The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not
sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the 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
state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION, DATED August 22, 2025
PRELIMINARY
PROSPECTUS

Grayscale
XRP Trust
Grayscale
XRP Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware statutory trust that issues common units
of fractional undivided beneficial interest (“Shares”), which represent
ownership in the Trust. In connection with the effectiveness of this
registration statement and the listing of the Shares on NYSE Arca, the Sponsor
intends to rename the Trust as Grayscale XRP Trust ETF by filing a Certificate
of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware Secretary of State in
accordance with the provisions of the DSTA. The Trust’s purpose is to hold
“XRP”, which are digital assets based on an open source cryptographic protocol
existing on the XRP Network, comprising units that constitute the assets
underlying the Trust’s Shares. The Trust’s investment objective is for the value
of the Shares (based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the
Trust, as determined by reference to the Index Price (as defined herein), less
the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities. While an investment in the Shares is
not a direct investment in XRP, the Shares are designed to provide investors
with a cost-effective and convenient way to gain investment exposure to XRP.
Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC and Grayscale Operating, LLC are the
co-sponsors of the Trust (each, a “Sponsor” or the “Co-Sponsors”). Prior to May
3, 2025, all references herein to the “Sponsor” shall be deemed to include both
Sponsors unless the context otherwise requires, and on or after May 3, 2025, all
references herein to the “Sponsor” shall refer only to Grayscale Investments
Sponsors, LLC. CSC Delaware Trust Company is the trustee of the Trust (the
“Trustee”), The Bank of New York Mellon is the transfer agent of the Trust (in
such capacity, the “Transfer Agent”) and the administrator of the Trust (in such
capacity, the “Administrator”), Coinbase, Inc. is the prime broker of the Trust
(the “Prime Broker”) and Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC is the custodian of
the Trust (the “Custodian”).
Prior
to this offering, there has been no public market for the Shares. The Trust
intends to list the Shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) under the symbol
“GXRP.” The Trust intends to issue Shares on a continuous basis and is
registering an indeterminate number of Shares. It is expected that the Shares
will be sold to the public at varying prices to be determined by reference to,
among other considerations, the price of XRP and the trading price of the Shares
on the NYSE Arca at the time of each sale.
The
Shares may be purchased from the Trust only in one or more blocks of 10,000
Shares (a block of 10,000 Shares is called a “Basket”). The Trust issues Baskets
of Shares to certain authorized participants (“Authorized Participants”) on an
ongoing basis as described in “Plan of Distribution.” In addition, the Trust
redeems Shares in Baskets on an ongoing basis from Authorized Participants. The
Trust is currently able to accept Cash Orders (as defined herein), pursuant to
which an Authorized Participant will deposit cash into, or accept cash from, the
Cash Account in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets, and a
third party (a “Liquidity Provider”) that is not an agent of, or otherwise
acting on behalf of, such Authorized Participant will obtain or receive XRP in
exchange for cash in connection with such order. However, the Trust is not at
this time able to create and redeem shares via in-kind transactions with
Authorized Participants. Although the SEC recently approved orders to permit
in-kind creations and redemptions by authorized participants for certain spot
digital asset exchange-traded product (“ETP”) shares, it is not yet clear
whether or how market participants, including registered broker-dealers, will
adjust their activities to account for the new orders. In light of the new
orders, NYSE Arca may seek the necessary regulatory approval to amend its
listing rules to permit the Trust to do so (the “In-Kind Regulatory Approval”).
Subject to NYSE Arca seeking and obtaining In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the
future the Trust may also create and redeem Shares via in-kind transactions with
Authorized Participants or their designees (any such designee, an “AP Designee”)
in exchange for XRP. There can be no assurance as to when NYSE Arca will seek or
obtain such regulatory approval, if at all. See “Description of Creation and
Redemption of Shares.” Some of the activities of the Authorized Participants
will result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner
which would render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus-delivery and liability provisions under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “Securities Act”). See “Plan of Distribution.”
Investing
in the Shares involves significant risks. You should carefully consider the risk
factors described in “Risk Factors” starting on page 17 before you invest in the
Shares.
The
Trust is an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business
Startups Act and will therefore be subject to reduced reporting requirements.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is
truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The
Shares are neither interests in nor obligations of the Sponsor or the
Trustee.
The
U.S. dollar value of a Basket of Shares at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the
trade date of a creation or redemption order is equal to the “Basket Amount”,
which is the amount of XRP required to create or redeem a Basket of Shares,
multiplied by the “Index Price,” which is the U.S. dollar value of an XRP
derived from the Digital Asset Trading Platforms (as defined herein) that are
reflected in the CoinDesk Ripple Price Index (XRX) (the “Index”), calculated at
4:00 p.m., New York time, on each business day. The Index Price is calculated
using non-GAAP methodology and is not used in the Trust’s financial
statements.
The
Trust is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) and is therefore not subject to
regulation under the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, the Sponsor believes
that the Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange
Act of 1936, as amended (the “CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) and that neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee is
subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator or a commodity
trading advisor. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the
Shares— Shareholders do not have the protections associated with ownership of
shares in an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act or
the protections afforded by the CEA.”
The
date of this prospectus is , 2025.
table
of contents
Neither
the Trust nor the Sponsor has authorized anyone to provide you with any
information other than that contained in this prospectus or any free writing
prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Trust. Neither the Trust nor the
Sponsor takes any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the
reliability of, any information that others may give you. Neither the Trust nor
the Sponsor is making an offer to sell any security or soliciting any offer to
buy any security in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
You should not assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any
free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the respective
dates on the front of such documents. The Trust’s business, assets, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those
dates.
This
prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or an invitation on behalf of
the Trust or the Sponsor, to subscribe to or purchase any securities, and may
not be used for or in connection with an offer or solicitation by anyone, in any
jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any
person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation.
Authorized
Participants may be required to deliver a prospectus when making transactions in
the Shares. The information contained in the section captioned
“Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market” is based on information
obtained from sources that the Sponsor believes are reliable. This prospectus
summarizes certain documents and other information in a manner the Sponsor
believes to be accurate. In making an investment decision, you must rely on your
own examination of the Trust, the XRP industry, the operation of the XRP market
and the terms of the offering and the Shares, including the merits and risks
involved. Although the Sponsor believes this information to be reliable, the
accuracy and completeness of this information is not guaranteed and has not been
independently verified.
See
“Glossary of Defined Terms” for the definition of certain capitalized terms used
in this prospectus.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This
prospectus contains “forward-looking statements” with respect to the Trust’s
financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, future
performance and business. Statements preceded by, followed by or that include
words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of
these terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify some of the
forward-looking statements. All statements (other than statements of historical
fact) included in this prospectus that address activities, events or
developments that will or may occur in the future, including such matters as
changes in market prices and conditions, the Trust’s operations, the Sponsor’s
plans and references to the Trust’s future success and other similar matters are
forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. Actual events
or results may differ materially from such statements. These statements are
based upon certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor made based on its
perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future
developments, as well as other factors appropriate in the circumstances. You
should specifically consider the numerous risks described in “Risk Factors” in
this prospectus. Whether or not actual results and developments will conform to
the Sponsor’s expectations and predictions, however, is subject to a number of
risks and uncertainties, including:
•
recent
developments in the digital asset economy which have led to extreme volatility
and disruption in digital asset markets, a loss of confidence in participants of
the digital asset ecosystem, significant negative publicity surrounding digital
assets broadly and market-wide declines in liquidity;
•
the
extreme volatility of trading prices that many digital assets, including XRP,
have experienced in recent periods and may continue to experience, which could
cause the value of the Shares to be volatile and/or have a material adverse
effect on the value of the Shares;
•
the
recency of the development of digital assets and the uncertain medium-to-long
term value of the Shares due to a number of factors relating to the capabilities
and development of blockchain technologies and to the fundamental investment
characteristics of digital assets;
•
the
value of the Shares depending on the acceptance of digital assets, such as XRP,
which represent a new and rapidly evolving industry;
•
the
value of the Shares relating directly to the value of XRP then held by the
Trust, the value of which may be highly volatile and subject to fluctuations due
to a number of factors;
•
a
temporary or permanent “fork” or a “clone”, which could adversely affect the
value of the Shares;
•
the
largely unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations
of Digital Asset Trading Platforms, which may adversely affect the value of
digital assets and, consequently, the value of the Shares;
•
the
limited history of the Index;
•
the
lack of active trading markets for the Shares, which may result in losses on
investors’ investments at the time of disposition of Shares;
•
the
possibility that illiquid markets may exacerbate losses or increase the
variability between the Trust’s NAV and its market price;
•
the
possibility that there may be less liquidity or wider spreads in the market for
the Shares as compared to the shares of other spot XRP exchange-traded products,
if and when the listing of such products has been approved;
•
competition
from the emergence or growth of other digital assets could have a negative
impact on the price of XRP and adversely affect the value of the
Shares;
•
the
liquidity of the Shares may be affected if Authorized Participants cease to
perform their obligations under the Participant Agreements or the Liquidity
Engager is unable to engage Liquidity Providers;
•
the
possibility that the Shares may trade at a price that is at, above or below the
Trust’s NAV per Share as a result of the non-current trading hours between NYSE
Arca and the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market;
•
regulatory
changes or actions by the U.S. Congress or any U.S. federal or state agencies
that may affect the value of the Shares or restrict the use of one or more
digital assets, validating activity or the operation of their networks or the
Digital Asset Trading Platform Market in a manner that adversely affects the
value of the Shares;
•
a
determination that XRP or any other digital asset is a “security” may adversely
affect the value of XRP and the value of the Shares and result in potentially
extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to, or termination of, the
Trust;
•
changes
in the policies of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that
could adversely impact the value of the Shares;
•
regulatory
changes or other events in foreign jurisdictions that may affect the value of
the Shares or restrict the use of one or more digital assets, validating
activity or the operation of their networks or the Digital Asset Trading
Platform Market in a manner that adversely affects the value of the
Shares;
•
the
possibility that an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor could be
subject to regulation as a money service business or money transmitter, which
could result in extraordinary expenses to such Authorized Participant, the Trust
or the Sponsor and also result in decreased liquidity for the
Shares;
•
regulatory
changes or interpretations that could obligate the Trust or the Sponsor to
register and comply with new regulations, resulting in potentially
extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to the Trust;
•
potential
conflicts of interest that may arise among the Sponsor or its affiliates and the
Trust;
•
the
potential discontinuance of the Sponsor’s continued services, which could be
detrimental to the Trust;
•
the
lack of ability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares, which
could have adverse consequences for the Trust;
•
the
Trust’s reliance on third-party service providers to perform certain functions
essential to the affairs of the Trust and the challenges replacement of such
service providers could pose to the safekeeping of the Trust’s XRP and to the
operations of the Trust; and
•
the
Custodian’s possible resignation or removal by the Sponsor or otherwise, without
replacement, which could trigger early termination of the
Trust.
Consequently,
all forward-looking statements made in this prospectus are qualified by these
cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or
developments the Sponsor anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially
realized, that they will result in the expected consequences to, or have the
expected effects on, the Trust’s operations or the value of the Shares. Should
one or more of these risks discussed in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, or
other uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove
incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those described in
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on the
Sponsor’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made
and neither the Trust nor the Sponsor is under a duty or undertakes an
obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and
opinions or other circumstances should change, other than as required by
applicable laws. Moreover, neither the Trust, the Sponsor, nor any other person
assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these
forward-looking statements. Investors are therefore cautioned against relying on
forward-looking statements.
Prospectus
Summary
This
summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This
summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider before
deciding to invest in the Shares. You should read this entire prospectus
carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section and the consolidated financial
statements and the notes to those statements, before making an investment
decision about the Shares.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Trust
Overview
Grayscale
XRP Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on August
5, 2024, by the filing of the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware Secretary
of State in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act
(“DSTA”). Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part, the name of the Trust was Grayscale XRP Trust. In
connection with the effectiveness of this registration statement and the listing
of the Shares on NYSE Arca, the Sponsor intends to rename the Trust as Grayscale
XRP Trust ETF by filing a Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust
with the Delaware Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of the
DSTA. The Trust’s purpose is to hold “XRP”, which are digital assets that are
created and transmitted through the operations of the peer-to-peer XRP Network,
a decentralized network of computers that operates on cryptographic protocols.
There are several key features of the XRP Network. Unlike other digital assets
such as Bitcoin, which are solely created through a progressive mining process,
100 billion XRP were created in connection with the launch of the XRP Network.
Out of the 100 billion initially issued XRP, approximately 59.0 billion XRP have
entered circulation as of June 30, 2025. As of June 30, 2025, the 24-hour
trading volume of XRP was approximately $2.0 billion. As of June 30, 2025, the
aggregate market value of XRP was $132.1 billion. As of August 21, 2025, XRP was
the third largest digital asset by market capitalization, as tracked by
CoinMarketCap.com.
As
a passive investment vehicle, the Trust’s investment objective is for the value
of the Shares (based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the
Trust, determined by reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and
other liabilities. The Trust does not seek to generate returns beyond tracking
the price of XRP. There can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to
achieve its investment objective. The Trust will not utilize leverage,
derivatives or any similar arrangements in seeking to meet its investment
objective.
From
and after the date of this prospectus, the Trust intends to issue Shares on an
ongoing basis pursuant to this registration statement, intends to rely on an
exemption or other relief from the SEC under Regulation M to operate a
redemption program, and intends to list the Shares on NYSE Arca under the symbol
“GXRP.” The Shares will be distributed by Authorized Participants who will be
able to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities to keep the value of the
Shares closely linked to the Index Price (referred to as the “arbitrage
mechanism”). In particular, upon listing on NYSE Arca, the Sponsor expects there
to be a net creation of Shares if the Shares trade at a premium to NAV per Share
and a net redemption of Shares if the Shares trade at a discount to NAV per
Share, representing the effective functioning of the arbitrage
mechanism.
Thereafter,
it is expected that the Shares will be sold by the Authorized Participants to
the public at varying prices to be determined by reference to, among other
considerations, the price of the XRP represented by each Share and the trading
price of the Shares on NYSE Arca at the time of each sale.
Until
December 31, 2024, Grayscale Investments, LLC was the sponsor of the Trust. As a
result of the Reorganization (as defined herein), on January 1, 2025, Grayscale
Investments Sponsors, LLC (“GSIS”) and Grayscale Operating, LLC (“GSO”),
indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”),
became Co-Sponsors of the Trust. On January 3, 2025 GSO voluntarily withdrew as
a Sponsor of the Trust, and effective May 3, 2025 GSIS is the sole remaining
Sponsor. Prior to May 3, 2025, all references herein to the “Sponsor” shall be
deemed to include both GSIS and GSO as Sponsors unless the context otherwise
requires, and on or after May 3, 2025, all references herein to the “Sponsor”
shall refer only to GSIS. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations—Recent Developments” for more information.
CSC Delaware Trust Company is the trustee (the “Trustee”) of the Trust, The Bank
of New York Mellon is the transfer agent (in such capacity, the “Transfer
Agent”) and the administrator (in such capacity, the
“Administrator”)
of the Trust, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company is the co-transfer
agent of the Trust (the “Co-Transfer Agent”), Coinbase, Inc. is the prime broker
(the “Prime Broker”) of the Trust and Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC is the
custodian (the “Custodian”) of the Trust.
The
Trust issues Shares only in one or more blocks of 10,000 Shares (a block of
10,000 Shares is called a “Basket”) to certain authorized participants
(“Authorized Participants”) from time to time. Baskets are offered in exchange
for XRP. Through its redemption program, the Trust will redeem Shares from
Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis.
The
U.S. dollar value of a Basket of Shares at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the
trade date of a creation or redemption order is equal to the Basket Amount,
which is the amount of XRP required to create or redeem a Basket of Shares,
multiplied by the “Index Price,” which is the U.S. dollar value of an XRP
derived from the Digital Asset Trading Platforms that are reflected in the
CoinDesk Ripple Price Index (XRX) (the “Index”) at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on
each business day. The Index Price is calculated using non-GAAP methodology and
is not used in the Trust’s financial statements. See “Business—Overview of the
XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the Index Price.”
The
Basket Amount on any trade date is determined by dividing (x) the amount of XRP
owned by the Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date, after
deducting the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but
unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust (converted using the Index Price at such
time, and carried to the eighth decimal place), by (y) the number of Shares
outstanding at such time (with the quotient so obtained calculated to one
one-hundred-millionth of one XRP (i.e., carried to the eighth decimal place)),
and multiplying such quotient by 10,000.
The
Trust creates Baskets of Shares only upon receipt of XRP and will redeem Shares
only by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of XRP. At this time,
Authorized Participants may only submit orders to create or redeem Shares
through transactions that are referred to as “Cash Orders” in this prospectus.
Cash Orders are made through the participation of a Liquidity Provider (as
defined herein) and facilitated by the Transfer Agent, as described in
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.” Authorized Participants must
pay a Variable Fee (as defined herein) in connection with certain Cash
Orders.
Subject
to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future Authorized Participants would also
be able to submit orders to create or redeem shares through “In-Kind Orders.” In
connection with In-Kind Orders, Authorized Participants, or their AP Designees,
would deposit XRP directly with the Trust or receive XRP directly from the
Trust. However, because In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been obtained, at
this time Shares will not be created or redeemed through In-Kind Orders. Even if
In-Kind Regulatory Approval were sought and obtained, there can be no assurance
that in-kind creations or redemptions of the Shares will be available in the
future. To the extent in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares continue to be
unavailable for any reason, this could have adverse consequences for the Trust.
See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the Shares—The lack of
ability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could have
adverse consequences for the Trust.”
The
Shares are neither interests in nor obligations of the Sponsor or the Trustee.
As provided under the Trust Agreement, the Trust’s assets will not be loaned or
pledged, or serve as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other
similar activity to which the Sponsor, the Trust or any of their respective
affiliates are a party.
Some
of the notable features of the Trust and its Shares include the holding of XRP
in the Trust’s own accounts, the experience of the Sponsor’s management team in
the XRP industry and the use of the Custodian to protect the Trust’s private
keys. See “Business—Activities of the Trust.”
The
Sponsor maintains an Internet website
at www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp,
through
which the Trust’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,
current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished
pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “Exchange Act”), will be made available free of charge after they have been
filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in
each case following the effective date of the registration statement of which
this prospectus forms a part. Additional information regarding the Trust may
also be found on the SEC’s EDGAR database at
www.sec.gov.
The
contents of the websites referred to above and any websites referred to herein
are not incorporated into this filing or any other reports or documents we file
with or furnish to the SEC. Further, our references to the URLs for these
websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Trust
Objective and Determination of Principal Market NAV and NAV
The
Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the Shares (based on XRP per
Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the Trust, determined by reference to
the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities. There can be
no assurance that the Trust will be able to achieve its investment
objective.
While
an investment in the Shares is not a direct investment in XRP, the Shares are
designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and convenient way to gain
investment exposure to XRP. A substantial direct investment in XRP may require
expensive and sometimes complicated arrangements in connection with the
acquisition, security and safekeeping of the XRP and may involve the payment of
substantial fees to acquire such XRP from third-party facilitators through cash
payments of U.S. dollars. Because the value of the Shares is designed to be
correlated with the value of XRP held by the Trust, it is important to
understand the investment attributes of, and the market for, XRP.
The
Trust’s XRP are carried, for financial statement purposes, at fair value as
required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Trust
determines the fair value of XRP based on the price provided by the Digital
Asset Market (defined below) that the Trust considers its principal market as of
4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date. The net asset value of the
Trust determined on a GAAP basis is referred to in this prospectus as “Principal
Market NAV.” “Digital Asset Market” means a “Brokered Market,” “Dealer Market,”
“Principal-to-Principal Market” or “Exchange Market,” as each such term is
defined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting
Standards Codification (“ASC”) Master Glossary. See “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting
Policies and Estimates—Principal Market and Fair Value Determination” in this
prospectus for more information on the Trust’s principal market
selection.
The
Trust uses the Index Price to calculate its “NAV,” a non-GAAP metric, which is
the aggregate value, expressed in U.S. dollars, of the Trust’s assets (other
than U.S. dollars or other fiat currency), less the U.S. dollar value of the
Trust’s expenses and other liabilities calculated in the manner set forth under
“Business —Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV.” “NAV per Share” is
calculated by dividing NAV by the number of Shares then outstanding.
NAV
and NAV per Share are not measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. NAV is
not intended to be a substitute for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV calculated
in accordance with GAAP, and NAV per Share is not intended to be a substitute
for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV per Share calculated in accordance with
GAAP.
XRP
History
XRP
is a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the
peer-to-peer XRP Network, a decentralized network of computers that operates on
cryptographic protocols. No single entity owns or operates the XRP Network, the
infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a decentralized user base.
The XRP Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called XRP, which are
recorded on a public transaction ledger. XRP can be used to pay for goods and
services, including to send a transaction on the XRP Network, or it can be
converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on
Digital Asset Trading Platforms (as defined herein) or in individual
end-user-to-end-user transactions under a barter system. The XRP Network is
based on a shared public ledger, similar to the Bitcoin network. However, the
XRP Network differentiates itself from other digital asset networks in that its
stated primary function is transactional utility, not store of value. The XRP
Network is designed to be a global real-time payment and settlement system. As a
result, the XRP Network and XRP aim to improve the speed at which parties on the
network may transfer value while also reducing the fees and delays associated
with the traditional methods of interbank payments.
The
price of XRP on public Digital Asset Trading Platforms has a limited history,
and during this history, XRP prices on the Digital Asset Markets more generally,
and on Digital Asset Trading Platforms individually, have been volatile and
subject to influence by many factors, including operational interruptions. While
the Index is designed to
limit
exposure to the interruption of individual Digital Asset Trading Platforms, the
Index Price, and the price of XRP generally, remains subject to volatility
experienced by Digital Asset Trading Platforms, and such volatility could
adversely affect the value of the Shares. For example, from September 5, 2024
(the commencement of the Trust’s operations) through June 30, 2025, the Index
Price ranged from $0.50 to $3.29, with the straight average being $1.89. See
“Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—Historical XRP
Prices.”
Several
U.S. regulators, including the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S.
Department of the Treasury (“FinCEN”), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC”), the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and state regulators,
including the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”), have made
official pronouncements or issued guidance or rules regarding the treatment of
XRP and other digital assets. However, other U.S. and state agencies, such as
the SEC, have not made official pronouncements or issued guidance or rules
regarding the treatment of XRP. Similarly, the treatment of XRP and other
digital assets is often uncertain or contradictory in other countries. The
regulatory uncertainty surrounding the treatment of XRP creates risks for the
Trust and its Shares. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Regulation
of Digital Assets, the Trust and the Shares.”
Summary
Risk Factors
Before
you invest in the Shares, you should carefully consider all the information in
this prospectus, including matters set forth under the heading “Risk Factors.”
Some of the more significant challenges and risks relating to an investment in
the Shares include those associated with the following:
•
Extreme
volatility of trading prices that many digital assets, including XRP, have
experienced in recent periods and may continue to experience, could have a
material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all
or substantially all of their value;
•
The
medium-to-long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors
relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies and to
the fundamental investment characteristics of digital assets;
•
The
value of the Shares is dependent on the acceptance of digital assets, such as
XRP, which represent a new and rapidly evolving industry;
•
Digital
assets may have concentrated ownership and large sales or distributions by
holders of such digital assets could have an adverse effect on the market price
of such digital assets;
•
Recent
developments in the digital asset economy have led to extreme volatility and
disruption in digital asset markets, a loss of confidence in participants of the
digital asset ecosystem, significant negative publicity surrounding digital
assets broadly and market-wide declines in liquidity;
•
The
largely unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations
of Digital Asset Trading Platforms may adversely affect the value of digital
assets and, consequently, the value of the Shares;
•
The
value of the Shares relates directly to the value of XRP held by the Trust, the
value of which may be highly volatile and subject to
fluctuations;
•
The
Shares may trade at a price that is at, above or below the Trust’s NAV per Share
as a result of the non-current trading hours between NYSE Arca and the Digital
Asset Trading Platform Market;
•
Shareholders
may suffer a loss on their investment if the Shares trade above or below the
Trust’s NAV per Share;
•
A
temporary or permanent “fork” or a “clone” could adversely affect the value of
the Shares;
•
The
lack of active trading markets for the Shares may result in losses on investors’
investments at the time of disposition of
Shares;
•
Possible
illiquid markets may exacerbate losses or increase the variability between the
Trust’s NAV and its market price;
•
The
possibility that there may be less liquidity or wider spreads in the market for
the Shares as compared to the shares of other spot XRP exchange-traded products,
if and when the listing of such products has been approved;
•
The
limited history of the Index;
•
Competition
from the emergence or growth of other digital assets could have a negative
impact on the price of XRP and adversely affect the value of the
Shares;
•
The
liquidity of the Shares may be affected if Authorized Participants cease to
perform their obligations under the Participant Agreements or the Liquidity
Engager is unable to engage Liquidity Providers;
•
Any
suspension or other unavailability of the Trust’s redemption program may cause
the Shares to trade at a discount to the NAV per Share;
•
A
determination that XRP or any other digital asset is a “security” may adversely
affect the value of XRP and the value of the Shares, and result in potentially
extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to, or termination of, the
Trust;
•
Regulatory
changes or actions by the U.S. Congress or any U.S. federal or state agencies
may affect the value of the Shares or restrict the use of XRP, validating
activity or the operation of the XRP Network or the Digital Asset Markets in a
manner that adversely affects the value of the Shares;
•
Changes
in the policies of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) could
adversely impact the value of the Shares;
•
Regulatory
changes or other events in foreign jurisdictions may affect the value of the
Shares or restrict the use of one or more digital assets, validating activity or
the operation of their networks or the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market in
a manner that adversely affects the value of the Shares;
•
An
Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor could be subject to regulation
as a money service business or money transmitter, which could result in
extraordinary expenses to the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor
and also result in decreased liquidity for the Shares;
•
Regulatory
changes or interpretations could obligate the Trust or the Sponsor to register
and comply with new regulations, resulting in potentially extraordinary,
nonrecurring expenses to the Trust;
•
Conflicts
of interest may arise among the Sponsor or its affiliates and the
Trust;
•
The
Sponsor’s services may be discontinued, which could be detrimental to the
Trust;
•
The
lack of ability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could
have adverse consequences for the Trust;
•
If
the Custodian resigns or is removed by the Sponsor, or otherwise, without
replacement, it could trigger early termination of the Trust;
•
The
Trust relies on third-party service providers to perform certain functions
essential to the affairs of the Trust and the replacement of such service
providers could pose a challenge to the safekeeping of the Trust’s XRP and to
the operations of the Trust; and
•
There
is no guarantee that an active trading market for the Shares will
develop.
Emerging
Growth Company Status
The
Trust is an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business
Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”). For as long as the Trust is an emerging growth
company, unlike other public companies that are not emerging growth companies
under the JOBS Act, it will not be required to:
•
provide
an auditor’s attestation report on management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of our system of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section
404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
•
provide
more than two years of audited financial statements and related management’s
discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of
operations;
•
comply
with any new requirements that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a
supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to
provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of
the issuer;
•
provide
certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public
companies; or
•
obtain
shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously
approved.
The
Trust will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest
of:
•
the
last day of the fiscal year in which the Trust has $1.235 billion or more in
annual revenues;
•
the
date on which the Trust becomes a “large accelerated filer” under Rule 12b-2
promulgated under the Exchange Act;
•
the
date on which the Trust issues more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt
over a three-year period; or
•
the
last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the Trust’s
initial public offering.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company
can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section
7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting
standards. The Trust intends to take advantage of these reporting exemptions
until it is no longer an emerging growth company. The Trust’s election to use
the phase-in periods permitted by this election may make it difficult to compare
its financial statements to those of non-emerging growth companies and other
emerging growth companies that have opted out of the longer phase-in periods
under Section 107 of the JOBS Act and who will comply with new or revised
financial accounting standards. If the Trust were to subsequently elect instead
to comply with these public company effective dates, such election would be
irrevocable pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act.
Corporate
Information
The
offices of the Trust and the Sponsor are located at 290 Harbor Drive, 4th Floor,
Stamford, Connecticut 06902 and the Trust’s telephone number is (212) 668-1427.
The Trustee has a trust office at 2711 Centerville Road, Wilmington, Delaware
19808. The Prime Broker’s and the Custodian’s office is located at 548 Market
Street, #23008, San Francisco, CA 94104. The Transfer Agent’s office is located
at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286. Our Internet site is
www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp.
Our
website and the information contained therein or connected thereto is not
incorporated into this prospectus or the registration statement of which it
forms a part.
The
Offering
|
|
|
Shares
Offered by the Trust |
Shares
representing units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in, and
ownership of, the Trust. |
|
Use of
Proceeds |
Proceeds
received by the Trust from the issuance and sale of Baskets will consist
of XRP deposited with the Trust in connection with creations. Such XRP
will only be (i) owned by the Trust, (ii) transferred (or converted to
U.S. dollars, if necessary) to pay the Trust’s expenses, (iii) distributed
or otherwise disposed of in connection with the redemption of Baskets or
(iv) liquidated in the event that the Trust terminates or as otherwise
required by law or regulation. |
|
Proposed
NYSE Arca symbol |
GXRP |
|
CUSIP |
38965L106 |
|
Index
Price |
The
Index Price is the price of an XRP at 4:00 p.m., New York time, calculated
based on the price and trading volume data of the Digital Asset Trading
Platforms included in the Index over the preceding 24-hour period. The
Index Price is calculated using non-GAAP methodology and is not used in
the Trust’s financial statements. |
|
|
The
Index is a U.S. dollar-denominated composite reference rate for the price
of XRP. The Index is designed to (1) mitigate the effects of fraud,
manipulation and other anomalous trading activity from impacting the XRP
reference rate, (2) provide a real-time, volume-weighted fair value of XRP
and (3) appropriately handle and adjust for non-market related events. The
Index Provider formally re-evaluates the weighting algorithm quarterly,
but maintains discretion to change the way in which an Index Price is
calculated based on its periodic review or in extreme circumstances. The
exact methodology to calculate the Index Price is not publicly available.
Still, the Index is designed to limit exposure to trading or price
distortion of any individual Digital Asset Trading Platform that
experiences periods of unusual activity or limited liquidity by
discounting, in real-time, anomalous price movements at individual Digital
Asset Trading Platforms. The Digital Asset Trading Platforms that are
included in the Index are selected by the Index Provider utilizing a
methodology that is guided by the International Organization of Securities
Commissions (“IOSCO”) principles for financial benchmarks. For an exchange
to become a Constituent Trading Platform (as defined herein), it must
satisfy the Inclusion Criteria described in this prospectus, as may be
updated by the Index Provider from time to time. See “Risk Factors—Risk
Factors Related to the Digital Asset Markets—The Index Price used to
calculate the value of the Trust’s XRP may be volatile, and purchasing and
selling activity in the Digital Asset Markets associated with Basket
creations and redemptions may affect the Index Price and Share trading
prices, adversely affecting the value of the Shares.” |
|
|
Index
price data and the description of the Index are based on information
publicly available at the Index Provider’s website at
|
|
|
|
|
www.coindesk.com/indices/.
None of the information on the Index Provider’s website is incorporated by
reference into this prospectus. |
|
|
The
Index Provider may change the trading venues that are used to calculate
the Index Price or otherwise change the way in which the Index Price is
calculated at any time. If the Index Price becomes unavailable, or if the
Sponsor determines in good faith that the Index Price does not reflect an
accurate XRP price, then the Sponsor will, on a best efforts basis,
contact the Index Provider to obtain the Index Price directly from the
Index Provider. If after such contact the Index Price remains unavailable
or the Sponsor continues to believe in good faith that the Index Price
does not reflect an accurate XRP price, then the Sponsor will employ a
cascading set of rules to determine the Index Price, as described in
“Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the Index
Price.” |
|
|
The
Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select a different Index Provider,
select a different index price provided by the Index Provider, calculate
the Index Price using a cascading set of rules as described above, or
change such cascading set of rules at any time. The Sponsor will provide
notice of any such changes in the Trust’s periodic or current reports and,
if the Sponsor makes such a change other than on an ad hoc or temporary
basis, will file a proposed rule change with the SEC. |
|
|
Digital
Asset Trading Platform Public Market Data |
|
|
On each
online Digital Asset Trading Platform, XRP is traded with publicly
disclosed valuations for each executed trade, measured by one or more fiat
currencies such as the U.S. dollar or euro, or stablecoins such as U.S.
Dollar Coin (“USDC”). |
|
|
Over-the-counter
dealers or market makers do not typically disclose their trade
data. |
|
|
As of
June 30, 2025, the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index
were Coinbase, Bitstamp, Crypto.com, Kraken and LMAX Digital. As further
described below, the Sponsor and the Trust reasonably believe each of
these Digital Asset Trading Platforms are in material compliance with
applicable U.S. federal and state licensing requirements based on the
Trading Platform Category and jurisdiction, as detailed below, and
maintain practices and policies designed to comply with know-your-customer
(“KYC”) and anti-money-laundering (“AML”) regulations. |
|
|
Coinbase:
A
U.S.-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with
FinCEN, licensed as a virtual currency business under the New York State
Department of Financial Services’ (“NYDFS”) BitLicense, licensed as a
money transmitter in various U.S. states, and chartered as a limited
purpose trust company under New York Banking Law. |
|
|
Bitstamp
by Robinhood: A
U.K.-based trading platform that has U.S. operations and entities
registered as MSBs with FinCEN, holds a BitLicense, and that is licensed
as a money transmitter in various U.S.
states. |
|
|
|
|
Crypto.com: A
Singapore-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with
FinCEN and that is licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S. states
and chartered as non-depository trust company by the New Hampshire Banking
Department. Crypto.com does not hold a BitLicense. |
|
|
Kraken: A
U.S.-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with
FinCEN, and that is licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S.
states, and chartered as a Special Purpose Depository Institution by the
Wyoming Division of Banking. Kraken does not hold a
BitLicense. |
|
|
LMAX
Digital: A
U.K.-based trading platform registered as a broker with the Financial
Conduct Authority (“FCA”). LMAX Digital does not hold a
BitLicense. |
|
|
Currently,
there are several Digital Asset Trading Platforms operating worldwide, and
online Digital Asset Trading Platforms represent a substantial percentage
of XRP buying and selling activity and provide the most data with respect
to prevailing valuations of XRP. These trading platforms include
established trading platforms such as the Digital Asset Trading Platforms
included in the Index, which provide a number of options for buying and
selling XRP. The below table reflects the trading volume in XRP and market
share of the XRP-U.S. dollar trading pairs of each of the Digital Asset
Trading Platforms included in the Index as of June 30, 2025 (collectively,
“Constituent Trading Platforms”), using data since the inception of the
Trust: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index as of June 30,
2025(1) |
|
Volume
(XRP) |
|
|
Market
Share(2) |
|
|
|
Coinbase |
|
|
45,703,899,061 |
|
|
|
57.72 |
% |
|
|
Crypto.com |
|
|
12,626,639,274 |
|
|
|
15.95 |
% |
|
|
Kraken |
|
|
9,696,871,790 |
|
|
|
12.25 |
% |
|
|
Bitstamp |
|
|
4,565,176,383 |
|
|
|
5.77 |
% |
|
|
LMAX
Digital |
|
|
4,311,840,526 |
|
|
|
5.45 |
% |
|
|
Total
XRP-U.S. dollar trading pair |
|
|
76,904,427,034 |
|
|
|
97.14 |
% |
|
|
|
|
(1)
The
Digital Asset Trading Platforms initially expected to be included in the
Index are Coinbase, Crypto.com, Kraken, Bitstamp and LMAX
Digital.
(2)
Market
share is calculated using trading volume data (in XRP) for certain Digital
Asset Trading Platforms, including Coinbase, Bitstamp, Crypto.com, Kraken,
and LMAX Digital, as well as certain other large U.S.-dollar denominated
Digital Asset Trading Platforms that are not included in the Index,
including Binance.US (data included from March 11, 2025), Bitfinex, CEX.io
(data included through February 26, 2025), Gemini, and OKX. Information
regarding each Digital Asset Trading Platform may be found on the websites
for such Digital Asset Trading Platforms, among other places. Such
information is referenced for informational purposes only and is not
incorporated by reference into this
prospectus. |
|
|
|
Creation
and Redemption |
The
Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but only in one or
more whole Baskets of 10,000 Shares each, but may be subject to change. At
this time, a Basket is only made in exchange for delivery to the Trust or
the distribution by the Trust of an amount of cash, equivalent to the
amount of XRP represented by the Basket being created or redeemed, as the
case may be, the amount of which is representative of the combined NAV of
the number of Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed
determined as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the day the order to create
or redeem Baskets is properly received. Except when aggregated in Baskets
or under extraordinary circumstances permitted under the Trust Agreement,
the Shares are not individually redeemable securities. |
|
|
The
Trust issues and redeems Shares on an ongoing basis, but only in one or
more whole Baskets of 10,000 Shares each. The creation and redemption of
Baskets requires the delivery to or acquisition by the Trust, or the
distribution or disposition by the Trust, of the amount of XRP represented
by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the number of which is equal to
the “Basket Amount” as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the trade date of a
creation or redemption order multiplied by the number of Baskets being
created or redeemed (the “Total Basket Amount”). The amount of XRP
required to create a Basket, or to be delivered or disposed of upon the
redemption of a Basket, will gradually decrease over time due to the
transfer of the Trust’s XRP to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and the delivery or
sale of the Trust’s XRP to pay any Trust expenses not assumed by the
Sponsor. See “Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares” in this
prospectus. |
|
|
Although
the Trust creates Baskets only upon the receipt of XRP, and redeems
Baskets only by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of XRP,
at this time an Authorized Participant can only submit Cash Orders,
pursuant to which the Authorized Participant will deposit cash into, or
accept cash from, the Cash Account in connection with the creation and
redemption of Baskets. Cash Orders will be facilitated by the Transfer
Agent and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC, which will engage one or
more eligible companies (each, a “Liquidity Provider”) that is not an
agent of, or otherwise acting on behalf of, any Authorized Participant to
obtain or receive XRP in connection with such orders. The Sponsor may in
its sole discretion limit the number of Shares created pursuant to Cash
Orders on any specified day without notice to the Authorized Participants
and may direct the Marketing Agent to reject any Cash Orders in excess of
such capped amount. The redemption of Shares pursuant to Cash Orders will
only take place if approved by the Sponsor in writing, in its sole
discretion and on a case-by-case
basis. |
|
|
|
|
The
Trust is currently able to accept Cash Orders. However, the Trust is not
at this time able to create and redeem shares via in-kind transactions
with Authorized Participants. Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in
the future the Trust may also create and redeem Baskets via In-Kind
Orders, pursuant to which an Authorized Participant or its AP Designee
would deposit XRP directly with the Trust or receive XRP directly from the
Trust. However, because In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been obtained,
at this time Baskets will not be created or redeemed through In-Kind
Orders and will only be created or redeemed through Cash Orders. There can
be no assurance as to when NYSE Arca will seek or obtain such regulatory
approval, if at all. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust
and the Shares—The lack of ability to facilitate in-kind creations and
redemptions of Shares could have adverse consequences for the Trust.” See
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.” |
|
|
The
Sponsor has engaged certain unaffiliated Liquidity Providers, and intends
to engage additional Liquidity Providers who are unaffiliated with the
Trust in the future. |
|
Net
Asset Value |
The net
asset value of the Trust determined on a GAAP basis is referred to in this
prospectus as “Principal Market NAV.” The Sponsor also calculates
Principal Market NAV per Share in accordance with GAAP. See “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations—Selected Operating Data” for additional information reconciling
the Trust’s NAV and NAV per Share presented against the GAAP metrics
presented in our financial statements included hereto. |
|
The
Trust’s NAV |
The
Trust’s NAV is the aggregate value, expressed in U.S. dollars, of the
Trust’s assets (other than U.S. dollars or other fiat currency), less the
U.S. dollar value of the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities calculated
in the manner set forth under “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and
Market.” |
|
|
The
Sponsor also calculates the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV of the
Trust divided by the number of Shares then outstanding. The Sponsor will
publish the NAV and NAV per Share each business day as of 4:00 p.m., New
York time, or as soon thereafter as practicable at the Trust’s website at
www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp. The
contents of the website referred to above and any websites referred to
herein are not incorporated into this filing. Further, our references to
the URL for this website is intended to be an inactive textual reference
only. See “Business—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV” for a more
detailed description of how the Trust’s NAV and NAV per Share are
calculated. |
|
|
|
Incidental
Rights and IR Virtual Currency |
Other
than receiving and distributing cash from the Cash Account in connection
with the creation and redemption of Baskets as described under
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares,” the Trust will not
hold cash, and will not engage a cash custodian. The Trust may from time
to time be entitled to come into possession of rights incident to its
ownership of XRP, which permit the Trust to acquire, or otherwise
establish dominion and control over, other virtual currencies. These
rights are generally expected to arise in connection with forks in the
Blockchain, airdrops offered to holders of XRP or other similar events and
arise without any action of the Trust or of the Sponsor or Trustee on
behalf of the Trust. We refer to these rights as “Incidental Rights” and
any such virtual currency acquired through Incidental Rights as “IR
Virtual Currency.” |
|
|
With
respect to any fork, airdrop or similar event, the Sponsor will cause the
Trust to irrevocably abandon the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency.
In the event the Trust seeks to change this position, an application would
need to be filed with the SEC by NYSE Arca seeking approval to amend its
listing rules to permit the Trust to distribute the Incidental Rights or
IR Virtual Currency in-kind to an agent of the shareholders for resale by
such agent. Because the Trust will abandon any Incidental Rights and IR
Virtual Currency, the Trust would not receive any direct or indirect
consideration for the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency and thus
the value of the Shares will not reflect the value of the Incidental
Rights or IR Virtual Currency. See “Business—Incidental Rights and IR
Virtual Currency.” |
|
Trust
Expenses |
The
Trust’s only ordinary recurring expense is expected to be the “Sponsor’s
Fee.” The Sponsor’s Fee will accrue daily in U.S. dollars at an annual
rate of % of the NAV Fee Basis Amount of the Trust as of 4:00 p.m., New
York time, on each day; provided
that for
a day that is not a business day, the calculation will be based on the NAV
Fee Basis Amount from the most recent business day, reduced by the accrued
and unpaid Sponsor’s Fee for such most recent business day and for each
day after such most recent business day and prior to the relevant
calculation date. This dollar amount for each daily accrual will then be
converted into XRP by reference to the same Index Price used to determine
such accrual. The Sponsor’s Fee is payable in XRP to the Sponsor daily in
arrears. |
|
|
To cause
the Trust to pay the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor will instruct the
Custodian to withdraw from the Trust’s Vault Balance (as defined below)
the amount of XRP equal to the accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s Fee and
transfer such XRP to the Sponsor’s account at such times as the Sponsor
determines in its absolute discretion. |
|
|
The
Sponsor, from time to time, may temporarily waive all or a portion of the
Sponsor’s Fee in its sole discretion. Presently, the Sponsor does not
intend to waive any of the Sponsor’s Fee and there are no circumstances
under which the Sponsor has determined it will definitely waive the
fee. |
|
|
After
the Trust’s payment of the Sponsor’s Fee to the Sponsor, the Sponsor may
elect to convert any XRP received as payment of the Sponsor’s Fee into
U.S. dollars. The rate at which the Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
converts
such XRP to U.S. dollars may differ from the rate at which the relevant
Sponsor’s Fee was determined. The Trust will not be responsible for any
fees and expenses incurred by the Sponsor to convert XRP received in
payment of the Sponsor’s Fee into U.S. dollars. |
|
|
As
partial consideration for its receipt of the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor is
obligated under the Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other
expenses incurred by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs,
excluding taxes, but including: (i) the Marketing Fee, (ii) the
Administrator Fee, (iii) the Custodian Fee and fees for any other security
vendor engaged by the Trust, (iv) the Transfer Agent Fee, (v) the Trustee
fee, (vi) the fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or
trading of the Shares on any Secondary Market (including customary legal,
marketing and audit fees and expenses) in an amount up to $600,000 in any
given fiscal year, (vii) ordinary course, legal fees and expenses, (viii)
audit fees, (ix) regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees
relating to the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, (x) printing and mailing costs, (xi) costs of maintaining
the Trust’s website and (xii) applicable license fees (each, a
“Sponsor-paid Expense” and collectively, the “Sponsor-paid Expenses”),
provided
that any
expense that qualifies as an Additional Trust Expense will be deemed to be
an Additional Trust Expense and not a Sponsor-paid
Expense. |
|
|
The
Trust may incur certain extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses that are not
Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, taxes and
governmental charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services
performed by the Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the
Trust to protect the Trust or the interests of shareholders, any
indemnification of the Custodian or other agents, service providers or
counterparties of the Trust, the fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any Secondary Market (including
legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) to the extent exceeding
$600,000 in any given fiscal year and extraordinary legal fees and
expenses, including any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection
with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation matters
(collectively, “Additional Trust Expenses”). |
|
|
In such
circumstances, the Sponsor or its delegate (i) will instruct the Custodian
to withdraw from the Trust’s Vault Balance XRP in such quantity as may be
necessary to permit payment of such Additional Trust Expenses and (ii) may
either (x) cause the Trust (or its delegate) to convert such XRP into U.S.
dollars or other fiat currencies at the Actual Exchange Rate or (y) when
the Sponsor incurs such expenses on behalf of the Trust, cause the Trust
(or its delegate) to deliver such XRP in kind to the Sponsor in
satisfaction of such Additional Trust
Expenses. |
|
|
|
|
Although
the Sponsor is obligated to use its commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain the highest price when engaging other parties to assist with the
sale of the Trust’s XRP to raise proceeds for any Additional Trust
Expenses, the Sponsor will have some discretion in arranging for the sale
of the Trust’s XRP, and may engage one or more of its affiliates to assist
with any such sale. The Sponsor and its respective directors, officers,
employees, affiliates, and/or parties engaged to assist with the sale of
the Trust’s XRP may trade in the XRP, digital asset, derivative or other
markets for their own accounts, and in doing so may take positions
opposite to or ahead of those held by the Trust and may compete with the
Trust for positions in the marketplace. For example, sales of the Trust’s
XRP for the satisfaction of any Additional Trust Expenses may create
conflicts of interest on behalf of one or more such parties in respect of
their obligation to the Trust. The Sponsor has adopted and implemented
policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure compliance
with applicable law, including a Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics,
which address conflicts of interest. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors
Related to Potential Conflicts of Interest— Potential conflicts of
interest may arise among the Sponsor or its affiliates and the Trust. The
Sponsor and its affiliates have no fiduciary duties to the Trust and its
shareholders other than as provided in the Trust Agreement, which may
permit them to favor their own interests to the detriment of the Trust and
its shareholders.” |
|
|
In order
to raise proceeds to pay for any Additional Trust Expenses, the Sponsor
would execute the sale of XRP through eligible financial institutions that
are subject to federal and state licensing requirements and practices
regarding AML and KYC regulations, which may include a Liquidity Provider
or one or more of their respective affiliates. The Sponsor expects that
these financial institutions will generally only have access to Digital
Asset Trading Platforms or other venues that they reasonably believe are
operating in compliance with applicable law, including federal and state
licensing requirements, based upon information and assurances provided to
it by each venue. The Trust is not responsible for paying any costs
associated with the transfer of XRP to the Sponsor in connection with the
payment of the Sponsor’s Fee or the sale of XRP in connection with the
payment of any Additional Trust Expenses. The amount of XRP represented by
a Share will decline each time the Trust pays the Sponsor’s Fee or any
Additional Trust Expenses by transferring or selling XRP. See
“Business—Expenses; Sales of XRP.” |
|
|
The
quantity of XRP to be delivered to the Sponsor or other relevant payee in
payment of the Sponsor’s Fee or any Additional Trust Expenses, or sold to
permit payment of Additional Trust Expenses, will vary from time to time
depending on the level of the Trust’s expenses and the value of XRP held
by the Trust. See “Business— Expenses; Sales of XRP.” Assuming that the
Trust is a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each
delivery or sale of XRP by the Trust for the payment of expenses will be a
taxable event to shareholders. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Consequences—Tax Consequences to U.S.
Holders.” |
|
|
|
Voting
Rights |
The
shareholders take no part in the management or control of the Trust. Under
the Trust Agreement, shareholders have limited voting rights. For example,
in the event that the Sponsor withdraws, a majority of the shareholders
may elect and appoint a successor sponsor to carry out the affairs of the
Trust. In addition, no amendments to the Trust Agreement that materially
adversely affect the interests of shareholders may be made without the
vote of at least a majority (over 50%) of the then-outstanding Shares (not
including any Shares held by the Sponsor or its affiliates). A shareholder
will be deemed to have consented to a modification or amendment of the
Trust Agreement if the Sponsor has notified the shareholders in writing of
the proposed modification or amendment and the shareholder has not, within
20 calendar days of such notice, notified the Sponsor in writing that the
shareholder objects to such modification or amendment. Additionally,
subject to certain limitations, the Sponsor may make any other amendments
to the Trust Agreement which do not materially adversely affect the
interests of the shareholders in its sole discretion without shareholder
consent. See “Description of the Shares.” |
|
Termination
Events |
Upon
dissolution of the Trust and surrender of Shares by the shareholders,
shareholders will receive a distribution in U.S. dollars after the Sponsor
has sold the Trust’s XRP, if applicable, and has paid or made provision
for the Trust’s claims and obligations. See “Business—Description of the
Trust Agreement—Termination of the Trust.” The Sponsor currently expects
to execute the sales of any XRP in connection with the termination of the
Trust through eligible financial institutions that are subject to federal
and state licensing requirements and practices regarding AML and KYC
regulations, which may include a Liquidity Provider or one or more of
their respective affiliates. |
|
Authorized
Participants |
Baskets
may be created or redeemed only by Authorized Participants. Each
Authorized Participant must (i) be a registered broker-dealer and (ii)
have entered into a Participant Agreement with the Sponsor and the
Transfer Agent. Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future any
Authorized Participants creating and redeeming Shares through In-Kind
Orders must also own, or their AP Designee (as defined below) must own, an
XRP wallet address that is known to the Custodian as belonging to the
Authorized Participant or its AP Designee and maintain an account with the
Custodian. The Participant Agreement provides the procedures for the
creation and redemption of Baskets and for the delivery of XRP required
for the creation and redemption of Baskets via a Liquidity Provider, as
well as the deposit with and subsequent delivery by the Trust of cash
required in connection therewith, from or to an Authorized Participant or
Liquidity Provider, as applicable. See “Description of Creation and
Redemption of Shares.” |
|
|
As of
the date of this prospectus, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, and the
Transfer Agent entered into Participant Agreements with , , and
, pursuant to which such entities have agreed to act as Authorized
Participants. The Sponsor may engage additional Authorized Participants
who are unaffiliated with the Trust in the
future. |
|
|
|
Liquidity
Providers |
Liquidity
Providers facilitate the purchase and sale of XRP in connection with Cash
Orders for creations or redemptions of Baskets. Liquidity Providers are
engaged by Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC (in such capacity, the
“Liquidity Engager”) and are not party to Participant Agreements or
otherwise agents of, or otherwise acting on behalf of, any Authorized
Participant. See “Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.” The
Liquidity Engager’s criteria for engaging one or more Liquidity Providers
includes the completion of due diligence that considers each such
Liquidity Provider’s XRP trading capabilities, organizational structure,
operating history, lines of business, controls, and other details
necessary to evaluate their ability to facilitate Cash Orders. Liquidity
Providers formalize their relationship through a Liquidity Provider
Agreement between the Liquidity Engager, Liquidity Provider, and the
Sponsor (on behalf of the Trust). Pursuant to such Liquidity Provider
Agreements, the Liquidity Providers will be contractually obligated to
deliver or receive XRP in exchange for cash in connection with Cash Orders
for creations or redemptions. |
|
|
The
Liquidity Providers with which Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC, acting
in its capacity as the Liquidity Engager, will engage in XRP transactions
are third parties that are not affiliated with the Sponsor or the Trust
and are not acting as agents of the Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized
Participant, and all transactions will be done on an arms-length basis.
Except for the contractual relationships between each Liquidity Provider
and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC in its capacity as the Liquidity
Engager and the Sponsor (on behalf of the Trust), there is no other
pre-existing contractual relationship between each Liquidity Provider, on
the one hand, and the Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized Participant,
on the other hand, in each case that relates to the Trust or the Trust’s
Shares. When seeking to buy XRP in connection with creations or sell XRP
in connection with redemptions, the Liquidity Engager will seek to obtain
commercially reasonable prices and terms from the approved Liquidity
Providers. Once agreed upon, the transaction will generally occur on an
“over-the-counter” basis. |
|
|
As of
the date of this prospectus, the Liquidity Engager has engaged ,
and as
Liquidity Providers. The Liquidity Engager may engage additional Liquidity
Providers who are unaffiliated with the Trust in the
future. |
|
Clearance
and Settlement |
The
Shares are evidenced by one or more global certificates that the Transfer
Agent issues to DTC. The Shares are primarily available in book-entry
form. Shareholders may hold their Shares through DTC if they are direct
participants in DTC (“DTC Participants”), or indirectly through entities
that are DTC Participants. |
|
Risk
Factors |
See the
risks discussed in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus before you invest in
the Shares. |
Risk
FactorS
You
should carefully consider the following risks and all of the other information
set forth in this prospectus before deciding to invest in Shares of the Trust.
If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition
or results of operations would likely suffer. In such case, the trading price of
the Shares could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part
of your investment.
Risk
Factors Related to Digital Assets
The
trading prices of many digital assets, including XRP, have experienced extreme
volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. Extreme volatility in
the future, including declines in the trading prices of XRP, could have a
material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all
or substantially all of their value.
