tariffs levied on U.S. goods by those countries also may lead to volatility and instability in domestic and foreign markets.

 

Equity Market Risk. Common stocks, such as those held by the Fund, are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from specific issuers. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests.

 

ETF Risks

 

Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that are authorized to purchase and redeem Shares directly from the Fund (known as “Authorized Participants” or “APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services; or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy may require it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. For example, the Fund may not be able to redeem in-kind certain securities held by the Fund (e.g., derivative instruments). In such a case, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. By paying out higher annual capital gain distributions, investors may be subjected to increased capital gains taxes. The costs associated with cash redemptions may include brokerage costs that the Fund may not have incurred if it had made the redemptions in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, decreasing its NAV, to the extent these costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an authorized participant.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Buying or selling Shares involves certain costs, including brokerage commissions, other charges imposed by brokers, and bid-ask spreads. The bid-ask spread represents the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares. The spread varies over time based on the Shares’ trading volume and market liquidity. The spread is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, frequent trading of Shares may reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although Shares are listed on a national securities exchange, such as [ ] (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s shares may lead to wider bid-ask spreads and differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of the shares.

 

Liquidity Risk. In certain circumstances, such as the disruption of the orderly markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund might not be able to acquire or dispose of certain holdings quickly or at prices that represent true market value in the judgment of the Adviser. Markets for the financial instruments in which the Fund invests may be disrupted by a number of events, including but not limited to economic crises, health crises, natural disasters, excessive volatility, new legislation, or regulatory changes inside or outside of the U.S. These situations may have an impact on the liquidity of the Fund’s own shares.”

 

Focused Portfolio Risk. The Fund will hold a relatively focused portfolio that may contain exposure to the securities of fewer issuers than the portfolios of other ETFs. Holding a relatively focused portfolio may increase the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of one or a few investments.

 

Foreign Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in foreign companies. Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities or other instruments of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments and may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. companies. Financial markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient, or liquid as financial markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of non-U.S. securities and instruments can be more volatile. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which may include the imposition of economic sanctions. Generally, there is less readily available and reliable information about non-U.S. issuers due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards and regulatory practices. Investments in foreign companies’ securities, including investments via depositary receipts, are subject to special risks, including the following:

 

●

Currency Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates can negatively affect securities denominated in and/or receiving revenues in foreign currencies. Adverse changes in currency exchange rates (relative to the U.S. dollar) may erode or reverse any potential gains from the Fund’s investments in securities denominated in a foreign currency or may widen existing losses. The liquidity and trading value of foreign currencies could be affected by global economic factors, such as inflation, interest rate levels, and trade balances among countries, as well as the actions of sovereign governments and central banks.

 

	●	Depositary Receipt Risk. Depositary receipts involve risks similar to those associated with investments in foreign securities and give rise to certain additional risks. Depositary receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges are issued by banks or trust companies and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares (Underlying Shares). When the Fund invests in depositary receipts as a substitute for an investment directly in the Underlying Shares, the Fund is exposed to the risk that the depositary receipts may not provide a return that corresponds precisely with that of the Underlying Shares.
	●	Developed Markets Risk. Many developed market countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries.

 

High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings as it seeks to track the Index. A high portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses. Frequent trading may also cause adverse tax consequences for investors in the Fund due to an increase in short-term capital gains.

 

Index Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy is linked to an Index maintained by the Index Provider that exercises complete control over the Index. The Index Provider may delay or add a rebalance date, which may adversely impact the performance of the Fund and its correlation to the Index. In addition, there is no guarantee that the methodology used by the Index Provider to identify constituents for the Index will achieve its intended result or positive performance. Errors in Index data, Index computations or the construction of the Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and/or corrected for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. The information technology sector includes companies engaged in internet software and services, technology hardware and storage peripherals, electronic equipment instruments and components, and semiconductors and semiconductor equipment, among other things. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face rapid product obsolescence due to technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Failure to introduce new products, develop and maintain a loyal customer base, or achieve general market acceptance for their products could have a material adverse effect on a company’s business. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on intellectual property and the loss of patent, copyright and trademark protections may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

 