The
trading prices of many digital assets, including XRP, have experienced extreme
volatility throughout their existence, including in recent periods and may
continue to do so. For instance, following significant increases throughout the
majority of 2020, digital asset prices, including XRP, experienced significant
volatility throughout 2021 and 2022. This volatility became extreme in November
2022 when FTX Trading Ltd. (“FTX”) halted customer withdrawals. See “—Risk
Factors Related to the Digital Asset Markets—Recent developments in the digital
asset economy have led to extreme volatility and disruption in digital asset
markets, a loss of confidence in participants of the digital asset ecosystem,
significant negative publicity surrounding digital assets broadly and
market-wide declines in liquidity.” Digital asset prices, including XRP, have
continued to fluctuate widely through the date of this prospectus.
Extreme
volatility in the future, including declines in the trading prices of XRP, could
have a material adverse effect on the value of the Shares and the Shares could
lose all or substantially all of their value. Furthermore, negative perception,
a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the digital asset economy may
reduce confidence in the digital asset economy and may result in greater
volatility in the price of XRP and other digital assets, including a
depreciation in value. The Trust is not actively managed and will not take any
actions to take advantage, or mitigate the impacts, of volatility in the price
of XRP. For additional information that quantifies the volatility of XRP prices
and the value of the Shares, see “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and
Market—Historical XRP Prices.”
Furthermore,
changes in U.S. political leadership and economic policies may create
uncertainty that materially affects the price of XRP and the Trust’s Shares. For
example, on March 6, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order to
establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a United States Digital Asset
Stockpile. Pursuant to this Executive Order, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve will
be capitalized with Bitcoin owned by the Department of Treasury that was
forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, and the
Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce are authorized to develop budget-neutral
strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin, provided that those strategies
impose no incremental costs on American taxpayers. Conversely, the Digital Asset
Stockpile will consist of all digital assets other than Bitcoin owned by the
Department of Treasury that were forfeited in criminal or civil asset forfeiture
proceedings, but the U.S. government will not acquire additional assets for the
U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile beyond those obtained through such proceedings. The
anticipation of a U.S. government-funded strategic cryptocurrency reserve had
motivated large-scale purchases of certain digital assets in the expectation of
the U.S. government acquiring such assets to fund such reserve, and the market
price of such digital assets decreased significantly as a result of the ultimate
content of the Executive Order. Any similar action or omission by the U.S.
federal administration or other government authorities with respect to XRP or
other digital assets may negatively and significantly impact the price of XRP
and the Trust’s Shares.
Digital
assets such as XRP were only introduced within the past two decades, and the
medium-to-long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors
relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies and to
the fundamental investment characteristics of digital assets.
Digital
assets such as XRP were only introduced within the past two decades, and the
medium-to-long term value of the Shares is subject to a number of factors
relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies, such as
the recency of their development, their dependence on the internet and other
technologies,
their
dependence on the role played by users, developers and validators and the
potential for malicious activity. For example, the realization of one or more of
the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the
Shares:
•
Digital
asset networks and related protocols are in the early stages of development.
Given the recency of the development of digital asset networks and related
protocols, digital assets and the underlying digital asset networks and related
protocols may not function as intended and parties may be unwilling to use
digital assets, which would dampen the growth, if any, of digital asset networks
and related protocols.
•
The
loss of access to a private key required to access a digital asset may be
irreversible. If a private key is lost and no backup of the private key is
accessible, or if the private key is otherwise compromised, the owner would be
unable to access the digital asset corresponding to that private
key.
•
Digital
asset networks and related protocols are dependent upon the internet. A
disruption of the internet or a digital asset network or related protocol, such
as the XRP Network, would affect the ability to transfer digital assets,
including XRP, and, consequently, their value.
•
The
acceptance of software patches or upgrades to a digital asset network by a
significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and validators in a
digital asset network, such as the XRP Network, could result in a “fork” in such
network’s blockchain, resulting in the operation of multiple separate blockchain
networks.
•
Many
digital asset networks face significant scaling challenges and are being
upgraded with various features to increase the speed and throughput of digital
asset transactions. These attempts to increase the volume of transactions may
not be effective.
•
The
open-source structure of many digital asset network protocols, such as the
protocol for the XRP Network, means that developers and other contributors are
generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and
developing such protocols. As a result, the developers and other contributors of
a particular digital asset may lack a financial incentive to maintain or develop
the network or may lack the resources to adequately address emerging issues.
Alternatively, some developers may be funded by companies whose interests are at
odds with other participants in a particular digital asset network. A failure to
properly monitor and upgrade the protocol of the XRP Network could damage that
network.
•
Moreover,
in the past, flaws in the source code for digital asset networks and related
protocols have been exposed and exploited, including flaws that disabled some
functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information and/or resulted in
the theft of users’ digital assets. The cryptography underlying XRP could prove
to be flawed or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology,
including advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry and quantum
computing, could result in such cryptography becoming ineffective. In any of
these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to take the Trust’s XRP,
which would adversely affect the value of the Shares. Moreover, functionality of
the XRP Network may be negatively affected by such an exploit such that it is no
longer attractive to users, thereby dampening demand for XRP. Even if another
digital asset other than XRP were affected by similar circumstances, any
reduction in confidence in the source code or cryptography underlying digital
asset networks and related protocols generally could negatively affect the
demand for digital assets and therefore adversely affect the value of the
Shares.
Moreover,
because digital assets, including XRP, have existed for a short period of time
and are continuing to be developed, there may be additional risks to digital
asset networks and related protocols that are impossible to predict as of the
date of this prospectus.
Digital
assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the
Shares depends on the acceptance of XRP.
The
first digital asset, Bitcoin, was launched in 2009. XRP launched in 2012 and its
development is ongoing. In general, digital asset networks, including the XRP
Network and related protocols represent a new and rapidly evolving industry that
is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. For example,
the realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely
affect the value of the Shares:
•
XRP
is only selectively accepted as a means of payment by retail and commercial
outlets, and use of XRP by consumers remains limited. Banks and other
established financial institutions, whether voluntarily or in response to
regulatory feedback, may refuse to process funds for XRP transactions; process
wire transfers to or from Digital Asset Trading Platforms, XRP-related companies
or service providers; or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting
in XRP. As a result, the prices of XRP are largely determined by speculators and
validators, thus contributing to price volatility that makes retailers less
likely to accept XRP in the future.
•
Banks
may not provide banking services, or may cut off banking services, to businesses
that provide digital asset-related services or that accept digital assets as
payment, which could dampen liquidity in the market and damage the public
perception of digital assets generally or any one digital asset in particular,
such as XRP, and their or its utility as a payment system, which could decrease
the price of digital assets generally or individually.
•
The
prices of digital assets may be determined on a relatively small number of
Digital Asset Trading Platforms by a relatively small number of market
participants, many of whom are speculators or those intimately involved with the
issuance of such digital assets, such as validators or developers, which could
contribute to price volatility that makes retailers less likely to accept
digital assets in the future.
•
Certain
privacy-preserving features have been or are expected to be introduced to a
number of digital asset networks. If any such features are introduced to the XRP
Network, any trading platforms or businesses that facilitate transactions in XRP
may be at an increased risk of criminal or civil lawsuits, or of having banking
services cut off if there is a concern that these features interfere with the
performance of anti-money laundering duties and economic sanctions
checks.
•
Users,
developers and validators may switch to or adopt certain digital asset networks
or protocols at the expense of their engagement with other digital asset
networks and protocols, which may negatively impact those networks and
protocols, including the XRP Network.
The
Trust is not actively managed and will not have any formal strategy relating to
the development of the XRP Network
Changes
in the governance of a digital asset network or protocol may not receive
sufficient support from users and validators, which may negatively affect that
digital asset network’s or protocol’s ability to grow and respond to
challenges.
The
governance of some digital asset networks and protocols, such as the XRP,
Bitcoin and Ethereum Networks, is generally by voluntary consensus and open
competition. For such networks and protocols, there may be a lack of consensus
or clarity on that network’s or protocol’s governance, which may stymie such
network’s or protocol’s utility, adaptability and ability to grow and face
challenges. The foregoing notwithstanding, the underlying software for some
digital networks and protocols, such as the XRP Network, is informally or
formally managed or developed by a group of core developers that propose
amendments to the relevant network’s or protocol’s source code. Core developers’
roles may evolve over time, generally based on self-determined
participation.
If
a significant majority of users and validators were to adopt amendments to the
XRP Network based on the proposals of such core developers, the XRP Network
would be subject to new source code that may adversely affect the value of
XRP.
As
a result of the foregoing, it may be difficult to find solutions or marshal
sufficient effort to overcome any future problems, especially long-term
problems, on digital asset networks.
Digital
asset networks face significant scaling challenges and efforts to increase the
volume and speed of transactions may not be successful.
Many
digital asset networks face significant scaling challenges due to the fact that
public, permissionless blockchains generally face a tradeoff between security
and scalability. One means through which digital asset
networks
that utilize public, permissionless blockchains achieve security is
decentralization, meaning that no intermediary is responsible for securing and
maintaining these systems. For example, a greater degree of decentralization of
a public, permissionless blockchain generally means a given digital asset
network is less susceptible to manipulation or capture. In practice, this
typically means that every single node on a given digital asset network is
responsible for securing the system by processing every transaction and
maintaining a copy of the entire state of the network. As a result, a digital
asset network that utilizes a public, permissionless blockchain may be limited
in the number of transactions it can process by the computing capabilities of
each single fully participating node. Many developers are actively researching
and testing scalability solutions for public blockchains that do not necessarily
result in lower levels of security or decentralization, such as off-chain
payment channels and sharding. Off-chain payment channels would allow parties to
transact without requiring the full processing power of a blockchain. Sharding
can increase the scalability of a database, such as a blockchain, by splitting
the data processing responsibility among many nodes, allowing for parallel
processing and validating of transactions.
As
corresponding increases in throughput lag behind growth in the use of digital
asset networks, average fees and settlement times may increase considerably. For
example, the XRP Network has been, at times, at capacity, which has led to
increased transaction fees. Since January 1, 2023, XRP average daily transaction
fees have ranged from $0.0002 per transaction on January 1, 2023, to as high as
$0.03 per transaction on June 15, 2023. As of June 30, 2025, XRP average daily
transaction fees stood at $0.004 per transaction. Increased transaction fees and
decreased settlement speeds could preclude certain uses for XRP (e.g.,
micropayments), and could reduce demand for, and the price of, XRP, which could
adversely impact the value of the Shares.
There
is no guarantee that any of the mechanisms in place or being explored for
increasing the scale of settlement of XRP Network transactions will be
effective, or how long these mechanisms will take to become effective, which
could adversely impact the value of the Shares.
Digital
asset networks are developed by a diverse set of contributors and the perception
that certain high-profile contributors will no longer contribute to the network
could have an adverse effect on the market price of the related digital
asset.
Digital
asset networks and related protocols are often developed by a diverse set of
contributors, but are also often developed by identifiable and high-profile
contributors. The perception that certain high-profile contributors may no
longer contribute to the applicable digital asset network or protocol may have
an adverse effect on the market price of any related digital assets. For
example, in June 2017, an unfounded rumor circulated that Ethereum protocol
developer Vitalik Buterin had died. Following the rumor, the price of Ether
decreased approximately 20% before recovering after Buterin himself dispelled
the rumor. Some have speculated that the rumor led to the decrease in the price
of Ether. In the event a high-profile contributor to the XRP Network is
perceived as no longer contributing to the XRP Network due to death, retirement,
withdrawal, incapacity, or otherwise, whether or not such perception is valid,
it could negatively affect the price of XRP, which could adversely impact the
value of the Shares.
Digital
assets may have concentrated ownership and large sales or distributions by
holders of such digital assets, or any ability to participate in or otherwise
influence a digital asset’s underlying network, could have an adverse effect on
the market price of such digital asset.
As
of the date of this filing, the largest 100 XRP wallets held approximately 85%
of the XRP in circulation. Moreover, it is possible that other persons or
entities control multiple wallets that collectively hold a significant amount of
XRP, even if they individually only hold a small amount, and it is possible that
some of these wallets are controlled by the same person or entity. As a result
of this concentration of ownership, large sales or distributions by such holders
could have an adverse effect on the market price of XRP.
Validators
may cease participating in validating activities because they are provided no
direct financial incentive to participate or because certain jurisdictions may
limit or otherwise regulate validating activities, which could negatively impact
the price of XRP and the value of the Shares.
Unlike
many other blockchain networks, validators on the XRP Ledger are not directly
compensated for their participation in the consensus process. Running a
validator on the XRP Ledger is generally considered a voluntary contribution to
the health and decentralization of the network. Participants run validators for
reasons other than
direct
financial gain, such as supporting the network’s decentralization, ensuring its
security, or for reputational benefits within the XRP community. However,
because there is no financial incentive for entities or individuals to maintain
validators, there is no guarantee that such entities or individuals will
continue to do so. Additionally, entities or individuals running validators in
certain jurisdictions may be limited or prohibited from continuing these
activities as a result of regulation or governmental decree.
Validators
ceasing operations or participation in the consensus mechanism would make the
XRP Ledger more vulnerable to malicious actors obtaining sufficient control to
alter the blockchain and hinder transactions. Any reduction in confidence in the
confirmation process and security of the XRP Ledger may adversely affect the
Trust’s investments in XRP. To the extent that a significant number of entities
or individuals stop running validators, there would be serious negative
consequences to the XRP Ledger’s functionality, security and overall
existence.
If
a malicious actor or botnet obtains control of more than 80% of the validating
nodes on the XRP Ledger, or otherwise obtains control over the XRP Network
through its influence over core developers or otherwise, such actor or botnet
could manipulate the XRP Ledger to adversely affect the value of the Shares or
the ability of the Trust to operate.
All
networked systems are vulnerable to various types of attacks. As with any
computer network, the XRP Network could be attacked. The XRP Ledger relies on a
decentralized network of validator nodes that agree on the order and validity of
transactions. These nodes form the backbone of the consensus process. Each
validator node maintains a Unique Node List (“UNL”), which is a list of other
validators it trusts. For a malicious actor to take over, they would need to
control a significant portion of the validators on the majority of these UNLs.
To successfully alter the ledger, the malicious actor would likely need to
control more than 80% of the validator nodes or the voting power on the most
widely used UNLs.
If
the malicious actor cannot control the validator nodes directly, they might
attempt to compromise the validators that are already trusted by the network
(i.e., those on the commonly used UNLs). This could involve hacking, bribery,
deception or coercion.
If
a malicious actor or botnet (a collection of computers controlled by networked
software coordinating the actions of the computers) obtains a sufficient amount
of the validating power on the XRP Network, it may be able to alter the XRP
Ledger on which transactions in XRP rely by preventing certain transactions from
completing in a timely manner, or at all. The malicious actor or botnet could
also control, exclude or modify the ordering of transactions, or prevent
transactions from finalizing onto the XRP Ledger. Although the malicious actor
or botnet would not be able to generate new tokens or transactions using such
control it may be able to “double-spend” its own tokens (i.e., spend the same
tokens in more than one transaction) and prevent the confirmation of other
users’ transactions for so long as it maintained control. To the extent that
such malicious actor or botnet did not yield its control of the validating power
on the XRP Network or the XRP community did not reject the fraudulent
transactions as malicious, reversing any changes made to the XRP Ledger may not
be possible. Further, a malicious actor or botnet could create a flood of
transactions in order to slow down the XRP Network.
For
example, in August 2020, the Ethereum Classic Network was the target of two
double-spend attacks by an unknown actor or actors that gained more than 50% of
the processing power of the Ethereum Classic Network. The attack resulted in
reorganizations of the Ethereum Classic blockchain that allowed the attacker or
attackers to reverse previously recorded transactions in excess of over
$5.0 million and $1.0 million.
In
addition, in May 2019, the Bitcoin Cash network experienced a >50% attack
when two large mining pools reversed a series of transactions in order to stop
an unknown miner from taking advantage of a flaw in a recent Bitcoin Cash
protocol upgrade. Although this particular attack was arguably benevolent, the
fact that such coordinated activity was able to occur may negatively impact
perceptions of the Bitcoin Cash network. Although the two attacks described
above took place on proof-of-work based networks, it is possible that a similar
attack may occur on the XRP Network, which could negatively impact the value of
XRP and the value of the Shares.
Compared
to other digital asset networks such as the Bitcoin Network and Ethereum
Network, the XRP Ledger relies on a relatively small number of validators, and
each validator maintains a UNL that is an even smaller subset of the validators.
While this helps maintain a fast and efficient network, it could expose the XRP
Ledger to additional vulnerabilities. For example, a malicious actor could
attempt a “Sybil” attack whereby it would attempt to
gain
the trust of existing validators using a large number of fake identities. Such
an attack would be difficult to execute because human intervention would be
required for the malicious validators to become trusted, but the risk is made
greater by the small number validators included on each validator’s
UNL.
A
malicious actor could also conduct an “eclipse attack.” In an eclipse attack, a
malicious actor could isolate parts of the network so that the malicious actor’s
nodes can influence the consensus in isolated sections of the network,
eventually leading to a split or takeover.
Although
there are no known reports of malicious control of the XRP Network, if groups of
coordinating or connected were to compromise a sufficient amount of validators
on the Trusted Nodes List, they could exert authority over the validation of XRP
transactions. This risk is heightened if such amount of the validating power on
the network falls within the jurisdiction of a single governmental authority. If
network participants, including the core developers and the administrators of
validators, do not act to ensure greater decentralization of XRP, the
feasibility of a malicious actor obtaining control of the validating power on
the XRP Network will increase, which may adversely affect the value of the
Shares.
A
malicious actor may also obtain control over the XRP Network through its
influence over core developers by gaining direct control over a core developer
or an otherwise influential programmer. To the extent that the XRP ecosystem
does not grow, the possibility that a malicious actor may be able to maliciously
influence the XRP Network in this manner will remain heightened.
A
temporary or permanent “fork” or a “clone” could adversely affect the value of
the Shares.
The
XRP Network operates using open-source protocols, meaning that any user can
download the software, modify it and then propose that the users and validators
of the XRP Network adopt the modification. When a modification is introduced and
a substantial majority of users and validators’ consent to the modification, the
change is implemented and the network remains uninterrupted. However, if less
than a substantial majority of users and validators’ consent to the proposed
modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to
its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “hard fork” of the
XRP Network, with one group running the pre-modified software and the other
running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence
of two versions of XRP running in parallel, yet lacking interchangeability. For
example, in September 2022, the Ethereum Network transitioned to a
proof-of-stake model, in an upgrade referred to as the “Merge.” Following the
Merge, a hard fork of the Ethereum Network occurred, as certain Ethereum miners
and network participants planned to maintain the proof-of-work consensus
mechanism that was removed as part of the Merge. This version of the network was
rebranded as “Ethereum Proof-of-Work.”
Forks
may also occur as a digital asset network community’s response to a significant
security breach. For example, in July 2016, Ethereum “forked” into Ethereum and
a new digital asset network, Ethereum Classic, as a result of the Ethereum
Network community’s response to a significant security breach. In June 2016, an
anonymous hacker exploited a smart contract running on the Ethereum Network to
syphon approximately $60 million of Ether held by The DAO, a distributed
autonomous organization, into a segregated account. In response to the exploit,
most participants in the Ethereum community elected to adopt a “fork” that
effectively reversed the exploit. However, a minority of users continued to
develop the original blockchain, referred to as “Ethereum Classic” with the
digital asset on that blockchain now referred to as ETC. ETC now trades on
several Digital Asset Trading Platforms. A fork may also occur as a result of an
unintentional or unanticipated software flaw in the various versions of
otherwise compatible software that users run. Such a fork could lead to users
and validators abandoning the digital asset with the flawed software. It is
possible, however, that a substantial number of users and validators could adopt
an incompatible version of the digital asset while resisting community-led
efforts to merge the two chains. This could result in a permanent fork, as in
the case of Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.
Furthermore,
a hard fork can lead to new security concerns. For example, when the Ethereum
and Ethereum Classic networks, two other digital asset networks, split in July
2016, replay attacks, in which transactions from one network were rebroadcast to
nefarious effect on the other network, plagued Ethereum trading platforms
through at least October 2016. An Ethereum trading platform announced in July
2016 that it had lost 40,000 Ethereum Classic, worth about $100,000 at that
time, as a result of replay attacks. Similar replay attack concerns occurred in
connection with the Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision networks split in
November 2018. Another possible result of a hard fork is an inherent decrease in
the level of security due to significant amounts of validating power
remaining
on one network or migrating instead to the new forked network. After a hard
fork, it may become easier for an individual validator or validating pool’s
validating power to exceed 50% of the validating power of a digital asset
network that retained or attracted less validating power, thereby making digital
asset networks that rely on proof-of-stake more susceptible to
attack.
Digital
asset networks and related protocols may also be cloned. Unlike a fork of a
digital asset network, which modifies an existing blockchain, and results in two
competing digital asset networks, each with the same genesis block, a “clone” is
a copy of a protocol’s codebase, but results in an entirely new blockchain and
new genesis block. Tokens are created solely from the new “clone” network and,
in contrast to forks, holders of tokens of the existing network that was cloned
do not receive any tokens of the new network. A “clone” results in a competing
network that has characteristics substantially similar to the network it was
based on, subject to any changes as determined by the developer(s) that
initiated the clone.
A
hard fork may adversely affect the price of XRP at the time of announcement or
adoption. For example, the announcement of a hard fork could lead to increased
demand for the pre-fork digital asset, in anticipation that ownership of the
pre-fork digital asset would entitle holders to a new digital asset following
the fork. The increased demand for the pre-fork digital asset may cause the
price of the digital asset to rise. After the hard fork, it is possible the
aggregate price of the two versions of the digital asset running in parallel
would be less than the price of the digital asset immediately prior to the fork.
Furthermore, while the Trust would be entitled to both versions of the digital
asset running in parallel, the Sponsor will, as permitted by the terms of the
Trust Agreement, determine which version of the digital asset is generally
accepted as the XRP Network and should therefore be considered the appropriate
network for the Trust’s purposes, and there is no guarantee that the Sponsor
will choose the digital asset that is ultimately the most valuable fork. Either
of these events could therefore adversely impact the value of the Shares. As an
illustrative example of a digital asset hard fork, following the DAO hack in
July 2016, holders of Ether voted on-chain to reverse the hack, effectively
causing a hard fork. For the days following the vote, the price of Ether rose
from $11.65 on July 15, 2016 to $14.66 on July 21, 2016, the day after the first
Ethereum Classic block was mined. A clone may also adversely affect the price of
XRP at the time of announcement or adoption. For example, on November 6, 2016,
Rhett Creighton, a Zcash developer, cloned the Zcash network to launch Zclassic,
a substantially identical version of the Zcash network that eliminated the
Founders’ Reward. For the days following the date the first Zclassic block was
mined, the price of ZEC fell from $504.57 on November 5, 2016 to $236.01 on
November 7, 2016 in the midst of a broader sell off of ZEC beginning immediately
after the Zcash network launch on October 28, 2016. A clone may also adversely
affect the price of XRP at the time of announcement or adoption.
A
future fork in or clone of the XRP Network could adversely affect the value of
the Shares or the ability of the Trust to operate.
In
the event of a hard fork of the XRP Network, the Sponsor will, if permitted by
the terms of the Trust Agreement, use its discretion to determine which network
should be considered the appropriate network for the Trust’s purposes, and in
doing so may adversely affect the value of the Shares.
In
the event of a hard fork of the XRP Network, the Sponsor will, as permitted by
the terms of the Trust Agreement, use its discretion to determine, in good
faith, which digital asset network, among a group of incompatible forks of the
XRP Network, is generally accepted as the XRP Network and should therefore be
considered the appropriate digital asset network for the Trust’s purposes. The
Sponsor will base its determination on a variety of then relevant factors,
including, but not limited to, the Sponsor’s beliefs regarding expectations of
the core developers of XRP, users, services, businesses, validators and other
constituencies, as well as the actual continued acceptance of, validating power
on, and community engagement with, the XRP Network. There is no guarantee that
the Sponsor will choose the digital asset network or digital asset that is
ultimately the most valuable fork, and the Sponsor’s decision may adversely
affect the value of the Shares as a result. The Sponsor may also disagree with
shareholders, security vendors and the Index Provider on what is generally
accepted as XRP and should therefore be considered “XRP” for the Trust’s
purposes, which may also adversely affect the value of the Shares as a
result.
In
the event of a hard fork of the XRP Ledger, the Custodian’s operations may be
interrupted or subject to additional security risks that could disrupt the
Trust’s ability to process creations and redemptions of Shares or otherwise
threaten the security of the Trust’s XRP holdings.
In
the event of a hard fork of the XRP Ledger, the Custodian may temporarily halt
the ability of customers (including the Trust) to deposit, withdraw or transfer
XRP on the Custodian’s platform. Such a delay may be intended to permit the
Custodian to assess the resulting versions of the XRP Ledger, to determine how
best to securely “split” the XRP from the forked asset, and to prevent malicious
users from conducting “replay attacks” (i.e., broadcasting transactions on both
versions of the forked networks to put Custodian assets at risk). As a result,
the Trust is likely to suspend creations and redemptions during a period in
which the Custodian’s operations are halted.
In
addition, any losses experienced by the Custodian due to a hard fork, including
due to replay attacks or technological errors in assessing the fork, could have
a materially adverse impact on an investment in the Shares.
Any
name change and any associated rebranding initiative by the core developers of
XRP may not be favorably received by the digital asset community, which could
negatively impact the value of XRP and the value of the Shares.
From
time to time, digital assets may undergo name changes and associated rebranding
initiatives. For example, Bitcoin Cash may sometimes be referred to as Bitcoin
ABC in an effort to differentiate itself from any Bitcoin Cash hard forks, such
as Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision, and in the third quarter of 2018, the team behind
ZEN rebranded and changed the name of ZenCash to “Horizen.” We cannot predict
the impact of any name change and any associated rebranding initiative on XRP.
After a name change and an associated rebranding initiative, a digital asset may
not be able to achieve or maintain brand name recognition or status that is
comparable to the recognition and status previously enjoyed by such digital
asset. The failure of any name change and any associated rebranding initiative
by a digital asset may result in such digital asset not realizing some or all of
the anticipated benefits contemplated by the name change and associated
rebranding initiative, and could negatively impact the value of XRP and the
value of the Shares.
If
the XRP Network is used to facilitate illicit activities, businesses that
facilitate transactions in XRP could be at increased risk of criminal or civil
lawsuits, or of having services cut off, which could negatively affect the price
of XRP and the value of the Shares.
Digital
asset networks have in the past been, and may continue to be, used to facilitate
illicit activities. If the XRP Network is used to facilitate illicit activities,
businesses that facilitate transactions in XRP could be at increased risk of
potential criminal or civil lawsuits, or of having banking or other services cut
off, if there is a concern that certain smart contracts on the XRP Network could
interfere with the performance of anti-money laundering duties and economic
sanctions checks. There is also a risk that Digital Asset Trading Platforms may
remove XRP from their platforms as a result of these concerns. Other service
providers of such businesses may also cut off services if there is a concern
that the XRP Network is being used to facilitate crime. Any of the
aforementioned occurrences could increase regulatory scrutiny of the XRP Network
and/or adversely affect the price of XRP, the attractiveness of the XRP Network
and an investment in the Shares of the Trust.
When
the Trust and the Sponsor, acting on behalf of the Trust, sell or deliver, as
applicable, XRP or, subject to NYSE Arca obtaining regulatory approval from the
SEC, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency, they generally do not
transact directly with counterparties other than the Authorized Participant, a
Liquidity Provider or other similarly eligible financial institutions that are
subject to federal and state licensing requirements and maintain practices and
policies designed to comply with AML and KYC regulations. When an Authorized
Participant (subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval) or a Liquidity Provider
sources XRP in connection with the creation of the Shares or facilitates
transactions in XRP at the direction of the Trust or the Sponsor, it directly
faces its counterparty and, in all instances, the Authorized Participant or
Liquidity Provider, as applicable, follow policies and procedures designed to
ensure that it knows the identity of its counterparty. The Authorized
Participant is a registered broker-dealer and therefore subject to AML and
countering the financing of terrorism obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act as
administered by FinCEN and further overseen by the SEC and FINRA. In
addition, one or more Liquidity Providers may be a virtual currency entity
licensed by the NYDFS, which additionally may subject it to AML
obligations.
In
accordance with its regulatory obligations, the Authorized Participant, or the
Liquidity Provider, conducts customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence
on its counterparties, which enables it to determine each counterparty’s AML and
other risks and assign an appropriate risk rating.
As
part of its counterparty onboarding process, each of the Authorized Participant
and the Liquidity Provider uses third-party services to screen prospective
counterparties against various watch lists, including the Specially Designated
Nationals List of the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control
(“OFAC”) and countries and territories identified as non-cooperative by the
Financial Action Task Force. If the Sponsor, the Trust, the Authorized
Participant or the Liquidity Provider were nevertheless to transact with such a
sanctioned entity, the Sponsor, the Trust, the Authorized Participant and the
Liquidity Provider would be at increased risk of potential criminal or civil
lawsuits.
Risk
Factors Related to the Digital Asset Markets
Recent
developments in the digital asset economy have led to extreme volatility and
disruption in digital asset markets, a loss of confidence in participants of the
digital asset ecosystem, significant negative publicity surrounding digital
assets broadly and market-wide declines in liquidity.
In
the past and through the date of this prospectus, digital asset prices have
experienced significant fluctuations, leading to volatility and disruption in
the digital asset markets and financial difficulties for several prominent
industry participants, including Digital Asset Trading Platforms, hedge funds
and lending platforms. For example, in the first half of 2022, digital asset
lenders Celsius Network LLC and Voyager Digital Ltd. and digital asset hedge
fund Three Arrows Capital each entered into insolvency proceedings. This
resulted in a loss of confidence in participants in the digital asset ecosystem,
negative publicity surrounding digital assets more broadly and market-wide
declines in digital asset trading prices and liquidity.
Thereafter,
in November 2022, FTX, the third largest Digital Asset Trading Platform by
volume at the time, halted customer withdrawals amid rumors of the company’s
liquidity issues and likely insolvency. Shortly thereafter, FTX’s CEO resigned
and FTX and several affiliates of FTX filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. Department
of Justice subsequently brought criminal charges, including charges of fraud,
violations of federal securities laws, money laundering, and campaign finance
offenses, against FTX’s former CEO and others. In November 2023, FTX’s former
CEO was convicted of fraud and money laundering. Similar charges related to
violations of anti-money laundering laws were brought in November 2023 against
Binance and its former CEO. In addition, several other entities in the digital
asset industry filed for bankruptcy following FTX’s bankruptcy filing, such as
BlockFi Inc. and Genesis Global Capital, LLC (“Genesis Capital”), a subsidiary
of Genesis Global Holdco, LLC (“Genesis Holdco”). The SEC also brought charges
against Genesis Capital and Gemini Trust Company, LLC (“Gemini”) in January 2023
for their alleged unregistered offer and sale of securities to retail investors.
In October 2023, the New York Attorney General (“NYAG”) brought charges against
Gemini, Genesis Capital, Genesis Asia Pacific PTE. LTD. (“Genesis Asia
Pacific”), Genesis Holdco, (together with Genesis Capital and Genesis Asia
Pacific, the “Genesis Entities”), Genesis Capital’s former CEO, DCG, and DCG’s
CEO alleging violations of the New York Penal Law, the New York General Business
Law and the New York Executive Law. In February 2024, the NYAG amended its
complaint to expand the charges against Gemini, the Genesis Entities, Genesis
Capital’s former CEO, DCG, and DCG’s CEO to include harm to additional
investors. Also in February 2024, the Genesis Entities entered into a settlement
agreement with the NYAG to resolve the NYAG’s allegations against the Genesis
Entities, which settlement was subsequently approved by the Bankruptcy Court of
the Southern District of New York.
Furthermore,
Genesis Holdco, together with certain of its subsidiaries, filed a voluntary
petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in
January 2023. While Genesis Holdco is not a service provider to the Trust, it is
a wholly owned subsidiary of DCG, and is an affiliate of the Trust and the
Sponsor.
These
events have also led to significant negative publicity around digital asset
market participants including DCG, Genesis and DCG’s other affiliated entities.
This publicity could negatively impact the reputation of the Sponsor and have an
adverse effect on the trading price and/or the value of the Shares. Moreover,
sales of a significant number of Shares of the Trust as a result of these events
could have a negative impact on the trading price of the
Shares.
These
events led to a substantial increase in regulatory and enforcement scrutiny of
the industry as a whole and of Digital Asset Trading Platforms in particular,
including from the Department of Justice, the SEC, the CFTC, the White House and
Congress. For example, in June 2023, the SEC brought charges against Binance
(the “Binance Complaint”) and Coinbase (the “Coinbase Complaint”), two of the
largest Digital Asset Trading Platforms, alleging that they solicited U.S.
investors to buy, sell, and trade “crypto asset securities” through their
unregistered trading platforms and operated unregistered securities exchanges,
brokerages and clearing agencies. Binance subsequently announced that it would
be suspending USD deposits and withdrawals on Binance.US and that it plans to
delist its USD trading pairs. In addition, in November 2023, the SEC brought
similar charges against Kraken (the “Kraken Complaint”), alleging that it
operated as an unregistered securities exchange, brokerage and clearing agency.
The Binance Complaint, the Coinbase Complaint and the Kraken Complaint have led,
and may in the future lead, to further volatility in digital asset prices. In
February 2025, a 60-day stay was granted in the SEC’s lawsuit against Binance in
response to a joint request by both the SEC and Binance, which acknowledged that
the SEC’s newly formed Crypto Task Force’s focus on developing a federal
securities law framework for digital assets may resolve the case. Between
February 2025 and May 2025, the SEC entered into court-approved joint
stipulations to dismiss each of the Binance Complaint, Coinbase Complaint and
the Kraken Complaint. The SEC has terminated its investigation or enforcement
action into many other digital asset market participants as well.
In
January 2025, the SEC launched a Crypto Task Force dedicated to developing a
comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for digital assets led by
Commissioner Hester Peirce. Subsequently, Commissioner Peirce announced a list
of specific priorities to further that initiative, which included pursuing final
rules related to a digital asset’s security status, a revised path to registered
offerings and listings for digital asset-based investment vehicles, and clarity
regarding digital asset custody, lending and staking.
Digital
asset markets have also been negatively impacted by the failure of entities
perceived to be integral to the digital asset ecosystem. For example, in March
2023, state banking regulators placed Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank
into FDIC receiverships. Also, in March 2023, Silvergate Bank announced plans to
wind down and liquidate its operations. Because these banks were perceived to be
the banks most open to providing services for the digital asset ecosystem in the
United States, their failures may impact the willingness of banks (based on
regulatory pressure or otherwise) to provide banking services to digital asset
market participants. In addition, because these banks were perceived to be the
banks most open to providing services for the digital asset ecosystem, their
failure has caused a number of companies that provide digital asset-related
services to be unable to find banks that are willing to provide them with such
banking services. The inability to access banking services could negatively
impact digital asset market participants and therefore the value of digital
assets, including XRP, and thus the Shares. In addition, although these events
did not have an impact directly on the Trust or the Sponsor when these bank
failures occurred, it is possible that a future closing of a bank with which the
Trust or the Sponsor has a financial relationship could subject the Trust or the
Sponsor to adverse conditions and pose challenges in finding an alternative
suitable bank to provide the Trust or the Sponsor with bank accounts and banking
services.
Events
such as these that impact the wider digital asset ecosystem are continuing to
develop and change at a rapid pace and it is not possible to predict at this
time all of the risks that they may pose to the Sponsor, the Trust, their
affiliates and/or the Trust’s third-party service providers, or on the digital
asset industry as a whole.
Continued
disruption and instability in the digital asset markets as these events develop,
including declines in the trading prices and liquidity of XRP, or the failure of
service providers to the Trust, could have a material adverse effect on the
value of the Shares and the Shares could lose all or substantially all of their
value.
The
value of the Shares relates directly to the value of XRP, the value of which may
be highly volatile and subject to fluctuations due to a number of
factors.
The
value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the XRP held by the Trust
and fluctuations in the price of XRP could adversely affect the value of the
Shares. The market price of XRP may be highly volatile, and subject to a number
of factors, including:
•
an
increase in the global XRP supply that is publicly available for trading;
•
manipulative
trading activity on Digital Asset Trading Platforms, which, in many cases, are
largely unregulated;
•
the
adoption of XRP as a medium of exchange, store-of-value or other consumptive
asset and the maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol
of the XRP Network;
•
forks
in the XRP Network;
•
investors’
expectations with respect to interest rates, the rates of inflation of fiat
currencies or XRP, and Digital Asset Trading Platform rates;
•
consumer
preferences and perceptions of XRP specifically and digital assets generally;
•
fiat
currency withdrawal and deposit policies on Digital Asset Trading Platforms;
•
the
liquidity of Digital Asset Markets and any increase or decrease in trading
volume on Digital Asset Markets;
•
investment
and trading activities of large investors that invest directly or indirectly in
XRP;
•
a
“short squeeze” resulting from speculation on the price of XRP, if aggregate
short exposure exceeds the number of Shares available for purchase;
•
an
active derivatives market for XRP or for digital assets generally;
•
a
final determination that XRP is a security or changes in XRP’s status under the
federal securities laws;
•
monetary
policies of governments, trade restrictions, currency devaluations and
revaluations and regulatory measures or enforcement actions, if any, that
restrict the use of XRP as a form of payment or the purchase of XRP on the
Digital Asset Markets;
•
global
or regional political, economic or financial conditions, events and situations,
such as the novel coronavirus outbreak;
•
fees
associated with processing an XRP transaction and the speed at which XRP
transactions are settled on the XRP Network;
•
interruptions
in service from or closures or failures of major Digital Asset Trading
Platforms;
•
decreased
confidence in Digital Asset Trading Platforms due to the largely unregulated
nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations of Digital Asset
Trading Platforms;
•
increased
competition from other forms of digital assets or payment services; and
•
the
Trust’s own acquisitions or dispositions of XRP, since there is no limit on the
amount of XRP that the Trust may acquire.
In
addition, there is no assurance that XRP will maintain its value in the long or
intermediate term. In the event that the price of XRP declines, the Sponsor
expects the value of the Shares to decline proportionately. The value of XRP as
represented by the Index Price or by the Trust’s principal market may also be
subject to momentum pricing due to speculation regarding future appreciation in
value, leading to greater volatility that could adversely affect the value of
the Shares. Momentum pricing typically is associated with growth stocks and
other assets whose valuation, as determined by the investing public, accounts
for future appreciation in value, if any. The Sponsor believes that momentum
pricing of XRP has resulted, and may continue to result, in speculation
regarding future appreciation in the value of XRP, inflating and making the
Index Price more volatile. As a result, XRP may be more likely to fluctuate in
value due to changing investor confidence, which could impact future
appreciation or depreciation in the Index Price and could adversely affect the
value of the Shares.
Due
to the largely unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the
operations of Digital Asset Trading Platforms, they may experience fraud, market
manipulation, business failures, security failures or
operational
problems, which may adversely affect the value of XRP and, consequently, the
value of the Shares.
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms are relatively new and, in many ways, are not subject
to, or may not comply with, regulation in relevant jurisdictions in a manner
similar to other regulated trading platforms, such as national securities
exchanges or designated contract markets. While many prominent Digital Asset
Trading Platforms provide the public with significant information regarding
their on-chain activities, ownership structure, management teams, corporate
practices, cybersecurity practices and regulatory compliance, many other Digital
Asset Trading Platforms do not provide this information. Furthermore, while
Digital Asset Trading Platforms are and may continue to be subject to federal
and state licensing requirements in the United States, Digital Asset Trading
Platforms do not currently appear to be subject to regulation in a similar
manner as other regulated trading platforms, such as national securities
exchanges or designated contract markets. As a result, the marketplace may lose
confidence in Digital Asset Trading Platforms, including prominent trading
platforms that handle a significant volume of XRP trading.
Many
Digital Asset Trading Platforms, both in the United States and abroad, are
unlicensed, not subject to, or not in compliance with, regulation in relevant
jurisdictions, or operate without extensive supervision by governmental
authorities. In particular, those located outside the United States may be
subject to significantly less stringent regulatory and compliance requirements
in their local jurisdictions and may take the position that they are not subject
to laws and regulations that would apply to a national securities exchange or
designated contract market in the United States, or may, as a practical matter,
be beyond the ambit of U.S. regulators. As a result, trading activity on or
reported by these Digital Asset Trading Platforms is generally significantly
less regulated than trading activity on or reported by regulated U.S. securities
and commodities markets, and may reflect behavior that would be prohibited in
regulated U.S. trading venues. For example, in 2022 one report claimed that
trading volumes on Digital Asset Trading Platforms were inflated by over 70% due
to false or non-economic trades, with specific focus on unlicensed trading
platforms located outside of the United States. Such reports may indicate that
the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market is significantly smaller than expected
and that the U.S. makes up a significantly larger percentage of the Digital
Asset Trading Platform Market than is commonly understood, or that a much larger
portion of digital asset market activity takes place on decentralized finance
platforms than is commonly understood. Nonetheless, any actual or perceived
false trading in the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market, and any other
fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices, could adversely affect the value
of XRP and/or negatively affect the market perception of XRP, which could in
turn adversely impact the value of the Shares.
The
SEC has also identified possible sources of fraud and manipulation in the
Digital Asset Markets generally, including, among others (1) “wash-trading”; (2)
persons with a dominant position in a digital asset manipulating pricing in such
digital asset; (3) hacking of the underlying digital asset network and trading
platforms; (4) malicious control of the underlying digital asset network; (5)
trading based on material, non-public information (for example, plans of market
participants to significantly increase or decrease their holdings in a digital
asset, new sources of demand for a digital asset) or based on the dissemination
of false and misleading information; (6) manipulative activity involving
purported “stablecoins,” including Tether; and (7) fraud and manipulation at
Digital Asset Markets. The use or presence of such acts and practices in the
Digital Asset Markets could, for example, falsely inflate the volume of XRP
present in the Digital Asset Markets or cause distortions in the price of XRP,
among other things that could adversely affect the Trust or cause losses to
shareholders. Moreover, tools to detect and deter fraudulent or manipulative
trading activities, such as market manipulation, front-running of trades, and
wash-trading, may not be available to or employed by Digital Asset Markets, or
may not exist at all. Many Digital Asset Markets also lack certain safeguards
put in place by exchanges for more traditional assets to enhance the stability
of trading on the exchanges and prevent “flash crashes,” such as limit-down
circuit breakers. As a result, the prices of XRP on Digital Asset Markets may be
subject to larger and/or more frequent sudden declines than assets traded on
more traditional exchanges.
In
addition, over the past several years, some Digital Asset Trading Platforms have
been closed, been subject to criminal and civil litigation and have entered into
bankruptcy proceedings due to fraud and manipulative activity, business failure
and/or security breaches. In many of these instances, the customers of such
Digital Asset Trading Platforms were not compensated or made whole for the
partial or complete losses of their account balances in such Digital Asset
Trading Platforms. In some instances, customers are made whole only in dollar
terms as of the Digital Asset Trading Platform’s date of failure, rather than on
a digital asset basis, meaning customers may still lose out on any price
increase in digital assets.
While
smaller Digital Asset Trading Platforms are less likely to have the
infrastructure and capitalization that make larger Digital Asset Trading
Platforms more stable, larger Digital Asset Trading Platforms are more likely to
be appealing targets for hackers and malware. For example, in February 2025,
hackers reportedly compromised a transaction from Bybit’s multisignature cold
wallets, enabling the hackers to steal over $1.5 billion of ETH from Bybit.
Shortcomings or ultimate failures of larger Digital Asset Trading Platforms are
more likely to have contagion effects on the digital asset ecosystem, and
therefore may also be more likely to be targets of regulatory enforcement
action. For example, in November 2022, FTX, another of the world’s largest
Digital Asset Trading Platforms, filed for bankruptcy protection and
subsequently halted customer withdrawals as well as trading on its FTX.US
platform. Fraud, security failures and operational problems all played a role in
FTX’s issues and downfall. Moreover, Digital Asset Trading Platforms have been a
subject of enhanced regulatory and enforcement scrutiny, and Digital Asset
Markets have experienced continued instability, following the failure of FTX. In
particular, in June 2023, the SEC brought the Binance Complaint and Coinbase
Complaint, alleging that Binance and Coinbase operated unregistered securities
exchanges, brokerages and clearing agencies. In addition, in November 2023, the
SEC brought the Kraken Complaint, alleging that Kraken operated as an
unregistered securities exchange, brokerage and clearing agency.
In
February 2025, a 60-day stay was granted in the SEC’s lawsuit against Binance in
response to a joint request by both the SEC and Binance, which acknowledged that
the SEC’s newly formed Crypto Task Force’s focus on developing a federal
securities law framework for digital assets may resolve the case. Between
February 2025 and May 2025, the SEC entered into court-approved joint
stipulations to dismiss each of the Binance Complaint, Coinbase Complaint and
the Kraken Complaint. The SEC has terminated its investigation or enforcement
action into many other digital asset market participants as well.
Negative
perception, a lack of stability and standardized regulation in the Digital Asset
Markets and/or the closure or temporary shutdown of Digital Asset Trading
Platforms due to fraud, business failure, security breaches or government
mandated regulation, and associated losses by customers, may reduce confidence
in the XRP Network and result in greater volatility in the prices of XRP.
Furthermore, the closure or temporary shutdown of a Digital Asset Trading
Platform used in calculating the Index Price may result in a loss of confidence
in the Trust’s ability to determine its NAV on a daily basis. These potential
consequences of such a Digital Asset Trading Platform’s failure could adversely
affect the value of the Shares.
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms may be exposed to front-running.
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms may be susceptible to “front-running,” which refers to
the process when someone uses technology or market advantage to get prior
knowledge of upcoming transactions. Front-running is a frequent activity on
centralized as well as decentralized trading platforms. By using bots
functioning on a millisecond-scale timeframe, bad actors are able to take
advantage of the forthcoming price movement and make economic gains at the cost
of those who had introduced these transactions. The objective of a front runner
is to buy tokens at a low price and later sell them at a higher price while
simultaneously exiting the position. To the extent that front-running occurs, it
may result in investor frustrations and concerns as to the price integrity of
Digital Asset Trading Platforms and digital assets more generally.
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms may be exposed to wash-trading.
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms may be susceptible to wash-trading. Wash-trading occurs
when offsetting trades are entered into for other than bona fide reasons, such
as the desire to inflate reported trading volumes. Wash-trading may be motivated
by non-economic reasons, such as a desire for increased visibility on popular
websites that monitor markets for digital assets so as to improve a trading
platform’s attractiveness to investors who look for maximum liquidity, or it may
be motivated by the ability to attract listing fees from token issuers who seek
the most liquid and high-volume trading platforms on which to list their tokens.
Results of wash-trading may include unexpected obstacles to trade and erroneous
investment decisions based on false information.
Even
in the United States, there have been allegations of wash-trading even on
regulated venues. Any actual or perceived false trading on Digital Asset Trading
Platforms, and any other fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices, could
adversely affect the value of XRP and/or negatively affect the market perception
of XRP.
To
the extent that wash-trading either occurs or appears to occur in Digital Asset
Trading Platforms, investors may develop negative perceptions about XRP and the
digital assets industry more broadly, which could adversely
impact
the price of XRP and, therefore, the price of the Shares. Wash-trading also may
place more legitimate Digital Asset Trading Platforms at a relative competitive
disadvantage.
The
lack of active trading markets for the Shares may result in losses on investors’
investments at the time of disposition of Shares.
Although
Shares are expected to be publicly listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can
be no guarantee that an active trading market for the Trust will develop or be
maintained. If shareholders need to sell their Shares at a time when no active
market for them exists, the price shareholders receive for their Shares,
assuming they are able to sell them, likely will be lower than the price that
shareholders would receive if an active market did exist and, accordingly, a
shareholder may suffer losses.
Possible
illiquid markets may exacerbate losses or increase the variability between the
Trust’s NAV and its market price.
XRP
is a novel asset with a limited trading history. Therefore, the markets for XRP
may be less liquid and more volatile than other markets for more established
products, such as futures contracts for traditional physical commodities. It may
be difficult to execute an XRP trade at a specific price when there is a
relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in the XRP market. A market
disruption can also make it more difficult to liquidate a position or find a
suitable counterparty at a reasonable cost.
Market
illiquidity may cause losses for the Trust. The large size of the positions that
the Trust may acquire could increase the risk of illiquidity, by both making the
positions more difficult to liquidate and increasing the losses incurred while
trying to do so, should the Trust need to liquidate its XRP. Any type of
disruption or illiquidity will potentially be exacerbated due to the fact that
the Trust will only invest in XRP, which is highly concentrated.
As
of the date of this filing, the total market value of the XRP circulating supply
is approximately $173.2 billion, comprised of approximately 59.4 billion XRP. On
average over the last 30 days, over any given 24-hour period, the reported
global XRP trading volume was approximately $4.0 billion.
Risks
Associated with XRP and the XRP Ledger
Potential
amendments to the XRP Ledger’s protocols and software could, if accepted and
authorized by the XRP Ledger community, adversely affect an investment in the
Trust.
Development
and maintenance of the source code for the XRP Ledger is largely driven by a
community of developers and contributors. Ripple Labs is influential, for
example, as it employs a team of engineers and developers who contribute
significantly to the core codebase of the XRP Ledger. The XRP Ledger Foundation
is also influential as it relates to the development and governance of the XRP
Ledger. The XRP Ledger Foundation is an independent organization established to
support the development and adoption of the XRP Ledger. While Ripple Labs
remains a key contributor, the XRP Foundation aims to ensure that the ledger
remains open and decentralized, promoting transparency and inclusivity in its
governance and development. Being an open-source project, the XRP Ledger also
has contributions from independent developers and other entities interested in
its success. These community contributors can propose changes, submit pull
requests, and report issues on the XRP Ledger’s GitHub repository.
Any
of these parties can propose amendments to the XRP Ledger’s source code that, if
accepted by validators and users, could alter the protocols and software of the
XRP Ledger and the properties of XRP. These alterations would occur through
software upgrades and could potentially include changes to the irreversibility
of transactions and limitations on the issuance of new XRP or changes to the XRP
supply, which could undermine the appeal and market price of XRP. Alternatively,
software upgrades and other changes to the protocols of the XRP Ledger could
fail to work as intended or could introduce bugs, coding defects or flaws, or
security risks, or they could otherwise adversely affect the speed, security,
usability, or value of the XRP Ledger or XRP. As a result, the XRP Ledger could
be subject to changes to its protocols and software in the future that may
adversely affect an investment in the Trust.
The
Index has a limited history and a failure of the Index Price could adversely
affect the value of the Shares.
The
Index has a limited history and the Index Price is a composite reference rate
calculated using trading price data from various Digital Asset Trading Platforms
chosen by the Index Provider. The Index Provider may remove or add Digital Asset
Trading Platforms to the Index in the future at its discretion. For more
information on the inclusion criteria for Digital Asset Trading Platforms in the
Index, see “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the
Index Price.”
Although
the Index is designed to accurately capture the market price of XRP, third
parties may be able to purchase and sell XRP on public or private markets not
included among the constituent Digital Asset Trading Platforms of the Index, and
such transactions may take place at prices materially higher or lower than the
Index Price. Moreover, there may be variances in the prices of XRP on the
various Digital Asset Trading Platforms, including as a result of differences in
fee structures or administrative procedures on different Digital Asset Trading
Platforms. For example, based on data provided by the Index Provider, on any
given day during the period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the
Trust’s operations) to June 30, 2025, the maximum differential between the 4:00
p.m., New York time spot price of any single Digital Asset Trading Platform
included in the Index and the Index Price was 0.71% and the average of the
maximum differentials of the 4:00 p.m., New York time, spot price of each
Digital Asset Trading Platform included in the Index and the Index Price was
0.49%. During this same period, the average differential between the 4:00 p.m.,
New York time, spot prices of all the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included
in the Index and the Index Price was 0.007%. To the extent such prices differ
materially from the Index Price, investors may lose confidence in the Shares’
ability to track the market price of XRP, which could adversely affect the value
of the Shares.
A
decline in the adoption of XRP or the XRP Ledger could negatively impact the
Trust.
The
Sponsor will not have any strategy relating to the development of XRP and the
XRP Ledger. However, a lack of expansion in usage of XRP and the XRP Ledger
could adversely affect an investment in Shares.
The
further development and acceptance of the XRP Ledger, which is part of a new and
rapidly changing industry, is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult
to evaluate. The slowing, stopping or reversing of the development or acceptance
or usage of the XRP Ledger may adversely affect the price of XRP and therefore
an investment in the Shares. The further adoption of XRP will require growth of
the XRP Ledger. Adoption of XRP will also require an accommodating regulatory
environment.
The
use of digital assets such as XRP to, among other things, buy and sell goods or
services or facilitate cross-border payments is part of a new and rapidly
evolving industry that employs digital assets based upon computer-generated
mathematical and/or cryptographic protocols. The XRP Ledger is a prominent, but
not unique, part of this industry. The growth of this industry is subject to a
high degree of uncertainty, as new assets and technological innovations continue
to develop and evolve.
Today,
speculators make up a significant portion of users of XRP and other
cryptocurrencies. Certain merchants and major retail and commercial businesses
have only recently begun accepting XRP and the XRP Ledger as a means of payment
for goods and services. Speculation may contribute to outsized price volatility,
which in turn can make XRP less attractive to merchants and commercial parties
as a means of payment. A lack of expansion by XRP into retail and commercial
markets or a contraction of such use may result in a reduction in the price of
XRP, which could adversely affect an investment in the Trust.