IPO/SPAC/de-SPAC Risk. The Fund may invest in companies that have recently completed an IPO, are derived from a SPAC, or are derived from a de-SPAC business combination, including SPACs that have not yet completed a business combination (“Pre-Combination” SPACs). These companies may be unseasoned and lack a trading history, a track record of reporting to investors, and widely available research coverage. IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPAC business combinations are thus often subject to extreme price volatility and speculative trading. These stocks may have above-average price appreciation in connection with the IPO or relevant transaction prior to the Fund’s purchase. The price of stocks selected may not continue to appreciate and the performance of these stocks may not replicate the performance exhibited in the past. In addition, IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPAC business combinations may share similar illiquidity risks of private equity and venture capital. The ownership of many IPOs and stocks derived from SPACs or de-SPACs often includes large holdings by venture capital and private equity investors who seek to sell their shares in the public market in the months following an IPO or relevant transaction when shares restricted by lock-up are released, causing greater volatility and possible downward pressure during the time that locked-up shares are released, and SPAC investments may involve additional risks, including pricing misalignment, limited publicly available information, dependence on the sponsor’s ability to identify and consummate a business combination, potential conflicts of interest, and, in the case of Pre-Combination SPACs, the risk that a suitable business combination is not completed within a specified time period, which may result in liquidation of the SPAC.

 

Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, epidemics/pandemics, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the United States. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value, especially in changing or volatile markets. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid security at an unfavorable time or price, the Fund may be adversely impacted. There is no assurance that a security that is deemed liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Fund.

 

Management Risk. The risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by the investment adviser will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment adviser and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved.

 

Money Market Instrument Risk. The Fund may use a variety of money market instruments for cash management purposes, including money market funds, depositary accounts and repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk related to the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. Money market instruments, including money market funds, may lose money through fees or other means.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of an investment in a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than if the Fund held a more diversified portfolio.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is subject to risks arising from various operational factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third-parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund relies on third-parties for a range of services, including custody. Any delay or failure relating to engaging or maintaining such service providers may affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective. Although the Fund and Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures, there is no way to completely protect against such risks.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, its Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform its Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to its Index.

 

Semiconductor & Semiconductor Equipment Industry Risks. Semiconductor companies may face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on their profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs.

 

Tax Risk. The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year to be treated as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income and net capital gain that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it satisfies certain requirements of the Code. If the Fund does not qualify as a RIC for any taxable year and certain relief provisions are not available, the Fund’s taxable income will be subject to tax at the Fund level and to a further tax at the shareholder level when such income is distributed. To comply with the asset diversification test applicable to a RIC, the Fund will attempt to ensure that the value of swap contracts on shares of a single issuer does not exceed 25% of the Fund’s value at the close of any quarter. If the value of swap contracts and options on shares of a single issuer were to exceed 25% of the Fund’s total assets at the end of a tax quarter, the Fund, generally, has a grace period to cure such lack of compliance. If the Fund fails to timely cure, it may no longer be eligible to be treated as a RIC.

 

Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals Industry Risk. Technology hardware, storage and peripherals companies can be significantly affected by competitive pressures, aggressive pricing, technological developments, changing domestic demand, the ability to attract and retain skilled employees and availability and price of components. The market for products produced by these companies is characterized by rapidly changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. The success of technology hardware companies depends in substantial part on the timely and successful introduction of new products. An unexpected change in one or more of the technologies affecting an issuer’s products or in the market for products based on a particular technology could have a material adverse effect on a participant’s operating results. Many of these companies rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secret laws to establish and protect their proprietary rights in their products and technologies. There can be no assurance that the steps taken by the companies to protect their proprietary rights will be adequate to prevent misappropriation of their technology or that competitors will not independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to such companies’ technology.

 

Tracking Error Risk. While the Fund generally seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index, the performance of the Fund and its Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.