In
addition, there is no assurance that XRP will maintain its value over the long
term. The price of XRP is subject to risks related to its usage. Even if growth
in XRP Ledger adoption occurs in the near or medium term, there is no assurance
that XRP usage will continue to grow over the long term. A contraction in use of
XRP may result in increased volatility or a reduction in the price of XRP, which
would adversely impact the value of the Shares.
The
fixed supply of XRP may negatively impact the operation of the XRP
Ledger.
Unlike
other digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, XRP is not and was not mined
gradually over time. Instead, all 100 billion XRP tokens were created at the
time of the XRP Ledger’s launch in 2012. This means that
every
XRP token that exists today, or will ever exist, was generated from the outset
of the XRP Ledger. As a result, there is no ability for the supply of XRP to be
adjusted in response to economic conditions. For instance, there is no ability
for the supply of XRP to be increased to meet rising demand, which could lead to
price volatility. In addition, unlike blockchains that utilize “proof-of-work”
or “proof-of-stake” where miners or stakers are rewarded with newly minted coins
or tokens, XRP validators are not incentivized by block rewards since there is
no new issuance of XRP.
Additionally,
the fixed supply of XRP, combined with the burning of XRP (permanently
destroyed) as transaction fees, could create deflationary pressure over time. A
small amount of XRP is burned with every transaction to prevent spam on the
network. While the amount of XRP burned per transaction is minuscule, over time,
the total supply of XRP will slowly decrease. This could lead to a deflationary
environment where the decreasing supply drives up the price of XRP, making it
less practical as a medium of exchange. Additionally, as the total supply of XRP
slowly shrinks due to burning, liquidity could become an issue in the distant
future, potentially making it harder for businesses and users to access
sufficient XRP for their transactions or for the Trust to operate.
The
fixed supply of XRP could also contribute to price volatility, especially if
demand fluctuates significantly. Since the supply of XRP is fixed, any
significant surge in demand can result in large price spikes. For example,
during periods of high market activity or speculation, the price of XRP could
rapidly increase due to the inability to expand supply to match demand. This
volatility could make XRP less predictable for businesses that rely on it for
payments. Digital assets with a flexible supply, such as stablecoins, can adjust
to maintain a stable value. XRP, however, could experience price swings that
make it less attractive for everyday transactions or long-term financial
planning.
The
fixed supply of XRP may also not scale well with rapidly expanding use cases. As
more businesses, financial institutions, and payment providers adopt XRP for
cross-border transactions and other use cases, there is a risk that the fixed
supply may not meet the growing demand, leading to supply shortages and further
price volatility. In the case of massive adoption, the scarcity of XRP could
raise its value too much, making it less appealing for day-to-day transactions
or use as a liquidity bridge in cross-border payments, as businesses might
prefer a more stable and widely available currency.
The
Index Price used to calculate the value of the Trust’s XRP may be volatile, and
purchasing and selling activity in the Digital Asset Markets associated with
Basket creations and redemptions may affect the Index Price and Share trading
prices, adversely affecting the value of the Shares.
The
price of XRP on public Digital Asset Trading Platforms has a very limited
history, and during this history, XRP prices on the Digital Asset Markets more
generally, and on Digital Asset Trading Platforms individually, have been
volatile and subject to influence by many factors, including operational
interruptions. While the Index is designed to limit exposure to the interruption
of individual Digital Asset Trading Platforms, the Index Price, and the price of
XRP generally, remain subject to volatility experienced by Digital Asset Trading
Platforms, and such volatility could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
For example, from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations)
to June 30, 2025, the Index Price ranged from $0.50 to $3.29, with the straight
average being $1.89. The Sponsor has not observed a material difference between
the Index Price and average prices from the constituent Digital Asset Trading
Platforms individually or as a group. The price of XRP more generally has
experienced volatility similar to the Index Price during these periods. See
“Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—Historical XRP
Prices.”
Furthermore,
because the number of Digital Asset Trading Platforms is limited, the Index will
necessarily be comprised of a limited number of Digital Asset Trading Platforms.
If a Digital Asset Trading Platform were subjected to regulatory, volatility or
other pricing issues, the Index Provider would have limited ability to remove
such Digital Asset Trading Platform from the Index, which could skew the price
of XRP as represented by the Index. Trading on a limited number of Digital Asset
Trading Platforms may result in less favorable prices and decreased liquidity of
XRP and, therefore, could have an adverse effect on the value of the
Shares.
Purchasing
activity associated with acquiring XRP required for the creation of Baskets may
increase the market price of XRP on the Digital Asset Markets, which will result
in higher prices for the Shares. Alternatively, selling activity associated with
sales of XRP withdrawn from the Trust in connection with the redemption of
Baskets may decrease the market price of XRP on the Digital Asset Markets, which
will result in lower prices for the Shares. Increases or decreases in the market
price of XRP may also occur as a result of the purchasing or selling activity
of
other
market participants. Other market participants may attempt to benefit from an
increase or decrease in the market price of XRP that may result from increased
purchasing or selling activity of XRP connected with the creation or redemption
of Baskets. Consequently, the market price of XRP may decline immediately after
Baskets are created. Decreases in the market price of XRP may also occur as a
result of sales in Secondary Markets by other market participants. If the Index
Price declines, the value of the Shares will generally also decline.
Competition
from the emergence or growth of other digital assets could have a negative
impact on the price of XRP and adversely affect the value of the
Shares.
As
of August 21, 2025, XRP is the third largest digital asset by market
capitalization, as tracked by CoinMarketCap.com. As of June 30, 2025, the
digital assets tracked by CoinMarketCap.com had a total market capitalization of
approximately $3,072.1 billion (including the approximately $132.1 billion
market cap of XRP), as calculated using market prices and total available supply
of each digital asset, excluding stablecoins and tokens pegged to other assets.
XRP faces competition from a wide range of digital assets. XRP is also supported
by fewer trading platforms than more established digital assets, such as Bitcoin
and Ether, which could impact its liquidity. XRP is in direct competition to
other real-time payment and settlement systems such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and
Stellar. Competition from the emergence or growth of alternative digital assets
in the financial payment and settlement sectors could have a negative impact on
the demand for, and price of, XRP and thereby adversely affect an investment in
the value of the Shares.
Investors
may also invest in XRP through means other than the Shares, including through
direct investments in XRP and other financial vehicles, including securities
backed by or linked to XRP and digital asset financial vehicles similar to the
Trust. In particular, the Trust and the Sponsor face competition with respect to
the creation of competing exchange-traded spot XRP products, among other digital
asset vehicles, several of which have applications pending before the SEC or
that have already received SEC approval. Whether the Trust is successful in
maintaining its scale and achieving its intended competitive position may be
impacted by a range of factors, including the Trust’s timing in entering the
market relative to competing spot XRP exchange-traded products and its fee
structure relative to those competing products. The Trust’s competitors may
offer a more liquid secondary market for their shares, and/or may charge a
substantially lower fee than the Sponsor’s Fee or expense ratio now or in the
future. If the Trust fails to continue to maintain or grow sufficient scale due
to competition, the Sponsor may have difficulty raising sufficient revenue to
cover the costs associated with maintaining the Trust and such shortfalls could
impact the Sponsor’s ability to properly invest in robust ongoing operations and
controls of the Trust to minimize the risk of operating events, errors, or other
forms of losses to the shareholders. Furthermore, the Trust may fail to continue
to attract adequate liquidity in the secondary market due to such competition,
resulting in a small number of Authorized Participants willing to make a market
in the Shares, which in turn could result in the Shares trading at a significant
premium or discount for extended periods. Likewise, market and financial
conditions, and other conditions beyond the Sponsor’s control, may make it more
attractive to gain exposure to XRP through other vehicles, rather than the
Trust.
In
addition, to the extent digital asset financial vehicles other than the Trust
tracking the price of XRP are formed and represent a significant proportion of
the demand for XRP, large purchases or redemptions of the securities of these
digital asset financial vehicles, or private funds holding XRP, could negatively
affect the Index Price, the NAV, the NAV per Share, the value of the Shares, the
Principal Market NAV and the Principal Market NAV per Share. Accordingly, there
can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to maintain its scale and
achieve its intended competitive positioning relative to competitors, which
could adversely affect the performance of the Trust and the value of the
Shares.
Congestion
or delay in the XRP Ledger may delay purchases or sales of XRP by the
Trust.
Increased
transaction volume could result in delays in the recording of transactions due
to congestion in the XRP Ledger. Moreover, unforeseen system failures,
disruptions in operations, or poor connectivity may also result in delays in the
recording of transactions on the XRP Ledger. Any delay in the XRP Ledger could
affect an Authorized Participant’s ability to buy or sell XRP Ledger at an
advantageous price resulting in decreased confidence in the XRP Ledger. Over the
longer term, delays in confirming transactions could reduce the attractiveness
to merchants and other commercial parties as a means of payment. As a result,
the XRP Ledger and the value of the Trust would be adversely
affected.
The
SEC may approve applications under Rule 19b-4 of the Exchange Act to list
competing digital assets as exchange-traded products, which could reduce demand
for, and the price of, XRP and adversely impact the value of the
Shares.
To
date, in addition to the application submitted in connection with the Trust, the
SEC has only approved applications under Rule 19b-4 of the Exchange Act to list
spot digital asset exchange-traded products which hold Bitcoin and Ether.
However, applications for competing digital assets have been filed and are
currently pending, and there can be no guarantee the SEC will not one day
approve any such application. If applications to list spot digital asset
exchange-traded products, other than those which hold XRP, are approved, to the
extent such competing digital asset exchange-traded products come to represent a
significant proportion of the demand for digital assets generally, demand for,
and the price of, XRP could be reduced. Such reduced demand could in turn
negatively affect the Index Price, the NAV, the NAV per Share, the value of the
Shares, the Principal Market NAV and the Principal Market NAV per Share.
Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to maintain
its scale and achieve its intended competitive positioning relative to
competitors, which could adversely affect the performance of the Trust and the
value of the Shares.
Competition
from central bank digital currencies (“CBDCs”) and emerging payments initiatives
involving financial institutions could adversely affect the price of XRP and
other digital assets.
Central
banks in various countries have introduced digital forms of legal tender
(“CBDCs”). China’s CBDC project, known as Digital Currency Electronic Payment,
has reportedly been tested in a live pilot program conducted in multiple cities
in China. Central banks representing at least 130 countries have published
retail or wholesale CBDC work ranging from research to pilot projects. Whether
or not they incorporate blockchain or similar technology, CBDCs, as legal tender
in the issuing jurisdiction, could have an advantage in competing with, or
replace, XRP and other cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange or store of
value. Central banks and other governmental entities have also announced
cooperative initiatives and consortia with private sector entities, with the
goal of leveraging blockchain and other technology to reduce friction in
cross-border and interbank payments and settlement, and commercial banks and
other financial institutions have also recently announced a number of
initiatives of their own to incorporate new technologies, including blockchain
and similar technologies, into their payments and settlement activities, which
could compete with, or reduce the demand for, XRP. As a result of any of the
foregoing factors, the price of XRP could decrease, which could adversely affect
an investment in the Trust.
Prices
of XRP may be affected due to stablecoins (including Tether and USDC), the
activities of stablecoin issuers and their regulatory treatment.
While
the Trust does not invest in stablecoins, it may nonetheless be exposed to these
and other risks that stablecoins pose for the market for XRP and other digital
assets. Stablecoins are digital assets designed to have a stable value over time
as compared to typically volatile digital assets, and are typically marketed as
being pegged to the value of a referenced asset, normally a fiat currency, such
as the U.S. dollar. Although the prices of stablecoins are intended to be stable
compared to their referenced asset, in many cases their prices fluctuate,
sometimes significantly. This volatility has in the past impacted the prices of
certain digital assets, and has at times caused certain stablecoins to lose
their “peg” to the underlying fiat currency. Stablecoins are a relatively new
phenomenon, and it is impossible to know all of the risks that they could pose
to participants in the digital asset markets. In addition, some have argued that
some stablecoins, particularly Tether, are improperly issued without sufficient
backing in a way that could cause artificial rather than genuine demand for
digital assets, raising their prices. Regulators have also charged stablecoin
issuers with violations of law or otherwise required certain stablecoin issuers
to cease certain operations. For example, on February 17, 2021, the New York
Attorney General entered into an agreement with Tether’s operators, requiring
them to cease any further trading activity with New York persons and pay $18.5
million in penalties for false and misleading statements made regarding the
assets backing Tether. On October 15, 2021, the CFTC announced a settlement with
Tether’s operators in which they agreed to pay $42.5 million in fines to settle
charges that, among others, Tether’s claims that it maintained sufficient U.S.
dollar reserves to back every Tether stablecoin in circulation with the
“equivalent amount of corresponding fiat currency” held by Tether were
untrue.
USDC
is a reserve-backed stablecoin issued by Circle Internet Financial that is
commonly used as a method of payment in digital asset markets, including the XRP
market. The issuer of USDC uses the Circle Reserve Fund to hold cash, U.S.
Treasury bills, notes and other obligations issued or guaranteed as to principal
and interest by the
U.S.
Treasury, and repurchase agreements secured by such obligations or cash, which
serve as reserves backing USDC stablecoins. While USDC is designed to maintain a
stable value at 1 U.S. dollar at all times, on March 10, 2023, the value of USDC
fell below $1.00 (and remained below for multiple days) after Circle Internet
Financial disclosed that $3.3 billion of the USDC reserves were held at Silicon
Valley Bank, which had entered FDIC receivership earlier that day. Popular
stablecoins are reliant on the U.S. banking system and U.S. treasuries, and the
failure of either to function normally could impede the function of stablecoins
or lead to outsized redemption requests, and therefore could adversely affect
the value of the Shares.
Given
the role that stablecoins play in global digital asset markets, their
fundamental liquidity can have a dramatic impact on the broader digital asset
market, including the market for XRP. Because a large portion of the digital
asset market still depends on stablecoins such as Tether and USDC, there is a
risk that a disorderly de-pegging or a run on Tether or USDC could lead to
dramatic market volatility in, and/or materially and adversely affect the prices
of, digital assets more broadly.
Volatility
in stablecoins, operational issues with stablecoins (for example, technical
issues that prevent settlement), concerns about the sufficiency of any reserves
that support stablecoins, or regulatory concerns about stablecoin issuers or
intermediaries, such as Bitcoin spot markets, that support stablecoins, could
impact individuals’ willingness to trade on trading venues that rely on
stablecoins and could impact the price of XRP, and in turn, an investment in the
Shares.
Failure
of funds that hold digital assets or that have exposure to digital assets
through derivatives to receive SEC approval to list their shares on exchanges
could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
There
have been a growing number of attempts to list on national securities exchanges
the shares of funds that hold digital assets or that have exposure to digital
assets through derivatives. These investment vehicles attempt to provide
institutional and retail investors exposure to markets for digital assets and
related products. Until recently, the SEC had repeatedly denied such requests.
In January 2018, the SEC’s Division of Investment Management outlined several
questions that sponsors would be expected to address before the SEC will
consider granting approval for funds holding “substantial amounts” of
cryptocurrencies or “cryptocurrency-related products.” The questions, which
focus on specific requirements of the Investment Company Act, generally fall
into one of five key areas: valuation, liquidity, custody, arbitrage and
potential manipulation. The SEC has not explicitly stated whether each of the
questions set forth would also need to be addressed by entities with similar
products and investment strategies that instead pursue registered offerings
under the Securities Act, although such entities would need to comply with the
registration and prospectus disclosure requirements of the Securities Act. After
several years of the SEC denying requests to list shares of various digital
asset funds holding Bitcoin on national securities exchanges, including the
request to list the shares of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF on NYSE Arca in June
2022, the Sponsor petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit for review of the SEC’s final order denying approval to list
shares of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF on NYSE Arca as an exchange-traded
product. In August 2023, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Sponsor’s
petition and vacated the SEC’s order as arbitrary and capricious. The SEC did
not seek panel rehearing or rehearing en banc. In October 2023, the D.C. Circuit
Court of Appeals remanded the matter to the SEC. Ultimately, on January 10,
2024, the SEC approved NYSE Arca’s 19b-4 application to list the shares of the
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF on NYSE Arca as an exchange-traded product, as well
as requests to list shares of various other digital asset funds holding spot
Bitcoin on national securities exchanges. Subsequently, the SEC approved NYSE
Arca’s similar 19b-4 applications to list the shares of the Grayscale Ethereum
Trust ETF and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF, as well as requests to list the
shares of various other investment vehicles that hold spot Ether on national
securities exchanges.
Moreover,
even though NYSE Arca’s requests with respect to the Trust, Grayscale Bitcoin
Trust ETF, Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF, Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF and
Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF were approved, there is no guarantee that a
similar application to list shares of digital asset funds beyond those for funds
holding XRP, Bitcoin, or Ether on NYSE Arca, or another national securities
exchange, would be approved. In particular, Bitcoin is the only specific, widely
non-stablecoin or meme coin used digital asset that the SEC has publicly
indicated it does not currently view as a security, although the SEC, by action
through delegated authority approving exchange rule filings to list shares of
trusts holding Ether as commodity-based exchange-traded products, has implicitly
taken the view that Ether is not a security. The Sponsor believes that the SEC
is unlikely to approve a request to list the shares of a spot exchange-traded
product that holds a digital asset that the SEC believes is an unregistered
security. Although CFTC-regulated futures markets have recently been established
for XRP, which the
SEC
has viewed as a relevant factor in the case of spot Bitcoin and spot Ether
exchange-traded products, investors should not assume that recent approvals of
spot Bitcoin and spot Ether exchange-traded products or the establishment of
these CFTC-regulated XRP futures markets will subsequently lead to approval of
spot exchange-traded products holding other digital assets.
The
exchange listing of shares of digital asset funds would create more
opportunities for institutional and retail investors to invest in the digital
asset market. If exchange-listing requests beyond those for funds holding XRP,
Bitcoin or Ether continue to be denied by the SEC, increased investment interest
by institutional or retail investors could fail to materialize, which could
reduce the demand for digital assets generally and therefore adversely affect
the value of the Shares.
The
price of XRP may become closely correlated with other asset classes.
Returns
from investing in XRP have at times diverged from and/or have not been
correlated with those associated with other asset classes, but there can be no
assurance that there will be any such divergence, either generally or with
respect to any particular asset class, or that price movements will not be
correlated. In addition, there is no assurance that XRP will maintain its value
in the long, intermediate, short, or any other term. In the event that the price
of XRP declines, the value of the Shares is likely to decline
proportionately.
The
significant holdings of XRP by Ripple Labs and other early stakeholders could
have an adverse effect on the market price of XRP.
Ripple
Labs holds a large portion of the XRP supply, which has led to concerns about
centralization. Despite escrow mechanisms that gradually release XRP into the
market, Ripple Labs still retains control over a significant portion of XRP,
which can impact market dynamics if large amounts are sold. The concentration of
XRP in the hands of Ripple Labs and early stakeholders has sometimes led to
perceptions of centralization, which could affect the market’s confidence in XRP
as a decentralized asset.
Competition
from certain Ripple Labs solutions that do not require XRP to function, as well
as from consortia or private blockchains, could have a negative impact on the
price of XRP and adversely affect an investment in the Shares.
Many
of the financial institutions that Ripple Labs has formed partnerships with are
using Ripple Labs’ distributed ledger solutions that do not require XRP to
function. Although these partnerships may create value for Ripple Labs or its
shareholders, this value may not accrue to the benefit of XRP holders. If
financial institutions choose not to use XRP, it could adversely affect the
value of the XRP and, as a result, an investment in the Shares.
In
addition, many consortia and financial institutions that Ripple Labs views as
potential XRP users are researching and investing resources into private or
permissioned blockchain platforms that could compete with XRP to facilitate
cross-currency transactions. Such initiatives, which include J.P. Morgan’s Onyx
and Consensys’ Quorum, offer financial payment networks and have partnered with
many financial institutions. However, unlike the XRP Network, these platforms do
not necessarily require a native digital currency like XRP. In evaluating
competing distributed ledger technologies, financial institutions may prefer
permissioned blockchains without digital currencies over the XRP Network and XRP
in the future. If financial institutions choose to use permissioned blockchains
without digital currencies, the value of XRP may be negatively affected, which
would adversely affect an investment in the Shares.
One
of the founders of Ripple Labs, Jed McCaleb, holds a significant stake in XRP.
Future sales of XRP by Jed McCaleb, or the perception that these sales may
occur, could cause the price of XRP to decline.
In
February 2016, Ripple Labs settled a legal dispute involving one of Ripple Labs’
co-founders, Jed McCaleb, relating to a 2014 agreement that Ripple Labs and
McCaleb entered into in connection with McCaleb’s leaving Ripple Labs to launch
the Stellar Network. In the dispute, Ripple Labs alleged that McCaleb
circumvented an agreement governing the sale of McCaleb’s XRP holdings, which
was 9 billion XRP tokens at the time, to sell his XRP beyond its contractual
controls. In connection with settling the dispute, McCaleb sold his equity in
Ripple Labs and agreed to sale restrictions on 5.3 billion XRP owned by him and
his children. An additional 2 billion XRP were donated to charity. The sale
restrictions are tied to daily volume in XRP markets equal to 0.5% in the first
year,
0.75%
in the second and third years, 1.0% in the fourth year and 1.5% thereafter. As a
result of McCaleb’s concentration of ownership, large sales by McCaleb in the
future, or the perceptions that these sales may occur, could have an adverse
effect on the market price of XRP and an investment in the Shares.
Risk
Factors Related to the Trust and the Shares
The
Trust relies on third-party service providers to perform certain functions
essential to the affairs of the Trust and the replacement of such service
providers could pose a challenge to the safekeeping of the Trust’s XRP and to
the operations of the Trust.
The
Trust relies on the Custodian and the Prime Broker (together, the “Custodial
Entities”), the Authorized Participants and other third-party service providers
to perform certain functions essential to managing the affairs of the Trust. In
addition, Liquidity Providers are relied upon to facilitate the purchase and
sale of XRP in connection with creations and redemptions of Shares in cash
(“Cash Orders”), and the Transfer Agent and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC
(in such capacity, the “Liquidity Engager”) are relied upon to facilitate such
Cash Orders. Any disruptions to a service provider’s business operations,
resulting from business failures, financial instability, security failures,
government mandated regulation or operational problems, could have an adverse
impact on the Trust’s ability to access critical services and be disruptive to
the operations of the Trust and require the Sponsor or the Liquidity Engager, as
the case may be, to replace such service provider. Moreover, the Sponsor could
decide to replace a service provider to the Trust, or the Liquidity Engager may
decide to replace a Liquidity Provider, for other reasons.
If
the Sponsor decides, or is required, to replace Coinbase Custody Trust Company,
LLC as the custodian of the Trust’s XRP, or Coinbase, Inc. as the prime broker
controlling and securing the Trust’s Settlement Balance, transfer of the
respective maintenance responsibilities of the Vault Balance or the Settlement
Balance to another party or parties will likely be complex and could subject the
Trust’s XRP to the risk of loss during the transfer, which could have a negative
impact on the performance of the Shares or result in loss of the Trust’s
assets.
Moreover,
the legal rights of customers with respect to digital assets held on their
behalf by a third-party custodian, such as the Custodial Entities, in insolvency
proceedings are currently uncertain. The Prime Broker Agreement contains an
agreement by the parties to treat the digital assets credited to the Trust’s
Vault Balance and Settlement Balance as financial assets under Article 8 in
addition to stating that the Custodian will serve as fiduciary and custodian on
the Trust’s behalf with respect to the Trust’s XRP held in the Vault Balance,
and that any XRP credited to the Settlement Balance will be treated as custodial
assets.
The
Custodial Entities’ parent, Coinbase Global, has also stated in its most recent
public securities filings that in light of the inclusion of provisions relating
to Article 8 in its custody and prime broker client agreements, it believes that
a court would not treat custodied digital assets as part of its general estate
in the event the Custodial Entities were to experience insolvency. However, due
to the novelty of digital asset custodial arrangements courts have not yet
considered this type of treatment for custodied digital assets and it is not
possible to predict with certainty how they would rule in such a scenario.
Moreover, the Custodian and the Prime Broker are potentially subject to
different insolvency regimes and there is no assurance that the digital assets
credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance would be treated similarly to those
credited to the Trust’s Vault Balance in an insolvency, notwithstanding the
rights and obligations conferred under the Prime Broker Agreement or Coinbase
Global’s views regarding the treatment of such assets under Article 8. In the
event that the Custodian or the Prime Broker and/or Coinbase Global became
subject to insolvency proceedings and a court were to rule that the custodied
digital assets were part of the Custodian’s, the Prime Broker’s and/or Coinbase
Global’s general estate and not the property of the Trust, then the Trust would
be treated as a general unsecured creditor in such insolvency proceedings and
the Trust would be subject to the loss of all or a significant portion of its
assets.
In
addition, the Custodian is a fiduciary under § 100 of the New York Banking Law
and a qualified custodian for purposes of Rule 206(4)-2(d)(6) under the
Investment Advisers Act and is licensed to custody the Trust’s XRP in trust on
the Trust’s behalf. However, the SEC has released proposed amendments to Rule
206(4)-2 that, if enacted as proposed, would amend the definition of a
“qualified custodian” under Rule 206(4)-2(d)(6). Executive officers of the
Custodian’s parent company have made public statements indicating that the
Custodian will remain a qualified custodian under the proposed SEC rule, if
enacted as currently proposed. However, there can be no assurance that the
Custodian would continue to qualify as a “qualified custodian” under a final
rule.
To
the extent that Sponsor is not able to find a suitable party willing to serve as
custodian, the Sponsor may be required to terminate the Trust and liquidate the
Trust’s XRP. In addition, to the extent that the Sponsor finds a suitable party
and must enter into a modified or separate custody agreement that is less
favorable for the Trust or Sponsor and/or transfer the Trust’s assets in a
relatively short time period, the safekeeping of the Trust’s XRP may be
adversely affected, which may in turn adversely affect value of the Shares.
Likewise, if the Sponsor is required to replace any other service provider, they
may not be able to find a party willing to serve in such capacity in a timely
manner or at all. If the Sponsor decides, or is required, to replace an
Authorized Participant and/or if the Liquidity Engager decides, or is required,
to replace a Liquidity Provider, this could negatively impact the Trust’s
ability to create new Shares, which would impact the Shares’ liquidity and could
have a negative impact on the value of the Shares.
The
amount of the Trust’s assets represented by each Share will decline over time as
the Trust pays the Sponsor’s Fee and Additional Trust Expenses, and as a result,
the value of the Shares may decrease over time.
The
Sponsor’s Fee accrues daily in U.S. dollars at an annual rate based on the NAV
Fee Basis Amount, which is based on the NAV of the Trust, and is paid to the
Sponsor in XRP. See “Business—Expenses; Sales of XRP—Disposition of XRP” and
“Business—Expenses; Sales of XRP—Hypothetical Expense Example.” As a result, the
amount of Trust’s assets represented by each Share declines as the Trust pays
the Sponsor’s Fee (or sells XRP in order to raise cash to pay any Additional
Trust Expenses), which may cause the Shares to decrease in value over time or
dampen any increase in value.
The
value of the Shares may be influenced by a variety of factors unrelated to the
value of XRP.
The
value of the Shares may be influenced by a variety of factors unrelated to the
price of XRP and the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index that
may have an adverse effect on the value of the Shares. These factors include the
following factors:
•
Unanticipated
problems or issues with respect to the mechanics of the Trust’s operations and
the trading of the Shares may arise, in particular due to the fact that the
mechanisms and procedures governing the creation and offering of the Shares and
storage of XRP have been developed specifically for this
product;
•
The
Trust could experience difficulties in operating and maintaining its technical
infrastructure, including in connection with expansions or updates to such
infrastructure, which are likely to be complex and could lead to unanticipated
delays, unforeseen expenses and security vulnerabilities;
•
The
Trust could experience unforeseen issues relating to the performance and
effectiveness of the security procedures used to protect the Vault Balance, or
the security procedures may not protect against all errors, software flaws or
other vulnerabilities in the Trust’s technical infrastructure, which could
result in theft, loss or damage of its assets; or
•
Although
the XRP Network does not have any privacy enhancing features at this time, if
any such features are introduced to the XRP Network in the future, or if
protocols built on top of the XRP Network introduce such privacy enhancing
features, service providers may decide to terminate their relationships with the
Trust due to concerns that the introduction of privacy enhancing features to the
XRP Network may increase the potential for XRP to be used to facilitate crime,
exposing such service providers to potential reputational
harm.
Any
of these factors could affect the value of the Shares, either directly or
indirectly through their effect on the Trust’s assets.
Shareholders
do not have the protections associated with ownership of shares in an investment
company registered under the Investment Company Act or the protections afforded
by the CEA.
The
Investment Company Act is designed to protect investors by preventing insiders
from managing investment companies to their benefit and to the detriment of
public investors, such as: the issuance of securities having inequitable or
discriminatory provisions; the management of investment companies by
irresponsible persons; the use
of
unsound or misleading methods of computing earnings and asset value; changes in
the character of investment companies without the consent of investors; and
investment companies from engaging in excessive leveraging. To accomplish these
ends, the Investment Company Act requires the safekeeping and proper valuation
of fund assets, restricts greatly transactions with affiliates, limits
leveraging, and imposes governance requirements as a check on fund
management.
The
Trust is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act,
and the Sponsor believes that the Trust is not required to register under such
act. Consequently, shareholders do not have the regulatory protections provided
to investors in investment companies.
The
Trust will not hold or trade in commodity interests regulated by the CEA, as
administered by the CFTC. Furthermore, the Sponsor believes that the Trust is
not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and that neither the Sponsor nor
the Trustee is subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator or
a commodity trading adviser in connection with the operation of the Trust.
Consequently, shareholders will not have the regulatory protections provided to
investors in CEA-regulated instruments or commodity pools.
As
the Sponsor and its management have limited history of operating investment
vehicles like the Trust, their experience may be inadequate or unsuitable to
manage the Trust.
The
past performances of the Sponsor’s management in other investment vehicles,
including their experiences in the digital asset and venture capital industries,
are no indication of their ability to manage an investment vehicle such as the
Trust. If the experience of the Sponsor and its management is inadequate or
unsuitable to manage an investment vehicle such as the Trust, the operations of
the Trust may be adversely affected.
Furthermore,
the Sponsor is currently engaged in the management of other investment vehicles
which could divert their attention and resources. If the Sponsor were to
experience difficulties in the management of such other investment vehicles that
damaged the Sponsor or its reputation, it could have an adverse impact on the
Sponsor’s ability to continue to serve as Sponsor for the Trust.
Security
threats to the Trust’s Vault Balance or Settlement Balance could result in the
halting of Trust operations, including the creation and redemption of Baskets,
and a loss of Trust assets or damage to the reputation of the Trust, each of
which could result in a reduction in the value of the Shares.
Security
breaches, computer malware and computer hacking attacks have been a prevalent
concern in relation to digital assets. The Sponsor believes that the Trust’s XRP
held in the Vault Balance, as well as the Trust’s XRP held temporarily in the
Settlement Balance, will be an appealing target to hackers or malware
distributors seeking to destroy, damage or steal the Trust’s XRP and will only
become more appealing as the Trust’s assets grow. To the extent that the Trust,
the Sponsor or the Custodial Entities are unable to identify and mitigate or
stop new security threats or otherwise adapt to technological changes in the
digital asset industry, the Trust’s XRP may be subject to theft, loss,
destruction or other attack.
The
Sponsor believes that the security procedures in place for the Trust, including,
but not limited to, offline storage, or cold storage, for a substantial portion
of the Trust’s XRP, multiple encrypted private key “shards”, usernames,
passwords and 2-step verification, are reasonably designed to safeguard the
Trust’s XRP. Nevertheless, the security procedures cannot guarantee the
prevention of any loss due to a security breach, software defect or act of God
that may be borne by the Trust. Additionally, because a portion of the Trust’s
XRP from time to time will be held in hot storage, such XRP will be more
vulnerable to a potential hack or other cyberattack that could lead to a loss of
Trust assets.
The
security procedures and operational infrastructure may be breached due to the
actions of outside parties, error or malfeasance of an employee of the Sponsor,
a Custodial Entity, or otherwise, and, as a result, an unauthorized party may
obtain access to an Account, the relevant private keys (and therefore XRP) or
other data of the Trust. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to
fraudulently induce employees of the Sponsor or a Custodial Entity to disclose
sensitive information in order to gain access to the Trust’s infrastructure. As
the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service,
or sabotage systems change frequently, or may be designed to remain dormant
until a predetermined event and often are not recognized until launched against
a target, the Sponsor and the Custodial Entities may be unable to anticipate
these techniques or implement adequate preventative
measures.
Moreover, the Custodial Entities will not be liable for any claims or losses
arising out of or relating to the acts and/or omissions of any unauthorized
third parties, except to the extent such losses are caused by a Custodial
Entity’s negligence, fraud or willful misconduct.
An
actual or perceived breach of the accounts associated with the Trust’s Vault
Balance and Settlement Balance (the “Accounts”) could harm the Trust’s
operations, result in loss of the Trust’s assets, damage the Trust’s reputation
and negatively affect the market perception of the effectiveness of the Trust,
all of which could in turn reduce demand for the Shares, resulting in a
reduction in the value of the Shares. The Trust may also cease operations, the
occurrence of which could similarly result in a reduction in the value of the
Shares.
XRP
transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred XRP may be
irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed XRP transactions could
adversely affect the value of the Shares.
XRP
transactions are typically not reversible without the consent and active
participation of the recipient of the transaction. Once a transaction has been
verified and recorded in a block that is added to the Blockchain, an incorrect
transfer or theft of XRP generally will not be reversible and the Trust may not
be capable of seeking compensation for any such transfer or theft. Although the
Trust’s transfers of XRP will regularly be made to or from the Vault Balance, it
is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal
action, the Trust’s XRP could be transferred from the Trust’s Vault Balance in
incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties, or to uncontrolled
accounts.
Such
events have occurred in connection with digital assets in the past. To the
extent that the Trust is unable to seek a corrective transaction with such third
party or is incapable of identifying the third party which has received the
Trust’s XRP through error or theft, the Trust will be unable to revert or
otherwise recover incorrectly transferred XRP. The Trust will also be unable to
convert or recover its XRP transferred to uncontrolled accounts. To the extent
that the Trust is unable to seek redress for such error or theft, such loss
could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
The
lack of full insurance and shareholders’ limited rights of legal recourse
against the Trust, Trustee, Sponsor, Transfer Agent and Custodial Entities
expose the Trust and its shareholders to the risk of loss of the Trust’s XRP for
which no person or entity is liable.
The
Trust is not a banking institution or otherwise a member of the FDIC or
Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) and, therefore, deposits
held with or assets held by the Trust are not subject to the protections enjoyed
by depositors with FDIC or SIPC member institutions. In addition, neither the
Trust nor the Sponsor insure the Trust’s XRP.
While
the Custodian is required under the Prime Broker Agreement to maintain insurance
coverage that is commercially reasonable for the custodial services it provides,
and the Custodial Entities have advised the Sponsor that they maintain insurance
at commercially reasonable amounts for the digital assets custodied on behalf of
clients, including the Trust’s XRP, resulting from theft, shareholders cannot be
assured that the Custodian or the Prime Broker will maintain adequate insurance
or that such coverage will cover losses with respect to the Trust’s XRP.
Moreover, while the Custodian maintains certain capital reserve requirements
depending on the assets under custody and to the extent required by applicable
law, and such capital reserves may provide additional means to cover client
asset losses, the Sponsor does not know the amount of such capital reserves, and
neither the Trust nor the Sponsor have access to such information. The Trust
cannot be assured that the Custodial Entities will maintain capital reserves
sufficient to cover losses with respect to the Trust’s digital assets.
Furthermore, Coinbase has represented in securities filings that the total value
of crypto assets in its possession and control is significantly greater than the
total value of insurance coverage that would compensate Coinbase in the event of
theft or other loss of funds.
Furthermore,
the Custodial Entities’ aggregate maximum liability with respect to breach of
their obligations under the Prime Broker Agreement will not exceed the greater
of: (i) the value of the XRP or cash involved in the event, including but not
limited to transaction(s) or deliveries(s), giving rise to such liability at the
time of the event giving rise to such liability; (ii) the aggregate amount of
fees paid by the Trust to the Custodial Entities in respect of the Custodial and
Prime Broker Services in the 12-month period prior to the event giving rise to
such liability; or (iii) five million U.S. dollars. The Custodian’s total
liability under the Prime Broker Agreement will not exceed the greater of: (i)
the aggregate amount of fees paid by the Trust to the Custodian in respect of
the custodial services in
the
12-month period prior to the event giving rise to such liability; or (ii) the
value of the XRP on deposit in the Vault Balance at the time of the events
giving rise to the liability occurred, the value of which will be determined in
accordance with the Prime Broker Agreement.
In
addition, the Custodian’s maximum liability in respect of each cold storage
address that holds XRP is limited to the “Cold Storage Threshold” of $100
million. The Sponsor monitors the value of XRP deposited in cold storage
addresses for whether the Cold Storage Threshold has been met by determining the
U.S. dollar value of XRP deposited in each cold storage address on business
days. Although the Cold Storage Threshold has never been met for a given cold
storage address, to the extent it is met the Trust would not have a claim
against the Custodian with respect to the digital assets held in such address to
the extent the value exceeds the Cold Storage Threshold. The Custodial Entities
and the Trust are not liable to each other for any special, incidental,
indirect, punitive, or consequential damages, whether or not the other party had
been advised of such losses or knew or should have known of the possibility of
such damages.
The
shareholders’ recourse against the Sponsor and the Trust’s other service
providers for the services they provide to the Trust, including those relating
to the provision of instructions relating to the movement of XRP, is limited.
Consequently, a loss may be suffered with respect to the Trust’s XRP that is not
covered by insurance and for which no person is liable in damages. As a result,
the recourse of the Trust or the shareholders, under New York law, is
limited.
The
Trust may be required, or the Sponsor may deem it appropriate, to terminate and
liquidate at a time that is disadvantageous to shareholders.
Pursuant
to the terms of the Trust Agreement, the Trust is required to dissolve under
certain circumstances. In addition, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion,
dissolve the Trust for a number of reasons, including if the Sponsor determines,
in its sole discretion, that it is desirable or advisable for any reason to
discontinue the affairs of the Trust. For example, the Sponsor expects that it
may be advisable to discontinue the affairs of the Trust if a federal court
upholds an allegation that XRP is a security under the federal securities laws,
among other reasons. See “Business—Description of the Trust
Agreement—Termination of the Trust.”
If
the Trust is required to terminate and liquidate, or the Sponsor determines in
accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement that it is appropriate to
terminate and liquidate the Trust, such termination and liquidation could occur
at a time that is disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when the Actual
Exchange Rate of XRP is lower than the Index Price was at the time when
shareholders purchased their Shares. In such a case, when the Trust’s XRP are
sold as part of its liquidation, the resulting proceeds distributed to
shareholders will be less than if the Actual Exchange Rate were higher at the
time of sale. See “Business—Description of the Trust Agreement—Termination of
the Trust” for more information about the termination of the Trust, including
when the termination of the Trust may be triggered by events outside the direct
control of the Sponsor, the Trustee or the shareholders.
The
Trust Agreement includes provisions that limit shareholders’ voting rights and
restrict shareholders’ right to bring a derivative action.
Under
the Trust Agreement, shareholders have limited voting rights and the Trust will
not have regular shareholder meetings. Shareholders take no part in the
management or control of the Trust. Accordingly, shareholders do not have the
right to authorize actions, appoint service providers or take other actions as
may be taken by shareholders of other trusts or companies where shares carry
such rights. The shareholders’ limited voting rights give almost all control
under the Trust Agreement to the Sponsor and the Trustee. The Sponsor may take
actions in the operation of the Trust that may be adverse to the interests of
shareholders and may adversely affect the value of the Shares.
Moreover,
pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement, shareholders’ statutory right
under Delaware law to bring a derivative action (i.e., to initiate a lawsuit in
the name of the Trust in order to assert a claim belonging to the Trust against
a fiduciary of the Trust or against a third party when the Trust’s management
has refused to do so) is restricted. Under Delaware law, a shareholder may bring
a derivative action if the shareholder is a shareholder at the time the action
is brought and either (i) was a shareholder at the time of the transaction at
issue or (ii) acquired the status of shareholder by operation of law or the
Trust’s governing instrument from a person who was a shareholder at the time of
the transaction at issue. Additionally, Section 3816(e) of the Delaware
Statutory Trust Act specifically
provides
that a “beneficial owner’s right to bring a derivative action may be subject to
such additional standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in the
governing instrument of the statutory trust, including, without limitation, the
requirement that beneficial owners owning a specified beneficial interest in the
statutory trust join in the bringing of the derivative action.” In addition to
the requirements of applicable law and in accordance with Section 3816(e), the
Trust Agreement provides that no shareholder will have the right, power or
authority to bring or maintain a derivative action, suit or other proceeding on
behalf of the Trust unless two or more shareholders who (i) are not “Affiliates”
(as defined in the Trust Agreement and below) of one another and (ii)
collectively hold at least 10.0% of the outstanding Shares join in the bringing
or maintaining of such action, suit or other proceeding. This provision applies
to any derivative actions brought in the name of the Trust other than claims
under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations
thereunder.
Due
to this additional requirement, a shareholder attempting to bring or maintain a
derivative action in the name of the Trust will be required to locate other
shareholders with which it is not affiliated and that have sufficient Shares to
meet the 10.0% threshold based on the number of Shares outstanding on the date
the claim is brought and thereafter throughout the duration of the action, suit
or proceeding. This may be difficult and may result in increased costs to a
shareholder attempting to seek redress in the name of the Trust in court.
Moreover, if shareholders bringing a derivative action, suit or proceeding
pursuant to this provision of the Trust Agreement do not hold 10.0% of the
outstanding Shares on the date such an action, suit or proceeding is brought, or
such shareholders are unable to maintain Share ownership meeting the 10.0%
threshold throughout the duration of the action, suit or proceeding, such
shareholders’ derivative action may be subject to dismissal. As a result, the
Trust Agreement limits the likelihood that a shareholder will be able to
successfully assert a derivative action in the name of the Trust, even if such
shareholder believes that he or she has a valid derivative action, suit or other
proceeding to bring on behalf of the Trust. See “Business—Description of the
Trust Agreement—The Sponsor— Fiduciary and Regulatory Duties of the Sponsor” for
more detail.
The
Sponsor is solely responsible for determining the value of the NAV and NAV per
Share and any errors, discontinuance or changes in such valuation calculations
may have an adverse effect on the value of the Shares.
The
Sponsor will determine the Trust’s NAV and NAV per Share on a daily basis as
soon as practicable after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each business day. The
Sponsor’s determination is made utilizing data from the operations of the Trust
and the Index Price, calculated at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such day. If the
Sponsor determines in good faith that the Index does not reflect an accurate XRP
price, then the Sponsor will employ an alternative method to determine the Index
Price under the cascading set of rules set forth in “Business—Overview of the
XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the Index Price—Determination of the Index
Price When Index Price is Unavailable.” In the context of applying such rules,
the Sponsor may determine in good faith that the alternative method applied does
not reflect an accurate XRP price and apply the next alternative method under
the cascading set of rules. If the Sponsor determines after employing all of the
alternative methods that the Index Price does not reflect an accurate XRP price,
the Sponsor will use its best judgment to determine a good faith estimate of the
Index Price. There are no predefined criteria to make a good faith assessment in
these scenarios and such decisions will be made by the Sponsor in its sole
discretion. The Sponsor may calculate the Index Price in a manner that
ultimately inaccurately reflects the price of XRP. To the extent that the NAV,
NAV per Share or the Index Price are incorrectly calculated, the Sponsor may not
be liable for any error and such misreporting of valuation data could adversely
affect the value of the Shares and investors could suffer a substantial loss on
their investment in the Trust. Moreover, the terms of the Trust Agreement do not
prohibit the Sponsor from changing the Index Price used to calculate the NAV and
NAV per Share of the Trust. Any such change in the Index Price could affect the
value of the Shares and investors could suffer a substantial loss on their
investment in the Trust.
Extraordinary
expenses resulting from unanticipated events may become payable by the Trust,
adversely affecting the value of the Shares.
In
consideration for the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor has contractually assumed all
ordinary-course operational and periodic expenses of the Trust. See
“Business—Expenses; Sales of XRP.” Extraordinary expenses incurred by the Trust,
such as taxes and governmental charges; expenses and costs of any extraordinary
services performed by the Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of
the Trust to protect the Trust or the interests of shareholders; or
extraordinary legal fees and expenses are not assumed by the Sponsor and are
borne by the Trust. The Sponsor will cause the Trust to either (i) sell XRP held
by the Trust or (ii) deliver XRP in-kind to the Sponsor to
pay
Trust expenses not assumed by the Sponsor on an as-needed basis. Accordingly,
the Trust may be required to sell or otherwise dispose of XRP at a time when the
trading prices for those assets are depressed.
The
sale or other disposition of assets of the Trust in order to pay extraordinary
expenses could have a negative impact on the value of the Shares for several
reasons. These include the following factors:
•
The
Trust is not actively managed and no attempt will be made to protect against or
to take advantage of fluctuations in the prices of XRP. Consequently, if the
Trust incurs expenses in U.S. dollars, the Trust’s XRP may be sold at a time
when the values of the disposed assets are low, resulting in a negative impact
on the value of the Shares.
•
Because
the Trust does not generate any income, every time that the Trust pays expenses,
it will deliver XRP to the Sponsor or sell XRP. Any sales of the Trust’s assets
in connection with the payment of expenses will decrease the amount of the
Trust’s assets represented by each Share each time its assets are sold or
transferred to the Sponsor.
•
Assuming
that the Trust is a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each
delivery or sale of XRP by the Trust to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and/or Additional
Trust Expenses will be a taxable event to beneficial owners of Shares. Thus, the
Trust’s payment of expenses could result in beneficial owners of Shares
incurring tax liability without an associated distribution from the Trust. Any
such tax liability could adversely affect an investment in the Shares. See
“Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”
The
Trust’s delivery or sale of XRP to pay expenses or other operations of the Trust
could result in shareholders’ incurring tax liability without an associated
distribution from the Trust.
Assuming
that the Trust is treated as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, each delivery of XRP by the Trust to pay the Sponsor’s Fee or other
expenses and each sale of XRP by the Trust to pay Additional Trust Expenses will
be a taxable event to beneficial owners of Shares. Thus, the Trust’s payment of
expenses could result in beneficial owners of Shares incurring tax liability
without an associated distribution from the Trust. Any such tax liability could
adversely affect an investment in the Shares. See “Material U.S. Federal Income
Tax Consequences.”
The
value of the Shares will be adversely affected if the Trust is required to
indemnify the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Transfer Agent or the Custodian under
the Trust Documents.
Under
the Trust Documents, each of the Sponsor, the Trustee, the Transfer Agent and
the Custodian has a right to be indemnified by the Trust for certain liabilities
or expenses that it incurs without gross negligence, bad faith or willful
misconduct on its part. Therefore, the Sponsor, Trustee, Transfer Agent or the
Custodian may require that the assets of the Trust be sold in order to cover
losses or liability suffered by it. Any sale of that kind would reduce the NAV
of the Trust and the value of the Shares.
Intellectual
property rights claims may adversely affect the Trust and the value of the
Shares.
The
Sponsor is not aware of any intellectual property rights claims that may prevent
the Trust from operating and holding XRP. However, third parties may assert
intellectual property rights claims relating to the operation of the Trust and
the mechanics instituted for the investment in, holding of and transfer of XRP.
Regardless of the merit of an intellectual property or other legal action, any
legal expenses to defend or payments to settle such claims would be
extraordinary expenses that would be borne by the Trust through the sale or
transfer of its XRP. Additionally, a meritorious intellectual property rights
claim could prevent the Trust from operating and force the Sponsor to terminate
the Trust and liquidate its XRP. As a result, an intellectual property rights
claim against the Trust could adversely affect the value of the
Shares.
Pandemics,
epidemics and other natural and man-made disasters could negatively impact the
value of the Trust’s holdings and/or significantly disrupt its
affairs.
Pandemics,
epidemics and other natural and man-made disasters could negatively impact
demand for digital assets, including XRP, and disrupt the operations of many
businesses, including the businesses of the Trust’s service providers. For
example, the COVID-19 pandemic had serious adverse effects on the economies and
financial
markets
of many countries, resulting in increased volatility and uncertainty in
economies and financial markets of many countries and in the Digital Asset
Markets. Moreover, governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world
have in the past responded to major economic disruptions, including as a result
of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes,
such as quantitative easing, new monetary programs and lower interest rates. An
unexpected or quick reversal of any such policies, or the ineffectiveness of
such policies, could increase volatility in economies and financial market
generally, and could specifically increase volatility in the Digital Asset
Markets, which could adversely affect the value of XRP and the value of the
Shares.
In
addition, pandemics, epidemics and other natural and man-made disasters could
disrupt the operations of many businesses. For example, in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, many governments imposed travel restrictions and prolonged,
closed international borders and enhanced health screenings at ports of entry
and elsewhere, which disrupted businesses around the world. While the Sponsor
and the Trust were not materially impacted by these events, any disruptions to
the Sponsor’s, the Trust’s or the Trust’s service providers’ business operations
resulting from business restrictions, quarantines or restrictions on the ability
of personnel to perform their jobs as a result of any future pandemic, epidemic
or other disaster could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to access
critical services and could be disruptive to the affairs of the
Trust.
The
lack of ability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could
have adverse consequences for the Trust.
The
Trust is currently only able to accept Cash Orders, which means that an
Authorized Participant will deposit cash into, or accept cash from, the Cash
Account in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets, and a
Liquidity Provider will obtain or receive XRP in exchange for cash in connection
with such order. However, the Trust is not at this time able to create and
redeem Shares via in-kind transactions with Authorized Participants in exchange
for XRP.
Authorized
participants must be registered broker-dealers. Registered broker-dealers are
subject to various requirements of the federal securities laws and rules,
including financial responsibility rules such as the customer protection rule,
the net capital rule and recordkeeping requirements. Although the SEC recently
approved orders to permit in-kind creations and redemptions by authorized
participants for certain spot digital asset ETP shares, it is not yet clear
whether or how market participants, including registered broker-dealers, will
adjust their activities to account for the new orders. In particular, registered
broker-dealers participating in the in-kind creation or redemption of Shares for
XRP will need to ensure that they can demonstrate compliance with applicable
financial responsibility rules.
While
compliance with these requirements would be the broker-dealer’s responsibility,
a national securities exchange is required to enforce compliance by its member
broker-dealers with applicable federal securities law and rules. As a result,
the SEC is unlikely to permit an exchange to adopt listing rules for a product
if it is not clear that the exchange’s members would be able to comply with
applicable rules when transacting in the product as designed. In light of the
new orders, NYSE Arca may seek the necessary regulatory approval to amend its
listing rules to permit the Trust to create and redeem Shares through In-Kind
Orders, in which Authorized Participants or their designees would deposit XRP
directly with the Trust or receive XRP directly from the Trust. However, there
can be no assurance as to when NYSE Arca will seek or obtain this approval, if
at all.
To
the knowledge of the Sponsor, exchange-traded products for all spot-market
commodities other than cryptocurrencies, such as gold and silver, employ in-kind
creations and redemptions with the underlying asset. The Sponsor believes that
it is generally more efficient, and therefore less costly, for spot commodity
exchange-traded products to utilize in-kind orders rather than cash orders,
because there are fewer steps in the process and therefore there is less
operational risk involved when an Authorized Participant can manage the buying
and selling of the underlying asset itself, rather than depend on an
unaffiliated party such as the issuer or sponsor of the exchange-traded product.
As such, a spot commodity exchange-traded product that only employs cash
creations and redemptions and does not permit in-kind creations and redemptions
is a novel product that has not been extensively tested, and could be impacted
by any resulting operational inefficiencies.
In
particular, the Trust’s inability to facilitate in-kind creations and
redemptions could result in the exchange-traded product arbitrage mechanism
failing to function as efficiently as it otherwise would, leading to the
potential for the Shares to trade at premiums or discounts to the NAV per Share,
and such premiums or discounts could be
substantial.
Furthermore, if Cash Orders are unavailable, either due to the Sponsor’s
decision to reject or suspend such orders or otherwise, it will not be possible
for Authorized Participants to redeem or create Shares, in which case the
arbitrage mechanism would be unavailable. This could result in impaired
liquidity for the Shares, wider bid/ask spreads in secondary trading of the
Shares and greater costs to investors and other market participants. In
addition, the Trust’s inability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions,
and resulting reliance on cash creations and redemptions, could cause the
Sponsor to halt or suspend the creation of redemption of Shares during times of
market volatility or turmoil, among other consequences.
Even
if In-Kind Regulatory Approval were obtained, there can be no assurance that
in-kind creations or redemptions of the Shares will be available in the future,
or that broker-dealers would be willing to serve as Authorized Participants with
respect to the in-kind creation and redemption of Shares. Any of these factors
could adversely affect the performance of the Trust and the value of the
Shares.
Shareholders
will not receive the benefits of any forks or airdrops.
The
XRP Network operates using open-source protocols, meaning that any user can
download the software, modify it and then propose that the users and validators
of XRP adopt the modification. When a modification is introduced and a
substantial majority of users and validators consent to the modification, the
change is implemented and the network remains uninterrupted. However, if less
than a substantial majority of users and validators consent to the proposed
modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to
its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “hard fork” of the
XRP Network, with one group running the pre-modified software and the other
running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence
of two versions of XRP running in parallel, yet lacking interchangeability. In
addition to forks, a digital asset may become subject to a similar occurrence
known as an “airdrop.” In an airdrop, the promoters of a new digital asset
announce to holders of another digital asset that such holders will be entitled
to claim a certain amount of the new digital asset, generally for free, based on
the fact that they hold such other digital asset. We refer to the right to
receive any benefits arising from a fork, airdrop or similar event as an
“Incidental Right” and any such virtual currency acquired through an Incidental
Right as “IR Virtual Currency.”