 

Underlying Index Risk. Neither the Fund’s investment adviser nor the Index Provider is able to guarantee the continuous availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. The calculation and dissemination of the Index values may be delayed if the information technology or other facilities of the Index Provider, calculation agent, data providers and/or relevant stock exchange malfunction for any reason. A significant delay may cause trading in shares of the Fund to be suspended. Errors in Index data, computation and/or the construction in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider, calculation agent or other applicable party for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Warrants and Rights Risk. The Fund may receive or invest in warrants or rights in connection with its purchase of equity securities, including SPAC units. Warrants and rights do not represent an ownership interest in the issuer but instead confer the right to purchase underlying securities at a specified price, subject to the terms of the instrument. Accordingly, holders of warrants or rights generally do not have voting rights, receive dividends, or have rights with respect to the assets of the issuer. Investments in warrants and rights are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. The value of warrants and rights may be highly volatile and may not move in tandem with the value of the underlying securities. In addition, warrants and rights are complex financial instruments, and their accounting treatment and valuation involve significant judgment. For example, depending on their terms and the specific facts and circumstances of the issuer, warrants may be classified as equity or as assets or liabilities of the issuer, which can affect their valuation and increase the risk of error. Warrants and rights are also subject to the risk that they may expire worthless if not exercised or sold prior to expiration. In addition, the effective cost of acquiring the underlying securities upon exercise (i.e., the purchase price of the warrant or right plus the exercise price) may exceed the market value of the underlying securities at the time of exercise. With respect to SPAC-related investments, if a SPAC does not complete a business combination within the specified time period, any associated warrants or rights held by the Fund may expire worthless.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

 

Information about the Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is, or will be, available on the Fund’s website at www.defianceetfs.com.

 

A complete description of the Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI.

 

MANAGEMENT

 

Investment Adviser

 

Tidal Investments LLC (“Tidal” or “Adviser”), a Tidal Financial Group company, located at 234 West Florida Street, Suite 700, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204, is an SEC registered investment adviser and a Delaware limited liability company. Tidal was founded in March 2012 and is dedicated to understanding, researching and managing assets within the expanding ETF universe. As of [ ], 2026, Tidal had assets under management of approximately $[ ] billion and served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser for [ ] registered funds.

 

Tidal serves as investment adviser to the Fund and has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement with the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Adviser is responsible for trading portfolio securities for the Fund, including selecting broker-dealers to execute purchase and sale transactions. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other related services necessary for the Fund to operate. For the services provided to the Fund, the Fund pays the Adviser a unitary management fee of [ ]%, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate based on the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

Under the Advisory Agreement, in exchange for a single unitary management fee from the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Fund, except for its advisory fee, interest charges on any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, distribution fees and expenses paid by the Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and litigation expenses, and other non-routine or extraordinary expenses (collectively, the “Excluded Expenses”).

 

Advisory Agreement

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Fund’s Investment Advisory Agreement will be available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Certified Shareholder report to shareholders on Form N-CSR for the period ending [ ], 2026.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

The following individuals (each, a “Portfolio Manager”) have served as portfolio managers of the Fund since inception. Each of Mr. Hicks and Ms. Duan is jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Andy Hicks, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser

 

Mr. Hicks serves as Senior Vice President of Trading for the Adviser, having joined the Adviser in September 2025. Mr. Hicks previously served as Director of ETF Portfolio Management, Trading, and Research at SS&C ALPS Advisors for over ten years. Prior to SS&C ALPS Advisors, Mr. Hicks held roles as a Senior Equity Trader and Research Analyst with Virtus Investment Partners, specializing in equity and ETF trading, and a head equity trader for SCM Advisors. With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Hicks holds an accounting/ finance degree from Miami University (Ohio) and an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado - Denver.

 

Qiao Duan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for the Adviser

 

Qiao Duan serves as Portfolio Manager at the Adviser, having joined the firm in October 2020. From February 2017 to October 2020, she was an execution Portfolio Manager at Exponential ETFs, where she managed research and analysis relating to all Exponential ETF strategies. Ms. Duan previously served as a portfolio manager for the Exponential ETFs from their inception in May 2019 until October 2020. Ms. Duan received a Master of Science in Quantitative Finance and Risk Management from the University of Michigan in 2016 and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Xiamen University in 2014. She holds the CFA designation. 

 

CFA^® is a registered trademark owned by the CFA Institute.

 

The Fund’s SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation structure, other accounts that the portfolio manager manages, and each portfolio manager’s ownership of Shares.