With
respect to any fork, airdrop or similar event, the Sponsor will cause the Trust
to irrevocably abandon the Incidental Rights and any IR Virtual Currency
associated with such event. As such, shareholders will not receive the benefits
of any forks, and the Trust is not able to participate in any
airdrop.
In
the event the Sponsor seeks to change the Trust’s policy with respect to
Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency, an application would need to be filed
with the SEC by NYSE Arca seeking approval to amend its listing rules to permit
the Trust to distribute the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency in-kind to
an agent of the shareholders for resale by such agent. However, there can be no
assurance as to whether or when the Sponsor would make such a decision, or when
NYSE Arca will seek or obtain this approval, if at all.
Even
if such regulatory approval is sought and obtained, shareholders may not receive
the benefits of any forks, the Trust may not choose, or be able, to participate
in an airdrop, and the timing of receiving any benefits from a fork, airdrop or
similar event is uncertain. Any inability to recognize the economic benefit of a
hard fork or airdrop could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
The
Trust will not directly or indirectly participate in any staking program, and
accordingly the Shareholders will not receive any staking rewards or other
income.
The
XRP Network does not use proof-of-stake validation. Accordingly, none of the
Trust, the Sponsor, the Custodian, nor any other person associated with the
Trust may, directly or indirectly, engage in staking of the Trust’s XRP on
behalf of the Trust, meaning no action will be taken pursuant to which any
portion of the Trust’s XRP becomes used in any proof-of-stake validation
protocol or is used to earn additional XRP or generate income or other
earnings.
The
inability of the Trust to use its XRP in any staking programs and receive such
rewards could place the Shares at a comparative disadvantage relative to an
investment in other pooled investment vehicles that may participate in
staking.
Coinbase
Global serves as the XRP custodian and prime execution agent for several
competing exchange-traded XRP products, which could adversely affect the Trust’s
operations and ultimately the value of the Shares.
The
Prime Broker and Custodian are both affiliates of Coinbase Global. As of the
date hereof, Coinbase Global is the largest publicly traded digital asset
company in the world by market capitalization and is also the largest digital
asset custodian in the world by assets under custody. By virtue of its leading
market position and capabilities, and the relatively limited number of
institutionally-capable providers of digital asset brokerage and custody
services, Coinbase Global serves as the XRP custodian and prime execution agent
for several competing exchange-traded XRP products. Therefore, Coinbase Global
plays a critical role in supporting the U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded product
ecosystem, and its size and market share create the risk that Coinbase Global
may fail to properly resource its operations to adequately support all such
products that use its services, which could harm the Trust, the shareholders and
the value of the Shares. If Coinbase Global were to favor the interests of
certain products over others, it could result in inadequate attention or
comparatively unfavorable commercial terms to less favored products, which could
adversely affect the Trust’s operations and ultimately the value of the
Shares.
Certain
of the Authorized Participants engaged by the Trust serve in a similar capacity
for several competing exchange-traded XRP products, which could adversely affect
the arbitrage mechanism, the Trust’s operations, the performance of the Trust
and ultimately the value of the Shares.
Certain
of the Authorized Participants engaged by the Trust serve in a similar capacity
for several competing exchange-traded XRP products. As a result, the Authorized
Participants may be unable to adequately support all of the exchange-traded XRP
products that use their respective services. This risk may also be exacerbated
as a consequence of the price and volatility of XRP, as well as the amount of
XRP that is required to create or redeem Shares of the Trust. Moreover, the
Authorized Participants may choose to facilitate creations and redemptions for
competing products rather than for the Trust, including as a result of, among
other things, how effectively the arbitrage mechanism of the Trust functions,
the liquidity for the Shares, the bid/ask spreads in secondary trading of the
Shares and the costs associated with creating and redeeming Shares of the Trust,
in each case relative to competing products. In addition, given the relatively
limited number of market participants that could serve as Authorized
Participants of the Trust, the Trust may not be able to engage other providers
to serve as Authorized Participants. If any or all of the Authorized
Participants were to cease to act in their capacity as Authorized Participants
of the Trust, or if any of the Authorized Participants were to favor creating
and redeeming shares of competing products over those of the Trust, the Trust
may receive inadequate attention or be subject to comparatively unfavorable
commercial terms, which could adversely affect the arbitrage mechanism, the
Trust’s operations, the performance of the Trust and ultimately the value of the
Shares. See also “—Risks Related to the Offering—Competition from the emergence
or growth of other digital assets could have a negative impact on the price of
XRP and adversely affect the value of the Shares.”
Shareholders
that are not Authorized Participants may only purchase or sell their Shares in
secondary trading markets, and the conditions associated with trading in
secondary markets may adversely affect investors’ investment in the
Shares.
Only
Authorized Participants may purchase or redeem Baskets. All other investors that
desire to purchase or sell Shares must do so through NYSE Arca or in other
markets, if any, in which the Shares may be traded. Shares may trade at a
premium or discount to the NAV per Share.
Risk
Factors Related to the Regulation of Digital Assets, the Trust and the
Shares
The
SEC has previously taken the view under the prior administration that XRP is a
“security,” and a final determination that XRP or any other digital asset is a
“security” may adversely affect the value of XRP and the value of the Shares,
and result in potentially extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to, or
termination of, the Trust.
The
SEC, at least under the prior administration, has stated that certain digital
assets may be considered “securities” under the federal securities laws. The
test for determining whether a particular digital asset is a “security” is
complex and difficult to apply, and the outcome is difficult to predict. A
number of SEC and SEC staff actions with respect to a variety of digital assets
demonstrate this difficulty. For example, public, though
non-binding,
statements by senior officials at the SEC have indicated that the SEC did not
consider Bitcoin or Ether to be securities, and does not currently consider
Bitcoin to be a security. In addition, the SEC, by action through delegated
authority approving the exchange rule filings to list shares of trusts holding
Ether as commodity-based ETPs, appears to have implicitly taken the view that
Ether is not a security. The SEC staff has also provided informal assurances via
no-action letter to a handful of promoters that their digital assets are not
securities. Moreover, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has published
statements that it does not consider, under certain circumstances, “meme coins”
or some stablecoins to be securities. However, such statements may be withdrawn
at any time without notice and comment by the Division of Corporation Finance at
the SEC or the SEC itself. In addition, the SEC under former SEC Chair Gensler’s
leadership brought enforcement actions against the issuers and promoters of
several other digital assets on the basis that the digital assets in question
are securities. More recently, the SEC under former SEC Chair Gensler’s
leadership brought enforcement actions against Digital Asset Trading Platforms
for allegedly operating unregistered securities exchanges on the basis that
certain of the digital assets traded on their platforms are
securities.
Whether
a digital asset is a security, or offers and sales of a digital asset are
securities transactions, under the federal securities laws depends on whether it
is included in the lists of instruments making up the definition of “security”
in such laws. Digital assets as such do not appear in any of these lists,
although each list includes the terms “investment contract” and “note,” and the
SEC has typically analyzed whether a particular digital asset is a security or
the offer and sale of a digital asset is a securities transaction by reference
to whether it meets the tests developed by the federal courts interpreting these
terms, known as the Howey
and Reves
tests, respectively. For many digital assets, whether or not the
Howey or
Reves
tests are met is difficult to resolve definitively, and substantial legal
arguments can often be made both in favor of and against a particular digital
asset qualifying as a security or a particular offer and sale of a digital asset
qualifying as a securities transaction under one or both of the Howey
and Reves
tests.
Adding to the complexity, the SEC staff has indicated that the security status
of a particular digital asset can change over time as the relevant facts evolve,
though recent arguments advanced in ongoing litigation may suggest that the SEC
no longer believes the status of a digital asset can change over
time.
Even
though the Trust only holds XRP, these developments demonstrate the difficulty
in applying the federal securities laws to digital assets generally, including
XRP. In January 2025, the SEC launched a crypto task force dedicated to
developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for digital assets led
by Commissioner Hester Peirce. Subsequently, Commissioner Peirce announced a
list of specific priorities to further that initiative, which included pursuing
final rules related to a digital asset’s security status, a revised path to
registered offerings and listings for digital assets-based investment vehicles,
and clarity regarding digital asset custody, lending, and staking. On July 31,
2025, Chairman Atkins announced “Project Crypto,” a Commission-wide initiative
to modernize securities rules for digital assets, reshore innovation in the
United States, and implement the recommendations of the working group report.
Chairman Atkins had directed the SEC’s policy divisions to work with the Crypto
Task Force to draft “clear and simple rules of the road for crypto asset
distributions, custody, and trading,” and the Commission and SEC staff will also
consider using interpretive, exemptive, and other authorities with respect to
digital asset markets. However, the efforts of the crypto task force and Project
Crypto have only just begun, and how or whether the SEC regulates digital asset
activity in the future remains to be seen.
As
part of determining whether XRP is a security or a transaction in XRP by the
Sponsor is a securities transaction, for purposes of the federal securities
laws, the Sponsor takes into account a number of factors, including the various
definitions of “security” under the federal securities laws and federal court
decisions interpreting elements of these definitions, such as the U.S. Supreme
Court’s decisions in the Howey
and Reves
cases and their progeny, as well as reports, orders, press releases, public
statements and speeches by the SEC, its commissioners and its staff providing
guidance on when a digital asset may be a security or when an offer and sale of
a digital asset may be a securities transaction for purposes of the federal
securities laws. Finally, the Sponsor discusses the security status of XRP and
the Sponsor’s transactions in XRP with external counsel, and has received a
memorandum regarding the status of XRP under the federal securities laws from
external counsel. Through this process the Sponsor believes that it is applying
the proper legal standards in determining that XRP is not a security in light of
the uncertainties inherent in the Howey
and Reves
tests. The Sponsor has been contacted by staff from the SEC’s Division of
Enforcement with respect to securities law compliance matters involving XRP and
has responded to the SEC staff. The Sponsor subsequently received a termination
notice from the SEC staff with respect to this
inquiry.
In
light of the uncertainties and the fact-based nature of the analysis, the
Sponsor acknowledges that the SEC, at least under former Chair Gensler’s
leadership, has taken the position that XRP is a security and the Sponsor’s
conclusion, even if reasonable under the circumstances, would not preclude legal
or regulatory action based on the presence of a security.
As
is the case with XRP, analyses from counsel typically review the often-complex
facts surrounding a particular digital asset’s underlying technology, creation,
use case and usage development, distribution and secondary-market trading
characteristics as well as contributions of and marketing or promotional efforts
by the individuals or organizations who appear to be involved in these
activities, among other relevant facts, usually drawing on publicly available
information. This information, usually found on the internet, often includes
both information that originated with or is attributed to such individuals or
organizations, as well as information from third-party sources and databases
that may or may not have a connection to such individuals or organizations, and
the availability and nature of such information can change over time. The
Sponsor and counsel often have no independent means of verifying the accuracy or
completeness of such information, and therefore of necessity usually must assume
that such information is materially accurate and complete for purposes of the
Howey
and Reves
analyses. After having gathered this information, counsel typically analyzes it
in light of the Howey
and Reves
tests, in order to inform a judgment as to whether or not a federal court would
conclude that the digital asset, or transactions in the digital asset, in
question is or is not a security, or are or are not securities transactions,
respectively, for purposes of the federal securities laws. Often, certain
factors appear to support a conclusion that the digital asset in question, or
transactions in the digital asset, is a security, or are or are not securities
transactions, respectively, while other factors appear to support the opposite
conclusion, and in such a case counsel endeavors to weigh the importance and
relevance of the competing factors.
This
analytical process is further complicated by the fact that, at present, federal
judicial case law applying the relevant tests to digital assets is limited and
in some situations inconsistent, with no federal appellate court having
considered the question on the merits, as well as the fact that because each
digital asset presents its own unique set of relevant facts, it is not always
possible to directly analogize the analysis of one digital asset to another.
Because of this factual complexity and the current lack of a well-developed body
of federal case law applying the relevant tests to a variety of different fact
patterns, the Sponsor has not in the past received, and currently does not
expect that it would be able to receive, “opinions” of counsel stating that a
particular digital asset, or transactions in the digital asset, is or is not a
security, or are or are not securities transactions, respectively, for federal
securities law purposes. The Sponsor understands that as a matter of practice,
counsel is generally able to render a legal “opinion” only when the relevant
facts are substantially ascertainable and the applicable law is both
well-developed and settled. As a result, given the relative novelty of digital
assets, the challenges inherent in fact-gathering for particular digital assets,
and the fact that federal courts have only recently been tasked with
adjudicating the applicability of federal securities law to digital assets, the
Sponsor understands that at present counsel is generally not in a position to
render a legal “opinion” on the securities law status of XRP or any other
particular digital asset.
As
such, notwithstanding the Sponsor’s receipt of a memorandum regarding the status
of XRP under the federal securities laws from external counsel and the Sponsor’s
view that XRP is not a security, and the Sponsor’s transactions in XRP are not
securities transactions the SEC under former SEC Chair Gensler’s leadership took
and a federal court may in the future take a different view as to the security
status of XRP.
If
the Sponsor determines that XRP, or transactions in XRP are a security or
securities transactions, respectively, under the federal securities laws,
whether that determination is initially made by the Sponsor itself, or because a
federal court upholds an allegation that XRP is a security, the Sponsor does not
intend to permit the Trust to continue holding XRP in a way that would violate
the federal securities laws (and therefore would either dissolve the Trust or
potentially seek to operate the Trust in a manner that complies with the federal
securities laws, including the Investment Company Act). Because the legal tests
for determining whether a digital asset transactions in the digital asset, are
or are not a security or securities transactions, respectively, often leave room
for interpretation, for so long as the Sponsor believes there to be good faith
grounds to conclude that the Trust’s XRP is not a security, the Sponsor does not
intend to dissolve the Trust on the basis that XRP could at some future point be
finally determined to be a security.
Any
enforcement action by the SEC or a state securities regulator asserting that
XRP, or transactions in XRP, are a security, or securities transactions,
respectively, or a court decision to that effect, would be expected to have an
immediate material adverse impact on the trading value of XRP, as well as the
Shares. This is because the business
models
behind most digital assets are incompatible with regulations applying to
transactions in securities. If a digital asset or transactions in that digital
asset are determined to be a security or securities transactions, respectively,
it is likely to become difficult or impossible for the digital asset to be
traded, cleared or custodied in the United States through the same channels used
by non-security digital assets, which in addition to materially and adversely
affecting the trading value of the digital asset is likely to significantly
impact its liquidity and market participants’ ability to convert the digital
asset into U.S. dollars. Any assertion that a digital asset or transactions in
that digital asset are a security or securities transactions, respectively, by
the SEC or another regulatory authority may have similar effects.
For
example, in 2020, the SEC filed a complaint against the issuer of XRP, Ripple
Labs, Inc., and two of its executives, alleging that they raised more than $1.3
billion through XRP sales that should have been registered under the federal
securities laws, but were not. In the years prior to the SEC’s action, XRP’s
market capitalization at times reached over $140 billion. However, in the weeks
following the SEC’s complaint, XRP’s market capitalization fell to less than $10
billion, which was less than half of its market capitalization in the days prior
to the complaint.
Subsequently,
in July 2023, the District Court for the Southern District of New York held that
while XRP is not a “security”, certain sales of XRP to certain buyers (but not
other types of sales to other buyers) amounted to “investment contracts” under
the Howey test. The District Court entered a final judgment in the case on
August 7, 2024, and the parties each dismissed their appeals to the Second
Circuit on August 7, 2025.
Likewise,
in the days following the announcement of SEC enforcement actions against
certain digital asset issuers and trading platforms, the prices of various
digital assets declined significantly and may continue to decline if or as such
cases advance through the federal court system. Furthermore, the decisions in
cases involving digital assets have resulted in seemingly inconsistent views of
different district court judges, including one that explicitly disagreed with
the analysis underlying the decision regarding XRP, which underscore the
continuing uncertainty around which digital assets or transactions in digital
assets are securities and what the correct analysis is to determine each digital
asset’s status. For example, the conflicting district court opinions and
analyses demonstrate that factors such as how long a digital asset has been in
existence, how widely held it is, how large its market capitalization is, the
manner in which it is offered, sold or promoted and whether it has actual use in
commercial transactions, ultimately may have limited to no bearing on whether
the SEC, a state securities regulator or any particular court will find it to be
a security.
In
June 2023, the SEC brought the Binance Complaint and the Coinbase Complaint
alleging violations of a variety of securities laws. In its complaints, the SEC
asserted that SOL, ADA, MATIC, FIL, ATOM, SAND, MANA, ALGO, AXS, COTI, CHZ,
FLOW, ICP, NEAR, VGX, DASH and NEXO, are securities under the federal securities
laws. In addition, in November 2023, the SEC brought the Kraken Complaint,
alleging that Kraken operated as an unregistered securities exchange, brokerage
and clearing agency, and in its complaint the SEC again asserted that XRP and
various other digital assets are securities under the federal securities laws
and at times that it was “offered and sold as an investment contract.” Following
the filing of the Coinbase Complaint, Binance Complaint, and the Kraken
Complaint, the Sponsor discussed the security status of XRP with external
counsel and continues to believe that XRP is not a security. In the days
following the announcement of the Binance Complaint and Coinbase Complaint, the
price of various digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP, declined
significantly. Between February 2025 and May 2025, the SEC entered into
court-approved joint stipulations to dismiss each of the lawsuits against
Binance, Coinbase and Kraken.
In
September 2024, the SEC filed a settled enforcement action against Mango Labs,
LLC, Mango DAO, and Blockworks Foundation (the “Mango Enforcement Action”), and
in October 2024, the SEC filed an enforcement action against Cumberland DRW, LLC
(the “Cumberland Enforcement Action”), in both instances describing a number of
digital assets, including XRP, as examples of “crypto assets that are offered
and sold as securities.” In March 2025, the SEC and Cumberland DRW, LLC filed a
joint request to dismiss the Cumberland Enforcement Action, which was approved
by the SEC’s Commissioners, and the action was dismissed.
Despite
the allegations in the Mango Enforcement Action, the Sponsor has discussed the
security status of XRP with external counsel and continues to believe that XRP
is not a security. However, in light of these developments and the uncertainties
and fact-based nature of the analysis as to whether certain of such digital
assets are “securities” under the federal securities laws, the Sponsor
acknowledges that the SEC has taken the position that XRP is a
security.
Nonetheless, the outcomes of such complaints and the consequent litigation is
unknown and unknowable as of the date hereof and the price of these digital
assets may decline if or as these cases advance through the federal court
system.
In
addition, if XRP is determined to be a security by a federal court or
transactions in XRP are determined to be securities transactions by a federal
court, the Trust could be considered an unregistered “investment company” under
the Investment Company Act, which could necessitate the Trust’s liquidation. In
this case, the Trust and the Sponsor may be deemed to have participated in an
illegal offering of investment company securities and there is no guarantee that
the Sponsor will be able to register the Trust under the Investment Company Act
at such time or take such other actions as may be necessary to ensure the
Trust’s activities comply with applicable law, which could force the Sponsor to
liquidate the Trust.
Moreover,
whether or not the Sponsor or the Trust were subject to additional regulatory
requirements as a result of any determination that the Trust’s assets include
securities or the Trust’s transactions in digital assets constitute securities
transactions, the Sponsor may nevertheless decide to terminate the Trust, in
order, if possible, to liquidate the Trust’s assets while a liquid market still
exists. For example, in response to the SEC’s action against the issuer of the
digital asset XRP, certain significant market participants announced they would
no longer support XRP and announced measures, including the delisting of XRP
from major Digital Asset Trading Platforms, resulting in the Sponsor’s
conclusion that it was likely to be increasingly difficult for U.S. investors,
including Grayscale XRP Trust
(XRP),
an affiliate of the Trust, to convert XRP into U.S. dollars. The Sponsor
subsequently dissolved Grayscale XRP Trust (XRP) and liquidated its assets.
Furthermore, if a federal court upholds an allegation that XRP is a security or
transactions in XRP are securities transactions, the Trust itself may be
terminated and, if practical, its assets liquidated.
Regulatory
changes or actions by the U.S. Congress or any U.S. federal or state agencies
may affect the value of the Shares or restrict the use of XRP, validating
activity or the operation of the XRP Network or the Digital Asset Markets in a
manner that adversely affects the value of the Shares.
As
digital assets have grown in both popularity and market size, the U.S. Congress
and a number of U.S. federal and state agencies (including FinCEN, OFAC, SEC,
CFTC, FINRA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the Department
of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the IRS, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve and state financial
institution and securities regulators) have been examining the operations of
digital asset networks, digital asset users and the Digital Asset Markets, with
particular focus on the extent to which digital assets can be used to launder
the proceeds of illegal activities, evade sanctions, or fund criminal or
terrorist enterprises and the safety and soundness of trading platforms and
other service providers that hold or custody digital assets for users. Many of
these state and federal agencies have issued consumer advisories regarding the
risks posed by digital assets to investors. Ongoing and future regulatory
actions with respect to digital assets generally or XRP in particular may alter,
perhaps to a materially adverse extent, the nature of an investment in the
Shares or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate.
On
January 23, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled
“Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology” aimed at
supporting “the responsible growth and use of digital assets, blockchain
technology, and related technologies across all sectors of the economy.” The
Executive Order also established an interagency working group that is tasked
with “proposing a Federal regulatory framework governing the issuance and
operation of digital assets” in the United States. Pursuant to this Executive
Order, the working group released a report in July 2025 outlining the
administration's recommendations to Congress and various agencies reflecting the
administration’s “pro-innovation mindset toward digital assets and blockchain
technologies.” In particular, the report recommends that Congress enact
legislation regarding self custody of digital assets, clarifying the
applicability of Bank Secrecy Act obligations with respect to digital asset
service providers, granting the CFTC authority to regulate spot markets in
non-security digital assets, prohibiting the adoption of a CBDC, and clarifying
tax laws as relevant to digital assets. In addition, the report recommends that
agencies reevaluate existing guidance on digital asset activities, use existing
authorities to enable the trading of digital assets at the federal level,
embrace DeFi, launch or relaunch crypto innovation efforts, and promote U.S.
private sector leadership in the responsible development of cross-border
payments and financial markets technologies, among
others.
There
have also been several bills introduced in Congress that propose to establish
additional regulation and oversight of the digital asset markets. For example,
the CLARITY Act was passed by the House of Representatives in July 2025, which
would, if enacted, regulate digital asset markets and digital asset trading
platforms in the United States. In addition, also in July 2025, the Guiding and
Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act of 2025 (the “GENIUS
Act”) became the first federal law specifically regulating the issuance, custody
and other stablecoin-related matters in the United States. It is difficult to
predict whether, or when, the CLARITY Act or another Bill that would regulate
digital asset markets and digital asset trading platforms may become law or what
any such Bill may entail. It is difficult to predict whether, or when, any of
these developments will lead to Congress granting additional authorities to the
SEC or other regulators, what the nature of such additional authorities might
be, how additional legislation and/or regulatory oversight might impact the
ability of Digital Asset Markets to function or how any new regulations or
changes to existing regulations might impact the value of digital assets
generally and XRP held by the Trust specifically. The consequences of increased
federal regulation of digital assets and digital asset activities could have a
material adverse effect on the Trust and the Shares.
Law
enforcement agencies have often relied on the transparency of blockchains to
facilitate investigations. However, certain privacy-enhancing features have
been, or are expected to be, introduced to a number of digital asset networks.
If the XRP Network were to adopt any of these features, these features may
provide law enforcement agencies with less visibility into transaction-level
data. Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, released a report in
October 2017 noting the increased use of privacy-enhancing digital assets like
Zcash and Monero in criminal activity on the internet. In August 2022, OFAC
banned all U.S. citizens from using Tornado Cash, a digital asset protocol
designed to obfuscate blockchain transactions, by adding certain Ethereum wallet
addresses associated with the protocol to its Specially Designated Nationals and
Blocked Persons List. A large portion of Ethereum validators globally, as well
as notable industry participants such as Centre, the issuer of the USDC
stablecoin, have reportedly complied with the sanctions and blacklisted the
sanctioned addresses from interacting with their networks. In October 2023,
FinCEN issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that identified convertible
virtual currency (CVC) mixing as a class of transactions of primary money
laundering concern and proposed requiring covered financial institutions to
implement certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements on transactions that
covered financial institutions know, suspect, or have reason to suspect involve
CVC mixing within or involving jurisdictions outside the United States. In April
2024, the DOJ arrested and charged the developers of the Samourai Wallet mixing
service with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an
unlicensed money transmitting business. In May 2024, a co-founder of Tornado
Cash was sentenced to more than five years imprisonment in the Netherlands for
developing Tornado Cash on the basis that he had helped launder more than $2
billion worth of digital assets through Tornado Cash. In October 2023, FinCEN
issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that identified convertible virtual
currency (CVC) mixing as a class of transactions of primary money laundering
concern and proposed requiring covered financial institutions to implement
certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements on transactions that covered
financial institutions know, suspect, or have reason to suspect involve CVC
mixing within or involving jurisdictions outside the United States. In April
2024, the DOJ arrested and charged the developers of the Samourai Wallet mixing
service with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to operate an
unlicensed money transmitting business. In May 2024, a co-founder of Tornado
Cash was sentenced to more than five years imprisonment in the Netherlands for
developing Tornado Cash on the basis that he had helped launder more than $2
billion worth of digital assets through Tornado Cash. In August 2025, a
co-founder of Tornado Cash was convicted of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed
money transmitting business, but a mistrial was declared with respect to charges
of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate U.S.
sanctions. Future additional regulatory action with respect to privacy-enhancing
digital assets is possible.
Changes
in SEC policy could adversely impact the value of the Shares.
The
effect of any future regulatory change on the Trust or the digital assets held
by the Trust is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and
adverse to the Trust and the value of the Shares. In particular, with the
exception of the Trust and funds that hold Bitcoin, Ether and certain
Bitcoin-based derivatives or Ether-based derivatives, the SEC has not yet
approved the listing on a national securities exchange of any non-futures based
digital-asset focused exchange-traded fund or exchange-traded product (such
product, an “ETF”). If the SEC were to approve any such ETF other than ours in
the future, such an ETF may be perceived to be a superior investment product
offering exposure to digital assets compared to the Trust because the value of
the shares issued by such an ETF would be expected to more closely track the
ETF’s net asset value than do Shares of the Trust, and investors
may
therefore favor investments in such ETFs over investments in the Trust. Any
weakening in demand for the Shares compared to digital asset ETF shares could
cause the value of the Shares to decline.
Competing
industries may have more influence with policymakers than the digital asset
industry, which could lead to the adoption of laws and regulations that are
harmful to the digital asset industry.
The
digital asset industry is relatively new, although its influence over public
policy is increasing, and it may not have the same access to policymakers and
lobbying organizations in many jurisdictions compared to industries with which
digital assets may be seen to compete, such as banking, payments and consumer
finance. Competitors from other, more established industries may have greater
access to and influence with governmental officials and regulators and may be
successful in persuading these policymakers that digital assets require
heightened levels of regulation compared to the regulation of traditional
financial services. As a result, new laws and regulations may be proposed and
adopted in the United States and elsewhere, or existing laws and regulations may
be interpreted in new ways, that disfavor or impose compliance burdens on the
digital asset industry or digital asset platforms, which could adversely impact
the value of XRP and therefore the value of the Shares.
Regulatory
changes or other events in foreign jurisdictions may affect the value of the
Shares or restrict the use of one or more digital assets, validating activity or
the operation of their networks or the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market in
a manner that adversely affects the value of the Shares.
Various
foreign jurisdictions have, and may continue to adopt laws, regulations or
directives that affect the digital asset network, the Digital Asset Markets, and
their users, particularly Digital Asset Trading Platforms and service providers
that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. For example, if foreign
jurisdictions in addition to China were to ban or otherwise restrict validating
activity, including by regulating or limiting manufacturers’ ability to produce
or sell semiconductors or hard drives in connection with validating, it would
have a material adverse effect on digital asset networks (including the XRP
Network), the Digital Asset Market, and as a result, impact the value of the
Shares.
A
number of foreign jurisdictions have recently taken regulatory action aimed at
digital asset activities. China has made transacting in cryptocurrencies illegal
for Chinese citizens in mainland China, and additional restrictions may follow.
Both China and South Korea have banned initial coin offerings entirely and
regulators in other jurisdictions, including Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong,
have opined that initial coin offerings may constitute securities offerings
subject to local securities regulations. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct
Authority published final rules in October 2020 banning the sale of derivatives
and exchange-traded notes that reference certain types of digital assets,
contending that they are “ill-suited” to retail investors citing extreme
volatility, valuation challenges and association with financial crime. A new
law, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (“FSMA”), received royal assent
in June 2023. The FSMA brings digital asset activities within the scope of
existing laws governing financial institutions, markets and assets. In addition,
the Parliament of the European Union approved the text of the Markets in
Crypto-Assets Regulation (“MiCA”) in April 2023, establishing a regulatory
framework for digital asset services across the European Union. Certain parts of
MiCA became effective as of June 2024 and the remainder became effective as of
December 2024. MiCA is intended to serve as a comprehensive regulation of
digital asset markets and imposes various obligations on digital asset issuers
and service providers. The main aims of MiCA are industry regulation, consumer
protection, prevention of market abuse and upholding the integrity of digital
asset markets. See “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—Government
Oversight.”
Foreign
laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the United States and
may negatively impact the acceptance of one or more digital assets by users,
merchants and service providers outside the United States and may therefore
impede the growth or sustainability of the digital asset economy in the European
Union, China, Japan, Russia and the United States and globally, or otherwise
negatively affect the value of XRP. Moreover, other events, such as the
interruption in telecommunications or internet services, cyber-related terrorist
acts, civil disturbances, war or other catastrophes, could also negatively
affect the digital asset economy in one or more jurisdictions. For example,
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 led to volatility in digital
asset prices, with an initial steep decline followed by a sharp rebound in
prices. The effect of any future regulatory change or other events on the Trust
or XRP is impossible to predict, and such change could be substantial and
adverse to the Trust and the value of the Shares.
If
regulators subject an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor to
regulation as a money service business or money transmitter, this could result
in extraordinary expenses to the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the
Sponsor and also result in decreased liquidity for the Shares.
To
the extent that the activities of any Authorized Participant, the Trust or the
Sponsor cause it to be deemed a “money services business” under the regulations
promulgated by FinCEN, such Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor may
be required to comply with FinCEN regulations, including those that would
mandate the Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor to implement
anti-money laundering programs, make certain reports to FinCEN and maintain
certain records. Similarly, the activities of an Authorized Participant, the
Trust or the Sponsor may require it to be licensed as a money transmitter or as
a digital asset business, such as under the NYDFS’ BitLicense regulations or
California’s Digital Financial Assets Law, once effective.
Such
additional regulatory obligations may cause the Authorized Participant, the
Trust or the Sponsor to incur extraordinary expenses. If the Authorized
Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor decided to seek the required licenses,
there is no guarantee that they will timely receive them. An Authorized
Participant may instead decide to terminate its role as Authorized Participant
of the Trust, or the Sponsor may decide to discontinue and wind up the Trust. An
Authorized Participant’s decision to cease acting as such may decrease the
liquidity of the Shares, which could adversely affect the value of the Shares,
and termination of the Trust in response to the changed regulatory circumstances
may be at a time that is disadvantageous to the shareholders.
Additionally,
to the extent an Authorized Participant, the Trust or the Sponsor is found to
have operated without appropriate state or federal licenses, or registration, it
may be subject to investigation, administrative or court proceedings, and civil
or criminal monetary fines and penalties, all of which would harm the reputation
of the Trust or the Sponsor, decrease the liquidity, and have a material adverse
effect on the price of the Shares.
Regulatory
changes or interpretations could obligate the Trust or the Sponsor to register
and comply with new regulations, resulting in potentially extraordinary,
nonrecurring expenses to the Trust.
Current
and future legislation, CFTC and SEC rulemaking and other regulatory
developments may impact the manner in which XRP is treated. In particular, XRP
may be classified by the CFTC as a “commodity interest” under the CEA or may be
classified by the SEC as a “security” under U.S. federal securities laws. It is
possible that a new Administration and Congress in the United States creates a
new classification for digital assets. The Sponsor and the Trust cannot be
certain as to how future regulatory developments will impact the treatment of
XRP under the law. In the face of such developments, the required registrations
and compliance steps may result in extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to the
Trust. If the Sponsor decides to terminate the Trust in response to the changed
regulatory circumstances, the Trust may be dissolved or liquidated at a time
that is disadvantageous to shareholders.
To
the extent that XRP is deemed to fall within the definition of a “commodity
interest” under the CEA, the Trust and the Sponsor may be subject to additional
regulation under the CEA and CFTC regulations. The Sponsor may be required to
register as a commodity pool operator or commodity trading adviser with the CFTC
and become a member of the National Futures Association and may be subject to
additional regulatory requirements with respect to the Trust, including
disclosure and reporting requirements. These additional requirements may result
in extraordinary, recurring and/or nonrecurring expenses of the Trust, thereby
materially and adversely impacting the Shares. If the Sponsor determines not to
comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, the
Sponsor will terminate the Trust. Any such termination could result in the
liquidation of the Trust’s XRP at a time that is disadvantageous to
shareholders.
To
the extent that XRP is determined to be a security under U.S. federal securities
laws, the Trust and the Sponsor may be subject to additional requirements under
the Investment Company Act and the Sponsor may be required to register as an
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act. Such additional
registration may result in extraordinary, recurring and/or non-recurring
expenses of the Trust, thereby materially and adversely impacting the Shares. If
the Sponsor determines not to comply with such additional regulatory and
registration requirements, the Sponsor will terminate the Trust. Any such
termination could result in the liquidation of the Trust’s XRP at a time that is
disadvantageous to shareholders.
The
treatment of the Trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes is
uncertain.
The
Sponsor intends to take the position that the Trust is properly treated as a
grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Assuming that the Trust is a
grantor trust, the Trust will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Rather,
if the Trust is a grantor trust, each beneficial owner of Shares will be treated
as directly owning its pro rata share of the Trust’s assets and a pro rata
portion of the Trust’s income, gains, losses and deductions will “flow through”
to each beneficial owner of Shares.
The
Sponsor has committed to cause the Trust to irrevocably abandon any Incidental
Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust may become entitled in the
future. In furtherance of that commitment, the Sponsor has, on behalf of the
Trust, notified the Prime Broker, the Custodian, and Coinbase Credit via the
Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment Notices (as defined herein) that the Trust
is irrevocably abandoning, effective immediately prior to each Creation Time or
Redemption Time, all Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency to which it would
otherwise be entitled as of such time and with respect to which it has not taken
any Affirmative Action at or prior to such time. There can be no complete
assurance that these abandonments will be treated as effective for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. If the Trust were treated as owning any asset other than
XRP as of any date on which it creates or redeems Shares, it might cease to
qualify as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
In
addition, at this time the Trust is not permitted to create or redeem Shares via
in-kind transactions with Authorized Participants. Unless and until In-Kind
Regulatory Approval is obtained, Baskets will be created or redeemed only
through Cash Orders. In general, investment vehicles intended to be treated as
grantor trusts for U.S. federal income tax purposes historically have created
additional trust interests only in kind, and there is no authority directly
addressing whether a grantor trust may create or redeem trust interests under
procedures similar to those that govern Cash Orders. Accordingly, there can be
no complete assurance that the creation or redemption of Shares under the
procedures governing Cash Orders will not cause the Trust to fail to qualify as
a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Moreover,
because of the evolving nature of digital assets, it is not possible to predict
potential future developments that may arise with respect to digital assets,
including forks, airdrops and other similar occurrences. Assuming that the Trust
is currently a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, certain
future developments could render it impossible, or impracticable, for the Trust
to continue to be treated as a grantor trust for such purposes.
If
the Trust is not properly classified as a grantor trust, the Trust might be
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due
to the uncertain treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income tax
purposes (as discussed below in “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Consequences—Uncertainty Regarding the U.S. Federal Income Tax Treatment of
Digital Assets”), there can be no assurance in this regard. If the Trust were
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax
consequences of owning Shares generally would not be materially different from
the tax consequences described herein, although there might be certain
differences, including with respect to timing of the recognition of taxable
income or loss. In addition, tax information reports provided to beneficial
owners of Shares would be made in a different form. If the Trust were not
classified as either a grantor trust or a partnership for U.S. federal income
tax purposes, it would be classified as a corporation for such purposes. In that
event, the Trust would be subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax
(currently at the rate of 21%) on its net taxable income and certain
distributions made by the Trust to shareholders would be treated as taxable
dividends to the extent of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and
profits. Any such dividend distributed to a beneficial owner of Shares that is a
non-U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes would be subject to U.S.
federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as provided in an
applicable tax treaty).
The
treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes is
uncertain.
As
discussed in the section entitled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Consequences—Uncertainty Regarding the U.S. Federal Income Tax Treatment of
Digital Assets,” assuming that the Trust is properly treated as a grantor trust
for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each beneficial owner of Shares will be
treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the owner of an undivided
interest in the XRP (and, if applicable, any Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual
Currency) held in the Trust. Due to the new and evolving nature of digital
assets and the absence of
comprehensive
guidance with respect to digital assets, many significant aspects of the U.S.
federal income tax treatment of digital assets are uncertain.
In
2014, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released a notice (the “Notice”)
discussing certain aspects of “convertible virtual currency” (that is, digital
assets that have an equivalent value in fiat currency or that act as substitutes
for fiat currency) for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, in particular,
stating that such digital assets (i) are “property” (ii) are not currency” for
purposes of the rules relating to foreign currency gain or loss and (iii) may be
held as a capital asset. In 2019, the IRS released a revenue ruling and a set of
“Frequently Asked Questions” (the “Ruling & FAQs”) that provide some
additional guidance, including guidance to the effect that, under certain
circumstances, hard forks of digital assets are taxable events giving rise to
ordinary income and guidance with respect to the determination of the tax basis
of digital assets. However, the Notice and the Ruling & FAQs do not address
other significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of digital
assets. Moreover, although the Ruling & FAQs address the treatment of hard
forks, there continues to be uncertainty with respect to the timing and amount
of the income inclusions.
There
can be no assurance that the IRS will not alter its position with respect to
digital assets in the future or that a court would uphold the treatment set
forth in the Notice and the Ruling & FAQs. It is also unclear what
additional guidance on the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income
tax purposes may be issued in the future. Any such alteration of the current IRS
positions or additional guidance could result in adverse tax consequences for
shareholders and could have an adverse effect on the value of XRP. Future
developments that may arise with respect to digital assets may increase the
uncertainty with respect to the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. For example, the Notice addresses only digital assets that
are “convertible virtual currency,” and it is conceivable that, as a result of a
fork, airdrop or similar occurrence, the Trust could hold certain types of
digital assets that are not within the scope of the Notice in the event the
Sponsor seeks to change the Trust’s policy with respect to Incidental Rights or
IR Virtual Currency, subject to NYSE Arca obtaining regulatory approval from the
SEC.
Shareholders
are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of owning
and disposing of Shares and digital assets in general.
Future
developments regarding the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income
tax purposes could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
As
discussed above, many significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax
treatment of digital assets, such as XRP, are uncertain, and it is unclear what
guidance on the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes
may be issued in the future. It is possible that any such guidance would have an
adverse effect on the prices of digital assets, including on the price of XRP in
the Digital Asset Markets, and therefore may have an adverse effect on the value
of the Shares.
Because
of the evolving nature of digital assets, it is not possible to predict
potential future developments that may arise with respect to digital assets,
including forks, airdrops and similar occurrences. Such developments may
increase the uncertainty with respect to the treatment of digital assets for
U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, certain future developments could
render it impossible, or impracticable, for the Trust to continue to be treated
as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Future
developments in the treatment of digital assets for tax purposes other than U.S.
federal income tax purposes could adversely affect the value of the
Shares.
The
taxing authorities of certain states, including New York, (i) have announced
that they will follow the Notice with respect to the treatment of digital assets
for state income tax purposes and/or (ii) have issued guidance exempting the
purchase and/or sale of digital assets for fiat currency from state sales tax.
However, it is unclear what further guidance on the treatment of digital assets
for state tax purposes may be issued in the future.
The
treatment of digital assets for tax purposes by non-U.S. jurisdictions may
differ from the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal, state or local tax
purposes. It is possible, for example, that a non-U.S. jurisdiction would impose
sales tax or value-added tax on purchases and sales of digital assets for fiat
currency. If a foreign jurisdiction with a significant share of the market of
XRP users imposes onerous tax burdens on digital asset users,
or
imposes sales or value-added tax on purchases and sales of digital assets for
fiat currency, such actions could result in decreased demand for XRP in such
jurisdiction.
Any
future guidance on the treatment of digital assets for state, local or non-U.S.
tax purposes could increase the expenses of the Trust and could have an adverse
effect on the prices of digital assets, including on the price of XRP in the
Digital Asset Markets. As a result, any such future guidance could have an
adverse effect on the value of the Shares.
The
tax treatment of XRP and transactions involving XRP for state and local tax
purposes is not settled.
Because
XRP is a new technological innovation, the tax treatment of XRP for state and
local tax purposes, including, without limitation state and local income and
sales and use taxes, is not settled. It is uncertain what guidance, if any, on
the treatment of XRP for state and local tax purposes may be issued in the
future. A state or local government authority’s treatment of XRP may have
negative consequences, including the imposition of a greater tax burden on
investors in XRP or the imposition of a greater cost on the acquisition and
disposition of XRP generally. Any such treatment may have a negative effect on
prices of XRP and may adversely affect the value of the Shares.
A
U.S. tax-exempt shareholder may recognize “unrelated business taxable income” as
a consequence of an investment in Shares.
Under
the guidance provided in the Ruling & FAQs, hard forks, airdrops and similar
occurrences with respect to digital assets will under certain circumstances be
treated as taxable events giving rise to ordinary income. In the absence of
guidance to the contrary, it is possible that any such income recognized by a
U.S. tax-exempt shareholder would constitute “unrelated business taxable income”
(“UBTI”). A tax-exempt shareholder should consult its tax adviser regarding
whether such shareholder may recognize UBTI as a consequence of an investment in
Shares. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”
Non-U.S.
Holders may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on income derived from
forks, airdrops and similar occurrences.
The
Ruling & FAQs do not address whether income recognized by a non-U.S. person
as a result of a fork, airdrop or similar occurrence could be subject to the 30%
withholding tax imposed on U.S.-source “fixed or determinable annual or
periodical” income. Non-U.S. Holders (as defined under “Material U.S. Federal
Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders”) should assume
that, in the absence of guidance, a withholding agent (including the Sponsor) is
likely to withhold 30% of any such income recognized by a non-U.S. Holder in
respect of its Shares, including by deducting such withheld amounts from
proceeds that such non-U.S. Holder would otherwise be entitled to receive in
connection with a distribution of Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency. See
“Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”
Risk
Factors Related to Potential Conflicts of Interest
Potential
conflicts of interest may arise among the Sponsor or its affiliates and the
Trust. The Sponsor and its affiliates have no fiduciary duties to the Trust and
its shareholders other than as provided in the Trust Agreement, which may permit
them to favor their own interests to the detriment of the Trust and its
shareholders.
The
Sponsor will manage the affairs of the Trust. Conflicts of interest may arise
among the Sponsor and its affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust and its
shareholders, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, the Sponsor may
favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates over the Trust and
its shareholders. These potential conflicts include, among others, the
following:
•
The
Sponsor has no fiduciary duties to, and is allowed to take into account the
interests of parties other than, the Trust and its shareholders in resolving
conflicts of interest, provided the Sponsor does not act in bad
faith;
•
The
Trust has agreed to indemnify the Sponsor and its affiliates pursuant to the
Trust Agreement;
•
The
Sponsor is responsible for allocating its own limited resources among different
clients and potential future business ventures, to each of which it owes
fiduciary duties;
•
The
Sponsor and its staff also service affiliates of the Sponsor, including several
other digital asset investment vehicles, and their respective clients and cannot
devote all of its, or their, respective time or resources to the management of
the affairs of the Trust;
•
The
Sponsor, its affiliates and their respective officers and employees are not
prohibited from engaging in other businesses or activities, including those that
might be in direct competition with the Trust;
•
Affiliates
of the Sponsor have substantial direct investments in XRP that they are
permitted to manage taking into account their own interests without regard to
the interests of the Trust or its shareholders, and any increases, decreases or
other changes in such investments could affect the Index Price and, in turn, the
value of the Shares;
•
There
is an absence of arm’s-length negotiation with respect to certain terms of the
Trust, and, where applicable, there has been no independent due diligence
conducted with respect to the Trust;
•
Several
employees of the Sponsor and the Sponsor’s indirect parent company, DCG, are
FINRA-registered representatives who historically maintained their licenses
through Genesis and currently maintain their licenses through Grayscale
Securities;
•
DCG
is (i) the sole equity holder and indirect parent company of the Sponsor; and
(ii) a minority interest holder in Kraken, one of the Digital Asset Trading
Platforms included in the Index, representing less than 1.0% of its
equity;
•
DCG
has investments in a large number of digital assets and companies involved in
the digital asset ecosystem, including trading platforms and custodians. DCG’s
positions on changes that should be adopted in the XRP Network could be adverse
to positions that would benefit the Trust or its shareholders. Additionally,
before or after a hard fork on the XRP Network, DCG’s position regarding which
fork among a group of incompatible forks of the XRP Network should be considered
the “true” XRP Network could be adverse to positions that would most benefit the
Trust;
•
DCG
has been vocal in the past about its support for digital assets other than XRP.
Any investments in, or public positions taken on, digital assets other than XRP
by DCG, could have an adverse impact on the price of XRP;
•
The
Sponsor decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to
perform services for the Trust;
•
While
the Index Provider does not currently utilize data from over-the-counter markets
or derivatives platforms, it may decide to include pricing from such markets or
platforms in the future;
•
The
Sponsor may appoint an agent to act on behalf of the shareholders, and such
agent may be the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor; and
•
The
Sponsor has historically and may again select an Index Provider that is an
affiliate of the Sponsor and the Trust.
By
purchasing the Shares, shareholders agree and consent to the provisions set
forth in the Trust Agreement. See “Business—Description of the Trust
Agreement.”
For
a further discussion of the conflicts of interest among the Sponsor, the
distributor, the marketer, Authorized Participant, Liquidity Providers, the
Trust and others, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party
Transactions.”
DCG
is a minority interest holder in Kraken, which operates one of the Digital Asset
Trading Platforms included in the Index Price.
DCG,
the sole equity holder and indirect parent company of the Sponsor, holds a
minority interest of less than 1.0% in Kraken. The Sponsor values its digital
assets by reference to the Index Price. The Index Price is the price in U.S.
dollars of an XRP derived from the Digital Asset Trading Platforms that are
reflected in the Index developed by CoinDesk Indices, Inc. as of 4:00 p.m., New
York time, on each business day. Kraken is one of the Digital Asset Trading
Platforms included in the Index.
Although
DCG does not exercise control over Kraken, it is possible that investors could
have concerns that DCG could influence market data provided by this Digital
Asset Trading Platform in a way that benefits DCG, for example by artificially
inflating the values of XRP in order to increase the Sponsor’s fees. This could
make the Trust’s Shares less attractive to investors than the shares of similar
vehicles that do not present these concerns, adversely affect investor sentiment
about the Trust and negatively affect Share trading prices.
Shareholders
cannot be assured of the Sponsor’s continued services, the discontinuance of
which may be detrimental to the Trust.
Shareholders
cannot be assured that the Sponsor will be willing or able to continue to serve
as sponsor to the Trust for any length of time. If the Sponsor discontinues its
activities on behalf of the Trust and a substitute sponsor is not appointed, the
Trust will terminate and liquidate its XRP.
Appointment
of a substitute sponsor will not guarantee the Trust’s continued operation,
successful or otherwise. Because a substitute sponsor may have no experience
managing a digital asset financial vehicle, a substitute sponsor may not have
the experience, knowledge or expertise required to ensure that the Trust will
operate successfully or continue to operate at all. Therefore, the appointment
of a substitute sponsor may not necessarily be beneficial to the Trust and the
Trust may terminate. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party
Transactions—The Sponsor.”
If
the Custodian resigns or is removed by the Sponsor or otherwise, without
replacement, it would trigger early termination of the Trust.
A
Custodial Entity may terminate the Prime Broker Agreement for Cause (as defined
in “Business— Description of the Prime Broker Agreement—Term; Termination and
Suspension”) at any time or upon one hundred eighty days’ prior written notice
to the Trust, as provided under the Prime Broker Agreement. If the Custodian
resigns or is removed by the Sponsor or otherwise, without replacement, the
Trust will dissolve in accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement.
Shareholders
may be adversely affected by the lack of independent advisers representing
investors in the Trust.
The
Sponsor has consulted with counsel, accountants and other advisers regarding the
formation and operation of the Trust. No counsel was appointed to represent
investors in connection with the formation of the Trust or the establishment of
the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Shares. Moreover, no counsel has been
appointed to represent an investor in connection with the offering of the
Shares. Accordingly, an investor should consult his, her or its own legal, tax
and financial advisers regarding the desirability of the value of the Shares.
Lack of such consultation may lead to an undesirable investment decision with
respect to investment in the Shares.
The
Trust is an “emerging growth company” and the reduced disclosure requirements
applicable to emerging growth companies may make the Shares less attractive to
investors.
The
Trust is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and intends
to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that
are applicable to other public companies, including, but not limited to, not
being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding
executive compensation in its periodic reports and exemptions from the
requirement of shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not
previously approved. The Trust intends to take advantage of these reporting
exemptions until it is no longer an emerging growth company. The Sponsor and the
Trust cannot predict if investors will find the Shares less attractive because
the Trust will rely on
these
exemptions. The Trust will remain an emerging growth company for up to five
years after its initial public offering, although it will lose that status
sooner if the Trust has more than $1.235 billion of revenues in a fiscal year,
has more than $700 million in market value of Shares held by non-affiliates as
of any June 30 or issues more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a
rolling three-year period. If some investors find the Shares less attractive as
a result, there may be a less active trading market for the Shares and the price
of the Shares may be more volatile.
Risk
Factors Related to the Offering
There
may be less liquidity or wider spreads in the market for the Shares as compared
to the shares of other spot XRP exchange-traded products, if and when the
listing of such products has been approved.
Although
the Shares are expected to be publicly listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, as a
new investment vehicle, there can be no guarantee that the trading market for
the Shares will develop as robustly as the trading market for the shares of
other spot XRP exchange-traded products, if and when the listing of such
products has been approved, or that one will develop at all. To the extent that
no active trading market develops and/or the assets of the Trust do not reach or
maintain a viable size to facilitate robust trading, the liquidity of the Shares
may be limited, which could result in wider bid/ask spreads and negatively
impact the value of the Shares. In addition, if shareholders need to sell their
Shares at a time when no active market for them exists, the price shareholders
receive for their Shares, assuming that shareholders are able to sell them,
likely will be lower than the price that shareholders would receive if an active
market did exist and, accordingly, a shareholder may suffer losses. See “—Risk
Factors Related to the Digital Asset Markets—The lack of active trading markets
for the Shares may result in losses on investors’ investments at the time of
disposition of Shares.”
The
liquidity of the Shares may be affected if Authorized Participants cease to
perform their obligations under the Participant Agreements or the Liquidity
Engager is unable to engage Liquidity Providers.
In
the event that one or more Authorized Participants having substantial interests
in Shares or otherwise responsible for a significant portion of the Shares’
daily trading volume on NYSE Arca terminates its Participant Agreement, the
liquidity of the Shares would likely decrease, which could adversely affect the
value of the Shares. In addition, if the Liquidity Engager is unable to engage
one or more Liquidity Providers to obtain or receive XRP in connection with Cash
Orders, the Trust may have difficulty maintaining the participation of certain
Authorized Participants or engaging additional Authorized Participants. Under
such circumstances, the liquidity of the Shares would likely decrease, which
could adversely affect the value of the Shares.
The
Shares may trade at a price that is at, above or below the Trust’s NAV per Share
as a result of the non-current trading hours between NYSE Arca and the Digital
Asset Trading Platform Market.
The
Trust’s NAV per Share will fluctuate with changes in the market value of XRP,
and the Sponsor expects the trading price of the Shares to fluctuate in
accordance with changes in the Trust’s NAV per Share, as well as market supply
and demand. However, the Shares may trade on NYSE Arca at a price that is at,
above or below the Trust’s NAV per Share for a variety of reasons. For example,
NYSE Arca is open for trading in the Shares for a limited period each day, but
the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market is a 24-hour marketplace. During
periods when NYSE Arca is closed but Digital Asset Trading Platforms are open,
significant changes in the price of XRP on the Digital Asset Trading Platform
Market could result in a difference in performance between the value of XRP as
measured by the Index and the most recent NAV per Share or closing trading
price. For example, if the price of XRP on the Digital Asset Trading Platform
Market, and the value of XRP as measured by the Index, move significantly in a
negative direction after the close of NYSE Arca, the trading price of the Shares
may “gap” down to the full extent of such negative price shift when NYSE Arca
reopens. If the price of XRP on the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market drops
significantly during hours NYSE Arca is closed, shareholders may not be able to
sell their Shares until after the “gap” down has been fully realized, resulting
in an inability to rapidly mitigate losses in a negative market. Even during
periods when NYSE Arca is open, large Digital Asset Trading Platforms (or a
substantial number of smaller Digital Asset Trading Platforms) may be lightly
traded or closed for any number of reasons, which could increase trading spreads
and widen any premium or discount on the Shares.
Shareholders
may suffer a loss on their investment if the Shares trade above or below the
Trust’s NAV per Share.
If
the Shares trade on NYSE Arca in the future at a premium, investors who purchase
Shares on NYSE Arca will pay more for their Shares than investors who purchase
Shares directly from Authorized Participants. In contrast, if the Shares trade
on NYSE Arca in the future at a discount, investors who purchase Shares directly
from Authorized Participants will pay more for their Shares than investors who
purchase Shares on NYSE Arca. As a result, shareholders who purchase Shares on
NYSE Arca at a premium may suffer a loss on their investment if they sell their
Shares at a time when the premium has decreased from the premium at which they
purchased the Shares even if the NAV per Share remains the same. Likewise,
shareholders that purchase Shares directly from the Trust may suffer a loss on
their investment if they sell their Shares at a time when the Shares are trading
at a discount on NYSE Arca. Furthermore, shareholders may suffer a loss on their
investment even if the NAV per Share increases because the decrease in any
premium or increase in any discount may offset any increase in the NAV per
Share.
The
inability of Authorized Participants and market makers to hedge their XRP
exposure may adversely affect the liquidity of Shares and the value of an
investment in the Shares.
Authorized
Participants and market makers will generally want to hedge their exposure in
connection with Basket purchase and redemption orders. To the extent Authorized
Participants and market makers are unable to hedge their exposure due to market
conditions (e.g., insufficient XRP liquidity in the market, inability to locate
an appropriate hedge counterparty, extreme volatility in the price of XRP, wide
spreads between prices quoted on different Digital Asset Trading Platforms, the
closing of Digital Asset Trading Platforms due to fraud, failures, security
breaches or otherwise etc.), such conditions may make it difficult to purchase
or redeem Baskets or cause them to not create or redeem Baskets. In addition,
the hedging mechanisms employed by Authorized Participants and market makers to
hedge their exposure to XRP may not function as intended, which may make it more
difficult for them to enter into such transactions. Such events could negatively
impact the market price of the Shares and the spread at which the Shares trade
on the open market.
Arbitrage
transactions intended to keep the price of the Shares closely linked to the
price of XRP may be problematic if the process for the purchase and redemption
of Baskets encounters difficulties, which may adversely affect an investment in
the Shares.
If
the processes of creation and redemption of Shares (which depend on timely
transfers of XRP to and by the Custodian) encounter any unanticipated
difficulties due to, for example, the price volatility of XRP, the insolvency,
business failure or interruption, default, failure to perform, security breach,
or other problems affecting the Custodian, the closing of Digital Asset Trading
Platforms to fraud, failures, security breaches or otherwise, or network outages
or congestion, spikes in transaction fees demanded by validators, or other
problems or disruptions affecting the XRP Ledger, then potential market
participants, such as the Authorized Participants and their customers, who would
otherwise be willing to purchase or redeem Baskets to take advantage of any
arbitrage opportunity arising from discrepancies between the price of the Shares
and the price of the underlying XRP may not take the risk that, as a result of
those difficulties, they may not be able to realize the profit they
expect.
Alternatively,
in the case of a network outage or other problems affecting the XRP Ledger, the
processing of transactions on the XRP Ledger may be disrupted, which in turn may
prevent Liquidity Providers from depositing or withdrawing XRP from their
custody accounts, which in turn could affect the creation or redemption of
Baskets. If this is the case, the liquidity of the Shares may decline and the
price of the Shares may fluctuate independently of the price of XRP and may fall
or otherwise diverge from NAV. Furthermore, in the event that the market for XRP
should become relatively illiquid and thereby materially restrict opportunities
for arbitraging by delivering XRP in return for Baskets, the price of the Shares
may diverge from the price of XRP.
Use
of Proceeds
Proceeds
received by the Trust from the issuance and sale of Baskets will consist of XRP
deposited with the Trust in connection with creations. Such XRP will only be (i)
owned by the Trust, (ii) transferred (or converted to U.S. dollars, if
necessary) to pay the Trust’s expenses, (iii) distributed or otherwise disposed
of in connection with the redemption of Baskets or (iv) liquidated in the event
that the Trust terminates or as otherwise required by law or
regulation.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition
and Results of Operations
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of
operations should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by
reference to, our audited financial statements and related notes included
elsewhere in this prospectus, which have been prepared in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The
following discussion may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions
we believe to be reasonable. Our actual results could differ materially from
those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or
contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed
below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly in “Risk Factors” and
“Forward-Looking Statements.”
Trust
Overview
The
Trust is a passive entity that is managed and administered by the Sponsor and
does not have any officers, directors or employees. The Trust holds XRP and,
from time to time on a periodic basis, will issue Creation Baskets in exchange
for deposits of XRP (or cash to acquire XRP) and redeem Baskets in exchange for
XRP (or proceeds from the disposition of XRP) from the Trust. As a passive
investment vehicle, the Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the
Shares (based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the Trust,
determined by reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other
liabilities. While an investment in the Shares is not a direct investment in
XRP, the Shares are designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and
convenient way to gain investment exposure to XRP. The Trust will not utilize
leverage, derivatives or any similar arrangements in seeking to meet its
investment objective. The Trust is not managed like a business corporation or an
active investment vehicle.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Investment
Transactions and Revenue Recognition
The
Trust considers investment transactions to be the receipt of XRP by the Trust in
connection with Share creations and the delivery of XRP by the Trust in
connection with Share redemptions or for payment of expenses in XRP. The Trust
records its investment transactions on a trade date basis and changes in fair
value are reflected as net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on
investments. Realized gains and losses are calculated using the specific
identification method. Realized gains and losses are recognized in connection
with transactions including settling obligations for the Sponsor’s Fee in
XRP.
Principal
Market and Fair Value Determination
To
determine which market is the Trust’s principal market (or in the absence of a
principal market, the most advantageous market) for purposes of calculating the
Trust’s net asset value in accordance with U.S. GAAP (“Principal Market NAV”),
the Trust follows Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting
Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820-10, which outlines the application of fair
value accounting. ASC 820-10 determines fair value to be the price that would be
received for XRP in a current sale, which assumes an orderly transaction between
market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820-10 requires the Trust to
assume that XRP is sold in its principal market to market participants or, in
the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market. Market
participants are defined as buyers and sellers in the principal or most
advantageous market that are independent, knowledgeable, and willing and able to
transact.
The
Trust only receives XRP, via a Liquidity Provider, in connection with a creation
order from an Authorized Participant and does not itself transact on any Digital
Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to market-based volume and level of
activity for Digital Asset Markets. An Authorized Participant (subject to
In-Kind Regulatory Approval), or a Liquidity Provider, may transact in a
Brokered Market, a Dealer Market, Principal-to-Principal Markets and Exchange
Markets (referred to as “Trading Platform Markets”), each as defined in the FASB
ASC Master Glossary (collectively, “Digital Asset Markets”). In determining
which of the eligible Digital Asset Markets is the Trust’s principal market, the
Trust reviews these criteria in the following order:
•
First,
the Trust reviews a list of Digital Asset Markets that maintain practices and
policies designed to comply with AML and KYC regulations, and non-Digital Asset
Trading Platform Markets that the Trust reasonably believes are operating in
compliance with applicable law, including federal and state licensing
requirements, based upon information and assurances provided to it by each
market.
•
Second,
the Trust sorts these Digital Asset Markets from high to low by market-based
volume and level of activity of XRP traded on each Digital Asset Market in the
trailing twelve months.
•
Third,
the Trust then reviews pricing fluctuations and the degree of variances in price
on Digital Asset Markets to identify any material notable variances that may
impact the volume or price information of a particular Digital Asset
Market.
•
Fourth,
the Trust then selects a Digital Asset Market as its principal market based on
the highest market-based volume, level of activity and price stability in
comparison to the other Digital Asset Markets on the list. Based on information
reasonably available to the Trust, Trading Platform Markets have the greatest
volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to
accessible Trading Platform Markets as opposed to the Brokered Market, Dealer
Market and Principal-to-Principal Markets to determine its principal market. As
a result of the aforementioned analysis, a Trading Platform Market has been
selected as the Trust’s principal market.
The
Trust determines its principal market (or in the absence of a principal market
the most advantageous market) annually and conducts a quarterly analysis to
determine (i) if there have been recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s
trading volume and level of activity in the trailing twelve months, (ii) if any
Digital Asset Markets have developed that the Trust has access to, or (iii) if
recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s price stability have occurred that
would materially impact the selection of the principal market and necessitate a
change in the Trust’s determination of its principal market.
The
cost basis of XRP received by the Trust in connection with a creation order is
recorded by the Trust at the fair value of XRP at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on
the creation date for financial reporting purposes. The cost basis recorded by
the Trust may differ from proceeds collected by an Authorized Participant from
the sale of the corresponding Shares to investors.
Investment
Company Considerations
The
Trust is an investment company for GAAP purposes and follows accounting and
reporting guidance in accordance with the FASB ASC Topic 946, Financial Services
– Investment Companies. The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting
for XRP in accordance with its classification as an investment company for
accounting purposes. The Trust is not a registered investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940. GAAP requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements and
accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates and these
differences could be material.
Review
of Financial Results
Financial
Highlights for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2025
(unaudited)
(All
amounts in the following table and the subsequent paragraphs, except Share, per
Share, XRP and price of XRP amounts, are in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP |
|
$ |
1,255 |
|
|
$ |
919 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
$ |
1,179 |
|
|
$ |
761 |
|
|
Net
assets(1) |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
(1)
Net assets in the above table and subsequent paragraphs are calculated in
accordance with U.S. GAAP based on the Digital Asset Market price of XRP on the
digital Asset Trading Platform that the Trust considered its principal market,
as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date.
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP for the three months ended
June 30, 2025 was $1,255, which includes a realized gain of $47 on the transfer
of XRP to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and net change in unrealized appreciation on
investment in XRP of $1,208. Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in
XRP for the period was driven by XRP price appreciation from $2.09 per XRP as of
March 31, 2025, to $2.32 per XRP as of June 30, 2025. Net increase in net assets
resulting from operations was $1,179 for the three months ended June 30, 2025,
which consisted of the net realized and unrealized gain on investment in ETC,
less the Sponsor’s Fee of $76. Net assets increased to $12,893 at June 30, 2025,
a 13% increase for the three-month period. The increase in net
assets
resulted
from the aforementioned XRP price appreciation and the contribution of
approximately 115,907 XRP with a value of $269 to the Trust in connection with
Share creations during the period, partially offset by the withdrawal of
approximately 34,315 XRP to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s Fee.
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP for the six months ended June
30, 2025 was $919, which includes a realized gain of $103 on the transfer of XRP
to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment
in XRP of $816. Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP for the
period was driven by XRP price appreciation from $2.10 per XRP as of December
31, 2024, to $2.32 per XRP as of June 30, 2025. Net increase in net assets
resulting from operations was $761 for the six months ended June 30, 2025, which
consisted of the net realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP, less the
Sponsor’s Fee of $158. Net assets increased to $12,893 at June 30, 2025, a 23%
decrease for the six-month period. The increase in net assets resulted from the
aforementioned XRP price appreciation and the contribution of approximately
647,661 XRP with a value of $1,682 to the Trust in connection with Share
creations during the period, partially offset by the withdrawal of approximately
66,213 XRP to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s Fee.
Financial
Highlights for the for the Period from September 5, 2024 (the Commencement of
the Trust’s Operations) to December 31, 2024
(All
amounts in the following table and the subsequent paragraphs, except Share, per
Share, XRP and price of XRP amounts, are in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to December 31,
2024 |
|
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP |
|
$ |
7,267 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
$ |
7,228 |
|
|
Net
assets(1) |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
(1)
Net assets in the above table and subsequent paragraphs are calculated in
accordance with U.S. GAAP based on the Digital Asset Market price of XRP on the
digital Asset Trading Platform that the Trust considered its principal market,
as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date.
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP for the period from September
5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to December 31, 2024 was
$7,267, which includes a realized gain of $22 on the transfer of XRP to pay the
Sponsor’s Fee, and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP of
$7,245. Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP for the period was
driven by XRP price appreciation from $0.54 per XRP as of September 5, 2024, to
$2.10 per XRP as of December 31, 2024. Net increase in net assets resulting from
operations was $7,228 for the period ended December 31, 2024, which consisted of
the net realized and unrealized gain on investment in XRP, less the Sponsor’s
Fee of $39. Net assets increased to $10,450 at December 31, 2024. The increase
in net assets resulted from the aforementioned XRP price appreciation and the
contribution of approximately 5,006,300 XRP with a value of $3,222 to the Trust
in connection with Share creations during the period, partially offset by the
withdrawal of approximately 30,228 XRP to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s
Fee.
Cash
Resources and Liquidity
The
Trust only receives and holds cash in order to facilitate creations and
redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders, and does not otherwise have or maintain a
cash balance at any time. When selling XRP and, subject to NYSE Arca obtaining
regulatory approval from the SEC, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency
in the Digital Asset Market to pay Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the
Trust, the Sponsor endeavors to sell the exact amount of XRP, Incidental Rights
and/or IR Virtual Currency needed to pay expenses in order to minimize the
Trust’s holdings of assets other than XRP. In addition, upon the consummation or
deemed failure of a Cash Order to create or redeem Baskets, the Trust will
promptly return any excess cash it continues to hold with respect to such Cash
Order to the applicable counterparty. As a consequence, the Sponsor expects that
the Trust will not record any cash flow from its operations and that its cash
balance will be zero at the end of each reporting period. Furthermore, the Trust
is not a party to any off-balance sheet
arrangements.
Generally,
the Trust does not intend to hold cash, except in connection with Cash Orders
for creations or redemptions of Baskets. Cash includes non-interest bearing
non-restricted cash with one institution. Cash in a bank deposit account, at
times, may exceed U.S. federally insured limits. The Trust has not experienced
any losses in such accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any
significant credit risk on such bank deposits.
In
exchange for the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume most of the
expenses incurred by the Trust. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the
Trust expected to be incurred is the Sponsor’s Fee and, if applicable, any
Additional Trust Expenses. The Trust is not aware of any trends, demands,
conditions or events that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to
its liquidity needs.
Selected
Operating Data
Three
and Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 (unaudited)
(All
XRP balances are rounded to the nearest whole XRP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
XRP: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Opening
balance |
|
|
5,475,928 |
|
|
|
4,976,072 |
|
|
Creations |
|
|
115,907 |
|
|
|
647,661 |
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee, related party |
|
|
(34,315 |
) |
|
|
(66,213 |
) |
|
Closing
balance |
|
|
5,557,520 |
|
|
|
5,557,520 |
|
|
Accrued
but unpaid Sponsor’s Fee, related party |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Net
closing balance |
|
|
5,557,520 |
|
|
|
5,557,520 |
|
|
Number
of Shares: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Opening
balance |
|
|
277,700 |
|
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Creations |
|
|
5,900 |
|
|
|
32,800 |
|
|
Closing
balance |
|
|
283,600 |
|
|
|
283,600 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As
of June 30, |
|
|
|
|
2025 |
|
|
Price of
XRP on principal market(1) |
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
|
Principal
Market NAV per Share(2) |
|
$ |
45.46 |
|
|
Index
Price |
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
|
NAV per
Share(3) |
|
$ |
45.46 |
|
(1)
The Trust performed an assessment of the principal market at June 30, 2025, and
identified the principal market as Coinbase.
(2)
As of June 30, 2025, the Principal Market NAV per Share was calculated using the
fair value of XRP based on the price provided by Coinbase, the Digital Asset
Trading Platform that the Trust considered its principal market, as of 4:00
p.m., New York time, on the valuation date.
(3)
The Trust’s NAV per Share is derived from the Index Price as represented by the
Index as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date. The Trust’s NAV per
Share is calculated using a non-GAAP methodology where the price is derived from
multiple Digital Asset Trading Platforms. See the section entitled “Business
—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV” above for a description of the
Trust’s NAV per Share. The Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index
as of June 30, 2025 were Coinbase, Crypto.com, LMAX Digital, Kraken and
Bitstamp.
For
accounting purposes, the Trust reflects creations and the XRP receivable with
respect to such creations on the date of receipt of a notification of a creation
but does not issue Shares until the requisite amount of XRP is received. For the
periods ended June 30, 2025, the Trust did not accept redemption requests from
shareholders. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval from the SEC and
approval by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future
operate a redemption program.
As
of June 30, 2025, the Trust had a net closing balance with a value of
$12,893,447, based on the Index Price (non-GAAP methodology). As of June 30,
2025, the Trust had a total market value of $12,893,447 based on the Digital
Asset Market price of XRP on the Trust’s principal market (Coinbase).
Financial
Highlights for the for the Period from September 5, 2024 (the Commencement of
the Trust’s
Operations)
to December 31, 2024
(All
XRP balances are rounded to the nearest whole XRP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to December 31,
2024 |
|
|
XRP: |
|
|
|
|
Opening
balance |
|
|
— |
|
|
Creations |
|
|
5,006,300 |
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee, related party |
|
|
(30,228 |
) |
|
Closing
balance |
|
|
4,976,072 |
|
|
Accrued
but unpaid Sponsor’s Fee, related party |
|
|
— |
|
|
Net
closing balance |
|
|
4,976,072 |
|
|
Number
of Shares: |
|
|
|
|
Opening
balance |
|
|
— |
|
|
Creations |
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Closing
balance |
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As
of December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Price of
XRP on principal market |
|
$ |
2.10 |
|
|
Principal
Market NAV per Share |
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
|
Index
Price |
|
$ |
2.10 |
|
|
NAV per
Share |
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
(1)
The Trust performed an assessment of the principal market at December 31, 2024,
and identified the principal market as Coinbase.
(2)
As of December 31, 2024, the Principal Market NAV per Share was calculated using
the fair value of XRP based on the price provided by Coinbase, the Digital Asset
Trading Platform that the Trust considered its principal market, as of 4:00
p.m., New York time, on the valuation date.
(3)The
Trust’s NAV per Share is derived from the Index Price as represented by the
Index as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date. The Trust’s NAV per
Share is calculated using a non-GAAP methodology where the price is derived from
multiple Digital Asset Trading Platforms. See the section entitled “Business
—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV” above for a description of the
Trust’s NAV per Share. The Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index
as of December 31, 2024 were Coinbase, Crypto.com, LMAX Digital, Kraken and
Bitstamp.
For
accounting purposes, the Trust reflects creations and the XRP receivable with
respect to such creations on the date of receipt of a notification of a creation
but does not issue Shares until the requisite amount of XRP is received. At this
time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests from shareholders. Subject
to receipt of regulatory approval from the SEC and approval by the Sponsor in
its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future operate a redemption program.
The Trust currently has no intention of seeking regulatory approval to operate
an ongoing redemption program.
As
of December 31, 2024, the Trust had a net closing balance with a value of
$10,449,750, based on the Index Price (non-GAAP methodology). As of December 31,
2024, the Trust had a total market value of $10,449,750, based on the Digital
Asset Market price of XRP on the Trust’s principal market (Coinbase).
Historical
NAV and XRP Prices
As
movements in the price of XRP will directly affect the price of the Shares,
investors should understand recent movements
in the price of XRP. Investors, however, should also be aware that past
movements in the XRP price are not indicators of future movements. Movements may
be influenced by various factors, including, but not limited to, government
regulation, security breaches experienced by service providers, as well as
political and economic uncertainties around the world.
Investing
in the Shares does not insulate the investor from certain risks, including price
volatility. The following chart illustrates the movement in the Trust’s NAV per
Share (non-GAAP) versus the Index Price (non-GAAP) and
the
Trust’s Principal Market NAV per Share from September 5, 2024 (the commencement
of the Trust’s operations) to June 30, 2025:

For
more information on the determination of the Trust’s NAV, see “Business
—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV.”
The
following table illustrates the movements in the Index Price from September 5,
2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to June 30, 2025. During such
period, the Index Price has ranged from $0.50 to $3.29, with the straight
average being $1.89 through June 30, 2025. The Sponsor has not observed a
material difference between the Index Price and average prices from the
Constituent Trading Platforms individually or as a group.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High |
|
Low |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period |
|
Average |
|
|
Index
Price |
|
|
Date |
|
Index
Price |
|
|
Date |
|
End
of period |
|
|
Last
business day |
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust's Operations) to June 30,
2025 |
|
$ |
1.89 |
|
|
$ |
3.29 |
|
|
1/16/2025 |
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
11/3/2024 |
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
The
following table illustrates the movements in the Digital Asset Market price of
XRP, as reported on the Trust’s principal market, from September
5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to June 30,
2025.
During such period, the price of XRP has ranged from $0.50 to $3.29, with the
straight average being $1.89 through June 30, 2025:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High |
|
Low |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period |
|
Average |
|
|
Digital
Asset Market Price |
|
|
Date |
|
Digital
Asset Market Price |
|
|
Date |
|
End
of period |
|
|
Last
business day |
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust's Operations) to June 30,
2025 |
|
$ |
1.89 |
|
|
$ |
3.29 |
|
|
1/16/2025 |
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
11/3/2024 |
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
Recent
Developments
On
January 1, 2025, Grayscale Investments, LLC (“GSI”) consummated an internal
corporate reorganization (the “Reorganization”), pursuant to which Grayscale
Investments, LLC, the Sponsor of the Trust prior to the Reorganization, merged
with and into Grayscale Operating, LLC (“GSO”), a Delaware limited liability
company and a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of DCG, with GSO continuing as
the surviving company (the “Merger”). As a result of the Merger, GSO succeeded
by operation of law to all the rights, powers, privileges and franchises and
became subject to all of the obligations, liabilities, restrictions and
disabilities of GSI, including with respect to the Sponsor Contracts (as defined
below), all as provided under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act. The
Reorganization is not expected to have any material impact on the operations of
the Trust.
In
connection with the Reorganization, on January 1, 2025, and promptly following
the effectiveness of the Merger, GSO assigned certain contracts pertaining to
its role as Sponsor (as such term is defined in the Trust Agreement) of the
Trust (such contracts, the “Sponsor Contracts”) to Grayscale Investments
Sponsors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned direct
subsidiary of GSO (“GSIS”), whereby GSIS assumed all of the rights and
obligations of GSO under the Sponsor Contracts. Other than the assumption of the
Sponsor Contracts by GSIS, the Reorganization does not alter the rights or
obligations under any of the Sponsor Contracts.
In
connection with the Reorganization, on January 1, 2025, and promptly following
the effectiveness of the Merger, GSO and GSIS executed a Certificate of
Admission, pursuant to which GSIS was admitted as an additional Sponsor of the
Trust under the Trust Agreement, by and among GSO (as successor in interest to
GSI), the Trustee, and the shareholders from time to time thereunder, as amended
from time to time. GSIS shall be subject to the rights and obligations of a
Sponsor under the Trust Agreement.
On
January 3, 2025, GSO voluntarily withdrew as a Sponsor of the Trust pursuant to
the terms of the Trust Agreement, and, effective May 3, 2025, GSIS is the sole
remaining Sponsor of the Trust.
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The
Trust Agreement does not authorize the Trust to borrow for payment of the
Trust’s ordinary expenses. The Trust does not engage in transactions in foreign
currencies which could expose the Trust or holders of Shares to any foreign
currency related market risk. The Trust does not invest in derivative financial
instruments and has no foreign operations or long-term debt
instruments.
Business
Overview
of the Trust and the Shares
Grayscale
XRP Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on August
5, 2024 by the filing of the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware Secretary of
State in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act
(“DSTA”). Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part, the name of the Trust was Grayscale XRP Trust. In
connection with the effectiveness of this registration statement and the listing
of the Shares on NYSE Arca, the Sponsor intends to rename the Trust as Grayscale
XRP Trust ETF by filing a Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust
with the Delaware Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of the
DSTA. The Trust’s purpose is to hold “XRP”, which are digital assets that are
created and transmitted through the operations of the peer-to-peer XRP Network,
a decentralized network of computers that operates on cryptographic protocols.
There are several key features of the XRP Network. Unlike other digital assets
such as Bitcoin, which are solely created through a progressive mining process,
100 billion XRP were created in connection with the launch of the XRP Network.
Out of the 100 billion initially issued XRP, approximately 59.0 billion XRP have
entered circulation as of June 30, 2025. As of June 30, 2025, the 24-hour
trading volume of XRP was approximately $2.0 billion. As of June 30, 2025, the
aggregate market value of XRP was $132.1 billion. As of August 21, 2025, XRP was
the third largest digital asset by market capitalization, as tracked by
CoinMarketCap.com.
As
a passive investment vehicle, the Trust’s investment objective is for the value
of the Shares (based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of the XRP held by
the Trust, determined by reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses
and other liabilities. The Trust does not seek to generate returns beyond
tracking the price of XRP. There can be no assurance that the Trust will be able
to achieve its investment objective. The Trust will not utilize leverage,
derivatives or any similar arrangements in seeking to meet its investment
objective.
From
and after the date of this prospectus, the Trust intends to issue Shares on an
ongoing basis pursuant to this registration statement, intends to rely on an
exemption or other relief from the SEC under Regulation M to operate a
redemption program, and intends to list the Shares on NYSE Arca under the symbol
“GXRP.” The Shares will be distributed by Authorized Participants who will be
able to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities to keep the value of the
Shares closely linked to the Index Price (referred to as the “arbitrage
mechanism”). In particular, upon listing on NYSE Arca, the Sponsor expects there
to be a net creation of Shares if the Shares trade at a premium to NAV per Share
and a net redemption of Shares if the Shares trade at a discount to NAV per
Share, representing the effective functioning of the arbitrage
mechanism.
Thereafter,
it is expected that the Shares will be sold by the Authorized Participants to
the public at varying prices to be determined by reference to, among other
considerations, the price of the XRP represented by each Share and the trading
price of the Shares on NYSE Arca at the time of each sale.
Until
December 31,
2024, Grayscale Investments, LLC was the sponsor of the Trust. As a result of
the Reorganization (as defined herein), on January 1, 2025, Grayscale
Investments Sponsors, LLC (“GSIS”) and Grayscale Operating, LLC (“GSO”),
indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”),
became Co-Sponsors of the Trust. On January 3, 2025 GSO voluntarily withdrew as
a Sponsor of the Trust, and effective May 3, 2025 GSIS is the sole remaining
Sponsor. Prior to May 3, 2025, all references herein to the “Sponsor” shall be
deemed to include both GSIS and GSO as Sponsors unless the context otherwise
requires, and on or after May 3, 2025, all references herein to the “Sponsor”
shall refer only to GSIS. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations—Recent Developments” for more information.,
CSC Delaware Trust Company is the trustee (the “Trustee”) of the Trust, The Bank
of New York Mellon is the transfer agent (in such capacity, the “Transfer
Agent”) and the administrator (in such capacity, the “Administrator”) of the
Trust, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company is the co-transfer agent
of the Trust (the “Co-Transfer Agent”), Coinbase, Inc. is the prime broker (the
“Prime Broker”) of the Trust and Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC is the
custodian (the “Custodian”) of the Trust.
The
Trust issues Shares only in one or more blocks of 10,000 Shares (a block of
10,000 Shares is called a “Basket”) to certain authorized participants
(“Authorized Participants”) from time to time. Baskets are offered in exchange
for XRP (or cash to acquire XRP). Through its redemption program, the Trust will
redeem Shares from Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis. The U.S. dollar
value of a Basket of Shares at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the trade date of a
creation or redemption order is equal to the Basket Amount, which is the amount
of XRP
required
to create or redeem a Basket of Shares, multiplied by the “Index Price,” which
is the U.S. dollar value of an XRP derived from the Digital Asset Trading
Platforms that are reflected in the CoinDesk Ripple Price Index (XRX) (the
“Index”) at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each business day. The Index Price is
calculated using non-GAAP methodology and is not used in the Trust’s financial
statements. See “—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the
Index Price.”
The
Basket Amount on any trade date is determined by dividing (x) the amount of XRP
owned by the Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date, after
deducting the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but
unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust (converted using the Index Price at such
time, and carried to the eighth decimal place), by (y) the number of Shares
outstanding at such time (with the quotient so obtained calculated to one
one-hundred-millionth of one XRP (i.e., carried to the eighth decimal place)),
and multiplying such quotient by 10,000.
The
Trust will create Baskets of Shares only upon receipt of XRP and will redeem
Shares only by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of XRP. At this
time, Authorized Participants may only submit orders to create or redeem Shares
through transactions that are referred to as “Cash Orders” in this prospectus.
Cash Orders are made through the participation of a Liquidity Provider (as
defined herein) and facilitated by the Transfer Agent, as described in
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.” Authorized Participants must
pay a Variable Fee (as defined herein) in connection with certain Cash
Orders.
The
Shares are neither interests in nor obligations of the Sponsor or the Trustee.
As provided under the Trust Agreement, the Trust’s assets will not be loaned or
pledged, or serve as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other
similar activity to which the Sponsor, the Trust or any of their respective
affiliates are a party.
The
Sponsor maintains an Internet website
at www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp.
Additional
information regarding the Trust may also be found on the SEC’s EDGAR database at
www.sec.gov.
The
contents of the websites referred to above and any websites referred to herein
are not incorporated into this filing or any other report or documents we file
with or furnish to the SEC. Further, our references to the URLs for these
websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Investment
Objective
The
Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the Shares (based on XRP per
Share) to reflect the value of the XRP held by the Trust, determined by
reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities.
There can be no assurance that the Trust will be able to achieve its investment
objective. Although we expect the arbitrage mechanism to keep the value of the
Shares closely linked to the Index Price, the Shares may trade at a premium or
discount to the value of the XRP held by the Trust, determined by reference to
the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities, and any such
premium or discount may be significant.
While
an investment in the Shares is not a direct investment in XRP, the Shares are
designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and convenient way to gain
investment exposure to XRP. A substantial direct investment in XRP may require
expensive and sometimes complicated arrangements in connection with the
acquisition, security and safekeeping of the XRP and may involve the payment of
substantial fees to acquire such XRP from third-party facilitators through cash
payments of U.S. dollars. Because the value of the Shares is designed to be
correlated with the value of the XRP held by the Trust, it is important to
understand the investment attributes of, and the market for, XRP.
The
Trust’s XRP are carried, for financial statement purposes, at fair value as
required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Trust
determines the fair value of XRP based on the price provided by the Digital
Asset Market (defined below) that the Trust considers its principal market as of
4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date. The net asset value of the
Trust determined on a GAAP basis is referred to in this prospectus as “NAV.”
“Digital Asset Market” means a “Brokered Market,” “Dealer Market,”
“Principal-to-Principal Market” or “Exchange Market,” as each such term is
defined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting
Standards Codification (“ASC”) Master Glossary. See “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting
Policies and Estimates—Principal
Market
and Fair Value Determination” in this prospectus for more information on the
Trust’s principal market selection.
The
Trust uses the Index Price to calculate its “NAV,” which is the aggregate value,
expressed in U.S. dollars, of the Trust’s assets (other than U.S. dollars or
other fiat currency), less the U.S. dollar value of the Trust’s expenses and
other liabilities calculated in the manner set forth under “—Valuation of XRP
and Determination of NAV.” “NAV per Share” is calculated by dividing NAV by the
number of Shares then outstanding.
NAV
and NAV per Share are not measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. NAV is
not intended to be a substitute for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV calculated
in accordance with GAAP, and NAV per Share is not intended to be a substitute
for the Trust’s Principal Market NAV per Share calculated in accordance with
GAAP.
Pursuant
to the terms of the Trust Agreement, the Trust is required to dissolve under
certain circumstances. In addition, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion,
dissolve the Trust for a number of reasons, including if the Sponsor determines,
in its sole discretion, that it is desirable or advisable for any reason to
discontinue the affairs of the Trust. For example, if the Sponsor determines
that XRP is a security under the federal securities laws, whether that
determination is initially made by the Sponsor itself, or because a federal
court upholds an allegation that XRP is a security, the Sponsor does not intend
to permit the Trust to continue holding XRP in a way that would violate the
federal securities laws (and therefore would either dissolve the Trust or
potentially seek to operate the Trust in a manner that complies with the federal
securities laws, including the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment
Company Act”)). See “—Description of the Trust Agreement— Termination of the
Trust” for additional discussion of the circumstances under which the Trust
could be dissolved. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the
Shares—The SEC under the prior administration has previously taken the view that
XRP is a “security,” and a final determination that XRP or any other digital
asset is a “security” may adversely affect the value of XRP and the value of the
Shares, and result in potentially extraordinary, nonrecurring expenses to, or
termination of, the Trust.”
Characteristics
of the Shares
The
Shares are intended to offer investors an opportunity to gain exposure to
digital assets through an investment in securities. The logistics of accepting,
transferring and safekeeping of XRP are dealt with by the Sponsor and Custodian,
and the related expenses are built into the value of the Shares. Therefore,
shareholders do not have additional tasks or costs over and above those
generally associated with investing in any other security.
The
Shares have certain other key characteristics, including the
following:
•
Easily
Accessible and Relatively Cost Efficient.
Investors in the Shares can also directly access the Digital Asset Markets. The
Sponsor believes that investors will be able to more effectively implement
strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies that use XRP by using the
Shares instead of directly purchasing and holding XRP, and for many investors,
transaction costs related to the Shares will be lower than those associated with
the direct purchase, storage and safekeeping of XRP.
•
Market-Traded
and Transparent.
The Shares are expected to be listed on NYSE Arca. The Sponsor believes the
listing of the Shares on NYSE Arca will provide investors with an efficient
means to implement various investment strategies. The Trust will not hold or
employ any derivative securities. Furthermore, the value of the Trust’s assets
will be reported each day on www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp.
•
Minimal
Credit Risk.
The Shares represent an interest in actual XRP owned by the Trust. The Trust’s
XRP are not subject to borrowing arrangements with third parties and are subject
to counterparty and minimal credit risk with respect to the Custodian. This
contrasts with the other financial products such as CoinShares exchange-traded
notes, TeraExchange swaps and XRP futures and options traded on the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange and the Intercontinental Exchange through which investors
gain exposure to digital assets through the use of derivatives that are subject
to counterparty and credit risks.
•
Safekeeping
System.
The Custodian has been appointed to control and secure the XRP for the Trust
using offline storage, or cold storage, mechanisms to secure the Trust’s private
key “shards”. The hardware,
software,
administration and continued technological development that are used by the
Custodian may not be available or cost-effective for many
investors.
The
Trust differentiates itself from many competing digital asset financial vehicles
in the following ways:
•
Custodian.
The Custodian that holds the private key shards associated with the Trust’s XRP
is Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC. Other digital asset financial vehicles
that use cold storage may not use a custodian to hold their private
keys.
•
Cold
Storage of Private Keys.
The private key shards associated with the Trust’s XRP are kept in cold storage,
which means that the Trust’s XRP are disconnected and/or deleted entirely from
the internet. See “—Custody of the Trust’s XRP” for more information relating to
the storage and retrieval of the Trust’s private keys to and from cold storage.
Other digital asset financial vehicles may not utilize cold storage or may
utilize less effective cold storage-related hardware and security
protocols.
•
Location
of Private Vaults.
Private key shards associated with the Trust’s XRP are distributed
geographically by the Custodian in secure vaults around the world, including in
the United States. The locations of the secure vaults may change regularly and
are kept confidential by the Custodian for security purposes.
•
Enhanced
Security.
Transfers from the Trust’s Vault Balance require certain security procedures,
including but not limited to, multiple encrypted private key shards, usernames,
passwords and 2-step verification. Multiple private key shards held by the
Custodian must be combined to reconstitute the private key to sign any
transaction in order to transfer the Trust’s XRP. Private key shards are
distributed geographically in secure vaults around the world, including in the
United States. As a result, if any one secure vault is ever compromised, this
event will have no impact on the ability of the Trust to access its assets,
other than a possible delay in operations, while one or more of the other secure
vaults is used instead. These security procedures are intended to remove single
points of failure in the protection of the Trust’s XRP.
•
Custodian
Audits.
The Custodian has agreed to allow the Trust and the Sponsor to take such steps
as necessary to verify that satisfactory internal control systems and procedures
are in place.
•
Directly
Held XRP.
The Trust directly owns actual XRP held through the Custodian. This may differ
from other digital asset financial vehicles that provide XRP exposure through
other means, such as the use of financial or derivative
instruments.
•
Sponsor’s
Fee.
The Sponsor’s Fee is a competitive factor that may influence the value of the
Shares.
Activities
of the Trust
The
activities of the Trust are limited to (i) issuing Baskets in exchange for XRP
(or cash to acquire XRP) transferred to the Trust as consideration in connection
with the creations, (ii) transferring or selling XRP as necessary to cover the
Sponsor’s Fee and/or any Additional Trust Expenses, (iii) transferring or
disposing of XRP to retire Baskets surrendered for redemption, (iv) causing the
Sponsor to sell XRP on the termination of the Trust, (v) making distributions of
Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency or cash from the sale thereof
(subject to NYSE Arca obtaining regulatory approval from the SEC), as described
in “—Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency” below, and (vi) engaging in all
administrative and security procedures necessary to accomplish such activities
in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement, the Prime Broker
Agreement, the Index License Agreement, the Participant Agreements and the
Liquidity Provider Agreements.
The
Trust may engage in any lawful activity necessary or desirable in order to
facilitate shareholders’ access to Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency
(subject to NYSE Arca obtaining regulatory approval from the SEC), provided that
such activities do not conflict with the terms of the Trust Agreement. The Trust
will not be actively managed. It will not engage in any activities designed to
obtain a profit from, or to ameliorate losses caused by changes in the market
prices of XRP.
Incidental
Rights and IR Virtual Currency
The
Sponsor has notified the Prime Broker, the Custodian and Coinbase Credit, on
behalf of the Trust (such notices, together, the “Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment Notices”) that the Trust will abandon, irrevocably and for no direct
or indirect consideration, effective immediately prior to each time at which the
Trust creates or redeems Shares (each such time, a “Creation Time” or
“Redemption Time”, respectively), all Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency
to which it would otherwise be entitled as of such time. An abandonment made
pursuant to the Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment Notices is referred to
herein as a “Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment.” Pursuant to the
Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment Notices, a Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment would not apply to any Incidental Right or IR Virtual Currency if
(i) the Trust has taken, or is taking at such time, an “Affirmative Action” to
acquire or abandon such Incidental Right or IR Virtual Currency at any time
prior to the relevant Creation Time or Redemption Time or (ii) such Incidental
Right or IR Virtual Currency has been subject to a previous
Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment. An “Affirmative Action” refers to a written
notification from the Sponsor to the Prime Broker, the Custodian or Coinbase
Credit of the Trust’s intention (i) to acquire and/or retain an Incidental Right
and/or IR Virtual Currency or (ii) to abandon, with effect prior to the relevant
Creation Time or Redemption Time, an Incidental Right and/or IR Virtual
Currency.
As
a result of the Pre-Creation/Redemption Abandonment Notices, the Trust has
abandoned, prior to each relevant Creation Time or Redemption Time, any
Incidental Right or IR Virtual Currency that it may have had any right to
receive at such time. The Trust has no right to receive any Incidental Right or
IR Virtual Currency abandoned pursuant to either the Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment Notices or Affirmative Actions. Furthermore, the Prime Broker, the
Custodian and Coinbase Credit have no authority, pursuant to the Prime Broker
Agreement or otherwise, to exercise, obtain or hold, as the case may be, any
such abandoned Incidental Right or IR Virtual Currency on behalf of the Trust or
to transfer any such abandoned Incidental Right or IR Virtual Currency to the
Trust if the Trust terminates its custodial arrangement with the Prime Broker,
the Custodian and Coinbase Credit. In addition, the Sponsor has committed to
cause the Trust not to take any Affirmative Action to acquire any Incidental
Right or IR Virtual Currency and, therefore, irrevocably abandon any Incidental
Right and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust may become entitled in the
future.
Because
the Sponsor has committed to causing the Trust to irrevocably abandon all
Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust otherwise would
become entitled in the future, and causing the Trust not to take any Affirmative
Actions, the Trust will not receive any direct or indirect consideration for the
Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency and thus the value of the Shares will
not reflect the value of the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency. In
addition, in the event the Sponsor seeks to change the Trust’s policy with
respect to Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency, an application would need
to be filed with the SEC by NYSE Arca seeking approval to amend its listing
rules to permit the Trust to distribute the Incidental Rights or IR Virtual
Currency in kind to an agent of the shareholders for resale by such agent.
However, there can be no assurance as to whether or when the Sponsor would make
such a decision, or when NYSE Arca will seek or obtain this approval, if at all.
See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Trust and the Shares—Shareholders will
not receive the benefits of any forks or airdrops.”
The
Sponsor has controls in place to monitor for material hard forks or airdrops.
The Sponsor will notify investors of any material change to its policy with
respect to Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency by filing a current report
on Form 8-K.
Secondary
Market Trading
While
the Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the Shares (based on XRP
per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the Trust, determined by
reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities,
the Shares may trade in the Secondary Market on NYSE Arca (or on another
Secondary Market in the future) at prices that are lower or higher than the NAV
per Share. The amount of the discount or premium in the trading price relative
to the NAV per Share may be influenced by non-concurrent trading hours and
liquidity between NYSE Arca and larger Digital Asset Trading Platforms. While
the Shares are expected to be listed on NYSE Arca and trade during NYSE Arca’s
Core Trading Session from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., New York time, liquidity in
the Digital Asset Markets may fluctuate depending upon the volume and
availability of larger Digital Asset Trading Platforms. As a result, during
periods in which Digital Asset Market liquidity is limited or a
major
Digital
Asset Trading Platform is off-line, trading spreads, and the resulting premium
or discount, on the Shares may widen.
Overview
of the XRP Industry and Market
XRP
is
a digital asset that is created and transmitted through the operations of the
peer-to-peer XRP Network, a decentralized network of computers that operates on
cryptographic protocols. No single entity owns or operates the XRP Network, the
infrastructure of which is collectively maintained by a decentralized user base.
The XRP Network allows people to exchange tokens of value, called XRP, which are
recorded on a public transaction ledger. XRP can be used to pay for goods and
services, including to send a transaction on the XRP Network, or it can be
converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates determined on
Digital Asset Trading Platforms or in individual end-user-to-end-user
transactions under a barter system.
The
XRP Network is based on a shared public ledger, similar to the Bitcoin Network.
However,
the XRP Network differentiates itself from other digital asset networks in that
its stated primary function is transactional utility, not store of
value.
The XRP Network is designed to be a global real-time payment and settlement
system. As a result, the XRP Network
and XRP aim to improve the speed at which parties on the network may transfer
value while also reducing the fees and delays associated with the traditional
methods of interbank payments.
The
XRP Network’s intended function is to allow users or businesses to conduct
cross-currency transactions securely and quickly. A conventional cross-currency
transaction often requires liquidity providers to work across several currency
pairs to facilitate the transaction, which increases transaction costs and can
be time-intensive, particularly when transacting between two rarely traded
currency pairs. To reduce the costs and time associated with such transactions,
XRP functions as a bridge token; it facilitates liquidity between any two
currencies by acting as a bridge between
such currencies. In an XRP-facilitated transaction, instead of working across
several currency pairs, liquidity providers use XRP to transfer value between
two currencies. Two types of parties are required for a transaction to occur on
the XRP Network: (a) “gateways”, which are typically a financial intermediary,
such as a bank, exchange or money transmitter that allows customers to put money
into and remove money from the XRP Network system; and (b) market makers that
facilitate liquidity in the system. Gateways serve as the first link in the
chain between the sender and the recipient when the sender wants to make a
payment and the last link in the chain when the sender wants to receive a
payment. Gateways accept payments, issue balances to the distributed ledger
maintained by Ripple Labs, and redeem ledger balances against the payments they
hold when fiat currency is withdrawn. Gateways share one global ledger on the
XRP Network and may have anti-money laundering and know-your-customer policies
to prevent criminal activity. Market makers on the XRP Network hold balances in
multiple currencies and connect multiple gateways, thus facilitating payments
between users where no direct trust exists by enabling exchanges of value across
gateways. As of August 2024, more than 100 financial institutions have signed up
to use the XRP Network.
Similar
to the Bitcoin Network, anyone can join and start using the XRP Network; however
unlike the Bitcoin Network, which operates on a fully permissionless blockchain,
the XRP Network is maintained by a Trusted Nodes List that accept or reject
transactions on the XRP Ledger. As of August 2024, the default configuration for
the XRP Network has two Trusted Nodes Lists: one published by the XRP Foundation
and one published by Ripple Labs. Typically, these default Trusted Nodes Lists
are very similar to one another or even identical. As of August 2024, Ripple
Labs runs only 1 of the 35 validators in the default Trusted Nodes
Lists.
In
addition, XRP can be used to pay transaction fees incurred in such
cross-currency transactions, with one transaction costing approximately 0.00001
XRP. This transaction fee payment via XRP acts as a safeguard against the system
being
overwhelmed by any single active participant trying to put through millions of
transactions at once, thus promoting the system’s functionality. Within the XRP
Network’s currency exchange, XRP are traded freely against other currencies, and
its market price fluctuates against dollars, euros, yen, Bitcoins and other
digital and non-digital currencies and assets.
The
initial creation of XRP was controlled by Ripple Labs, and Ripple Labs retains a
central role in managing the supply
and distribution of XRP due to the large quantity of XRP it retains. Ripple
Labs, Inc. does not sell, exchange, transmit or retain custody of XRP for
consumers or the public at large, but rather commits XRP to the system so that
it can be used to facilitate payments among institutions as a “bridge token” and
for transaction fees.
The
value of XRP is determined by the supply of, and demand for, XRP on exchanges
where XRP is traded or in private end-user-to-end-user transactions, much of
which is driven by speculation.
Although
Ripple Labs and the XRP Foundation continue to exert significant influence over
the direction of the development
of the XRP Network, like the Bitcoin Network and the Ethereum Network, the XRP
Network is decentralized and does not require governmental authorities or
financial institution intermediaries to create, transmit or determine the value
of XRP.
Overview
of the XRP Network’s Operations
In
order to own, transfer or use XRP directly on the XRP Network (as opposed to
through an intermediary, such as a custodian), a person generally must have
internet access to connect to the XRP Network. XRP transactions may be made
directly between end-users without the need for a third-party intermediary. To
prevent the possibility of double-spending XRP, a user must notify the XRP
Network of the transaction by broadcasting the transaction data to its network
peers. The XRP Network provides confirmation against double-spending by
memorializing every transaction in the XRP Ledger, which is publicly accessible
and transparent. This memorialization and verification against double-spending
is accomplished through the XRP Network validation process, which compares XRP
Ledger data, including recent transaction information, across the XRP
Network.
XRP
Spot and Futures Markets
The
CFTC has regulatory jurisdiction over the XRP futures markets. In addition,
because the CFTC has determined that XRP is a non-security “commodity” under the
CEA and the rules thereunder, it has jurisdiction to prosecute fraud and
manipulation in the cash, or spot, market for XRP. Beyond instances of fraud or
manipulation, the CFTC generally does not oversee cash or spot market exchanges,
spot Digital Asset Trading Platforms or retail transactions involving spot XRP
that do not utilize collateral, leverage, or financing. Similar
to SEC Chairman Atkins, CFTC Acting Chairman
Pham announced on August 1, 2025 a “crypto sprint” to begin implementing the
recommendations of the working group report. The National Futures Association
(“NFA”) is the self-regulatory agency for the U.S. futures industry, and as such
has jurisdiction over XRP futures. However, the NFA does not have regulatory
oversight authority for the cash or spot market for XRP trading or
transactions.
In
May 2025, the CME as a designated contract market (“DCM”) registered with the
CFTC launched new contracts for XRP futures products. DCMs are boards of trades
(commonly referred to as exchanges) that operate under the regulatory oversight
of the CFTC, pursuant to Section 5 of the CEA. To obtain and maintain
designation as a DCM, an exchange must comply on an initial and ongoing basis
with twenty-three Core Principles established under Section 5(d) of the CEA.
Among other things, DCMs are required to establish self-regulatory programs
designed to enforce the DCM’s rules, prevent market manipulation and customer
and market abuses, and ensure the recording and safe storage of trade
information. The CFTC engaged in a “heightened review” of the self-certification
of XRP futures, which required DCMs to enter direct or indirect information
sharing agreements with spot market platforms to allow access to trade and
trader data; monitor data from cash markets with respect to price settlements
and other XRP prices more broadly, and identify anomalies and disproportionate
moves in the cash markets compared to the futures markets; engage in inquiries,
including at the trade settlement level when necessary; and agree to regular
coordination with CFTC surveillance staff on trade activities, including
providing the CFTC surveillance team with trade settlement data upon
request
The
CME XRP futures contracts are cash-settled, based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar
Reference Rate, calculated daily at 3:00 p.m. UTC. The first day of trading on
CME saw approximately $1.5 million in notional value traded. On August 4, 2025,
CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham announced that the CFTC will launch an
initiative for trading spot crypto asset contracts that are listed on a
CFTC-registered futures exchange (DCM). This is the first initiative in the
CFTC’s “crypto sprint” to start implementation of the recommendations in the
President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets report. Members of the public
were invited to written input by August 18, 2025 through the CFTC
website.
Summary
of an XRP Transaction
Prior
to engaging in XRP transactions directly on the XRP Ledger, a user generally
must first install on its computer or mobile device a XRP Network software
program that will allow the user to generate a private and
public
key
pair associated with a XRP address. The XRP Network software program and the XRP
address also enable the user to connect to the XRP Network and transfer XRP to,
and receive XRP from, other users.
Each
XRP Network address, or wallet, is associated with a unique “public key” and
“private key” pair. To
receive XRP, the XRP recipient must provide its public key to the party
initiating the transfer.
This activity is analogous
to a recipient for a transaction in U.S. dollars providing a routing address in
wire instructions to the payor so that cash may be wired to the recipient’s
account. The payor approves the transfer to the address provided by the
recipient by “signing” a transaction that consists of the recipient’s public key
with the private key of the address from where the payor is transferring the
XRP. The recipient, however, does not make public or provide to the sender its
related private key.
Neither
the recipient nor the sender reveal their private keys in a transaction, because
the private key authorizes transfer of the funds in that address to other users.
Therefore, if a user loses his or her private key, the user may permanently lose
access to the XRP contained in the associated address. Likewise, XRP is
irretrievably lost if the private key associated with them is deleted and no
backup has been made. When sending XRP, a user’s XRP Network software
program must validate the transaction with the associated private key. In
addition, since every computation on the XRP Network requires processing power,
there is a transaction fee involved with the transfer that is paid by the payor.
The resulting digitally validated transaction is sent by the user’s XRP Network
software program to the XRP Network validators to allow transaction
confirmation.
Some
XRP transactions are conducted “off-blockchain” and are therefore not recorded
in the XRP Ledger. These “off-blockchain transactions” involve the transfer of
control over, or ownership of, a specific digital wallet holding XRP or the
reallocation of ownership of certain XRP in a pooled-ownership digital wallet,
such as a digital wallet owned by a Digital Asset Trading Platform. In contrast
to on-blockchain transactions, which are publicly recorded on the XRP Ledger,
information and data regarding off-blockchain transactions are generally not
publicly available. Therefore, off-blockchain transactions are not truly XRP
Network transactions in that they do not involve the transfer of transaction
data on the XRP Network and do not reflect a movement of XRP between addresses
recorded in the XRP Ledger. For these reasons, off-blockchain transactions are
subject to risks as any such transfer of XRP ownership is not protected by the
protocol behind the XRP Network or recorded in, and validated through, the
ledger mechanism.
Consensus
and Validation Process
The
XRP Network is kept running by many distributed servers, called nodes, that
process transactions. A transaction begins when a user’s XRP Network software
signs and transmits transaction information to nodes, which relay these
candidate
transactions throughout the XRP Network for processing.
The
nodes
on the XRP Network are either tracking nodes or validating nodes. Tracking nodes
receive and relay information to the other nodes. Validating nodes perform the
same functions as tracking nodes and additionally contribute to advancing the
XRP Ledger by validating transactions.
Before
a transaction is validated, nodes on the network share information about
candidate transactions that have not
yet been recorded to the XRP Ledger. Through the consensus process, validating
nodes agree on which candidate transactions will be considered for inclusion to
the XRP Ledger. Nodes communicate and update proposals until a supermajority of
validating nodes agree on the same set of candidate transactions, at which point
the transactions will be validated and the nodes will begin the consensus
process for the next group of candidate transactions.
XRP
Supply
Unlike
other digital assets such as Bitcoin, which are solely created through a
progressive mining process, 100 billion XRP
were created in connection with the launch of the XRP Network. The initial 100
billion XRP were distributed as follows:
Ripple
Labs:
80 billion XRP, or 80% of
the initial supply, were allocated to Ripple Labs for operational costs incurred
in the facilitation of the growth and development of the XRP Network.
Core
Team and Co-Founders:
20 billion XRP, or 20% of the initial supply, were allocated to the XRP Network
core team and co-founders to compensate for their early efforts in the
development of the XRP Network.
Beyond
the initially issued XRP amount, no further XRP can be created according to the
XRP Network protocol. Out of the 100 billion initially issued XRP, approximately
59.0 billion have entered circulation. By the end of 2017, Ripple Labs placed 55
billion XRP of its 80 billion XRP allocation into a cryptographically-secured
escrow account, which utilizes
smart contracts to “lock” such escrowed XRP until a certain time, or until
certain conditions have been met. Such escrow contracts are used to establish
contracts of 1 billion XRP, each of which is set to expire in succession on the
first day of every month beginning in January 2018. As each contract expires,
the XRP will become available for Ripple Labs’ use. Ripple Labs expects to use
XRP to continue incentivizing market makers to offer tighter spreads between
currency pairs in exchange for XRP and to sell XRP to institutional investors.