 

Fund Sponsor

 

The Adviser has entered into a fund sponsorship agreement with Defiance ETFs, LLC (“Defiance”) pursuant to which Defiance is a sponsor to the Fund. Under this arrangement, Defiance has agreed to provide financial support (as described below) to the Fund. Every month, unitary management fees for the Fund are calculated and paid to the Adviser, and the Adviser retains a portion of the unitary management fees from the Fund.

 

In return for its financial support for the Fund, the Adviser has agreed to pay Defiance a portion of any remaining profits generated by unitary management fee the Fund. If the amount of the unitary management fees for the Fund exceeds the Fund’s operating expenses and the Adviser-retained amount, that excess amount is considered “remaining profit.” In that case, the Adviser will pay a portion of the remaining profits to Defiance.

 

If the amount of the unitary management fee for the Fund is less than the Fund’s operating expenses and the Adviser-retained amount, Defiance is obligated to reimburse the Adviser for a portion of the shortfall.

 

HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by the Fund’s transfer agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.

 

In order to purchase Creation Units of the Fund, an AP must generally deposit a designated portfolio of equity securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units primarily with cash, rather than through in-kind delivery of portfolio securities, may cause the Fund to incur certain costs. These costs could include brokerage costs or taxable gains or losses that it might not have incurred if it had made redemption in-kind. These costs could be imposed on the Fund, and thus decrease the Fund’s NAV, to the extent that the costs are not offset by a transaction fee payable by an AP.

 

Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Individual Shares are listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities.

 

When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offer price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may pay more than NAV when you buy Shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell those Shares.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” through your brokerage account.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares

 

The Fund does not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Shares. In determining not to approve a written, established policy, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Fund’s shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with the Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Share trading prices in line with the NAV. As such, the Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, the Fund employs fair value pricing and may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, each day the NYSE is open for regular business. The NAV for the Fund is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by its Shares outstanding.

 

In calculating a Fund’s NAV per Share, the Fund’s investments are generally valued using market valuations. A market valuation generally means a valuation (1) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer), (2) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service, or a major market maker (or dealer) or (3) based on amortized cost. In the case of shares of other funds that are not traded on an exchange, a market valuation means such fund’s published NAV per share. The Fund may use various pricing services, or discontinue the use of any pricing service, as approved by the Board from time to time. A price obtained from a pricing service based on such pricing service’s valuation matrix may be considered a market valuation. Any assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.

 

Exchange-traded options are valued at the composite mean price, calculated as the average of the highest bid and lowest ask prices across the exchanges on which the option is principally traded. Additionally, the Fund values swap agreements based on the nature of the underlying reference asset or index. The Fund may use the closing price of the underlying reference asset, as provided by independent pricing services, or evaluated prices generated by pricing vendors’ models.

 

Debt securities are valued by using an evaluated mean of the bid and asked prices provided by independent pricing agents. The independent pricing agents may employ methodologies that utilize actual market transactions (if the security is actively traded), broker dealer supplied valuations, or other methodologies designed to identify the market value for such securities. In arriving at valuations, such methodologies generally consider factors such as security prices, yields, maturities, call features, ratings and developments relating to specific securities.

 

Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities and money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of regular trading hours of the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are determined as of such times.

 

Fair Value Pricing

 

The Board has designated the Adviser as the “valuation designee” for the Fund under Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act, subject to its oversight. The Adviser has adopted procedures and methodologies, which have been approved by the Board, to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) an investment has been delisted or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) an investment’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) an investment’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) an investment’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the investment’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment, the Adviser will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the investment, general and/or specific market conditions, and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the investment. Fair value determinations are made in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Adviser’s valuation procedures. The Adviser will fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the investment upon the sale of such investment.

 

Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding

 

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

The Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, [annually/monthly], and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually.

 

The Fund will declare and pay income and capital gain distributions, if any, in cash. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

 

Taxes

 

The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. Your investment in the Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

 

The Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, the Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions, when you sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).

 

The following general discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences is based on provisions of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this Prospectus. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.