Unused XRP at the end of each month reenters the escrow cycle and is placed into
a new escrow account that will expire in the 55th month from that date. This
mechanism is intended to ensure that a large amount of XRP will not enter the
market at one time and lead to a substantial reduction in the price of
XRP.
Modifications
to the XRP Network
Although
the XRP Network’s protocol is an open source project, it is largely managed by
Ripple Labs and the XRP Foundation, which
generally have control over amendments to, and the development of, the
protocol’s source code. Therefore, it is generally the Ripple Labs developers
that are able to access and alter the XRP Network source code and, as a result,
they are responsible for official releases of updates and other changes to the
XRP Network’s source code. The release of updates to the XRP Network’s source
code does not guarantee that the updates will be automatically adopted. Users
and nodes must accept any changes made to the XRP Network’s source code by
downloading the
proposed modifications.
A
modification of the XRP Network’s source code is effective only with respect to
the XRP Network users and nodes that download it. If
a modification is accepted by only a percentage of users and nodes, a division
in the XRP Network will occur such
that one network will run the pre-modification source code and the other network
will run the modified source code.
Such a division is known as a “fork.” Consequently, as a practical matter, a
modification to the source code becomes part of the XRP Network only if accepted
by participants collectively having most of the processing power on the XRP
Network.
XRP
Value
Digital
Asset Trading Platform Valuation
The
value of XRP is determined by the value that various market participants place
on XRP through their transactions. The most common means of determining the
value of an XRP is by surveying one or more Digital Asset Trading Platforms
where XRP is traded publicly and transparently (e.g., Coinbase, Bitstamp,
Kraken, LMAX Digital and Crypto.com). Additionally, there are over-the-counter
dealers or market makers that transact in XRP.
Digital
Asset Trading Platform Public Market Data
On
each online Digital Asset Trading Platform, XRP is traded with publicly
disclosed valuations for each executed trade, measured by one or more fiat
currencies such as the U.S. dollar or euro, or stablecoins such as U.S. Dollar
Coin (“USDC”). Over-the-counter dealers or market makers do not typically
disclose their trade data.
As
of June 30, 2025, the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index were
Coinbase, Bitstamp, Crypto.com, Kraken and LMAX Digital. As further described
below, the Sponsor and the Trust reasonably believe each of these Digital Asset
Trading Platforms are in material compliance with applicable U.S. federal and
state licensing requirements based on the Trading Platform Category and
jurisdiction, as detailed below, and maintain practices and policies designed to
comply with AML and KYC regulations.
Coinbase:
A
U.S.-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with FinCEN,
licensed as a virtual currency business under the New York State Department of
Financial Services’ (“NYDFS”) BitLicense, licensed as a money transmitter in
various U.S. states, and chartered as a limited purpose trust company under New
York Banking Law.
Bitstamp
by Robinhood:
A
U.K.-based trading platform that has U.S. operations and entities registered as
MSBs with FinCEN, holds a BitLicense, and that is licensed as a money
transmitter in various U.S. states.
Crypto.com:
A
Singapore-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with
FinCEN, and that is licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S. states and
chartered as a non-depository trust company by the New Hampshire Banking
Department. Crypto.com does not hold a BitLicense.
Kraken:
A
U.S.-based trading platform that has entities registered as MSBs with FinCEN,
and that is licensed as a money transmitter in various U.S. states, and
chartered as a Special Purpose Depository Institution by the Wyoming Division of
Banking. Kraken does not hold a BitLicense.
LMAX
Digital:
A U.K.-based trading platform registered as a broker with FCA. LMAX Digital does
not hold a BitLicense.
Currently,
there are several Digital Asset Trading Platforms operating worldwide, and
online Digital Asset Trading Platforms represent a substantial percentage of XRP
buying and selling activity and provide the most data with respect to prevailing
valuations of XRP. These trading platforms include established trading platforms
such as the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index which provide
a number of options for buying and selling XRP.
The
below table reflects the trading volume .in XRP and market share of the XRP-U.S.
dollar trading pairs of each of the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included in
the Index as of June 30, 2025 (collectively, “Constituent Trading Platforms”),
using data since the commencement of the Trust’s operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Digital
Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index as of June 30,
2025(1) |
|
Volume
(XRP) |
|
|
Market
Share(2) |
|
|
Coinbase |
|
|
45,703,899,061 |
|
|
|
57.72 |
% |
|
Crypto.com |
|
|
12,626,639,274 |
|
|
|
15.95 |
% |
|
Kraken |
|
|
9,696,871,790 |
|
|
|
12.25 |
% |
|
Bitstamp |
|
|
4,565,176,383 |
|
|
|
5.77 |
% |
|
LMAX
Digital |
|
|
4,311,840,526 |
|
|
|
5.45 |
% |
|
Total
XRP-U.S. dollar trading pair |
|
|
76,904,427,034 |
|
|
|
97.14 |
% |
(1)
The
Digital Asset Trading Platforms initially expected to be included in the Index
are Coinbase, Crypto.com, Kraken, Bitstamp and LMAX Digital.
(2)
Market
share is calculated using trading volume (in XRP) for certain Digital Asset
Trading Platforms, including Coinbase, Bitstamp, Crypto.com, Kraken, and LMAX
Digital, as well as certain other large U.S.-dollar denominated Digital Asset
Trading Platforms that are not included in the Index, including Binance.US (data
included from March 11, 2025), Bitfinex, CEX.io (data included through February
26, 2025), Gemini, and OKX.
The
domicile, regulation and legal compliance of the Digital Asset Trading Platforms
included in the Index varies. Information regarding each Digital Asset Trading
Platform may be found, where available, on the websites for such Digital Asset
Trading Platforms, among other places.
Although
the Index is designed to accurately capture the market price of XRP, third
parties may be able to purchase and sell XRP on public or private markets not
included among the constituent Digital Asset Trading Platforms of the Index, and
such transactions may take place at prices materially higher or lower than the
Index Price. Moreover, there may be variances in the prices of XRP on the
various Digital Asset Trading Platforms, including as a result of differences in
fee structures or administrative procedures on different Digital Asset Trading
Platforms. For example, based on data provided by the Index Provider, on any
given day during the period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the
Trust’s operations) to June 30, 2025, the maximum differential between the 4:00
p.m., New York time, spot price of any single Digital Asset Trading Platform
included in the Index and the Index Price was 0.71% and the average of the
maximum differentials of the 4:00 p.m., New York time, spot price of each
Digital Asset Trading Platform included in the Index and the Index Price was
0.49%. During this same period, the average differential between the 4:00 p.m.,
New York time, spot prices of all the Digital Asset Trading Platforms included
in the Index and the Index Price was 0.007%.
To
the extent such prices differ materially from the Index Price, investors may
lose confidence in the Shares’ ability to track the market price of
XRP.
The
Index and the Index Price
The
Index is a U.S. dollar-denominated composite reference rate for the price of
XRP. The Index is designed to (1) mitigate the effects of fraud, manipulation
and other anomalous trading activity from impacting the XRP reference rate, (2)
provide a real-time, volume-weighted fair value of XRP and (3) appropriately
handle and adjust for non-market related events.
The
Index Price is determined by the Index Provider through a process in which trade
data is cleansed and compiled in such a manner as to algorithmically reduce the
impact of anomalistic or manipulative trading. This is accomplished by adjusting
the weight of each data input based on price deviation relative to the
observable set, as well as recent and long-term trading volume at each venue
relative to the observable set. The Index Price is calculated using non-GAAP
methodology and is not used in the Trust’s financial statements.
All
references to the NAV and NAV per Share of the Trust in this prospectus have
been calculated using the Index Price unless indicated otherwise.
Constituent
Trading Platform Selection
The
Digital Asset Trading Platforms to be included in the Index are selected by the
Index Provider utilizing a methodology that is guided by the International
Organization of Securities Commissions (“IOSCO”) principles for financial
benchmarks. For a trading platform to become a Constituent Trading Platform, it
must satisfy the criteria listed below (the “Inclusion Criteria”):
•
No
evidence in the past 12 months of trading restrictions on individuals or
entities that would otherwise meet the trading platform’s eligibility
requirements to trade;
•
No
evidence in the past 12 months of undisclosed restrictions on deposits or
withdrawals from user accounts;
•
Real-time
price discovery;
•
Limited
or no capital controls;
•
Transparent
ownership including a publicly-owned ownership entity;
•
Publicly
available language and policies addressing legal and regulatory compliance,
including KYC, AML and other policies designed to comply with relevant
regulations that might apply to it;
•
Offer
programmatic spot trading of the trading pair, and reliably publish trade prices
and volumes on a real-time basis through Rest and Websocket
APIs.
All
trading platforms that meet these Inclusion Criteria will be assigned to a
“Trading Platform Category” as defined by the additional criteria below, and at
least one Category 1 Trading Platform must be included in each Index
Price.
•
A
“Category 1 Trading Platform” is a trading platform:
o
Licensed
and/or able to serve investors, retail or professional, in the U.S.;
and
o
That
maintains sufficient USD or USDC liquidity relative to the size of the listed
assets.
•
A
“Category 2 Trading Platform” is a trading platform:
o
Licensed
(including in-principal licensure) and/or able to serve investors, retail or
professional, in one or more of the following jurisdictions: United Kingdom,
European Union, Hong Kong, Singapore; and
o
That
maintains sufficient USD or USDC liquidity relative to the size of the listed
assets.
A
Digital Asset Trading Platform is removed from the Constituent Trading Platforms
when it no longer satisfies the Inclusion Criteria. The Index Provider does not
currently include data from over-the-counter markets or derivatives platforms
among the Constituent Trading Platforms. Over-the-counter data is not currently
included because of the potential for trades to include a significant premium or
discount paid for larger liquidity, which creates an uneven comparison relative
to more active markets. There is also a higher potential for over-the-counter
transactions to not be arms-length, and thus not be representative of a true
market price. XRP derivative markets are also not currently included. While the
Index Provider has no plans to include data from over-the-counter markets or
derivative platforms at this time, the Index Provider will consider IOSCO
principles for financial benchmarks, the management of trading venues of XRP
derivatives and the aforementioned Inclusion Criteria when considering whether
to include over-the-counter or derivative platform data in the
future.
The
Index Provider and the Sponsor have entered into the index license agreement,
dated as of February 1, 2022 (as amended, the “Index License Agreement”),
governing the Sponsor’s use of the Index Price. Pursuant to the terms of the
Index License Agreement, the Index Provider may adjust the calculation
methodology for the Index Price without notice to, or consent of, the Trust or
its shareholders. The Index Provider may decide to change the calculation
methodology to maintain the integrity of the Index Price calculation should it
identify or become aware of previously unknown variables or issues with the
existing methodology that it believes could materially impact its performance
and/or reliability. The Index Provider has sole discretion over the
determination of Index Price and may change the methodologies for determining
the Index Price from time to time. Shareholders will be notified of any material
changes to the calculation methodology or the Index Price in the Trust’s current
reports and will be notified of all other changes that the Sponsor considers
significant in the Trust’s periodic or current reports. The Sponsor will
determine the materiality of any changes to the Index Price on a case-by-case
basis, in consultation with external counsel.
The
Index Provider may change the trading venues that are used to calculate the
Index or otherwise change the way in which the Index is calculated at any time.
For example, the Index Provider has scheduled quarterly reviews in which it may
add or remove Constituent Trading Platforms that satisfy or fail the Inclusion
Criteria. The Index Provider does not have any obligation to consider the
interests of the Sponsor, the Trust, the shareholders, or anyone else in
connection with such changes. While the Index Provider is not required to
publicize or explain the changes or to alert the Sponsor to such changes, it has
historically notified the Trust of any material changes to the Constituent
Trading Platforms, including any additions or removals of the Constituent
Trading Platforms, in addition to issuing press releases in connection with the
same. The Sponsor will notify investors of any such material event by filing a
current report on Form 8-K. Although the Index methodology is designed to
operate without any manual intervention, rare events would justify manual
intervention. Intervention of this kind would be in response to
non-market-related events, such as the halting of deposits or withdrawals of
funds on a Digital Asset Trading Platform, the unannounced closure of operations
on a Digital Asset Trading Platform, insolvency or the compromise of user funds.
In the event that such an intervention is necessary, the Index Provider would
issue a public announcement through its website, API and other established
communication channels with its clients.
Determination
of the Index Price
The
Index applies an algorithm to the price of XRP on the Constituent Trading
Platforms calculated on a per second basis over a 24-hour period. The Index’s
algorithm is expected to reflect a four-pronged methodology to calculate the
Index Price from the Constituent Trading Platforms:
•
Volume
Weighting: Constituent Trading Platforms with greater liquidity receive a higher
weighting in the Index, increasing the ability to execute against (i.e.,
replicate) the Index in the underlying spot markets.
•
Price-Variance
Weighting: The Index Price reflects data points that are discretely weighted in
proportion to their variance from the rest of the Constituent Trading Platforms.
As the price at a particular trading platform diverges from the prices at the
rest of the Constituent Trading Platforms, its weight in the Index Price
consequently decreases.
•
Inactivity
Adjustment: The Index Price algorithm penalizes stale activity from any given
Constituent Trading Platform. When a Constituent Trading Platform does not have
recent trading data, its weighting in
the
Index Price is gradually reduced until it is de-weighted entirely. Similarly,
once trading activity at a Constituent Trading Platform resumes, the
corresponding weighting for that Constituent Trading Platform is gradually
increased until it reaches the appropriate level.
•
Manipulation
Resistance: In order to mitigate the effects of wash-trading and order book
spoofing, the Index only includes executed trades in its calculation.
Additionally, the Index only includes Constituent Trading Platforms that charge
trading fees to its users in order to attach a real, quantifiable cost to any
manipulation attempts.
The
Index Provider re-evaluates the weighting algorithm on a periodic basis, but
maintains discretion to change the way in which an Index Price is calculated
based on its periodic review or in extreme circumstances. The exact methodology
to calculate the Index Price is not publicly available. Still, the Index is
designed to limit exposure to trading or price distortion of any individual
Digital Asset Trading Platform that experiences periods of unusual activity or
limited liquidity by discounting, in real-time, anomalous price movements at
individual Digital Asset Trading Platforms.
The
Sponsor believes the Index Provider’s selection process for Constituent Trading
Platforms as well as the methodology of the Index Price’s algorithm provides a
more accurate picture of XRP price movements than a simple average of Digital
Asset Trading Platform spot prices, and that the weighting of XRP prices on the
Constituent Trading Platforms limits the inclusion of data that is influenced by
temporary price dislocations that may result from technical problems, limited
liquidity or fraudulent activity elsewhere in the XRP spot market.
By
referencing multiple trading venues and weighting them based on trade activity,
the Sponsor believes that the impact of any potential fraud, manipulation or
anomalous trading activity occurring on any single venue is reduced.
If
the Index Price becomes unavailable, or if the Sponsor determines in good faith
that such Index Price does not reflect an accurate price for XRP, then the
Sponsor will, on a best efforts basis, contact the Index Provider to obtain the
Index Price directly from the Index Provider. If after such contact such Index
Price remains unavailable or the Sponsor continues to believe in good faith that
such Index Price does not reflect an accurate price for the XRP, then the
Sponsor will employ a cascading set of rules to determine the Index Price, as
described below in “—Determination of the Index Price When Index Price is
Unavailable.”
The
Trust values its XRP for operational purposes by reference to the Index Price.
The Index Price is the value of an XRP as represented by the Index, calculated
at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each business day.
Illustrative
Example
For
the purposes of illustration, outlined below are examples of how the attributes
that impact weighting and adjustments in the aforementioned methodology may be
utilized to generate the Index Price for a digital asset.
For
example, Constituent Trading Platforms used to calculate the Index Price of the
digital asset may include trading platforms such as Coinbase, Kraken, LMAX
Digital and Bitstamp.
•
Volume
Weighting: Each Constituent Trading Platform will be weighted to appropriately
reflect the trading volume share of the Constituent Trading Platform relative to
all the Constituent Trading Platforms during this same period. For example, an
average hourly weighting of 67.06%, 11.88%, 14.57%, and 6.49% for Coinbase,
Kraken, LMAX Digital and Bitstamp, respectively, would represent each
Constituent Trading Platform’s share of trading volume during the same
period.
•
Inactivity
Adjustment: Assume that a Constituent Trading Platform represented a 14%
weighting on the Index Price of the digital asset, which is based on the
per-second calculations of its trading volume and price-variance relative to the
cohort of Constituent Trading Platforms included in such Index, and then went
offline for approximately two hours. The index algorithm would automatically
recognize inactivity and start de-weighting the Constituent Trading Platform at
the 3-minute mark and continue to do so over a 7-minute period until its
influence was effectively zero, 10 minutes after becoming inactive. As soon as
trading activity resumed at the Constituent Trading Platform, the index
algorithm would re-weight it to the
appropriate
weighting based on trading volume and price-variance relative to the cohort of
Constituent Trading Platforms included in the Index. Due to the period of
inactivity, it would re-weight the Constituent Trading Platform activity to a
weight lower than its original weighting—for example, to 12%.
•
Price-Variance
Weighting: The price-variance weighting adjustment is a relative measure of each
trading platform versus the cohort of trading platforms. The further the price
at a constituent trading platform is from the mean price of the cohort, the less
influence that trading platform’s price will have on the algorithm that produces
the Index Price, as the trading platform data is discretely weighted in
proportion to their variance from the rest of the trading platforms on a
per-second basis and there is no minimum threshold the variance must meet for
this adjustment to take place. For example, assume that for a one-hour period,
the digital asset’s execution prices on one Constituent Trading Platform were
trading more than 7% higher than the average execution prices on another
Constituent Trading Platform. The algorithm will automatically detect the
anomaly (price variance) and reduce that specific Constituent Trading Platform’s
weighting during that one-hour period, ensuring a reliable spot reference price
that is unaffected by the localized event and that is reflective of broader
market activity.
Determination
of the Index Price When Index Price is Unavailable
The
Sponsor uses the following cascading set of rules to calculate the Index Price.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Sponsor will employ the below rules sequentially
and in the order as presented below, should one or more specific rule(s)
fail:
1.
Index
Price = The price set by the Index as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the
valuation date. If the Index becomes unavailable, or if the Sponsor determines
in good faith that the Index does not reflect an accurate price, then the
Sponsor will, on a best efforts basis, contact the Index Provider to obtain the
Index Price directly from the Index Provider. If after such contact the Index
remains unavailable or the Sponsor continues to believe in good faith that the
Index does not reflect an accurate price, then the Sponsor will employ the next
rule to determine the Index Price. There are no predefined criteria to make a
good faith assessment and it will be made by the Sponsor in its sole
discretion.
2.
Index
Price = The price set by Coin Metrics Real-Time Rate (the “Secondary Index”) as
of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date (the “Secondary Index
Price”). The Secondary Index Price is a real-time reference rate price,
calculated using trade data from constituent markets selected by Coin Metrics
Inc. (the “Secondary Index Provider”). The Secondary Index Price is calculated
by applying weighted-median techniques to such trade data where half the weight
is derived from the trading volume on each constituent market and half is
derived from inverse price variance, where a constituent market with high price
variance as a result of outliers or market anomalies compared to other
constituent markets is assigned a smaller weight. The Secondary Index Provider
and the Sponsor have entered into the master services agreement, dated as of
August 4, 2020, and order forms thereunder, pursuant to which the Sponsor may
obtain and use the Secondary Index and the Secondary Index Price from the
Secondary Index Provider. If the Secondary Index becomes unavailable, or if the
Sponsor determines in good faith that the Secondary Index does not reflect an
accurate price, then the Sponsor will, on a best efforts basis, contact the
Secondary Index Provider to obtain the Secondary Index Price directly from the
Secondary Index Provider. If after such contact the Secondary Index remains
unavailable or the Sponsor continues to believe in good faith that the Secondary
Index does not reflect an accurate price, then the Sponsor will employ the next
rule to determine the Index Price. There are no predefined criteria to make a
good faith assessment and it will be made by the Sponsor in its sole
discretion.
3.
Index
Price = The price set by the Trust’s principal market (the “Tertiary Pricing
Option”) as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date. The Tertiary
Pricing Option is a spot price derived from the principal market’s public data
feed that is believed to be consistently publishing pricing information as of
4:00 p.m., New York time, and is provided to the Sponsor via an application
programming interface. If the Tertiary Pricing Option becomes unavailable, or if
the Sponsor determines in good faith that the Tertiary Pricing Option does not
reflect an accurate price, then the Sponsor will, on a best efforts basis,
contact the Tertiary Pricing Provider to obtain the Tertiary Pricing Option
directly from the Tertiary Pricing Provider. If after such contact the Tertiary
Pricing Option remains unavailable after such contact or the Sponsor continues
to believe in good faith that the Tertiary Pricing Option does not reflect an
accurate price, then
the
Sponsor will employ the next rule to determine the Index Price. There are no
predefined criteria to make a good faith assessment and it will be made by the
Sponsor in its sole discretion.
4.
Index
Price = The Sponsor will use its best judgment to determine a good faith
estimate of the Index Price. There are no predefined criteria to make a good
faith assessment and it will be made by the Sponsor in its sole
discretion.
In
the event of a fork, the Index Provider may calculate the Index Price based on a
digital asset that the Sponsor does not believe to be the appropriate asset that
is held by the Trust. In this event, the Sponsor has full discretion to use a
different index provider or calculate the Index Price itself using its best
judgment.
The
Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select a different index provider, select a
different index price provided by the Index Provider, calculate the Index Price
by using the cascading set of rules set forth above, or change the cascading set
of rules set forth above at any time. The Sponsor will provide notice of any
such changes in the Trust’s periodic or current reports and, if the Sponsor
makes such a change other than on an ad hoc or temporary basis, will file a
proposed rule change with the SEC.
Historical
XRP Prices
As
movements in the price of XRP will directly affect the price of the Shares,
investors should understand recent movements in the price of XRP. Investors,
however, should also be aware that past movements in the XRP price are not
indicators of future movements. Movements may be influenced by various factors,
including, but not limited to, government regulation, security breaches
experienced by service providers, as well as political and economic
uncertainties around the world.
For
illustrative purposes only, the following chart illustrates the movement in the
Index Price from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations)
to June 30, 2025.

The
following table illustrates the movements in the Index Price from September
5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to June 30, 2025.
During
such period, the Index Price ranged from $0.50 to $3.29, with the straight
average being $1.89 through June 30, 2025. The Sponsor has not observed a
material difference between the Index Price, on the one hand, and average prices
from the constituent Digital Asset Trading Platforms individually or as a group,
on the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
High |
|
Low |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Period |
|
Average |
|
|
Index
Price |
|
|
Date |
|
Index
Price |
|
|
Date |
|
End
of period |
|
|
Last
business day |
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust's Operations) to June 30,
2025 |
|
$ |
1.89 |
|
|
$ |
3.29 |
|
|
1/16/2025 |
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
11/3/2024 |
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
|
$ |
2.32 |
|
Forms
of Attack Against the XRP Network
All
networked systems are vulnerable to various kinds of attacks. As with any
computer network, the XRP Network contains certain flaws. For example, the XRP
Network requires users to maintain a list of trusted nodes to verify
transactions on the XRP Network. If a malicious actor were to gain control over
a sufficient number of trusted nodes it would have the ability to manipulate the
XRP Ledger. Any attack on the XRP Network that impacts the ability to transfer
XRP could have a material adverse effect on the price of XRP and the value of an
investment in the Shares. Other digital currency networks have been subject to
denial of service attacks which have led to delays in block creation and the
transfer of the digital assets, and this sort of attack is also possible on the
XRP Network if a malicious actor has a sufficient amount of XRP to overwhelm the
XRP Network.
Market
Participants
Nodes
The
nodes on the XRP Network are either tracking nodes or validating nodes. Tracking
nodes receive and relay information to the other nodes. Validating nodes perform
the same functions as tracking nodes and additionally contribute to advancing
the XRP Ledger by validating transactions. As of August 2024, Ripple Labs runs
only 1 of the 35 validators in the default Trusted Nodes List.
Investment
and Speculative Sector
This
sector includes the investment and trading activities of both private and
professional investors and speculators. Historically, larger financial services
institutions are publicly reported to have limited involvement in investment and
trading in digital assets, although the participation landscape is beginning to
change. For XRP in particular, currently more than 100 financial institutions
have signed up to use XRP Network technology. However, many of these financial
institutions are using Ripple Labs’ other distributed ledger solutions, which do
not require XRP to function.
Retail
Sector
The
retail sector includes users transacting in direct peer-to-peer XRP transactions
through the direct sending of XRP over the XRP Network. The retail sector also
includes transactions in which consumers purchase goods and services from
commercial or service businesses through direct transactions or third-party
service providers, although the use of XRP as a means of payment is still
developing and has not yet been accepted in the same manner as Bitcoin or
Ethereum due to its infancy and because XRP has a different purpose than
Bitcoin.
Service
Sector
This
sector includes companies that provide a variety of services including the
buying, selling, payment processing and storing of XRP. For buying and selling
XRP, Binance, Coinbase, and Bybit are some of the largest Digital Asset Trading
Platforms by volume traded. For storing XRP, Coinbase Custody Trust Company,
LLC, the Custodian for the Trust, is a digital asset custodian that provides
custodial accounts that store XRP for users. As XRP continues to grow in
acceptance, it is anticipated that service providers will expand the currently
available range of services and that additional parties will enter the service
sector for the XRP Network.
Competition
Thousands
of digital assets have been developed since the inception of Bitcoin, which is
currently the most developed digital asset because of the length of time it has
been in existence, the investment in the infrastructure that
supports
it, and the network of individuals and entities that are using Bitcoin in
transactions. While XRP has enjoyed some success in its limited history, the
aggregate value of outstanding XRP is much smaller than that of Bitcoin and many
other digital assets and may be further eclipsed by the more rapid development
of other digital assets. The XRP Network and XRP may face competition from the
Stellar Network and XLM, which were launched by Ripple Labs Co-Founder Jed
McCaleb in 2014 using technology derived from the XRP Network’s protocol. Many
of the financial institutions that Ripple Labs has formed partnerships with are
using Ripple Labs’ distributed ledger solutions that do not require XRP to
function. Although these partnerships may create value for Ripple Labs or its
shareholders, this value may not accrue to the benefit of XRP
holders.
Many
consortia and financial institutions that Ripple Labs views as potential XRP
users are also creating private, permissioned versions of digital currencies
which may represent a larger threat to XRP than other digital currencies because
of the institutional customers targeted. For example, J.P. Morgan is developing
a platform called Onyx, which is described as a blockchain-based platform
designed for use by the financial services industry. It is unclear whether
financial institutions will prefer permissioned blockchains without digital
currencies over the XRP Network and XRP in the future.
Government
Oversight
As
digital assets have grown in both popularity and market size, the U.S. Congress
and a number of U.S. federal and state agencies (including FinCEN, SEC, CFTC,
FINRA, the CFPB, the Department of Justice, the Department
of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS, the Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
the Federal Reserve and state financial institution and securities regulators)
have been examining the operations of digital asset networks, digital asset
users and the Digital Asset Markets, with particular focus on the extent to
which digital assets can be used to launder the proceeds of illegal activities,
evade sanctions or fund criminal or terrorist enterprises and the safety and
soundness of trading platforms and other service providers that hold or custody
digital assets for users. Many of these state and federal agencies have issued
consumer advisories regarding the risks posed by digital assets to investors. In
addition, federal and state agencies, and other countries and international
bodies have issued rules or guidance about the treatment of digital asset
transactions or requirements for businesses engaged in digital asset activity.
Moreover, the failure of FTX in November 2022 and the resulting market turmoil
substantially increased regulatory scrutiny in the United States and globally
and led to SEC and criminal investigations, enforcement actions and other
regulatory activity across the digital asset ecosystem. On January 23, 2025,
President Trump issued an executive order titled “Strengthening American
Leadership in Digital Financial Technology” aimed at supporting “the responsible
growth and use of digital assets, blockchain technology, and related
technologies across all sectors of the economy.” The
Executive Order also established an interagency working group that is tasked
with “proposing a Federal regulatory framework governing the issuance and
operation of digital assets” in the United States. Pursuant to this Executive
Order, the working group released a report in July 2025 outlining the
administration's recommendations to Congress and various agencies reflecting the
administration’s “pro-innovation
mindset toward digital assets and blockchain technologies.”
In particular, the report recommends that Congress enact legislation regarding
self custody of digital assets, clarifying the applicability of Bank Secrecy Act
obligations with respect to digital asset service providers, granting the CFTC
authority to regulate spot markets in non-security digital assets, prohibiting
the adoption of a CBDC, and clarifying tax laws as relevant to digital assets.
In addition, the report recommends that agencies reevaluate existing guidance on
digital asset activities, use existing authorities to enable the trading of
digital assets at the federal level, embrace DeFi, launch or relaunch crypto
innovation efforts, and promote U.S. private sector leadership in the
responsible development of cross-border payments and financial markets
technologies, among others.
In
addition, the SEC, U.S. state securities regulators and several foreign
governments have issued warnings and instituted legal proceedings in which they
argue that certain digital assets may be classified as securities and that both
those digital assets and any related initial coin offerings or other primary and
secondary market transactions are subject to securities regulations. For
example, in June 2023, the SEC brought charges against Binance and Coinbase, and
in November 2023, the SEC brought charges against Kraken, alleging that they
operated unregistered securities exchanges, brokerages and clearing agencies. In
its complaints, the SEC asserted that several digital assets are securities
under the federal securities laws. Between February 2025 and May 2025, the SEC
entered into court-approved joint stipulations to dismiss each of the Binance
Complaint, Coinbase Complaint and the Kraken Complaint. The SEC has terminated
its investigation or enforcement action into many other digital asset market
participants as well. Nonetheless, the existence of these proceedings, as well
as ongoing uncertainty with respect to
future
regulatory actions, have had and may have a material adverse effect on the
digital asset industry as a whole and on the price of XRP, and may alter,
perhaps to a materially adverse extent, the nature of an investment in the
Shares and/or the ability of the Trust to continue to operate. Additionally,
U.S. state and federal, and foreign regulators and legislatures have taken
action against virtual currency businesses or enacted restrictive regimes in
response to adverse publicity arising from hacks, consumer harm, or criminal
activity stemming from virtual currency activity.
In
January 2025, the SEC launched a Crypto Task Force dedicated to developing a
comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for digital assets led by
Commissioner Hester Peirce. Subsequently, Commissioner Peirce announced a list
of specific priorities to further that initiative, which included pursuing final
rules related to a digital asset’s security status, a revised path to registered
offerings and listings for digital asset-based investment vehicles, and clarity
regarding digital asset custody, lending and staking. On July 31, 2025, Chairman
Atkins announced “Project Crypto,” a Commission-wide initiative to modernize
securities rules for digital assets, reshore innovation in the United States,
and implement the recommendations of the working group report. Chairman Atkins
had directed the SEC’s policy divisions to work with the Crypto Task Force to
draft “clear and simple rules of the road for crypto asset distributions,
custody, and trading,” and the Commission and SEC staff will also consider using
interpretive, exemptive, and other authorities with respect to digital asset
markets.
Various
foreign jurisdictions have, and may continue to, in the near future, adopt laws,
regulations or directives that affect a digital asset network, the Digital Asset
Markets, and their users, particularly Digital Asset Trading Platforms and
service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. For
example:
•
China
has made transacting in cryptocurrencies illegal for Chinese citizens in
mainland China, and additional restrictions may follow. China has banned initial
coin offerings and there have been reports that Chinese regulators have taken
action to shut down a number of China-based Digital Asset Trading
Platforms.
•
South
Korea determined to amend its Financial Information Act in March 2020 to require
virtual asset service providers to register and comply with its AML and
counter-terrorism funding framework. These measures also provide the government
with the authority to close Digital Asset Trading Platforms that do not comply
with specified processes. South Korea has also banned initial coin
offerings.
•
The
Reserve Bank of India in April 2018 banned the entities it regulates from
providing services to any individuals or business entities dealing with or
settling digital assets. In March 2020, this ban was overturned in the Indian
Supreme Court, although the Reserve Bank of India is currently challenging this
ruling.
•
The
United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority published final rules in October
2020 banning the sale of derivatives and exchange-traded notes that reference
certain types of digital assets, contending that they are “ill-suited” to retail
investors citing extreme volatility, valuation challenges and association with
financial crime. A new law, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023
(“FSMA”), received royal assent in June 2023. The FSMA brings digital asset
activities within the scope of existing laws governing financial institutions,
markets and assets.
•
The
Parliament of the European Union approved the text of MiCA in April 2023,
establishing a regulatory framework for digital asset services across the
European Union. MiCA is intended to serve as a comprehensive regulation of
digital asset markets and imposes various obligations on digital asset issuers
and service providers. The main aims of MiCA are industry regulation, consumer
protection, prevention of market abuse and upholding the integrity of digital
asset markets. MiCA was formally approved by the European Union’s member states
in 2023. Certain parts of MiCA became effective as of June 2024 and the
remainder applied as of December 2024.
There
remains significant uncertainty regarding foreign governments’ future actions
with respect to the regulation of digital assets and Digital Asset Trading
Platforms. Such laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the
United States and may negatively impact the acceptance of XRP by users,
merchants and service providers outside the United States and may therefore
impede the growth or sustainability of the XRP ecosystem in the United States
and globally, or otherwise negatively affect the value of XRP held by the Trust.
The effect of any
future
regulatory change on the Trust or the XRP held by the Trust is impossible to
predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to the Trust and the
value of the Shares.
The
CFTC has regulatory jurisdiction over the XRP futures markets. In addition,
because the CFTC has determined that XRP is a non-security “commodity” under the
CEA and the rules thereunder, it has jurisdiction to prosecute fraud and
manipulation in the cash, or spot, market for XRP. Beyond instances of fraud or
manipulation, the CFTC generally does not oversee cash or spot market exchanges,
spot Digital Asset Trading Platforms or retail transactions involving spot XRP
that do not utilize collateral, leverage, or financing. Similar
to SEC Chairman Atkins, CFTC Acting Chairman Pham announced on August 1, 2025 a
“crypto sprint” to begin implementing the recommendations of the working group
report.
The National Futures Association (“NFA”) is the self-regulatory agency for the
U.S. futures industry, and as such has jurisdiction over XRP futures. However,
the NFA does not have regulatory oversight authority for the cash or spot market
for XRP trading or transactions.
In
May 2025, the CME as a designated contract market (“DCM”) registered with the
CFTC launched new contracts for XRP futures products. DCMs are boards of trades
(commonly referred to as exchanges) that operate under the regulatory oversight
of the CFTC, pursuant to Section 5 of the CEA. To obtain and maintain
designation as a DCM, an exchange must comply on an initial and ongoing basis
with twenty-three Core Principles established under Section 5(d) of the CEA.
Among other things, DCMs are required to establish self-regulatory programs
designed to enforce the DCM’s rules, prevent market manipulation and customer
and market abuses, and ensure the recording and safe storage of trade
information. The CFTC engaged in a “heightened review” of the self-certification
of XRP futures, which required DCMs to enter direct or indirect information
sharing agreements with spot market platforms to allow access to trade and
trader data; monitor data from cash markets with respect to price settlements
and other XRP prices more broadly, and identify anomalies and disproportionate
moves in the cash markets compared to the futures markets; engage in inquiries,
including at the trade settlement level when necessary; and agree to regular
coordination with CFTC surveillance staff on trade activities, including
providing the CFTC surveillance team with trade settlement data upon
request.
The
CME XRP futures contracts are cash-settled, based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar
Reference Rate, calculated daily at 3:00 p.m. UTC. The first day of trading on
CME saw approximately $1.5 million in notional value traded. On August 4, 2025,
CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham announced that the CFTC will launch an
initiative for trading spot crypto asset contracts that are listed on a
CFTC-registered futures exchange (DCM). This is the first initiative in the
CFTC’s “crypto sprint” to start implementation of the recommendations in the
President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets report. Members of the public
were invited to written input by August 18, 2025 through the CFTC
website.
See
“Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Regulation of Digital Assets, the
Trust and the Shares— Regulatory changes or actions by the U.S. Congress or any
U.S. federal or state agencies may affect the value of the Shares or restrict
the use of XRP, validating activity or the operation of the XRP Network or the
Digital Asset Markets in a manner that adversely affects the value of the
Shares.”
Description
of the Trust
The
Trust is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on August 5, 2024 by the
filing of the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware Secretary of State in
accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (“DSTA”). The
name of the Trust is Grayscale XRP Trust as of the date of this registration
statement, but prior to and in connection with the declaration of effectiveness
of this registration statement and the listing of the Shares on NYSE Arca, the
Sponsor intends to change the name of the Trust to Grayscale XRP Trust ETF by
filing a Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware
Secretary of State in accordance with the provisions of the DSTA. The Trust
operates pursuant to the Trust Agreement.
The
Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and
ownership of the Trust. The Trust is passive and is not managed like a
corporation or an active investment vehicle. The Trust’s XRP are held by the
Custodian on behalf of the Trust. The Trust’s XRP will be transferred out of the
Vault Balance only in the following circumstances: (i) transferred to pay the
Sponsor’s Fee or any Additional Trust Expenses, (ii) sold on an as-needed basis
to pay Additional Trust Expenses or redeem Baskets or (iii) sold on behalf of
the Trust in the event the Trust terminates and liquidates its assets or as
otherwise required by law or regulation. Assuming that the Trust is treated as a
grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each delivery or sale of XRP
by the Trust to pay the
Sponsor’s
Fee or any Additional Trust Expenses will be a taxable event for shareholders.
Gains or losses from the sale of XRP to fund cash redemptions are expected to be
treated as incurred only by the shareholder that is being redeemed See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences to U.S.
Holders.”
The
Trust is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act
and the Sponsor believes that the Trust is not required to register under the
Investment Company Act. The Trust will not trade, buy, sell or hold XRP
derivatives, including XRP futures contracts, on any futures exchange. The Trust
is authorized solely to take immediate delivery of actual XRP. The Sponsor does
not believe the Trust’s activities are required to be regulated by the CFTC
under the CEA as a “commodity pool” under current law, regulation and
interpretation. The Trust will not be operated by a CFTC-regulated commodity
pool operator because it will not trade, buy, sell or hold XRP derivatives,
including XRP futures contracts, on any futures exchange. Investors in the Trust
will not receive the regulatory protections afforded to investors in regulated
commodity pools, nor may the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange
or any futures exchange enforce its rules with respect to the Trust’s
activities. In addition, investors in the Trust will not benefit from the
protections afforded to investors in XRP futures contracts on regulated futures
exchanges.
The
Trust creates Shares from time to time but only in Baskets. A Basket equals a
block of 10,000 Shares. The number of outstanding Shares is expected to increase
from time to time as a result of the creation of Baskets.
The
creation of Baskets will require the delivery to the Trust of the amount of XRP
(or cash to acquire the amount of XRP) represented by the Baskets being created.
The creation of a Basket will be made only upon the delivery to the Trust of the
number of whole and fractional XRP represented by each Basket being created, the
number of which is determined by dividing (x) the amount of XRP owned by the
Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the relevant trade date, after deducting
the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but unpaid fees
and expenses of the Trust (converted using the Index Price at such time, and
carried to the eighth decimal place) by (y) the number of Shares outstanding at
such time (with the quotient so obtained calculated to one one-hundred-millionth
of one XRP (i.e., carried to the eighth decimal place)), and multiplying such
quotient by 10,000.
The
Shares are redeemable in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement
and the relevant Participant Agreement. The operation of a redemption program
allows Authorized Participants to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities
created when the market value of the Shares deviates from the value of the
Trust’s XRP, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities, which may have the
effect of reducing any premium at which the Shares trade on NYSE Arca over such
value or cause the Shares to trade at a discount to such value.
The
amount of XRP required to create a Basket is expected to gradually decrease over
time due to the transfer or sale of the Trust’s XRP to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and
any Additional Trust Expenses.
The
Sponsor will determine the Trust’s NAV on each business day as of 4:00 p.m., New
York time, or as soon thereafter as practicable. The Sponsor will also determine
the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV divided by the number of outstanding
Shares. Each business day, the Sponsor will publish the Trust’s NAV and NAV per
Share on the Trust’s website, www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp,
as
soon as practicable after the Trust’s NAV and NAV per Share have been determined
by the Sponsor. See “—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV.”
The
Trust’s assets will consist solely of XRP, cash proceeds from the sale of XRP
and any rights of the Trust pursuant to any agreements, other than the Trust
Agreement, to which the Trust is a party. The Sponsor has committed to cause the
Trust not to take any Affirmative Action to acquire any Incidental Rights or IR
Virtual Currency, thereby irrevocably abandoning any Incidental Rights and IR
Virtual Currency to which the Trust may become entitled in the future. As a
result, the Trust does not expect to hold any Incidental Rights or IR Virtual
Currency or to take any Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency into account
for the purposes of determining the NAV or the NAV per Share.
Each
Share represents a proportional interest, based on the total number of Shares
outstanding, in each of the Trust’s assets as determined in the case of XRP by
reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities
(which include accrued but unpaid fees and expenses). The Sponsor expects that
the market price of the Shares will fluctuate over time in response to the
market prices of XRP. In addition, because the Shares reflect the
estimated
accrued but unpaid expenses of the Trust, the amount of XRP represented by a
Share will gradually decrease over time as the Trust’s XRP are used to pay the
Trust’s expenses.
XRP
pricing information is available on a 24-hour basis from various financial
information service providers or XRP Network information sites, such as
CoinMarketCap.com. The spot price and bid/ask spreads may also be available
directly from Digital Asset Trading Platforms. As of June 30, 2025, the
constituent Digital Asset Trading Platforms of the Index were Coinbase,
Bitstamp, Kraken, LMAX Digital and Crypto.com. The Index Provider may remove or
add Digital Asset Trading Platforms to the Index in the future at its
discretion. Market prices for the Shares will be available from a variety of
sources, including brokerage firms, information websites and other information
service providers. In addition, on each business day the Trust’s website will
provide pricing information for the Shares.
The
Trust has no fixed termination date.
Service
Providers of the Trust
The
Sponsor
The
Trust’s Sponsor is Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company formed on July 11, 2024 and an indirect wholly owned
subsidiary of DCG. The Sponsor’s principal place of business is 290 Harbor
Drive, 4th Floor, Stamford, Connecticut 06902, and its telephone number is (212)
668-1427. Under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and the governing
documents of the Sponsor, DCG, the indirect parent company of the Sponsor, is
not responsible for the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Sponsor solely
by reason of being the indirect parent company of the Sponsor.
The
Sponsor is neither an investment adviser registered with the SEC nor a commodity
pool operator registered with the CFTC, and will not be acting in either such
capacity with respect to the Trust, and the Sponsor’s provision of services to
the Trust will not be governed by the Investment Advisers Act or the
CEA.
Grayscale
Investments, LLC, the former Sponsor of the Trust, arranged for the creation of
the Trust. As partial consideration for its receipt of the Sponsor’s Fee from
the Trust, the Sponsor is obligated to pay the Sponsor-paid Expenses. The
Sponsor also paid the costs of the Trust’s organization and the costs of the
initial sale of the Shares.
The
Sponsor is generally responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Trust
under the provisions of the Trust Agreement. This includes (i) preparing and
providing periodic reports and financial statements on behalf of the Trust for
investors, (ii) processing orders to create Baskets and coordinating the
processing of such orders with the Custodian and the Transfer Agent, (iii)
calculating and publishing the NAV and the NAV per Share of the Trust each
business day as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, or as soon thereafter as
practicable, (iv) selecting and monitoring the Trust’s service providers and
from time to time engaging additional, successor or replacement service
providers, (v) instructing the Custodian to transfer the Trust’s XRP as needed
to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and any Additional Trust Expenses, (vi) upon
dissolution of the Trust, distributing cash proceeds of the sale of the Trust’s
remaining XRP to the owners of record of the Shares and (vii) establishing the
principal market for GAAP valuation. In addition, if there is a fork in the XRP
Network after which there is a dispute as to which network resulting from the
fork is the XRP Network, the Sponsor has the authority to select the network
that it believes in good faith is the XRP Network, unless such selection or
authority would otherwise conflict with the Trust Agreement.
The
Sponsor does not store, hold, or maintain custody or control of the Trust’s XRP
but instead has entered into the Prime Broker Agreement with the Custodian to
facilitate the security of the Trust’s XRP.
The
Sponsor may transfer all or substantially all of its assets to an entity that
carries on the business of the Sponsor if at the time of the transfer the
successor assumes all of the obligations of the Sponsor under the Trust
Agreement. In such an event, the Sponsor will be relieved of all further
liability under the Trust Agreement.
The
Sponsor’s Fee is paid by the Trust to the Sponsor as compensation for services
performed under the Trust Agreement and as partial consideration for the
Sponsor’s agreement to pay the Sponsor-paid Expenses. See “—Expenses; Sales of
XRP.”
The
Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select a different index provider, select a
different index price provided by the Index Provider, calculate the Index Price
by using the cascading set of rules set forth under “— Overview of the XRP
Industry and Market—The Index and the Index Price—Determination of the Index
Price When Index Price is Unavailable” above, or change the cascading set of
rules set forth above at any time.
Marketing
Agent Agreement
Pursuant
to a Marketing Agent Agreement (the “Marketing Agent Agreement”) to be entered
into between the Sponsor and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, as Marketing Agent
(the “Marketing Agent”), the Marketing Agent will be paid by the Sponsor an
annual fee. In addition, the Sponsor will pay certain out-of-pocket fees and
expenses of the Marketing Agent incurred in connection with its assistance in
the marketing of the Trust and its Shares. Under the Marketing Agent Agreement,
the Marketing Agent will provide the following services to the Sponsor: (i)
assist the Sponsor in facilitating Participation Agreements between and among
Authorized Participants, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, and the Transfer
Agent; (ii) provide prospectuses to Authorized Participants; (iii) work with the
Transfer Agent to review and approve orders placed by the Authorized
Participants and transmitted to the Transfer Agent; (iv) review and file
applicable marketing materials with FINRA and (v) maintain, reproduce and store
applicable books and records related to the services provided under the
Marketing Agent Agreement.
Index
License Agreement
The
Sponsor has entered into the Index License Agreement with CoinDesk Indices,
Inc., the Index Provider, governing the Sponsor’s use of the Index for
calculation of the Index Price. The Index Provider may adjust the calculation
methodology for the Index without notice to, or consent of, the Trust or its
shareholders. Under the Index License Agreement, the Sponsor pays a monthly fee
and a fee based on the NAV of the Trust to the Index Provider in consideration
of its license to the Sponsor of Index-related intellectual property. The
initial term of the Index License Agreement was February 1, 2022 through the
later of February 29, 2024 and the latest date set forth on any order form
executed under the Index License Agreement. On June 20, 2023, the Sponsor and
the Index Provider, entered into an amendment to the Index License Agreement to
extend the initial term of the Index License Agreement from February 29, 2024,
to February 28, 2025. On February 5, 2025, the Sponsor and the Index Provider,
entered into an amendment to the Index License Agreement to extend the term of
the Index License Agreement from February 28, 2025, to February 29, 2028.
Thereafter, the Index License Agreement will automatically renew on an annual
basis, unless a notice of non-renewal is provided. The Index License Agreement
is terminable by either party upon written notice in the event of a material
breach that remains uncured for thirty days after initial written notice of such
breach. Further, either party may terminate the Index License Agreement
immediately upon notice under certain circumstances, including with respect to
the other party’s (i) insolvency, bankruptcy or analogous event or (ii)
violation of money transmission, taxation or trading regulations that materially
adversely affect either party’s ability to perform under the Index License
Agreement.
Administration
and Accounting Agreement
The
Sponsor expects to enter into a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement
with BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon, to
provide administration and accounting services to the Trust. Pursuant to the
terms of the Agreement and under the supervision and direction of the Sponsor
and the Trust, BNY Mellon Asset Servicing keeps the operational records of the
Trust and prepares and files certain regulatory filings on behalf of the Trust.
BNY Mellon Asset Servicing may also perform other services for the Trust
pursuant to the Agreement as mutually agreed upon by the Sponsor, the Trust and
BNY Mellon Asset Servicing from time to time. The Administrator’s fees are paid
on behalf of the Trust by the Sponsor.
The
Trustee
CSC
Delaware Trust Company (formerly known as Delaware Trust Company) serves as
Delaware trustee of the Trust under the Trust Agreement. The Trustee has its
principal office at 251 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington, Delaware 19808. The
Trustee is unaffiliated with the Sponsor. A copy of the Trust Agreement is
available for inspection at the Sponsor’s principal office identified above and
is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus
forms a part.
The
Trustee is appointed to serve as the trustee of the Trust in the State of
Delaware for the sole purpose of satisfying the requirement of Section 3807(a)
of the DSTA that the Trust have at least one trustee with a principal place of
business in the State of Delaware. The duties of the Trustee will be limited to
(i) accepting legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware and
(ii) the execution of any certificates required to be filed with the Delaware
Secretary of State which the Delaware Trustee is required to execute under the
DSTA. To the extent that, at law or in equity, the Trustee has duties (including
fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust or the
shareholders, such duties and liabilities will be replaced by the duties and
liabilities of the Trustee expressly set forth in the Trust Agreement. The
Trustee will have no obligation to supervise, nor will it be liable for, the
acts or omissions of the Sponsor, Transfer Agent, Custodian, Prime Broker or any
other person.
Neither
the Trustee, either in its capacity as trustee or in its individual capacity,
nor any director, officer or controlling person of the Trustee is, or has any
liability as, the issuer, director, officer or controlling person of the issuer
of Shares. The Trustee’s liability in connection with the issuance and sale of
Shares is limited solely to the express obligations of the Trustee as set forth
in the Trust Agreement.
The
Trustee has not prepared or verified, and will not be responsible or liable for,
any information, disclosure or other statement in this prospectus or in any
other document issued or delivered in connection with the sale or transfer of
the Shares. The Trust Agreement provides that the Trustee will not be
responsible or liable for the genuineness, enforceability, collectability,
value, sufficiency, location or existence of any of the XRP or other assets of
the Trust. See “—Description of the Trust Agreement.”
The
Trustee is permitted to resign upon at least 180 days’ notice to the Trust. The
Trustee will be compensated by the Sponsor and indemnified by the Sponsor and
the Trust against any expenses it incurs relating to or arising out of the
formation, operation or termination of the Trust, or the performance of its
duties pursuant to the Trust Agreement except to the extent that such expenses
result from gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Trustee.
The Sponsor has the discretion to replace the Trustee.
Fees
paid to the Trustee are a Sponsor-paid Expense.
The
Transfer Agent
The
Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Transfer Agent of the Trust pursuant to
the terms and provisions of the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement (the
“Transfer Agency and Service Agreement”). The Transfer Agent: (1) facilitates
the issuance and redemption of Shares of the Trust; (2) responds to
correspondence by Trust shareholders and others relating to its duties; (3)
maintains shareholder accounts; and (4) makes periodic reports to the Trust. The
Transfer Agent has its principal office at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New
York 10286. A copy of the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement is available for
inspection at the Sponsor’s principal office identified herein.
Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a Delaware corporation, serves as a
co-transfer agent for the Trust (the “Co-Transfer Agent”) pursuant to the terms
and provisions of the Co-Transfer Agency Agreement (the “Co-Transfer Agency
Agreement”). The Co-Transfer Agent has its principal office at 1 State Street,
30th Floor, New York, New York 10004. A copy of the Co-Transfer Agency Agreement
is available for inspection at the Sponsor’s principal office identified
herein.
Fees
paid to the Transfer Agent and Co-Transfer Agent are a Sponsor-paid
Expense.
Administrator
BNY
Mellon Asset Servicing, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon, serves as the
administrator for the Trust. The Administrator’s fees are paid on behalf of the
Trust by the Sponsor.
Authorized
Participants
An
Authorized Participant must enter into a “Participant Agreement” with the
Sponsor and the Trust to govern its placement of orders to create and redeem
Baskets. The Participant Agreement sets forth the procedures for the creation
and redemption of Baskets, the delivery of XRP or cash required for creations
and the delivery of Baskets
or
cash required for redemptions. A copy of the form of Participant Agreement is
available for inspection at the Sponsor’s principal office identified herein and
is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus
forms a part.
Each
Authorized Participant must (i) be a registered broker-dealer and (ii) have
entered into a Participant Agreement with the Sponsor and the Transfer Agent.
Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future any Authorized
Participants creating and redeeming Shares through In-Kind Orders must also own,
or their AP Designee (as defined below) must own, an XRP wallet address that is
known to the Custodian as belonging to the Authorized Participant or its AP
Designee and maintain an account with the Custodian.
The
Trust issues and redeems Shares on an ongoing basis, but only in one or more
whole Baskets of 10,000 Shares each. The creation and redemption of Baskets
requires the delivery to or acquisition by the Trust, or the distribution or
other disposition by the Trust, of the amount of XRP represented by the Baskets
being created or redeemed, the number of which is equal to the “Basket Amount”
as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the trade date of a creation or redemption
order multiplied by the number of Baskets being created or redeemed (the “Total
Basket Amount”). The amount of XRP required to create a Basket, or to be
delivered or sold upon the redemption of a Basket, will gradually decrease over
time due to the transfer of the Trust’s XRP to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and the
delivery or sale of the Trust’s XRP to pay any Trust expenses not assumed by the
Sponsor. See “Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares” in this
prospectus.