 

Taxes on Distributions. The Fund intends to pay out dividends and interest income, if any, [annually/monthly], and distribute any net realized capital gains to its shareholders at least annually. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of net capital gains (if any) are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned their Shares. Sales of assets held by the Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by the Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of the Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. Distributions of short-term capital gain will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Shares.

 

Distributions reported by the Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In addition, dividends that the Fund receives in respect of stock of certain foreign corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. Corporate shareholders may be entitled to a dividends-received deduction for the portion of dividends they receive from the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations, subject to certain limitations. Given the investment strategies of the Fund, it is unlikely that any dividends paid by the Fund will be qualified dividends or be eligible for the corporate dividends paid deduction.

 

Shortly after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the character of any distributions received from the Fund.

 

In addition to the federal income tax, certain individuals, trusts, and estates may be subject to a Net Investment Income (“NII”) tax of 3.8%. The NII tax is imposed on the lesser of: (i) a taxpayer’s investment income, net of deductions properly allocable to such income; or (ii) the amount by which such taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds ($250,000 for married individuals filing jointly, $200,000 for unmarried individuals and $125,000 for married individuals filing separately). The Fund’s distributions are includable in a shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax. In addition, any capital gain realized by a shareholder upon a sale or redemption of shares of the Fund is includable in such shareholder’s investment income for purposes of this NII tax.

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Shares).

 

You may wish to avoid investing in the Fund shortly before a dividend or other distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment.

 

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by the Fund will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met.

 

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), the Fund may be required to withhold a generally nonrefundable 30% tax on distributions of net taxable income paid to (A) certain “foreign financial institutions” unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, monitor, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) the identity of certain of its account-holders, among other items (or unless such entity is otherwise deemed compliant under the terms of an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the foreign financial institution’s country of residence), and (B) certain “non-financial foreign entities” unless such entity certifies to the Fund that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner, among other items. This FATCA withholding tax could also affect the Fund’s return on its investments in foreign securities or affect a shareholder’s return if the shareholder holds its Fund shares through a foreign intermediary. You are urged to consult your tax adviser regarding the application of this FATCA withholding tax to your investment in the Fund and the potential certification, compliance, due diligence, reporting, and withholding obligations to which you may become subject in order to avoid this withholding tax.

 

The Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder owns Shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that they are not subject to such withholding.

 

Taxes When Shares are Sold on the Exchange

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if Shares have been held for one year or less. However, any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of Capital Gain Dividends paid with respect to such Shares. Any loss realized on a sale will be disallowed to the extent Shares of the Fund are acquired, including through reinvestment of dividends, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of substantially identical Shares.

 

Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

An AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate basis in the securities delivered plus the amount of any cash paid for the Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The IRS may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market their holdings) or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible.

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if such Shares have been held for one year or less.

 

The Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that they might not have recognized if they had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.

 

Foreign Investments by the Fund

 

Interest and other income received by the Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax treaties or conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If, as of the close of a taxable year, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets consists of certain foreign stock or securities, the Fund will be eligible to elect to pass through to investors the amount of certain qualifying foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund during that taxable year. This means that investors would be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax. If the Fund does not so elect, the Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by the Fund. The Fund (or its administrative agent) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

Important Tax Considerations When Purchasing Fund Shares

 

If you are investing through a taxable account, you should carefully consider the timing of your investment relative to the Fund’s distribution schedule. Purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution may increase your tax liability, a situation commonly referred to as “buying a dividend.”

 

When the Fund makes a distribution, its share price typically drops by an amount roughly equal to the distribution. As a hypothetical example, if you invest $5,000 to purchase 250 shares at $20 per share on December 15, and the Fund pays a $1 per share distribution on December 16, the share price would adjust to $19 (ignoring market fluctuations). Although your total investment value remains $5,000 (250 shares × $19 in share value plus 250 shares × $1 distribution), you would owe taxes on the $250 distribution, even if you reinvest the distribution rather than receiving it in cash.

 

Distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains realized by the Fund before you invested, and even if they were reflected in the purchase price of the shares. Consequently, you may incur taxes on income or gains that accrued before your investment, without corresponding benefit.

 

Unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged account, such as an IRA or an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you may wish to avoid purchasing Fund shares shortly before a distribution. You can minimize the potential tax impact by reviewing the Fund’s distribution schedule prior to investing. When available, information about the Fund’s distribution schedule can be found on the Fund’s website at www.defianceetfs.com.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to foreign, state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group (dba ACA Group), (the “Distributor”), the Fund’s distributor, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101.

 

The Board has adopted a Distribution (Rule 12b-1) Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of its Shares.

 

No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of assets of the Fund on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

 

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION

 

Information regarding how often Shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund can be found on the Fund’s website at www.defianceetfs.com.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTICES

 

Shares are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of, the timing, prices, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of Shares.

 

Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

 

The Adviser and the Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in any Fund particularly.

 

The Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust (“Declaration of Trust”) provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative or direct actions by shareholders in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to the Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand by three unrelated shareholders must first be made on the Fund’s Trustees. The Declaration of Trust details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgments that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the Trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholders may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholders are able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders owning Shares representing no less than a majority of the Fund’s outstanding shares must join in bringing the derivative action. If a demand is rejected, the complaining shareholders will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand, if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. If a derivative action is brought in violation of the Declaration of Trust, the shareholders bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees, if a court determines that the action was brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder may bring a direct action claiming injury as a shareholder of the Trust, or any Fund, where the matters alleged (if true) would give rise to a claim by the Trust or by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, unless the shareholder has suffered an injury distinct from that suffered by the shareholders of the Trust, or the Fund, generally. Under the Declaration of Trust, a shareholder bringing a direct claim must be a shareholder of the Fund with respect to which the direct action is brought at the time of the injury complained of or have acquired the shares afterwards by operation of law from a person who was a shareholder at that time. The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Fund shall be responsible for payment of attorneys’ fees and legal expenses incurred by a complaining shareholder only if required by law, and any attorneys’ fees that the Fund is obligated to pay shall be calculated using reasonable hourly rates. These provisions do not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws.

 

The Declaration of Trust also requires that actions by shareholders against the Fund be brought exclusively in a federal or state court located within the State of Delaware. This provision will not apply to claims brought under the federal securities laws. Limiting shareholders’ ability to bring actions only in courts located in Delaware may cause shareholders economic hardship to litigate the action in those courts, including paying for travel expenses of witnesses and counsel, requiring the retention of local counsel, and may limit shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that shareholders find favorable for disputes, which may discourage such actions.

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

This section would ordinarily include Financial Highlights. The Financial Highlights table is intended to help you understand the performance of the Fund for its periods of operations. Because the Fund has not yet completed its initial fiscal period as of the date of this Prospectus, no Financial Highlights are shown.

 

Defiance ETFs

 

Adviser	Tidal Investments LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 700 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204	Administrator	Tidal ETF Services LLC 234 West Florida Street, Suite 700 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204
Distributor	Foreside Fund Services, LLC 190 Middle Street, Suite 301 Portland, Maine 04101	Fund Accountant and Transfer Agent	U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services 615 East Michigan Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Legal Counsel	Troutman Pepper Locke LLP 3000 Two Logan Square Eighteenth and Arch Streets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103	Custodian	U.S. Bank National Association 1555 North Rivercenter Dr. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	[   ]

 

Investors may find more information about the Fund in the following documents:

 

Statement of Additional Information: The Fund’s SAI provides additional details about the Fund’s investments and certain other additional information. A current SAI dated [ ], 2026, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. It is legally considered a part of this Prospectus.

 

Annual/Semi-Annual Reports: Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In the annual Certified Shareholder Report on Form N-CSR you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance after the first fiscal year the Fund is in operation. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.

 

When available, you can obtain free copies of these documents request other information or make general inquiries about the Fund by contacting the Fund at the Defiance ETFs, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services P.O. Box 219252, Kansas City, Missouri 64121-9252 or calling (833) 333-9383.

 

Shareholder reports, the Fund’s current Prospectus and SAI and other information about the Fund will be available:

 

	●	Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or
	●	Free of charge from the Fund’s Internet website at www.defianceetfs.com; or
	●	For a fee, by e-mail request to [email protected].

 

(SEC Investment Company Act File No. 811-24116)