Although
the Trust creates Baskets only upon the receipt of XRP, and redeems Baskets only
by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of XRP, at this time an
Authorized Participant can only submit Cash Orders, pursuant to which the
Authorized Participant will deposit cash into, or accept cash from, the Cash
Account in connection with the creation and redemption of Baskets. Cash Orders
will be facilitated by the Transfer Agent and Grayscale Investments Sponsors,
LLC, which will engage one or more Liquidity Providers that is not an agent of,
or otherwise acting on behalf of, any Authorized Participant to obtain or
receive XRP in connection with such orders. The Sponsor may in its sole
discretion limit the number of Shares created pursuant to Cash Orders on any
specified day without notice to the Authorized Participants and may direct the
Marketing Agent to reject any Cash Orders in excess of such capped amount. The
redemption of Shares pursuant to Cash Orders will only take place if approved by
the Sponsor in writing, in its sole discretion and on a case-by-case
basis.
The
Trust is currently able to accept Cash Orders. However, the Trust is not at this
time able to create and redeem shares via in-kind transactions with Authorized
Participants. Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future the Trust
may also create and redeem Baskets via In-Kind Orders, pursuant to which an
Authorized Participant or its AP Designee would deposit XRP directly with the
Trust or receive XRP directly from the Trust. However, because In-Kind
Regulatory Approval has not been obtained, at this time Baskets will not be
created or redeemed through In-Kind Orders and will only be created or redeemed
through Cash Orders. There can be no assurance as to when NYSE Arca will seek or
obtain such regulatory approval, if at all. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors
Related to the Trust and the Shares—The lack of ability to facilitate in-kind
creations and redemptions of Shares could have adverse consequences for the
Trust.” See “Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.”
As
of the date of this prospectus, the Sponsor has entered into Participant
Agreements with and pursuant to which and have agreed to act as an Authorized
Participant of the Trust.
No
Authorized Participant has any obligation or responsibility to the Sponsor or
the Trust to effect any sale or resale of Shares.
Liquidity
Providers
Liquidity
Providers facilitate the purchase and sale of XRP in connection with Cash Orders
for creations or redemptions of Baskets. The Liquidity Providers with which
Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC, acting in its capacity as the Liquidity
Engager, will engage in XRP transactions are third parties that are not
affiliated with the Sponsor or the Trust and are not acting as agents of the
Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized Participant, and such transactions will be
done on an arms-length basis. Except for the contractual relationships between
each Liquidity Provider and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC in its capacity
as the Liquidity Engager, there is no other
pre-existing
contractual relationship between each Liquidity Provider, on the one hand, and
the Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized Participant, on the other
hand.
A
Liquidity Provider must enter into a “Liquidity Provider Agreement” with the
Liquidity Engager and the Sponsor (on behalf of the Trust), which will obligate
it to obtain or receive XRP in connection with creations and redemptions
pursuant to Cash Orders.
As
of the date of this prospectus, the Liquidity Engager has engaged and as
Liquidity Providers. The Liquidity Engager may engage additional Liquidity
Providers who are unaffiliated with the Trust in the future.
The
Custodian and Prime Broker
Coinbase
Custody Trust Company, LLC is a fiduciary under § 100 of the New York Banking
Law and a qualified custodian for purposes of Rule 206(4)-2(d)(6) under the
Investment Advisers Act. The Custodian is authorized to serve as the Trust’s
custodian under the Trust Agreement and pursuant to the terms and provisions of
the Prime Broker Agreement. The Custodian has its principal office at 200 Park
Avenue South, Suite 1208, New York, NY 10003. A copy of the Prime Broker
Agreement is available for inspection at the Sponsor’s principal office
identified herein and is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of
which this prospectus forms a part.
Under
the Prime Broker Agreement, the Custodian controls and secures the Trust’s
“Vault Balance,” a segregated custody account to store private keys, which allow
for the transfer of ownership or control of the Trust’s XRP, on the Trust’s
behalf. The Custodian’s services (i) allow XRP to be deposited from a public
blockchain address to the Trust’s Vault Balance and (ii) allow the Trust or
Sponsor to withdraw XRP from the Trust’s Vault Balance to a public blockchain
address the Trust or Sponsor controls (the “Custodial and Prime Broker
Services”). The Vault Balance uses offline storage, or “cold” storage,
mechanisms to secure the Trust’s private keys. The term cold storage refers to a
safeguarding method by which the private keys corresponding to digital assets
are disconnected.
The
Custodian will withdraw from the Trust’s Vault Balance the amount of XRP
necessary to pay the Trust’s expenses.
Fees
paid to the Custodian are a Sponsor-paid Expense.
Under
the Prime Broker Agreement, each of the Custodian and the Trust has agreed to
indemnify and hold harmless the other party from any third-party claim or
third-party demand (including reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees and any
fines, fees or penalties imposed by any regulatory authority) arising out of or
related to the Custodian’s or the Trust’s, as the case may be, breach of the
Prime Broker Agreement, inaccuracy in any of the Custodian’s or the Trust’s, as
the case may be, representations or warranties in the Prime Broker Agreement, or
the Trust’s violation, or the Custodian’s knowing violation, of any law, rule or
regulation, or the rights of any third party, except where such claim directly
results from the negligence, fraud or willful misconduct of the other such
party. In addition, the Trust has agreed to indemnify the Custodian with respect
to any Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency abandoned by the Trust and any
tax liability relating thereto or arising therefrom.
The
Custodian and its affiliates may from time to time purchase or sell XRP for
their own accounts and as agent for their customers or Shares for their own
accounts. The foregoing notwithstanding, XRP in the Vault Balance are not
treated as general assets of the Custodian and cannot be commingled with any
other digital assets held by the Custodian. The Custodian serves as a fiduciary
and custodian on the Trust’s behalf, and the XRP in the Vault Balance are
considered fiduciary assets that remain the Trust’s property at all
times.
Once
each calendar year, the Sponsor or the Trust may request that the Custodian
deliver a certificate signed by a duly authorized officer to certify that all
representations and warranties made by the Custodian in the Prime Broker
Agreement are true and correct on and as of the date of such certificate, and
have been true and correct throughout the preceding year. In addition, the
Custodian has agreed to allow the Trust and the Sponsor to take any necessary
steps to verify that satisfactory internal control system and procedures are in
place, and to visit and inspect the systems on which the Custodian’s coins are
held.
If
the Custodian resigns in its capacity as custodian, the Sponsor may appoint an
additional or replacement custodian and enter into a custodian agreement on
behalf of the Trust with such custodian. Furthermore, the Sponsor and the Trust
may use XRP custody services or similar services provided by entities other than
Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC at any time without prior notice to Coinbase
Custody Trust Company, LLC.
Custody
of the Trust’s XRP
Digital
assets and digital asset transactions are recorded and validated on blockchains,
the public transaction ledgers of a digital asset network. Each digital asset
blockchain serves as a record of ownership for all of the units of such digital
asset, even in the case of certain privacy-preserving digital assets, where the
transactions themselves are not publicly viewable. All digital assets recorded
on a blockchain are associated with a public blockchain address, also referred
to as a digital wallet. Digital assets held at a particular public blockchain
address may be accessed and transferred using a corresponding private
key.
Key
Generation
Public
addresses and their corresponding private keys are generated by the Custodian in
secret key generation ceremonies at secure locations inside faraday cages, which
are enclosures used to block electromagnetic fields and thus mitigate against
attacks. The Custodian uses quantum random number generators to generate the
public and private key pairs.
Once
generated, private keys are encrypted, separated into “shards”, and then further
encrypted. After the key generation ceremony, all materials used to generate
private keys, including computers, are destroyed. All key generation ceremonies
are performed offline. No party other than the Custodian has access to the
private key shards of the Trust, including the Trust itself.
Key
Storage
Private
key shards are distributed geographically by the Custodial Entities in secure
vaults around the world, including in the United States. The locations of the
secure vaults may change regularly and are kept confidential by the Custodian
and the Prime Broker for security purposes.
The
Vault Balance primarily uses “cold” storage mechanisms to secure a substantial
portion of the Trust’s private keys. A substantial portion of the Trust’s XRP
holdings are held in cold storage at all times, with a portion of the Settlement
Balance held temporarily in “hot” storage from time to time, for purposes of
facilitating the receipt and distribution of XRP in connection with the creation
and redemption of Baskets. Any XRP credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance is
stored in omnibus accounts, either on the Prime Broker’s systems or at Coinbase
Connected Venues, using a combination of cold and hot storage mechanisms to
secure the private keys representing the assets credited to the Trust’s
Settlement Balance.
Cold
storage is a safeguarding method with multiple layers of protections and
protocols, by which the private keys corresponding to the Trust’s XRP are
generated and stored in an offline manner. A digital wallet may receive deposits
of digital assets but may not send digital assets without use of the digital
assets’ corresponding private keys. In order to send digital assets from a
digital wallet in which the private keys are kept in cold storage, either the
private keys must be retrieved from cold storage and entered into an online, or
hot, digital asset software program to sign the transaction, or the unsigned
transaction must be transferred to the cold server in which the private keys are
held for signature by the private keys and then transferred back to the online
digital asset software program. At that point, the user of the digital wallet
can transfer its digital assets. While private keys held in hot storage are more
accessible and therefore enable more efficient transfers, such assets are more
vulnerable to theft, loss or damage.
Security
Procedures
The
Custodian and the Prime Broker hold the Trust’s private keys in custody in
accordance with the terms and provisions of the Prime Broker Agreement.
Transfers to and from the Vault Balance and, where held in cold storage, the
Trust’s Settlement Balance, require certain security procedures, including but
not limited to, multiple encrypted private key shards, usernames, passwords and
2-step verification. Multiple private key shards held by the applicable
Custodial Entity or Entities must be combined to reconstitute the private key to
sign any transaction in order to
transfer
the Trust’s assets. Private key shards are distributed geographically by the
Custodial Entities in secure vaults around the world, including in the United
States.
As
a result, if any one secure vault is ever compromised, this event will have no
impact on the ability of the Trust to access its assets, other than a possible
delay in operations, while one or more of the other secure vaults is used
instead. These security procedures are intended to remove single points of
failure in the protection of the Trust’s assets.
Transfers
of XRP to the Vault Balance from the Settlement Balance will be available to the
Trust once processed on the XRP Blockchain, subject to the availability of the
Prime Broker’s online platform. When XRP is credited to the Settlement Balance,
certain movements to allocate the balance among (i) omnibus cold storage wallets
and omnibus hot storage wallets on the Prime Broker’s platform; or (ii) omnibus
accounts at Coinbase Connected Venues may not be viewable by the Trust via the
Prime Broker’s online portal. In addition, on a monthly basis the Custodial
Entities will provide the Sponsor with an account statement identifying the
amount of cash and XRP in the Trust’s Accounts at the end of the period and
listing all account activity during that period.
The
process of accessing and withdrawing XRP from the Trust to redeem a Basket by an
Authorized Participant follows the same general procedure as transferring XRP to
the Trust to create a Basket by an Authorized Participant, only in reverse. See
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.”
The
Marketing Agent
Foreside
Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside”) is expected to be the marketing agent of the
Shares. Foreside is a registered broker-dealer with the SEC and is a member of
FINRA.
In
its capacity as marketing agent, Foreside provides the following services to the
Sponsor: (i) assist the Sponsor in facilitating Participation Agreements between
and among Authorized Participants, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, and the
Transfer Agent; (ii) provide prospectuses to Authorized Participants; (iii) work
with the Transfer Agent to review and approve orders placed by the Authorized
Participants and transmitted to the Transfer Agent; (iv) review and file
applicable marketing materials with FINRA and (v) maintain, reproduce and store
applicable books and records related to the services provided under the
Marketing Agent Agreement.
The
Sponsor may engage additional or successor marketing agents in the
future.
Valuation
of XRP and Determination of NAV
The
Sponsor will evaluate the XRP held by the Trust and determine the NAV of the
Trust in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Trust Documents. The
following is a description of the material terms of the Trust Documents as they
relate to valuation of the Trust’s XRP and the NAV calculations, which is
calculated using non-GAAP methodology and is not used in the Trust’s financial
statements.
On
each business day at 4:00 p.m., New York time, or as soon thereafter as
practicable (the “Evaluation Time”), the Sponsor will evaluate the XRP held by
the Trust and calculate and publish the NAV of the Trust. To calculate the NAV,
the Sponsor will:
1.
Determine
the Index Price as of such business day.
2.
Multiply
the Index Price by the Trust’s aggregate amount of XRP owned by the Trust as of
4:00 p.m., New York time, on the immediately preceding day, less the aggregate
amount of XRP payable as the accrued and unpaid Sponsor’s Fee as of 4:00 p.m.,
New York time, on the immediately preceding day.
3.
Add
the U.S. dollar value of XRP, calculated using the Index Price, receivable under
pending creation orders, if any, determined by multiplying the number of the
Creation Baskets represented by such creation orders by the Basket Amount and
then multiplying such product by the Index Price.
4.
Subtract
the U.S. dollar amount of accrued and unpaid Additional Trust Expenses, if
any.
5.
Subtract
the U.S. dollar value of the XRP, calculated using the Index Price, which are
either (i) to be distributed under pending redemption orders, if any, determined
by multiplying the number of Baskets to be redeemed represented by such
redemption orders by the Basket Amount and then multiplying such product by the
Index Price, or (ii) to be distributed to Shareholders pursuant to a binding
obligation of the Trust following the declaration of an in-kind dividend
(including through interests in any liquidating trust or other vehicle formed to
hold such XRP) (the amount derived from steps 1 through 5 above, the “NAV Fee
Basis Amount”).
6.
Subtract
the U.S. dollar amount of the Sponsor’s Fee that accrues for such business day,
as calculated based on the NAV Fee Basis Amount for such business
day.
In
the event that the Sponsor determines that the primary methodology used to
determine the Index Price is not an appropriate basis for valuation of the
Trust’s XRP, the Sponsor will utilize the cascading set of rules as described in
“—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index and the Index
Price.”
The
Sponsor will publish the Index Price, the Trust’s NAV and the NAV per Share on
the Trust’s website as soon as practicable after its determination. If the NAV
and NAV per Share have been calculated using a price per XRP other than the
Index Price for such Evaluation Time, the publication on the Trust’s website
will note the valuation methodology used and the price per XRP resulting from
such calculation.
In
the event of a hard fork of the XRP Network, the Sponsor will, if permitted by
the terms of the Trust Agreement, use its discretion to determine, in good
faith, which peer-to-peer network, among a group of incompatible forks of the
XRP Network, is generally accepted as the network for XRP and should therefore
be considered the appropriate network for the Trust’s purposes. The Sponsor will
base its determination on a variety of then relevant factors, including (but not
limited to) the following: (i) the Sponsor’s beliefs regarding expectations of
the core developers of XRP, users, services, businesses, validators and other
constituencies and (ii) the actual continued acceptance of, validating power on,
and community engagement with the XRP Network.
The
shareholders may rely on any evaluation furnished by the Sponsor. The
determinations that the Sponsor makes will be made in good faith upon the basis
of, and the Sponsor will not be liable for any errors contained in, information
reasonably available to it. The Sponsor will not be liable to the Authorized
Participants, the shareholders or any other person for errors in judgment.
However, the preceding liability exclusion will not protect the Sponsor against
any liability resulting from gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith
in the performance of its duties.
Expenses;
Sales of XRP
The
Trust’s only ordinary recurring expense is expected to be the Sponsor’s Fee. The
Sponsor’s Fee will accrue daily in U.S. dollars at an annual rate of % of the
NAV Fee Basis Amount of the Trust as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each day;
provided that for a day that is not a business day, the calculation will be
based on the NAV Fee Basis Amount from the most recent business day, reduced by
the accrued and unpaid Sponsor’s Fee for such most recent business day and for
each day after such most recent business day and prior to the relevant
calculation date. This dollar amount for each daily accrual will then be
converted into XRP by reference to the same Index Price used to determine such
accrual. The Sponsor’s Fee is payable in XRP to the Sponsor daily in
arrears.
Expenses
to Be Paid by the Sponsor
The
Trust pays the Sponsor’s Fee to the Sponsor. As partial consideration for its
receipt of the Sponsor’s Fee from the Trust, the Sponsor is obligated under the
Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other expenses incurred by the
Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs, excluding taxes, but including: (i)
the Marketing Fee; (ii) the Administrator Fee, if any; (iii) the Custodian Fee
and fees for any other security vendor engaged by the Trust; (iv) the Transfer
Agent Fee; (v) the Trustee fee; (vi) fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any Secondary Market (including customary
legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) in an amount up to $600,000 in any
given fiscal year; (vii) ordinary course legal fees and expenses; (viii) audit
fees; (ix) regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to
registration of the Shares under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act; (x)
printing and mailing costs; (xi) the costs of maintaining the Trust’s website;
and (xii) applicable license fees (each a “Sponsor-paid Expense”), provided that
any expense that qualifies as an Additional Trust
Expense
will be deemed to be an Additional Trust Expense and not a Sponsor-paid Expense.
The Sponsor, from time to time, may temporarily waive all or a portion of the
Sponsor’s Fee of the Trust in its discretion for stated periods of time.
Presently, the Sponsor does not intend to waive any of the Sponsor’s Fee for the
Trust and there are no circumstances under which the Sponsor has determined it
will definitely waive the fee. The Sponsor is under no obligation to waive any
portion of its fees and any such waiver shall create no obligation to waive any
such fees during any period not covered by the waiver.
The
Sponsor’s Fee will generally be paid in XRP. After the Trust’s payment of the
Sponsor’s Fee to the Sponsor, the Sponsor may elect to convert the XRP received
as payment of the Sponsor’s Fee into U.S. dollars. The rate at which the Sponsor
converts such XRP to U.S. dollars may differ from the rate at which the relevant
Sponsor’s Fee was determined. The Trust will not be responsible for any fees and
expenses incurred by the Sponsor to convert XRP received in payment of the
Sponsor’s Fee into U.S. dollars.
Extraordinary
and Other Expenses
In
certain extraordinary circumstances, the Trust may incur certain extraordinary,
non-recurring expenses that are not Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not
limited to: taxes and governmental charges; expenses and costs of any
extraordinary services performed by the Sponsor (or any other service provider)
on behalf of the Trust to protect the Trust or the interests of shareholders;
any indemnification of the Custodian or other agents, service providers or
counterparties of the Trust; the fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any Secondary Market (including legal,
marketing and audit fees and expenses) to the extent exceeding $600,000 in any
given fiscal year; and extraordinary legal fees and expenses, including any
legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory
enforcement or investigation matters (collectively, “Additional Trust
Expenses”). If Additional Trust Expenses are incurred, the Trust will be
required to pay these Additional Trust Expenses by selling or delivering XRP.
Generally, the Sponsor will cover such expenses on behalf of the Trust and the
Trust will reimburse the Sponsor by delivering to the Sponsor XRP in an amount
equal to such expenses. When the Trust and the Sponsor, acting on behalf of the
Trust, sell or deliver, as applicable, XRP, they generally do not transact
directly with counterparties other than the Authorized Participants, a Liquidity
Provider or other similarly eligible financial institutions that are subject to
federal and state licensing requirements and maintain practices and policies
designed to comply with AML and KYC regulations.
The
Sponsor or any of its affiliates may be reimbursed only for the actual cost to
the Sponsor or such affiliate of any expenses that it advances on behalf of the
Trust for payment of which the Trust is responsible. In addition, the Trust
Agreement prohibits the Trust from paying to the Sponsor or such affiliate for
indirect expenses incurred in performing services for the Trust in its capacity
as the Sponsor (or an affiliate of the Sponsor) of the Trust, such as salaries
and fringe benefits of officers and directors, rent or depreciation, utilities
and other administrative items generally falling within the category of the
Sponsor’s “overhead.”
Disposition
of XRP
To
cause the Trust to pay the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor will instruct the
Custodian to (i) withdraw from the Vault Balance the amount of XRP, determined
as described above in “—Expenses; Sales of XRP,” equal to the accrued but unpaid
Sponsor’s Fee and (ii) transfer such XRP to an account maintained by the
Custodian for the Sponsor at such times as the Sponsor determines in its
absolute discretion. In addition, if the Trust incurs any Additional Trust
Expenses, the Sponsor or its delegates (i) will instruct the Custodian to
withdraw from the Vault Balance XRP in such quantity as may be necessary to
permit payment of such Additional Trust Expenses and (ii) may either (x) cause
the Trust to convert such XRP into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies at the
Actual Exchange Rate or (y) when the Sponsor incurs such expenses on behalf of
the Trust, cause the Trust (or its delegate) to deliver such XRP in kind to the
Sponsor, in each case in such quantity as may be necessary to permit payment of
such Additional Trust Expenses. The Sponsor’s Fee and Additional Trust Expenses
payable by the Trust will generally be paid in XRP. Shareholders do not have the
option of choosing to pay their proportionate shares of Additional Trust
Expenses in lieu of having their shares of Additional Trust Expenses paid by the
Trust’s delivery or disposition of XRP. Assuming that the Trust is a grantor
trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the transfer or sale of XRP to pay
the Trust’s expenses will be a taxable event for shareholders. See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences to U.S.
Holders.”
Because
the amount of XRP held by the Trust will decrease as a consequence of the
payment of the Sponsor’s Fee in XRP or the sale of XRP to pay Additional Trust
Expenses (and the Trust will incur additional fees associated with converting
XRP into U.S. dollars), the amount of XRP represented by a Share will decline at
such time and the Trust’s NAV may also decrease. Accordingly, the shareholders
will bear the cost of the Sponsor’s Fee and any Additional Trust Expenses. New
XRP deposited into the Vault Balance in exchange for additional new Baskets
issued by the Trust will not reverse this trend.
The
Sponsor will also cause the sale of the Trust’s XRP if the Sponsor determines
that sale is required by applicable law or regulation or in connection with the
termination and liquidation of the Trust. The Sponsor will not be liable or
responsible in any way for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of any sale
of XRP.
The
quantity of XRP to be delivered to the Sponsor or other relevant payee in
payment of the Sponsor’s Fee or any Additional Trust Expenses, or sold to permit
payment of Additional Trust Expenses, will vary from time to time depending on
the level of the Trust’s expenses and the value of XRP held by the Trust. See
“—Expenses; Sales of XRP.” Assuming that the Trust is a grantor trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, each delivery or sale of XRP by the Trust for the
payment of expenses will be a taxable event to shareholders. See “Material U.S.
Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders.”
Hypothetical
Expense Example
The
following table illustrates the anticipated impact of the payment of the Trust’s
expenses on the amount of XRP represented by each outstanding Share for three
years. It assumes that the only transfers of XRP will be those needed to pay the
Sponsor’s Fee and that the price of XRP and the number of Shares remain constant
during the three-year period covered. The table does not show the impact of any
Additional Trust Expenses. Any Additional Trust Expenses, if and when incurred,
will accelerate the decrease in the fractional amount of XRP represented by each
Share. In addition, the table does not show the effect of any waivers of the
Sponsor’s Fee that may be in effect from time to time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
Hypothetical
price per XRP, beginning |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee |
|
|
% |
|
|
% |
|
|
% |
|
|
Shares
of Trust, beginning |
|
|
100,000.00 |
|
|
100,000.00 |
|
|
100,000.00 |
|
|
XRP in
Trust, beginning |
|
|
10,000.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hypothetical
value of XRP in Trust |
|
$ |
1,000,000.00 |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Beginning
NAV of the Trust |
|
$ |
1,000,000.00 |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
XRP to
be delivered to cover the Sponsor’s Fee |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
XRP in
Trust, ending |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Ending
NAV of the Trust |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Ending
NAV per share |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Hypothetical
price per XRP, ending |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
$ |
100.00 |
|
Discretion
of the Index Provider
The
Index Provider has sole discretion over the determination of Index Price and may
change the methodologies for determining the Index Price from time to
time.
Description
of the Trust Agreement
The
following is a description of the material terms of the Trust Agreement. The
Trust Agreement establishes the roles, rights and duties of the Sponsor and the
Trustee.
The
Sponsor
Liability
of the Sponsor and Indemnification
Neither
the Sponsor nor the Trust insure the Trust’s XRP. The Sponsor and its affiliates
(each a “Covered Person”) will not be liable to the Trust or any shareholder for
any loss suffered by the Trust which arises out of any action or inaction of
such Covered Person if such Covered Person determined in good faith that such
course of conduct was in the best interests of the Trust. However, the preceding
liability exclusion will not protect any Covered Person against any liability
resulting from its own willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence in the
performance of its duties.
Each
Covered Person will be indemnified by the Trust against any loss, judgment,
liability, expense incurred or amount paid in settlement of any claim sustained
by it in connection with the Covered Person’s activities for the Trust, provided
that (i) the Covered Person was acting on behalf of, or performing services for,
the Trust and had determined, in good faith, that such course of conduct was in
the best interests of the Trust and such liability or loss was not the result of
fraud, gross negligence, bad faith, willful misconduct or a material breach of
the Trust Agreement on the part of such Covered Person and (ii) any such
indemnification will be recoverable only from the property of the Trust. Any
amounts payable to an indemnified party will be payable in advance under certain
circumstances.
Fiduciary
and Regulatory Duties of the Sponsor
The
Sponsor is not effectively subject to the duties and restrictions imposed on
“fiduciaries” under both statutory and common law. Rather, the general fiduciary
duties that would apply to the Sponsor are defined and limited in scope by the
Trust Agreement.
Under
Delaware law, a shareholder may bring a derivative action if the shareholder is
a shareholder at the time the action is brought and either (i) was a shareholder
at the time of the transaction at issue or (ii) acquired the status of
shareholder by operation of law or the Trust’s governing instrument from a
person who was a shareholder at the time of the transaction at issue.
Additionally, Section 3816(e) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act specifically
provides that “a beneficial owner’s right to bring a derivative action may be
subject to such additional standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth
in the governing instrument of the statutory trust, including, without
limitation, the requirement that beneficial owners owning a specified beneficial
interest in the statutory trust join in the bringing of the derivative action.”
In addition to the requirements of applicable law, the Trust Agreement provides
that no shareholder will have the right, power or authority to bring or maintain
a derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of the Trust unless two
or more shareholders who (i) are not “Affiliates” (as defined in the Trust
Agreement and below) of one another and (ii) collectively hold at least 10.0% of
the outstanding Shares join in the bringing or maintaining of such action, suit
or other proceeding. The Trust selected the 10.0% ownership threshold because
the Trust believed that this was a threshold that investors would be comfortable
with based on market precedent.
This
provision applies to any derivative action brought in the name of the Trust
other than claims brought under the federal securities laws or the rules and
regulations thereunder, to which Section 7.4 does not apply. Due to this
additional requirement, a shareholder attempting to bring a derivative action in
the name of the Trust will be required to locate other shareholders with which
it is not affiliated and that have sufficient Shares to meet the 10.0% threshold
based on the number of Shares outstanding on the date the claim is brought and
thereafter throughout the duration of the action, suit or proceeding.
“Affiliate”
is defined in the Trust Agreement to mean any natural person, partnership,
limited liability company, statutory trust, corporation, association or other
legal entity (each, a “Person”) directly or indirectly owning, controlling or
holding with power to vote 10% or more of the outstanding voting securities of
such Person, (ii) any Person 10% or more of whose outstanding voting securities
are directly or indirectly owned, controlled or held with power to vote by such
Person, (iii) any Person, directly or indirectly, controlling, controlled by or
under common control of such Person, (iv) any employee, officer, director,
member, manager or partner of such Person, or (v) if such Person is an employee,
officer, director, member, manager or partner, any Person for which such Person
acts in any such capacity.
Any
shareholders seeking to bring a derivative action may determine whether the
10.0% ownership threshold required to bring a derivative action has been met by
dividing the number Shares owned by such shareholders by the total number of
Shares outstanding. Following the effectiveness of the registration statement of
which this prospectus forms a part, shareholders may determine the total number
of Shares outstanding by reviewing the Trust’s annual filings on Form 10-K,
quarterly filings on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K reporting sales
of unregistered securities pursuant to Item 3.02 thereof, or by requesting the
number of Shares outstanding at any time from the Sponsor pursuant to Sections
7.2 and 8.1 of the Trust Agreement and Section 3819(a) of the DSTA. Because the
Trust is a grantor trust, it may only issue one class of securities, the
Shares.
The
Trust offers Shares on a periodic basis at such times and for such periods as
the Sponsor determines in its sole discretion. As a result, in order to maintain
the 10.0% ownership threshold required to maintain a derivative action,
shareholders may need to increase their holdings or locate additional
shareholders during the pendency of a claim. The Trust will post the number of
Shares outstanding as of the end of each month on its website and as of the end
of each quarter in its annual and quarterly filings with the SEC. The Trust
additionally will report sales of unregistered securities on Form 8-K pursuant
to Item 3.02 thereof. Following the effectiveness of the registration statement
of which this prospectus forms a part, shareholders may monitor the number of
Shares outstanding at any time for purposes of calculating their ownership
threshold by reviewing the Trust’s website and SEC filings and by requesting the
number of Shares outstanding on any date from the Sponsor at any time pursuant
to Sections 7.2 and 8.1 of the Trust Agreement. Shareholders have the
opportunity at any time to increase their holdings or locate other shareholders
to maintain the 10.0% threshold throughout the duration of a derivative claim.
Shareholders may do so by contacting shareholders that are required to file
Schedule 13Ds or Schedule 13Gs with the SEC or by requesting from the Sponsor
the list of the names and last known address of all shareholders pursuant to
Sections 7.2 and 8.1 of the Trust Agreement and Section 3819(a) of the
DSTA.
The
Sponsor is not aware of any reason to believe that Section 7.4 of the Trust
Agreement is not enforceable under state or federal law. The Court of Chancery
of Delaware has stated that “[t]he DSTA is enabling in nature and, as such,
permits a trust through its declarations of trust to delineate additional
standards and requirements with which a stockholder-plaintiff must comply to
proceed derivatively in the name of the trust.” Hartsel
v. Vanguard Group., Inc.,
Del. Ch. June 15, 2011. However, there is limited case law addressing the
enforceability of provisions like Section 7.4 under state and federal law and it
is possible that this provision would not be enforced by a court in another
jurisdiction or under other circumstances.
Beneficial
owners may have the right, subject to certain legal requirements, to bring class
actions in federal court to enforce their rights under the federal securities
laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder by the SEC. Beneficial
owners who have suffered losses in connection with the purchase or sale of their
beneficial interests may be able to recover such losses from the Sponsor where
the losses result from a violation by the Sponsor of the anti-fraud provisions
of the federal securities laws.
Actions
Taken to Protect the Trust
The
Sponsor may prosecute, defend, settle or compromise actions or claims at law or
in equity that it considers necessary or proper to protect the Trust or the
interests of the shareholders. The expenses incurred by the Sponsor in
connection therewith (including the fees and disbursements of legal counsel)
will be expenses of the Trust and are deemed to be Additional Trust Expenses.
The Sponsor will be entitled to be reimbursed for the Additional Trust Expenses
it pays on behalf of the Trust.
Successor
Sponsors
If
the Sponsor is adjudged bankrupt or insolvent, the Trust may dissolve and a
Liquidating Trustee may be appointed to terminate and liquidate the Trust and
distribute its remaining assets. The Trustee will have no obligation to appoint
a successor sponsor or to assume the duties of the Sponsor, and will have no
liability to any person because the Trust is or is not terminated. However, if a
certificate of dissolution or revocation of the Sponsor’s charter is filed (and
ninety (90) days have passed after the date of notice to the Sponsor of
revocation without a reinstatement of the Sponsor’s charter) or the withdrawal,
removal, adjudication or admission of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Sponsor
has occurred, shareholders holding at least a majority (over 50%) of the Shares
may agree in writing to continue the affairs of the Trust and to select,
effective as of the date of such event, one or more successor sponsors within
ninety (90) days of any such event.
The
Trustee
The
Trustee is a fiduciary under the Trust Agreement and must satisfy the
requirements of Section 3807 of the Delaware Trust Statute. However, the
fiduciary duties, responsibilities and liabilities of the Trustee are limited
by, and are only those specifically set forth in, the Trust
Agreement.
Limitation
on Trustee’s Liability
Under
the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor has exclusive control of the management of all
aspects of the activities of the Trust and the Trustee has only nominal duties
and liabilities to the Trust. The Trustee is appointed to serve as the trustee
for the sole purpose of satisfying Section 3807(a) of the DSTA which requires
that the Trust have at least one trustee with a principal place of business in
the State of Delaware. The duties of the Trustee are limited to (i) accepting
legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware and (ii) the
execution of any certificates required to be filed with the Delaware Secretary
of State which the Trustee is required to execute under the DSTA.
To
the extent the Trustee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities
to the Trust or the shareholders under the DSTA, such duties and liabilities
will be replaced by the duties and liabilities of the Trustee expressly set
forth in the Trust Agreement. The Trustee will have no obligation to supervise,
nor will it be liable for, the acts or omissions of the Sponsor, Transfer Agent,
Custodian or any other person. Neither the Trustee, either in its capacity as
trustee or in its individual capacity, nor any director, officer or controlling
person of the Trustee is, or has any liability as, the issuer, director, officer
or controlling person of the issuer of Shares. The Trustee’s liability is
limited solely to the express obligations of the Trustee as set forth in the
Trust Agreement.
Under
the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor has the exclusive management, authority and
control of all aspects of the activities of the Trust. The Trustee has no duty
or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Sponsor, nor does
the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Sponsor. The
existence of a trustee should not be taken as an indication of any additional
level of management or supervision over the Trust. The Trust Agreement provides
that the management authority with respect to the Trust is vested directly in
the Sponsor and that the Trustee is not responsible or liable for the
genuineness, enforceability, collectability, value, sufficiency, location or
existence of any of the XRP or other assets of the Trust.
Possible
Repayment of Distributions Received by Shareholders; Indemnification by
Shareholders
The
Shares are limited liability investments. Investors may not lose more than the
amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their investment.
Although it is unlikely, the Sponsor may, from time to time, make distributions
to the shareholders. However, shareholders could be required, as a matter of
bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Trust any distribution they
received at a time when the Trust was in fact insolvent or in violation of its
Trust Agreement. In addition, the Trust Agreement provides that shareholders
will indemnify the Trust for any harm suffered by it as a result of
shareholders’ actions unrelated to the activities of the Trust.
The
foregoing repayment of distributions and indemnity provisions (other than the
provision for shareholders indemnifying the Trust for taxes imposed upon it by a
state, local or foreign taxing authority, which is included only as a formality
due to the fact that many states do not have statutory trust statutes therefore
the tax status of the Trust in such states might, theoretically, be challenged)
are commonplace in statutory trusts and limited partnerships.
Indemnification
of the Trustee
The
Trustee and any of the officers, directors, employees and agents of the Trustee
will be indemnified by the Trust as primary obligor and the Sponsor as secondary
obligor and held harmless against any loss, damage, liability, claim, action,
suit, cost, expense, disbursement (including the reasonable fees and expenses of
counsel), tax or penalty of any kind and nature whatsoever, arising out of,
imposed upon or asserted at any time against such indemnified person in
connection with the performance of its obligations under the Trust Agreement,
the creation, operation or termination of the Trust or the transactions
contemplated therein; provided, however, that neither the Trust nor the Sponsor
will be required to indemnify any such indemnified person for any such expenses
which are a result of the willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence of
such indemnified person. If the Trust has insufficient assets or improperly
refuses to pay such an indemnified person within 60 days of a request for
payment owed under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor will, as secondary obligor,
compensate or reimburse the Trustee or
indemnify,
defend and hold harmless such an indemnified person as if it were the primary
obligor under the Trust Agreement. Any amount payable to such an indemnified
person under the Trust Agreement may be payable in advance under certain
circumstances and will be secured by a lien on the Trust property. The
obligations of the Sponsor and the Trust to indemnify such indemnified persons
under the Trust Agreement will survive the termination of the Trust
Agreement.
Holding
of Trust Property
The
Trust will hold and record the ownership of the Trust’s assets in a manner such
that it will be owned for the benefit of the shareholders for the purposes of,
and subject to and limited by the terms and conditions set forth in, the Trust
Agreement. The Trust will not create, incur or assume any indebtedness or borrow
money from or loan money to any person. The Trustee may not commingle its assets
with those of any other person.
The
Trustee may employ agents, attorneys, accountants, auditors and nominees and
will not be answerable for the conduct or misconduct of any such custodians,
agents, attorneys or nominees if such custodians, agents, attorneys and nominees
have been selected with reasonable care.
Resignation,
Discharge or Removal of Trustee; Successor Trustees
The
Trustee may resign as Trustee by written notice of its election so to do,
delivered to the Sponsor with at least 180 days’ notice. The Sponsor may remove
the Trustee in its discretion. If the Trustee resigns or is removed, the
Sponsor, acting on behalf of the shareholders, will appoint a successor trustee.
The successor Trustee will become fully vested with all of the rights, powers,
duties and obligations of the outgoing Trustee.
If
the Trustee resigns and no successor trustee is appointed within 180 days after
the Trustee notifies the Sponsor of its resignation, the Trustee will terminate
and liquidate the Trust and distribute its remaining assets.
Amendments
to the Trust Agreement
In
general, the Sponsor may amend the Trust Agreement without the consent of any
shareholder. In particular, the Sponsor may, without the approval of the
shareholders, amend the Trust Agreement if the Trust is advised at any time by
the Trust’s accountants or legal counsel that the amendments are necessary to
permit the Trust to take the position that it is a grantor trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. However, the Sponsor may not make an amendment, or
otherwise supplement the Trust Agreement, if such amendment or supplement would
permit the Sponsor, the Trustee or any other person to vary the investment of
the shareholders (within the meaning of applicable Treasury Regulations) or
would otherwise adversely affect the status of the Trust as a grantor trust for
U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, no amendments to the Trust
Agreement that materially adversely affect the interests of shareholders may be
made without the vote of at least a majority (over 50%) of the Shares (not
including any Shares held by the Sponsor or its affiliates). A shareholder will
be deemed to have consented to a modification or amendment of the Trust
Agreement if the Sponsor has notified the shareholders in writing of the
proposed modification or amendment and the shareholder has not, within 20
calendar days of such notice, notified the Sponsor in writing the shareholder
objects to such modification or amendment.
Termination
of the Trust
The
Trust will dissolve if any of the following events occur:
•
a
U.S. federal or state regulator requires the Trust to shut down or forces the
Trust to liquidate its XRP or seizes, impounds or otherwise restricts access to
Trust assets;
•
any
ongoing event exists that either prevents the Trust from making or makes
impractical the Trust’s reasonable efforts to make a fair determination of the
Index Price;
•
any
ongoing event exists that either prevents the Trust from converting or makes
impractical the Trust’s reasonable efforts to convert XRP to U.S. dollars;
or
•
a
certificate of dissolution or revocation of the Sponsor’s charter is filed (and
90 days have passed since the date of notice to the Sponsor of revocation
without a reinstatement of its charter) or the withdrawal, removal, adjudication
or admission of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Sponsor has occurred, unless (i)
at the time there is at least one remaining Sponsor and that remaining Sponsor
carries on the Trust or (ii) within 90 days of any such event shareholders
holding at least a majority (over 50%) of Shares, not including Shares held by
the Sponsor and its affiliates, agree in writing to continue the activities of
the Trust and to select, effective as of the date of such event, one or more
successor sponsors.
The
Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, dissolve the Trust if any of the following
events occur:
•
the
SEC determines that the Trust is an investment company required to be registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940;
•
the
CFTC determines that the Trust is a commodity pool under the
CEA;
•
the
Trust is determined to be a “money service business” under the regulations
promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the Bank Secrecy Act and is
required to comply with certain FinCEN regulations
thereunder;
•
the
Trust is required to obtain a license or make a registration under any state law
regulating money transmitters, money services businesses, providers of prepaid
or stored value or similar entities, or virtual currency
businesses;
•
the
Trust becomes insolvent or bankrupt;
•
the
Custodian resigns or is removed without replacement;
•
all
of the Trust’s assets are sold;
•
the
Sponsor determines that the aggregate net assets of the Trust in relation to the
expenses of the Trust make it unreasonable or imprudent to continue the affairs
of the Trust;
•
the
Sponsor receives notice from the IRS or from counsel for the Trust or the
Sponsor that the Trust fails to qualify for treatment, or will not be treated,
as a grantor trust under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”);
•
if
the Trustee notifies the Sponsor of the Trustee’s election to resign and the
Sponsor does not appoint a successor trustee within 180 days;
or
•
the
Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that it is desirable or advisable
for any reason to discontinue the affairs of the Trust.
The
Sponsor may determine that it is desirable or advisable to discontinue the
affairs of the Trust for a variety of reasons. For example, the Sponsor may
terminate the Trust if a federal court upholds an allegation that XRP is a
security under the federal securities laws.
The
death, legal disability, bankruptcy, insolvency, dissolution, or withdrawal of
any shareholder (as long as such shareholder is not the sole shareholder of the
Trust) will not result in the termination of the Trust, and such shareholder,
his or her estate, custodian or personal representative will have no right to a
redemption or value such shareholder’s Shares. Each shareholder (and any
assignee thereof) expressly agrees that in the event of his or her death, he or
she waives on behalf of himself or herself and his or her estate, and he or she
directs the legal representative of his or her estate and any person interested
therein to waive the furnishing of any inventory, accounting or appraisal of the
assets of the Trust and any right to an audit or examination of the books of
account for the Trust, except for such rights as are set forth in Article VIII
of the Trust Agreement relating to the books of account and reports of the
Trust.
Upon
dissolution of the Trust and surrender of Shares by the shareholders,
shareholders will receive a distribution in U.S. dollars after the Sponsor has
sold the Trust’s XRP, if applicable, and has paid or made provision for the
Trust’s claims and obligations.
If
the Trust is forced to liquidate, the Trust will be liquidated under the
Sponsor’s direction. The Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, will engage directly
with Digital Asset Markets to liquidate the Trust’s XRP as promptly as possible
while obtaining the best fair value possible. The proceeds therefrom will be
applied and distributed in the following order of priority: (a) to the expenses
of liquidation and termination and to creditors, including shareholders who are
creditors, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, in satisfaction of
liabilities of the Trust other than liabilities for distributions to
shareholders and (b) to the holders of Shares pro rata in accordance with the
respective percentage of Shares that they hold. It is expected that the Sponsor
would be subject to the same regulatory requirements as the Trust, and
therefore, the markets available to the Sponsor will be the same markets
available to the Trust.
Governing
Law
The
Trust Agreement and the rights of the Sponsor, Trustee and shareholders under
the Trust Agreement are governed by the laws of the State of
Delaware.
Description
of the Prime Broker Agreement
The
Prime Broker Agreement establishes the rights and responsibilities of the
Custodian, the Prime Broker, the Sponsor and the Trust with respect to the
Trust’s XRP which is held in accounts maintained and operated by the Custodian,
as a fiduciary with respect to the Trust’s assets, and the Prime Broker
(together with the Custodian, the “Custodial Entities”) on behalf of the Trust.
For a general description of the Custodian’s obligations, see “—Service
Providers of the Trust—The Custodian and Prime Broker.”
Account;
Location of XRP
All
of the Trust’s XRP, other than that which is credited to a settlement balance
maintained with the Prime Broker (the “Settlement Balance”), is held in custody
accounts maintained on the books of the Custodian, as to which the Custodian
controls the private keys which allow for the transfer of ownership or control
of the Trust’s XRP on the Trust’s behalf (the “Vault Balance”). The Prime Broker
Agreement provides that the Trust’s Vault Balance will be held by the Custodian
in segregated wallets or accounts. The Custodian will keep all of the private
keys associated with the Trust’s XRP held in the Vault Balance in an offline
manner. The term “cold storage” refers to a safeguarding method where the
storage of private keys may involve keeping such keys’ materials on a
non-networked computer or electronic device or storing the private keys on a
storage device. Cold storage is a safeguarding method with multiple layers of
protections and protocols, by which the private keys corresponding to the
Trust’s XRP are generated and stored in an offline manner. The term “hot
storage” refers to the safeguarding method by which the private keys are held
online, where they are more accessible, leading to more efficient transfers,
though they are potentially more vulnerable to theft, loss or damage.
Additionally, at the Sponsor’s discretion, a portion of the Trust’s XRP holdings
may be credited to the Settlement Balance, which will be reflected in a ledger
maintained on the books of the Prime Broker. The Prime Broker Agreement provides
that any XRP credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance will be held (i) in
omnibus cold storage wallets; (ii) in omnibus hot storage wallets; or (iii) in
omnibus accounts with one of the third-party venues to which Coinbase has
established connections (each, a “Coinbase Connected Venue”). The Settlement
Balance shall be separate from the Vault Balance and any other account(s) the
Trust or the Sponsor maintain with the Custodian. From time to time, the Prime
Broker may temporarily keep a portion of the private keys associated with the
XRP credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance in hot storage for purposes of
facilitating the receipt and distribution of XRP in connection with the creation
and redemption of Baskets.
Private
key shards associated with the Trust’s XRP are distributed geographically by the
Custodial Entities in secure vaults around the world, including in the United
States. The locations of the secure vaults may change and are kept confidential
by the Custodian for security purposes.
The
Prime Broker Agreement states that the Custodian serves as a fiduciary and
custodian on the Trust’s behalf with respect to the Trust’s XRP held in the
Vault Balance and the XRP in the Vault Balance are considered
fiduciary
assets
that remain the Trust’s property at all times and are not treated as general
assets of the Custodian. Under the Prime Broker Agreement, the Custodian
represents and warrants that it has no right, interest, or title in the XRP in
the Trust’s Vault Balance, and agrees that it will not, directly or indirectly,
lend, pledge, hypothecate or rehypothecate such digital assets. The Custodian
does not reflect such digital assets as assets on the balance sheet of the
Custodian, but does reflect the obligation to safeguard such digital assets with
a corresponding asset measured at fair value for such obligation. With respect
to the Trust’s XRP credited to the Settlement Balance, the Prime Broker
maintains an internal ledger that specifies the XRP credited to the Trust’s
Settlement Balance. The Prime Broker Agreement states that the Prime Broker
treats such XRP as custodial assets held for the benefit of the Trust, and shall
not be considered the property of the Prime Broker.
Additionally,
under the Prime Broker Agreement, the Prime Broker represents and warrants that
it will not, directly or indirectly, sell, transfer, loan, rehypothecate or
otherwise alienate the Trust’s XRP credited to the Settlement
Balance.
The
Prime Broker Agreement also contains an agreement by the parties to treat the
digital assets credited to the Trust’s Vault Balance and Settlement Balance as
“financial assets” under Article 8 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code
(“Article 8”) and to treat the Vault Balance and Settlement Balance as
“securities accounts” with respect to which the Trust is the “entitlement
holder” within the meaning of Article 8. The Custodial Entities’ ultimate
parent, Coinbase Global, Inc. (“Coinbase Global”), has stated in its public
securities filings that in light of the inclusion in its custody agreements of
provisions relating to Article 8 it believes that a court would not treat
custodied digital assets as part of its general estate, although due to the
novelty of digital assets courts have not yet considered this type of treatment
for custodied digital assets. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the
Trust and the Shares—The Trust relies on third-party service providers to
perform certain functions essential to the affairs of the Trust and the
replacement of such service providers could pose challenges to the safekeeping
of the Trust’s XRP and to the operations of the Trust.”
Safekeeping
of XRP
The
Custodian will use commercially reasonable efforts to keep in safe custody on
behalf of the Trust all XRP received by the Custodian. All XRP credited to the
Vault Balance will (i) be held in the Vault Balance at all times, and the Vault
Balance will be controlled by the Custodian; (ii) be labeled or otherwise
appropriately identified as being held for the Trust; (iii) be held on a
non-fungible basis; (iv) not be commingled with other digital assets held by the
Custodian, whether held for the Custodian’s own account or the account of other
clients other than the Trust; and (v) not without the prior written consent of
the Trust be deposited or held with any third-party depositary, custodian,
clearance system or wallet. Additionally, the Custodian will use commercially
reasonable efforts to keep the private key or keys for the Vault Balance secure,
and will not disclose such keys to the Trust, the Sponsor or to any other
individual or entity except to the extent that any keys are disclosed consistent
with a standard of commercially reasonable efforts and as part of a multiple
signature solution that would not result in the Trust or the Sponsor “storing,
holding, or maintaining custody or control of” the XRP “on behalf of others”
within the meaning of the New York BitLicense Rule (23 NYCRR Part 200) as in
effect as of June 24, 2015 such that it would require the Trust or the Sponsor
to become licensed under such law.
XRP
credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance may be held in omnibus wallets
maintained by the Prime Broker and/or at Coinbase Connected Venues. While the
XRP credited to the Trust’s Settlement Balance could be commingled with other
assets, the XRP in the Trust’s Settlement Balance will represent entitlement to
a pro- rata share of the XRP held in such omnibus wallets and/or at Coinbase
Connected Venues. In all circumstances the Prime Broker will keep an internal
ledger that specifies the assets credited to the Settlement Balance such that
the Trust, its auditors and regulators can identify the Trust’s pro-rata share
of the XRP held in omnibus wallets and/or at Coinbase Connected Venues. Neither
the Trust nor the Sponsor have a contractual relationship with the Coinbase
Connected Venues utilized by the Custodial Entities.
Insurance
Pursuant
to the terms of the Prime Broker Agreement, the Custodian is required to
maintain insurance in such types and amounts as are commercially reasonable for
the custodial services it provides. The Custodian has advised the Sponsor that
it has insurance coverage pursuant to policies held by Coinbase Global, which
procures fidelity (or crime) insurance coverage at commercially reasonable
amounts for the custodial services provided. This insurance
coverage
is limited to losses of the digital assets the Custodian custodies on behalf of
its clients, including the Trust’s XRP, resulting from theft, including internal
theft by employees of Coinbase and its subsidiaries and theft or fraud by a
director of Coinbase if the director is acting in the capacity of an employee of
Coinbase or its subsidiaries. Although the Prime Broker is not required to
maintain insurance under the terms of the Prime Broker Agreement, the Custodial
Entities have also advised the Sponsor that they maintain insurance coverage
pursuant to such policies held by Coinbase Global.
Moreover,
while
the Custodian maintains certain capital reserve requirements depending on the
assets under custody and to the extent required by applicable law, and such
capital reserves may provide additional means to cover client asset losses, the
Sponsor does not know the amount of such capital reserves, and neither the Trust
nor the Sponsor have access to such information. The Trust cannot be assured
that the Custodian will maintain capital reserves sufficient to cover losses
with respect to the Trust’s digital assets. Furthermore, Coinbase has
represented in securities filings that the total value of crypto assets in its
possession and control is significantly greater than the total value of
insurance coverage that would compensate Coinbase in the event of theft or other
loss of funds.
Deposits,
Withdrawals and Storage
The
Custodian and the Prime Broker provide for: (i) holding of the Trust’s XRP in
the Vault Balance and the Settlement Balance; (ii) transfer of the Trust’s XRP
between the relevant Vault Balance and the Settlement Balance; (iii) the deposit
of XRP from a public blockchain address into the respective account or accounts
in which the Vault Balance or the Settlement Balance are maintained; and (iv)
the withdrawal of XRP from the Vault Balance to a public blockchain address the
Trust controls (each such transaction is a “Custody Transaction”) (collectively,
the “Custodial and Prime Broker Services”).
The
Custodian reserves the right to refuse to process or to cancel any pending
Custody Transaction as required by law or in response to a subpoena, court
order, or other binding government order or to enforce transaction, threshold,
and condition limits, in each case as communicated to the Trust as soon as
reasonably practicable where the Custodian is permitted to do so, or if the
Custodian reasonably believes that the Custody Transaction may violate or
facilitate the violation of an applicable law, regulation or applicable rule of
a governmental authority or self-regulatory organization. The Custodial Entities
may suspend, restrict or terminate the Trust’s and the Sponsor’s access to the
Custodial and Prime Broker Services, and/or suspend, restrict or close the
Accounts if the Trust or Sponsor has taken certain actions, including any
prohibited use or prohibited business as set forth in the Prime Broker Agreement
or if either or both of the Custodial Entities are required to do so by a
subpoena, court order, or other binding government order.
From
the time the Custodian has verified the authorization of a complete set of
instructions to withdraw XRP from the Vault Balance, the Custodian will have a
limited amount of time to process and complete such withdrawal. The Custodian
will ensure that initiated deposits are processed in a timely manner but the
Custodian makes no representations or warranties regarding the amount of time
needed to complete processing which is dependent upon many factors outside of
the Custodian’s control. Transactions relating to XRP held in the Settlement
Balance occur on the XRP Blockchain.
The
Custodial Entities make no other representations or warranties with respect to
the availability and/or accessibility of XRP or the availability and/or
accessibility of the Vault Balance, the Settlement Balance or the Custodial and
Prime Broker Services.
Security
of the Accounts
The
Custodial Entities securely store all digital asset private keys held by the
Custodian on secure servers or offline, in cold storage. Under the Prime Broker
Agreement, the Custodian must use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the
private key or keys to the Vault Balance secure, and may not disclose such
private keys to the Sponsor, Trust or any other individual or entity.
The
Custodial Entities have implemented and will maintain reasonable information
security programs that include policies and procedures that are reasonably
designed to safeguard the Custodial Entities’ electronic systems and the Trust’s
and the Sponsor’s confidential information from, among other things,
unauthorized access or misuse.
In
the event of a Data Security Event (as defined in the Prime Broker Agreement),
the Custodial Entities will promptly (subject to any legal or regulatory
requirements) notify the Trust and the Sponsor.
Record
Keeping; Inspection and Auditing
The
Custodian will keep timely and accurate records as to the deposit, disbursement,
investment and reinvestment of the XRP in the Vault Balance, and such records
must be retained by the Custodian for no less than seven years. The Prime Broker
Agreement also provides that each Custodial Entity will permit, to the extent it
may legally do so, the Trust’s third-party representatives, upon thirty days’
notice, to inspect, take extracts from and audit the records that it maintains,
take such steps as necessary to verify that satisfactory internal control
systems and procedures are in place, as the Trust may reasonably request. The
Prime Broker is obligated to notify the Trust of any audit report prepared by
its internal or independent auditors if such report reveals any material
deficiencies or makes any material objections.
The
Trust and the Sponsor obtain and perform a comprehensive review of the Services
Organization Controls (“SOC”) 1 report and SOC 2 each year. For additional
information, see “—Description of Trust Documents—Description of the Prime
Broker Agreement.” In addition to the review of SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports, the
Trust, the Sponsor and/or their respective auditors may inspect or audit the
Custodian’s records in a variety of manners if considered necessary. Such
processes may include validating the existing balances as reflected on the
Custodian’s user interface to nodes of the underlying blockchain and confirming
that such digital assets are associated with its public keys to validate the
existence and exclusive ownership of the digital assets. To validate software
functionality of the private keys, the Trust may transfer a portion of its
digital assets from one public key to another public key of the
Trust.
The
Trust, the Sponsor and their independent auditors may evaluate the Custodian’s
protection of private keys and other customer information, including review of
supporting documentation related to the processes surrounding key lifecycle
management, the key generation process (hardware, software, and algorithms
associated with generation) the infrastructure used to generate and store
private keys, how private keys are stored (for example, cold wallets), the
segregation of duties in the authorization of digital asset transactions, and
the number of users required to process a transaction and the monitoring of
addresses for any unauthorized activity. For additional information, see
“—Custody of the Trust’s XRP.”
Once
each calendar year, the Trust and the Sponsor will be entitled to request that
the Custodial Entities provide a copy of the Services Organization Controls
(“SOC”) 1 report and SOC 2 report once per calendar year. Such reports are
required to be dated within one year prior to such request. The Custodial
Entities reserve the right to combine the SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports into a
comprehensive report. In the event that the Custodial Entities do not deliver a
SOC 1 Report or SOC 2 Report, as applicable, the Sponsor and the Trust will be
entitled to terminate the Prime Broker Agreement. In addition to the review of
SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports, the Trust may also request letters of representation on
a quarterly basis between SOC reports regarding any known changes or conclusions
to the SOC 1 and SOC 2 report.
Standard
of Care; Limitations of Liability
The
Custodian will use commercially reasonable efforts to keep in safe custody on
behalf of the Trust all XRP received by the Custodian. The Custodial Entities
are liable to the Sponsor and the Trust for the loss of any XRP to the extent
such loss resulted from the negligence, fraud or willful misconduct of the
Custodial Entities. To the extent any loss is caused by a Custodial Entity’s
negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Custodial Entities are required to
return to the Trust a quantity of XRP equal to the quantity of any such lost
XRP.
The
Custodial Entities’ or Trust’s total liability under the Prime Broker Agreement
will not exceed the greater of: (i) the value of the XRP or cash involved in the
event, including but not limited to transaction(s) or deliveries(s), giving rise
to such liability at the time of the event giving rise to such liability; (ii)
the aggregate amount of fees paid by the Trust to the Custodial Entities in
respect of the Custodial and Prime Broker Services in the 12-month period prior
to the event giving rise to such liability; or (iii) five million U.S. dollars.
The Custodian’s total liability under the Prime Broker Agreement will not exceed
the greater of: (i) the aggregate amount of fees paid by the Trust to the
Custodian in respect of the custodial services in the 12-month period prior to
the event giving rise to such liability; or (ii) the value of the XRP on deposit
in the Vault Balance at the time of the events giving rise to the
liability
occurred,
the value of which will be determined in accordance with the Prime Broker
Agreement. In addition, the Custodian’s maximum liability in respect of each
cold storage address that holds XRP shall be limited to $100 million (the “Cold
Storage Threshold”). The Sponsor monitors the value of XRP deposited in cold
storage addresses for whether the Cold Storage Threshold has been met by
determining the U.S. dollar value of XRP deposited in each cold storage address
on business days. Although the Cold Storage Threshold has to date not been met
for a given cold storage address, to the extent it is met the Trust would not
have a claim against the Custodian with respect to the digital assets held in
such address to the extent the value exceeds the Cold Storage
Threshold.
The
Custodial Entities and the Trust are not liable to each other for any special,
incidental, indirect, punitive, or consequential damages, whether or not the
other party had been advised of such losses or knew or should have known of the
possibility of such damages. In addition, the Custodial Entities are not liable
to the Trust for circumstances resulting from certain force majeure
events.
Indemnity
The
Trust and the Custodial Entities have agreed to indemnify one another from and
against certain claims or losses, subject to customary exceptions and
limitations.
Fees
and Expenses
The
Sponsor will pay an annualized fee to the Coinbase Entities, covering the
Trust’s use of the Custodial and Prime Broker Services, that is accrued on a
monthly basis as a percentage of the Trust’s monthly assets under custody. The
Sponsor will also pay a monthly fee to the Prime Broker, covering withdrawals
and deposits to or from the Settlement Balance in connection with the creation
and redemption of Shares.
Term;
Termination and Suspension
The
Prime Broker Agreement will remain in effect until either party terminates the
Prime Broker Agreement; provided, however, that the Coinbase Entities shall not
restrict, suspend, or modify any Prime Broker Services following termination of
the Prime Broker Agreement by a Custodial Entity without Cause (as defined in
the Prime Broker Agreement) or by the Trust until the end of the applicable
notice period and neither party’s termination of the Prime Broker Agreement will
be effective until the Trust and/or the Custodial Entities, as the case may be,
have fully satisfied their obligations thereunder.
The
Trust may terminate the Prime Broker Agreement in whole or in part upon thirty
days’ prior written notice to the applicable Custodial Entity; and (ii) for
Custodian Cause (as defined in the Prime Broker Agreement) at any time by
written notice to the Prime Broker, effective immediately, or on such later date
as may be specified in such notice. The Trust will also be entitled to terminate
the Prime Broker Agreement in the event that the Custodial Entities do not
deliver a SOC 1 Report or SOC 2 Report, as applicable. See “—Record Keeping;
Inspection and Auditing.”
The
Custodial Entities may terminate the Prime Broker Agreement (i) upon one hundred
eighty days’ prior written notice to the Trust; and (ii) for Cause at any time
by written notice to the Trust, effective immediately, or on such later date as
may be specified in the notice.
In
the event that either the Trust or the Custodial Entities terminate the Prime
Broker Agreement without Cause, the Custodial Entities shall use reasonable
efforts to assist the Trust with transferring any digital assets, fiat currency
or funds associated with the Trust’s Accounts to another custodial services
provider within ninety days of receipt of the applicable termination
notice.
Governing
Law
The
Prime Broker Agreement is governed by New York law.
Legal
Proceedings
The
Sponsor or former Co-Sponsor of the Trust until May 3, 2025, as applicable, was
a party to certain legal proceedings during the periods covered by the financial
statements included to this prospectus. Although the Trust is not a party to
these proceedings, the Trust may in the future be subject to legal proceedings
or disputes.
On
January 30, 2023, Osprey Funds, LLC (“Osprey”) filed a suit in Connecticut
Superior Court against the Sponsor alleging that statements the Sponsor made in
its advertising and promotion of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF violated the
Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (“CUTPA”), and seeking statutory damages
and injunctive relief. On April 17, 2023, the Sponsor filed a motion to dismiss
the complaint and, following briefing, a hearing on the motion to dismiss was
held on June 26, 2023. On October 23, 2023, the Court denied the Sponsor’s
motion to dismiss. On November 6, 2023, the Sponsor filed a motion for
reargument of the Court’s order denying the Sponsor’s motion to dismiss. On
November 16, 2023, Osprey filed an opposition to the Sponsor’s motion for
reargument, and on November 30, 2023, the Sponsor filed a reply in further
support of its motion for reargument. On March 11, 2024, the Court denied the
Sponsor’s motion for reargument. On March 25, 2024, the Sponsor filed an
application for interlocutory appeal. On March 28, 2024, Osprey filed an
opposition to the Sponsor’s application for interlocutory appeal. On April 1,
2024, the Court denied the Sponsor’s application for interlocutory appeal. On
April 10, 2024, Osprey filed a motion to amend the complaint. The amended
complaint went into effect on April 25, 2024. A scheduling order was entered by
the Court with trial scheduled to begin on July 15, 2025. On July 31, 2024, the
Sponsor filed a motion to strike the amended complaint. On August 30, 2024,
Osprey filed an opposition to the Sponsor’s motion to strike the amended
complaint. On October 11, 2024, the Court denied the Sponsor’s motion to strike.
On November 22, 2024, the Sponsor filed a motion for summary judgment on the
grounds that CUTPA does not apply to practices undertaken in connection with the
purchase and sale of securities, and the Court granted the Sponsor’s motion for
summary judgment on February 7, 2025. On February 10, 2025, Osprey filed a
motion for reargument, and the Court denied Osprey’s motion for reargument on
March 19, 2025. On March 31, 2025, Osprey filed a notice of appeal of the
summary judgment decision and the Court’s denial of the motion for reargument to
the Connecticut Appellate Court. On May 12, 2025, Osprey withdrew the action and
the appeal.
On
May 19, 2025, Genesis Global Capital, LLC (“Genesis Capital”) and Genesis Asia
Pacific Pte. Ltd. (“Genesis Asia”) filed a complaint in the United States
Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (“SDNY Bankruptcy Court”)
against Digital Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”) and certain of its affiliates
including GSO alleging that Genesis Capital made certain preferential transfers
to GSI, the predecessor in interest to GSO prior to the Merger, during the
preference period prior to Genesis Capital’s filing of a bankruptcy petition in
SDNY Bankruptcy Court while GSI was allegedly an insider to Genesis Capital
pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 101(31). Genesis Capital seeks to avoid the alleged
preferential transfers pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 547(b), as well as recovery of
property and disallowance of claims. GSO believes this lawsuit is without merit
and intends to vigorously defend against it.
As
of the date of this prospectus, the Sponsor does not expect the foregoing
proceedings to have a material adverse effect on the Trust’s business, financial
condition or results of operations.
The
Sponsor and/or the Trust may be subject to additional legal proceedings and
disputes in the future.
The
Trust does not have any directors, officers or employees. Under the Trust
Agreement, all management functions of the Trust have been delegated to and are
conducted by the Sponsor, its agents and its affiliates, including without
limitation, the Custodian and its agents. As officers of the Sponsor, Peter
Mintzberg, the principal executive officer of the Sponsor, and Edward McGee, the
principal financial and accounting officer of the Sponsor, may take certain
actions and execute certain agreements and certifications for the Trust, in
their capacity as the principal officers of the Sponsor.
As
of and prior to December 31, 2024, GSI had a board of directors that was
responsible for managing and directing the affairs of the Sponsor. From and
after January 1, 2025, GSO Intermediate Holdings Corporation (“GSOIH”), a
Delaware corporation formed in connection with the Reorganization, which is the
sole managing member of GSO and an indirect subsidiary of DCG, has a board of
directors (the “Board”) that is responsible for managing and directing the
affairs of the Sponsor. The Board consists of Barry Silbert, Mark Shifke,
Matthew Kummell, Mr. Mintzberg, and Mr. McGee. Mr. Mintzberg and Mr. McGee also
retain the authority granted to them as officers under the limited liability
company agreement of the Sponsor.
The
Sponsor has an Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility for
overseeing the financial reporting process of the Trust, including the risks and
controls of that process and such other oversight functions as are typically
performed by an audit committee of a public company.
The
Sponsor has a code of ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) that applies to its
executive officers and agents. The Code of Ethics is available by writing the
Sponsor at 290 Harbor Drive, 4th Floor, Stamford, Connecticut 06902 or calling
the Sponsor at (212) 668-1427. The Sponsor’s Code of Ethics is intended to be a
codification of the business and ethical principles that guide the Sponsor, and
to deter wrongdoing, to promote honest and ethical conduct, to avoid conflicts
of interest, and to foster compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules
and regulations, the prompt internal reporting of violations and accountability
for adherence to this code.
Prior
to January 1, 2025, references to the “Sponsor” in this section refer to GSI,
and thereafter refer to GSO or GSIS, as applicable. In connection with the
Reorganization, the former Board of GSI was reconstituted at GSOIH. The members
of the Board of GSOIH are the same as the members of the Board of GSI prior to
the Reorganization. From and after January 1, 2025, any references to the Board
in this section refer to the Board of GSOIH.
Barry
Silbert,
49, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DCG and has served as chairman
of the Board since August 25 (previously served as a director and chairman of
the Board from February 2020 through December 2023). Until January 2021, Mr.
Silbert was the Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor. A pioneer in blockchain
investing, Mr. Silbert established himself in 2012 as one of the earliest and
most active investors in the industry. Mr. Silbert founded DCG in 2015 and
today, it is one of the world’s most prolific investors in decentralized
technologies, backing over 250 early-stage companies in more than 40 countries.
Mr. Silbert founded Yuma, a decentralized AI-focused subsidiary of DCG, where he
also serves as CEO. Yuma invests in, builds, and scales the Bittensor network.
DCG also owns Grayscale Investments, Foundry, Fortitude, Luno and Yuma. DCG also
invests directly in digital currencies and other digital assets. Prior to
leading DCG, Mr. Silbert was the founder and CEO of SecondMarket, a
venture-backed technology company that was acquired by Nasdaq. Mr. Silbert has
received numerous awards and accolades, including being named “Entrepreneur of
the Year” by both Ernst & Young and Crain’s, and being selected to Fortune’s
prestigious “40 under 40” list. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mr. Silbert
worked as an investment banker. He graduated with honors from the Goizueta
Business School of Emory University.
Mark
Shifke,
66, is the Chief Financial Officer of DCG and has served as a director of the
Sponsor since January 2024. Since March 2021, Mr. Shifke has served on the board
of directors of Dock Ltd., a full-stack payments and digital banking platform.
Since September 2023, Mr. Shifke has served on the board of directors of Luno, a
cryptocurrency platform. Mr. Shifke has nearly four decades of financial and
fintech experience, and more than eight years of CFO experience leading two
publicly-traded companies. Prior to joining DCG, Mr. Shifke served as CFO of
Billtrust, a company focused on providing AR and cloud-based solutions around
payments, and as CFO of Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT), a mobile banking company and
payments platform. Previously, Mr. Shifke led teams at JPMorgan Chase and
Goldman Sachs, specializing in M&A Structuring and Advisory, as well as Tax
Asset
Investments.
Mr. Shifke also served as the Head of International Structured Finance Group at
KPMG. Mr. Shifke began his career at Davis Polk, where he was a partner. He is a
graduate of Tulane University (B.A./J.D.) and the New York University School of
Law (LL.M. in Taxation).
Matthew
Kummell,
49,
is Senior Vice President of Institutional and Enterprise at the NEAR Foundation
and has served as a director of the Sponsor since January 2024. In his role at
the NEAR Foundation, Mr. Kummell leads efforts to engage institutional and
enterprise businesses with the NEAR Protocol ecosystem. From December 2023
through June 2025, Mr. Kummell served as a member of the board of directors of
Foundry, a digital asset mining and staking company. Until November 2023, Mr.
Kummell served on the board of directors of CoinDesk, Inc., a digital media,
events and information services company. Until January 2012, Mr. Kummell served
on the board of directors of Derivix Corporation, a financial services software
company. Prior to joining the NEAR Foundation in 2025, Mr. Kummell was Senior
Vice President of Strategy & Operations at DCG (2021 to 2025). From 2018 to
2021, he served as the Head of North America for Citi’s Business Advisory
Services team, a strategic consulting group within Citi’s Markets division
focused on institutional investor clients. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kummell
held strategic and front-office roles at Citadel, Balyasny Asset Management, and
S.A.C. Capital Advisors (the predecessor to Point 72 Asset Management). He also
worked as a Case Team Leader at Bain & Company in its Boston office. From
2020 to 2025, Mr. Kummell was an Adjunct Professor at the Tuck School of
Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a B.A. from the University of
California, Los Angeles, and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at
Dartmouth College.
Peter
Mintzberg,
57, has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Sponsor and has served as a
director of the Sponsor since August 2024. Mr. Mintzberg joins the Sponsor from
Goldman Sachs, where he served as Global Head of Strategy for Asset and Wealth
Management. Prior, he held several global leadership roles in Strategy, M&A,
and Investor Relations at BlackRock, Apollo, OppenheimerFunds, and Invesco. With
deep knowledge across a broad base of client types and asset classes, Mr.
Mintzberg has over two decades of experience developing and executing strategy
and innovating to drive growth. Mr. Mintzberg started his career working at
McKinsey & Co. in New York, San Francisco, and São Paulo, focused on the
financial services and
technology sectors. Mr. Mintzberg was recognized as a Latino leader in Finance
by The Alumni Society in 2018, and was selected as a David Rockefeller Fellow in
the 2016-2017 Class by the Partnership for New York City. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in engineering from the Universidade Federal Rio de Janeiro, and an MBA
from Harvard University.
Edward
McGee,
41, has been the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor since January 2022 and
has served as a director of the Sponsor since January 2024. Before serving as
CFO, Mr. McGee was Vice President, Finance and Controller of the Sponsor since
June 2019. Prior to taking on his role at the Sponsor, Mr. McGee served as a
Vice President, Accounting Policy at Goldman, Sachs & Co. providing coverage
to their SEC Financial Reporting team facilitating the preparation and review of
their financial statements and provided U.S. GAAP interpretation, application
and policy development while servicing their Special Situations Group, Merchant
Banking Division and Urban Investments Group from 2014 to 2019. From 2011 to
2014, Mr. McGee was an auditor at Ernst & Young providing assurance services
to publicly listed companies. Mr. McGee earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
accounting from the John H. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa
and graduated with honors while earning his Master of Accountancy in Financial
Accounting from the Rutgers Business School at the State University of New
Jersey. Mr. McGee is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of New
York.
Certain
Relationships and Related Party Transactions
General
The
Sponsor has not established formal procedures to resolve all potential conflicts
of interest. Consequently, shareholders may be dependent on the good faith of
the respective parties subject to such conflicts to resolve them equitably.
Although the Sponsor attempts to monitor these conflicts, it is extremely
difficult, if not impossible, for the Sponsor to ensure that these conflicts do
not, in fact, result in adverse consequences to the Trust.
The
Sponsor presently intends to assert that shareholders have, by subscribing for
Shares of the Trust, consented to the following conflicts of interest in the
event of any proceeding alleging that such conflicts violated any duty owed by
the Sponsor to investors.
Digital
Currency Group, Inc.
Digital
Currency Group, Inc. is (i) the sole equity holder and indirect parent company
of the Sponsor and (ii) a minority interest holder in Kraken, one of the Digital
Asset Trading Platforms included in the Index, representing less than 1.0% of
its equity.
Digital
Currency Group, Inc. has investments in a large number of digital assets and
companies involved in the digital asset ecosystem, including trading platforms
and custodians. Digital Currency Group, Inc.’s positions on changes that should
be adopted in the XRP Network could be adverse to positions that would benefit
the Trust or its shareholders. Additionally, before or after a hard fork,
Digital Currency Group, Inc.’s position regarding which fork among a group of
incompatible forks of the XRP Network should be considered the “true” XRP, could
be adverse to positions that would most benefit the Trust.
The
Sponsor
The
Sponsor has a conflict of interest in allocating its own limited resources
among, when applicable, different clients and potential future business
ventures, to each of which it owes fiduciary duties. Additionally, the
professional staff of the Sponsor also services other affiliates of the Trust,
including several other digital asset investment vehicles, and their respective
clients. Although the Sponsor and its professional staff cannot and will not
devote all of its or their respective time or resources to the management of the
affairs of the Trust, the Sponsor intends to devote, and to cause its
professional staff to devote, sufficient time and resources to manage properly
the affairs of the Trust consistent with its or their respective fiduciary
duties to the Trust and others.
The
Sponsor and Grayscale Securities are affiliates of each other, and the Sponsor
may engage other affiliated service providers in the future. Because of the
Sponsor’s affiliated status, it may be disincentivized from replacing affiliated
service providers. In connection with this conflict of interest, shareholders
should understand that affiliated service providers will receive fees for
providing services to the Trust. Clients of the affiliated service providers may
pay commissions at negotiated rates which are greater or less than the rate paid
by the Trust.
The
Sponsor and any affiliated service provider may, from time to time, have
conflicting demands in respect of their obligations to the Trust and, in the
future, to other clients. It is possible that future business ventures of the
Sponsor and affiliated service providers may generate larger fees, resulting in
increased payments to employees, and therefore, incentivizing the Sponsor and/or
the affiliated service providers to allocate its/their limited resources
accordingly to the potential detriment of the Trust.
There
is an absence of arm’s length negotiation with respect to some of the terms of
the Trust, and, where applicable, there has been no independent due diligence
conducted with respect to the Trust. The Sponsor will, however, not retain any
affiliated service providers for the Trust which the Sponsor has reason to
believe would knowingly or deliberately favor any other client over the
Trust.
Authorized
Participants
Effective
, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, and the Transfer Agent entered into
Participant Agreements with , and , pursuant to which such entities have agreed
to act
as
Authorized Participants. The Sponsor may engage additional Authorized
Participants who are unaffiliated with the Trust in the future.
Proprietary
Trading/Other Clients
Because
the officers of the Sponsor may trade XRP for their own personal trading
accounts (subject to certain internal trading policies and procedures) at the
same time as they are managing the account of the Trust, the activities of the
officers of the Sponsor, subject to their fiduciary duties, may, from
time-to-time, result in their taking positions in their personal trading
accounts which are opposite of the positions taken for the Trust. Records of the
Sponsor’s officers’ personal trading accounts will not be available for
inspection by shareholders.
Description
of the Shares
The
Trust is authorized under the Trust Agreement to create and issue an unlimited
number of Shares. Shares will be issued only in Baskets (a Basket equals a block
of 10,000 Shares) in connection with creations. The Shares represent units of
fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust and have
no par value. The Shares are expected to be listed on NYSE Arca under the ticker
symbol “GXRP”.
Description
of Limited Rights
The
Shares do not represent a traditional investment and should not be viewed as
similar to “shares” of a corporation operating a business enterprise with
management and a board of directors. A shareholder will not have the statutory
rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation. Each
Share is transferable, is fully paid and non-assessable and entitles the holder
to vote on the limited matters upon which shareholders may vote under the Trust
Agreement. For example, shareholders do not have the right to elect or remove
directors and will not receive dividends. The Shares do not entitle their
holders to any conversion or pre-emptive rights or, except as discussed below,
any redemption rights or rights to distributions.
Voting
and Approvals
The
shareholders take no part in the management or control of the Trust. Under the
Trust Agreement, shareholders have limited voting rights. For example, in the
event that the Sponsor withdraws, a majority of the shareholders may elect and
appoint a successor sponsor to carry out the affairs of the Trust. In addition,
no amendments to the Trust Agreement that materially adversely affect the
interests of shareholders may be made without the vote of at least a majority
(over 50%) of the then outstanding Shares (not including any Shares held by the
Sponsor or its affiliates). A shareholder will be deemed to have consented to a
modification or amendment of the Trust Agreement if the Sponsor has notified the
shareholders in writing of the proposed modification or amendment and the
shareholder has not, within 20 calendar days of such notice, notified the
Sponsor in writing that the shareholder objects to such modification or
amendment. Additionally, subject to certain limitations, the Sponsor may make
any other amendments to the Trust Agreement which do not materially adversely
affect the interests of the shareholders in its sole discretion without
shareholder consent.
Distributions
Pursuant
to the terms of the Trust Agreement, the Trust may make distributions on the
Shares in-cash or in-kind. In addition, if the Trust is terminated and
liquidated, the Sponsor will distribute to the shareholders any amounts of the
cash proceeds of the liquidation remaining after the satisfaction of all
outstanding liabilities of the Trust and the establishment of reserves for
applicable taxes, other governmental charges and contingent or future
liabilities as the Sponsor will determine. See “—Description of the Trust
Agreement—Termination of the Trust.” Shareholders of record on the record date
fixed by the Transfer Agent for a distribution will be entitled to receive their
pro
rata portions
of any distribution.
Creation
of Shares
The
Trust creates Shares at such times and for such periods as determined by the
Sponsor, but only in one or more whole Baskets. A Basket equals 10,000 Shares.
See “Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.” The creation of a Basket
requires the delivery to the Trust of the amount of XRP (or cash to acquire the
amount of XRP) represented by one Share immediately prior to such creation
multiplied by 10,000. The Trust may from time to time halt creations, including
for extended periods of time, for a variety of reasons, including in connection
with forks, airdrops and other similar occurrences.
Redemption
of Shares
Shares
are redeemable only in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement and
the relevant Participant Agreement. Through its redemption program, the Trust
redeems Shares from Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis. Although the
Trust redeems Baskets by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of
XRP, at this time an Authorized Participant can only submit Cash Orders,
pursuant to which an Authorized
Participant
will accept cash from the Cash Account in connection with the redemption of
Baskets. Cash Orders will be facilitated by the Transfer Agent and Grayscale
Investments Sponsors, LLC, which will engage one or more Liquidity Providers
that is not an agent of, or otherwise acting on behalf of, any Authorized
Participant receiving XRP in connection with such orders. Subject to In-Kind
Regulatory Approval, in the future the Trust may also redeem Baskets via In-Kind
Orders, pursuant to which an Authorized Participant or its AP Designee would
receive XRP directly from the Trust. However, because In-Kind Regulatory
Approval has not been obtained, at this time Baskets will not be redeemed
through In-Kind Orders and will only be redeemed through Cash Orders. See
“Description of Creation and Redemption of Shares.”
Book-Entry
Form
Shares
are held primarily in book-entry form by the Transfer Agent. The Sponsor or its
delegate will direct the Transfer Agent to credit or debit, as applicable, the
number of Baskets to the applicable Authorized Participant. The Transfer Agent
will issue or cancel Baskets, as applicable. Transfers will be made in
accordance with standard securities industry practice. The Sponsor may cause the
Trust to issue Shares in certificated form in limited circumstances in its sole
discretion.
Share
Splits
In
its discretion, the Sponsor may direct the Transfer Agent to declare a split or
reverse split in the number of Shares outstanding and to make a corresponding
change in the number of Shares constituting a Basket. For example, if the
Sponsor believes that the per Share price in the secondary market for Shares has
risen or fallen outside a desirable trading price range, it may declare such a
split or reverse split.
Description
of Creation and Redemption of Shares
The
following is a description of the material terms of the Trust Documents as they
relate to the creation and redemption of the Trust’s Shares on an ongoing
basis.
General
The
Trust issues Shares to and redeems Shares from Authorized Participants on an
ongoing basis, but only in one or more Baskets (with a Basket being a block of
10,000 Shares). The Trust will not issue fractions of a Basket. The Sponsor
believes that the creation and redemption order size of 10,000 Shares will
enable Authorized Participants to manage inventory and facilitate an effective
arbitrage mechanism for the Trust. However, the Sponsor may in the future adjust
the creation and redemption order size in order to improve the effectiveness of
the activities of Authorized Participants in the secondary market for the Shares
if the Sponsor determines it to be necessary or advisable. The Sponsor does not
expect that the size of the Baskets will have an impact on the arbitrage
mechanism.
The
creation and redemption of Baskets will be made only upon the delivery to the
Trust, or the distribution or other disposition by the Trust, of the number of
whole and fractional XRP represented by each Basket being created or redeemed,
which is determined by dividing (x) the amount of XRP owned by the Trust at 4:00
p.m., New York time, on the trade date of a creation or redemption order, after
deducting the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but
unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust (converted using the Index Price at such
time, and carried to the eighth decimal place), by (y) the number of Shares
outstanding at such time (with the quotient so obtained calculated to one
one-hundred-millionth of one XRP (i.e., carried to the eighth decimal place)),
and multiplying such quotient by 10,000 (the “Basket Amount”). The U.S. dollar
value of a Basket is calculated by multiplying the Basket Amount by the Index
Price as of the trade date (the “Basket NAV”). The Basket NAV multiplied by the
number of Baskets being created or redeemed is referred to as the “Total Basket
NAV.” All questions as to the calculation of the Basket Amount will be
conclusively determined by the Sponsor and will be final and binding on all
persons interested in the Trust. One or more major market data vendors may
provide an intra-day indicative value (“IIV”) per Share updated every 15
seconds, as calculated by NYSE Arca or a third-party financial data provider
during NYSE Arca’s Core Trading Session (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., New York time).
Such IIV will be calculated using the same methodology as the NAV per Share of
the Trust, specifically by using the prior day’s closing NAV per Share as a base
and updating that value during the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session to reflect
changes in the value of the Trust’s NAV during the trading day. The IIV on a per
Share basis disseminated during the Core Trading Session should not be viewed as
a real-time update of the NAV, which is calculated once a day. The amount of XRP
represented by a Share will gradually decrease over time as the Trust’s XRP are
used to pay the Trust’s expenses.
Authorized
Participants are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem
Baskets. Each Authorized Participant must (i) be a registered broker-dealer and
(ii) enter into a Participant Agreement with the Sponsor and the Transfer Agent.
Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future any Authorized
Participants creating and redeeming Shares through In-Kind Orders must also own
an XRP wallet address that is known to the Custodian as belonging to an
Authorized Participant and maintain an account with the Custodian (or if the
Authorized Participant does not itself trade in XRP, a designee of such
Authorized Participant (each, an “AP Designee”) must own an XRP wallet address
that is known to the Custodian as belonging to such AP Designee and maintain an
account with the Custodian).
An
Authorized Participant may act for its own account or as agent for
broker-dealers, custodians and other securities market participants that wish to
create or redeem Baskets. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants will
only be able to create or redeem their Shares through an Authorized
Participant.
The
creation of Baskets requires the delivery to the Trust of the Total Basket
Amount (or cash to acquire the Total Basket Amount) and the redemption of
Baskets requires the distribution or other disposition by the Trust of the Total
Basket Amount. Although the Trust creates Baskets only upon the receipt of XRP,
and redeems Baskets only by distributing XRP or proceeds from the disposition of
XRP, at this time an Authorized Participant can only submit Cash Orders,
pursuant to which the Authorized Participant will deposit cash into, or accept
cash from, a
segregated
account maintained by the Transfer Agent in the name of the Trust for purposes
of receiving and distributing cash in connection with the creation and
redemption of Baskets (such account, the “Cash Account”).
Cash
Orders will be facilitated by the Transfer Agent and Grayscale Investments
Sponsors, LLC. On an order-by-order basis, Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC,
acting in its capacity as Liquidity Engager, will engage one or more Liquidity
Providers to obtain or receive XRP in exchange for cash in connection with such
order, as described in more detail below. Each Liquidity Provider must enter
into a Liquidity Provider Agreement with the Liquidity Engager and the Sponsor
(on behalf of the Trust), which will obligate it to obtain or receive XRP in
connection with creations and redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders.
Unless
the Sponsor requires that a Cash Order be effected at actual execution prices
(an “Actual Execution Cash Order”), each Authorized Participant that submits a
Cash Order to create or redeem Baskets will pay a fee (the “Variable Fee”) based
on the Total Basket NAV (a “Variable Fee Cash Order”), and any price
differential between (x) the Total Basket NAV on the trade date and (y) the
price realized in acquiring or disposing of the corresponding Total Basket
Amount, as the case may be, will be borne solely by the Liquidity Provider until
such XRP have been received or liquidated by the Trust. The Variable Fee is
intended to cover all of a Liquidity Provider’s expenses in connection with the
creation or redemption order, including any exchange fees that the Liquidity
Provider incurs in connection with buying or selling XRP. The amount may be
changed by the Sponsor in its sole discretion at any time, and Liquidity
Providers will communicate to the Sponsor in advance the Variable Fee they would
be willing to accept in connection with a Variable Fee Cash Order, based on
market conditions and other factors existing at the time of such Variable Fee
Cash Order. See “—Creation Procedures— Variable Fee Cash Orders” and
“—Redemption Procedures—Variable Fee Cash Orders.”
Alternatively,
the Sponsor may require that a Cash Order be effected as an Actual Execution
Cash Order, in its sole discretion based on market conditions and other factors
existing at the time of such Cash Order, and under such circumstances, any price
differential between (x) the Total Basket NAV on the trade date and (y) the
price realized in acquiring or disposing of the corresponding Total Basket
Amount, as the case may be, will be borne solely by such Authorized Participant
until such XRP have been received or liquidated by the Trust. See “— Creation
Procedures—Actual Execution Cash Orders” and “—Redemption Procedures—Actual
Execution Cash Orders.”
In
the case of creations pursuant to Cash Orders, to transfer the Total Basket
Amount to the Trust’s Vault Balance, the Liquidity Provider will transfer XRP to
one of the public key addresses associated with the Vault Balance and as
provided by the Sponsor. In the case of redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders, the
same procedure is conducted, but in reverse, using the public key addresses
associated with the wallet of the Liquidity Provider, and as provided by such
party. All such transactions will be conducted on the Blockchain and parties
acknowledge and agree that such transfers may be irreversible if done
incorrectly. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the
Shares—XRP transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred
XRP may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed XRP transactions
could adversely affect the value of the Shares.”
The
Trust is not at this time able to create and redeem shares via in-kind
transactions with Authorized Participants. Subject to In-Kind Regulatory
Approval, in the future the Trust may also create and redeem Baskets via In-Kind
Orders, pursuant to which an Authorized Participant or its AP Designee would
deposit XRP directly with the Trust or receive XRP directly from the Trust.
However, because In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been obtained, at this time
Baskets will not be created or redeemed through In-Kind Orders and will only be
created or redeemed through Cash Orders. There can be no assurance as to when
NYSE Arca will seek or obtain such regulatory approval, if at all. See “Risk
Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the Shares—The lack of ability to
facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could have adverse
consequences for the Trust.”
Authorized
Participants do not pay a transaction fee to the Trust in connection with the
creation or redemption of Baskets, but there may be transaction fees associated
with the validation of the transfer of XRP by the XRP Network, which will be
paid by the Custodian in the case of redemptions and an Authorized Participant,
its AP Designee or the Liquidity Provider in the case of creations. Service
providers may charge Authorized Participants or AP Designees administrative fees
for order placement and other services related to the creation of Baskets. As
discussed above, Authorized Participants will also pay the Variable Fee in
connection with Variable Fee Cash Orders. As discussed in further detail below
under “—Creation Procedures—Actual Execution Cash Orders” and “—Redemption
Procedures—Actual Execution Cash Orders”, under certain circumstances Authorized
Participants may also be required to deposit additional cash in the Cash
Account, or be entitled to receive excess cash from the
Cash
Account, in connection with creations and redemptions pursuant to Actual
Execution Cash Orders. Authorized Participants will receive no fees, commissions
or other form of compensation or inducement of any kind from either the Sponsor
or the Trust and no such person has any obligation or responsibility to the
Sponsor or the Trust to effect any sale or resale of Shares.
The
Participant Agreements and the related procedures attached thereto may be
amended by the Sponsor and the relevant Authorized Participant. Under the
Participant Agreements, the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify each Authorized
Participant against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the
Securities Act.
The
following description of the procedures for the creation and redemption of
Baskets is only a summary and shareholders should refer to the relevant
provisions of the Trust Agreement and the form of Participant Agreement for more
detail.
Creation
Procedures
On
any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer
Agent to create one or more Baskets. Cash Orders for creation must be placed
with the Transfer Agent no later than 1:59:59 p.m., New York time (the “Order
Cutoff Time”).
The
Sponsor may in its sole discretion limit the number of Shares created pursuant
to Cash Orders on any specified day without notice to the Authorized
Participants and may direct the Marketing Agent to reject any Cash Orders in
excess of such capped amount. In exercising its discretion to limit the number
of Shares created pursuant to Cash Orders, the Sponsor expects to take into
consideration a number of factors, including (i) the availability of Liquidity
Providers to facilitate Cash Orders and (ii) to the extent In-Kind Regulatory
Approval has been obtained, the cost of processing Cash Orders relative to the
cost of processing In-Kind Orders. If the Sponsor decides to limit Cash Orders
and the Trust is otherwise unable to satisfy creation orders made in cash, the
Trust’s ability to create new Shares could be negatively impacted or, if In-Kind
Regulatory Approval has not been obtained as of such time, would be unavailable,
which could impact the Shares’ liquidity and/or cause the Shares to trade at
premiums to the NAV per Share, and otherwise have a negative impact on the value
of the Shares. In addition, if the Sponsor decides to limit Cash Orders at a
time when the Shares are trading at a premium to the NAV per Share, and In-Kind
Regulatory Approval has not been obtained as of such time or the in-kind
creation is otherwise unavailable for any reason, the arbitrage mechanism may
fail to effectively function, which could impact the Shares’ liquidity and/or
cause the Shares to trade at premiums to the NAV per Share, and otherwise have a
negative impact on the value of the Shares. See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors
Related to the Trust and the Shares—The lack of ability to facilitate in-kind
creations and redemptions of Shares could have adverse consequences for the
Trust.”
Creations
pursuant to Cash Orders will take place as follows, where “T” is the trade date
and each day in the sequence must be a business day. Before a creation order is
placed, the Sponsor determines if such creation order will be a Variable Fee
Cash Order or an Actual Execution Cash Order, which determination is
communicated to an Authorized Participant.
|
|
|
Trade
Date (T) |
Settlement
Date (T+1, or T+2, as established at the time of order
placement) |
•
The
Authorized Participant places a creation order with the Transfer
Agent.
•
The
Marketing Agent accepts (or rejects) the creation order, which is
communicated to the Authorized Participant by the Transfer
Agent.
•
The
Sponsor notifies the Liquidity Provider of the creation
order.
•
The
Sponsor determines the Total Basket NAV and any Variable Fee and
Additional Creation |
•
The
Authorized Participant delivers to the Cash Account:
(x) in
the case of a Variable Fee Cash Order, the Total Basket NAV, plus any
Variable Fee; or
(y) in
the case of an Actual Execution Cash Order, the Total Basket NAV, plus any
Additional Creation Cash, less any Excess Creation Cash, if applicable
(such amount, as applicable, the “Required Creation
Cash”). |
|
|
Cash
as soon as practicable after 4:00 p.m., New York
time. |
•
The
Liquidity Provider transfers the Total Basket Amount to the Trust’s Vault
Balance.
•
Once
the Trust is in simultaneous possession of (x) the Total Basket Amount and
(y) the Required Creation Cash, the Trust issues the aggregate number of
Shares corresponding to the Baskets ordered by the Authorized Participant,
which the Transfer Agent holds for the benefit of the Authorized
Participant.
•
Cash
equal to the Required Creation Cash is delivered to the Liquidity Provider
from the Cash Account.
•
The
Transfer Agent delivers Shares to the Authorized Participant by crediting
the number of Baskets created to the Authorized Participant’s DTC
account. |
Variable
Fee Cash Orders
Unless
the Sponsor determines otherwise in its sole discretion based on market
conditions and other factors existing at the time of such Cash Order, all
creations pursuant to Cash Orders are expected to be executed as Variable Fee
Cash Orders, and any price differential between (x) the Total Basket NAV on the
trade date and (y) the price realized in acquiring the corresponding Total
Basket Amount will be borne solely by the Liquidity Provider until such XRP have
been received by the Trust.
The
Sponsor anticipates that the Trust’s cost to acquire the Total Basket Amount in
connection with a Variable Fee Cash Order will equal the sum of the
corresponding Total Basket NAV and Variable Fee to be delivered by the
Authorized Participant to the Trust. In the event that, by 12:00 p.m., New York
time on the settlement date of a creation pursuant to a Variable Fee Cash Order,
either (x) the Trust’s Vault Balance has not been credited with XRP in an amount
equal to the Total Basket Amount or (y) the Cash Account has not been credited
with the Total Basket NAV, plus any Variable Fee, such Cash Order will be deemed
a failed trade, with any consideration that has been delivered by the Authorized
Participant or the Liquidity Provider in respect of such Cash Order being
returned by the Trust.
The
Transfer Agent shall under no circumstances cause the Trust to issue Shares in
respect of a Variable Fee Cash Order until such time as each of (x) the Total
Basket Amount and (y) the Total Basket NAV, plus any Variable Fee, has been
delivered to the Trust, and the Trust is in simultaneous possession of
both.
Actual
Execution Cash Orders
With
respect to a creation pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, as between the
Trust and an Authorized Participant, the Authorized Participant is responsible
for the dollar cost of the difference between the XRP price utilized in
calculating Total Basket NAV on the trade date and the price at which the Trust
acquires the XRP on the settlement date. If the price realized in acquiring the
corresponding Total Basket Amount is higher than the Total Basket NAV, the
Authorized Participant will bear the dollar cost of such difference by
delivering cash in the amount of such difference (the “Additional Creation
Cash”) to the Cash Account. If the price realized in acquiring the corresponding
Total Basket Amount is lower than the Total Basket NAV, the Authorized
Participant will benefit from such difference, with the Trust promptly returning
cash in the amount of such excess (the “Excess Creation Cash”) to the Authorized
Participant.
In
the event that, by 12:00 p.m., New York time on the settlement date of a
creation pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, either (x) the Trust’s
Vault Balance has not been credited with XRP in an amount equal to the Total
Basket Amount or (y) the Cash Account has not been credited with the Total
Basket NAV (net of any
Additional
Creation Cash or Excess Creation Cash, if applicable), such Cash Order will be
deemed a failed trade, with any consideration that has been delivered by the
Authorized Participant or the Liquidity Provider in respect of such Cash Order
being returned by the Trust.
The
Transfer Agent shall under no circumstances cause the Trust to issue Shares in
respect of a Cash Order until such time as each of (x) the Total Basket Amount
and (y) the Total Basket NAV (net of any Additional Creation Cash or Excess
Creation Cash, if applicable) has been delivered to the Trust, and the Trust is
in simultaneous possession of both.
Redemption
Procedures
The
procedures by which an Authorized Participant can redeem one or more Baskets
mirror the procedures for the creation of Baskets. On any business day, an
Authorized Participant may place a redemption order specifying the number of
Baskets to be redeemed.
The
redemption of Shares pursuant to Cash Orders will only take place if approved by
the Sponsor in writing, in its sole discretion and on a case-by-case basis. In
exercising its discretion to approve the redemption of Shares pursuant to Cash
Orders, the Sponsor expects to take into consideration a number of factors,
including (i) the availability of Liquidity Providers to facilitate Cash Orders
and (ii) to the extent In-Kind Regulatory Approval has been obtained, the cost
of processing Cash Orders relative to the cost of processing In-Kind Orders. If
the Sponsor decides to limit Cash Orders and the Trust is unable to satisfy
redemption orders made in cash, the Trust’s ability to redeem new Shares could
be negatively impacted or, if In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been obtained
as of such time, would be unavailable, which could impact the Shares’ liquidity
and/or cause the Shares to trade at discounts, and could have a negative impact
on the value of the Shares. In addition, if the Sponsor decides to limit Cash
Orders at a time when the Shares are trading at a discount to the NAV per Share,
and In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been obtained as of such time or the
in-kind redemption of Shares is otherwise unavailable, the arbitrage mechanism
may fail to effectively function, which could impact the Shares’ liquidity
and/or cause the Shares to trade at discounts to the NAV per Share, and
otherwise have a negative impact on the value of the Shares. See “Risk
Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the Shares—The lack of ability to
facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could have adverse
consequences for the Trust.”
Cash
Orders for redemption must be placed no later than 1:59:59 p.m., New York time
on each business day. The Authorized Participants may only redeem Baskets and
cannot redeem any Shares in an amount less than a Basket.
Redemptions
pursuant to Cash Orders will take place as follows, where “T” is the trade date
and each day in the sequence must be a business day. Before a redemption order
is placed, the Sponsor determines if such redemption order will be a Variable
Fee Cash Order or an Actual Execution Cash Order, which determination is
communicated to the Authorized Participant.
|
|
|
Trade
Date (T) |
Settlement
Date (T+1, or T+2, as established at the time of order
placement) |
•
The
Authorized Participant places a redemption order with the Transfer
Agent.
•
The
Marketing Agent accepts (or rejects) the redemption order, which is
communicated to the Authorized Participant by the Transfer
Agent.
•
The
Sponsor notifies the Liquidity Provider of the redemption
order.
•
The
Sponsor determines the Total Basket NAV and, in the case of a Variable Fee
Cash Order, any |
•
The
Authorized Participant delivers Baskets to be redeemed from its DTC
account to the Transfer Agent.
•
The
Liquidity Provider delivers to the Cash Account:
(x) in
the case of a Variable Fee Cash Order, the Total Basket NAV less any
Variable Fee; or
(y) in
the case of an Actual Execution Cash Order, the actual proceeds to the
Trust from the liquidation of the Total Basket Amount (such
|
|
|
Variable
Fee, as soon as practicable after 4:00 p.m., New York
time. |
amount,
as applicable, the “Required Redemption Cash”).
•
Once
the Trust is in simultaneous possession of (x) the Total Basket Amount and
(y) the Required Redemption Cash, the Transfer Agent cancels the Shares
comprising the number of Baskets redeemed by the Authorized
Participant.
•
The
Custodian sends the Liquidity Provider the Total Basket Amount, and cash
equal to the Required Redemption Cash is delivered to the Authorized
Participant from the Cash Account. |
Variable
Fee Cash Orders
Unless
the Sponsor determines otherwise in its sole discretion based on market
conditions and other factors existing at the time of such Cash Order, all
redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders are expected to be executed as Variable Fee
Cash Orders, and any price differential between (x) the Total Basket NAV on the
trade date and (y) the price realized in disposing of the corresponding Total
Basket Amount will be borne solely by the Liquidity Provider.
The
Sponsor anticipates that the Trust’s proceeds from liquidating the Total Basket
Amount in connection with a Variable Fee Cash Order will equal the corresponding
Total Basket NAV less the Variable Fee to be delivered by the Liquidity Provider
to the Trust. In the event that, by 12:00 p.m. (New York time) on the settlement
date of a redemption pursuant to a Variable Fee Cash Order, either (x) the
Transfer Agent’s account at DTC has not been credited with the total number of
Shares corresponding to the total number of Baskets to be redeemed or (y) the
Cash Account has not been credited with the Total Basket NAV, less any Variable
Fee, such Cash Order will be deemed a failed trade, with any consideration that
has been delivered by the Authorized Participant or the Liquidity Provider in
respect of such Cash Order being returned by the Trust.
The
Transfer Agent shall under no circumstances deliver the Required Redemption Cash
to the Authorized Participant in respect of a Variable Fee Cash Order until such
time as (x) the Baskets to be redeemed have been delivered to the Transfer Agent
and (y) the Total Basket NAV, less any Variable Fee, has been delivered to the
Cash Account, and the Trust and/or the Transfer Agent is in simultaneous
possession of both.
Actual
Execution Cash Orders
With
respect to a redemption pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, as between
the Trust and an Authorized Participant, the Authorized Participant is
responsible for the dollar cost of the difference between the XRP price utilized
in calculating Total Basket NAV on the trade date and the price at which the
Trust disposes of the XRP on the settlement date. If the price realized in
disposing the corresponding Total Basket Amount on the settlement date is lower
than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date, the Authorized Participant will
bear the dollar cost of such difference (the “Redemption Cash Shortfall”), with
the amount of cash to be delivered to the Authorized Participant being reduced
by the amount of such Redemption Cash Shortfall. If the price realized in
disposing the corresponding Total Basket Amount on the settlement date is higher
than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date, the Trust will deliver cash in the
amount of such excess (the “Additional Redemption Cash”) to the Authorized
Participant.
In
the event that, by 12:00 p.m. (New York time) on the settlement date of a
redemption pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, either (x) the Transfer
Agent’s account at DTC has not been credited with the total number of Shares
corresponding to the total number of Baskets to be redeemed or (y) the Cash
Account has not been credited with the Total Basket NAV (plus any Additional
Redemption Cash or net of any Redemption Cash Shortfall), such Cash Order will
be deemed a failed trade, with any consideration that has been delivered by the
Authorized Participant or the Liquidity Provider in respect of such Cash Order
being returned by the Trust.
The
Transfer Agent shall under no circumstances deliver the Required Redemption Cash
to the Authorized Participant in respect of a Cash Order until such time as (x)
the Total Basket Amount has been delivered to the
Transfer
Agent and (y) the Total Basket NAV (plus any Additional Redemption Cash or net
of any Redemption Cash Shortfall, if applicable) has been delivered to the
Trust, and the Trust and/or the Transfer Agent is in simultaneous possession of
both.
Suspension
or Rejection of Orders and Total Basket Amount
The
creation or redemption of Shares may be suspended generally, or refused with
respect to particular requested creations or redemptions, during any period when
the transfer books of the Transfer Agent are closed or if circumstances outside
the control of the Sponsor or its delegates make it for all practical purposes
not feasible to process creation orders or redemption orders or for any other
reason at any time or from time to time. The Marketing Agent may reject an order
or, after accepting an order, may cancel such order, if: (i) such order is not
presented in proper form as described in the Participant Agreement, (ii) to the
extent In-Kind Regulatory Approval has been obtained, in the case of In-Kind
Orders, the transfer of the Total Basket Amount comes from an account other than
an XRP wallet address that is known to the Custodian as belonging to the
Authorized Participant or its AP Designee or (iii) the fulfillment of the order,
in the opinion of counsel, might be unlawful, among other reasons. None of the
Sponsor or its delegates will be liable for the suspension, rejection or
acceptance of any creation order or redemption order.
The
Sponsor will notify investors of any suspension of creations or redemptions of
Shares by filing a current report on Form 8-K. Suspension of the creation or
redemption of Shares could negatively impact the Shares’ liquidity and/or cause
the Shares to trade at premiums and discounts, and otherwise have a negative
impact on the value of the Shares.
Tax
Responsibility
Authorized
Participants are responsible for any transfer tax, sales or use tax, stamp tax,
recording tax, value-added tax or similar tax or governmental charge applicable
to the creation and redemption of Baskets, regardless of whether such tax or
charge is imposed directly on the Authorized Participants, and agree to
indemnify the Sponsor and the Trust if the Sponsor or the Trust is required by
law to pay any such tax, together with any applicable penalties, additions to
tax or interest thereon.
Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The
following discussion addresses the material U.S. federal income tax consequences
of the ownership of Shares. Subject to the limitations and qualifications, and
based on the assumptions described herein and in the opinion letter filed as
Exhibit 8.1 to this registration statement, the statements of law and legal
conclusions set forth in the following discussion constitute the opinion of
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (“Davis Polk”) as to the material U.S. federal
income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of Shares that
generally may apply to a “U.S. Holder” or a “non-U.S. Holder” (in each case, as
defined below). This discussion does not describe all of the tax consequences
that may be relevant to a beneficial owner of Shares in light of the beneficial
owner’s particular circumstances, including tax consequences applicable to
beneficial owners subject to special rules, such as:
•
financial
institutions;
•
dealers
in securities or commodities;
•
traders
in securities or commodities that have elected to apply a mark-to-market method
of tax accounting in respect thereof;
•
persons
holding Shares as part of a hedge, “straddle,” integrated transaction or similar
transaction;
•
Authorized
Participants (as defined below);
•
U.S.
Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S.
dollar;
•
entities
or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
•
real
estate investment trusts;
•
regulated
investment companies; and
•
tax-exempt
entities, including individual retirement accounts.
This
discussion applies only to Shares that are held as capital assets and does not
address alternative minimum tax consequences or consequences of the Medicare
contribution tax on net investment income.
If
an entity or arrangement that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal
income tax purposes holds Shares, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a
partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of
the partnership. Partnerships holding Shares and partners in those partnerships
are urged to consult their tax advisers about the particular U.S. federal income
tax consequences of owning Shares.
This
discussion is based on the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial
decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date
hereof, changes to any of which subsequent to the date hereof may affect the tax
consequences described herein. For the avoidance of doubt, this summary does not
discuss any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or
foreign taxing jurisdiction.
Shareholders
are urged to consult their tax advisers about the application of the U.S.
federal income tax laws to their particular situations, as well as any tax
consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing
jurisdiction.
Tax
Treatment of the Trust
The
Sponsor intends to take the position that the Trust is properly treated as a
grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Assuming that the Trust is a
grantor trust, the Trust will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Rather,
if the Trust is a grantor trust, each beneficial owner of Shares will be treated
as directly owning its pro rata share of the Trust’s assets and a pro rata
portion of the Trust’s income, gains, losses and deductions will “flow through”
to each beneficial owner of Shares.
Although
not free from doubt due to the lack of authority directly addressing certain
aspects of the Trust’s affairs, in the opinion of Davis Polk the Trust should be
classified as a “grantor trust” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However,
there can be no complete assurance that the Trust will be treated as a grantor
trust for those purposes. An opinion of counsel is not binding on the IRS or any
court, and there are significant uncertainties regarding the application of
existing authorities to certain aspects of XRP and the Trust.
In
particular, the Trust expects to take certain positions with respect to the tax
consequences of Incidental Rights and its receipt of IR Virtual Currency. If the
IRS were to disagree with, and successfully challenge, any of these positions,
the Trust might not qualify as a grantor trust. The Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment Notices provide that the Trust is abandoning irrevocably, for no
direct or indirect consideration, effective immediately prior to each Creation
Time and Redemption Time, all Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency to which
it would otherwise be entitled as of such time and with respect to which it has
not taken any Affirmative Action at or prior to such time. Prospectively, the
Sponsor has committed to causing the Trust to irrevocably abandon all Incidental
Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust might otherwise become
entitled. There can be no complete assurance that these abandonments will be
treated as effective for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If the Trust were
treated as owning any asset other than XRP as of any date on which it creates or
redeems Shares, it might cease to qualify as a grantor trust for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
In
addition, at this time the Trust is not permitted to create or redeem Shares via
in-kind transactions with Authorized Participants. Unless and until In-Kind
Regulatory Approval is obtained, Baskets will be created or redeemed only
through Cash Orders. In general, investment vehicles intended to be treated as
grantor trusts for U.S. federal income tax purposes historically have created
additional trust interests only in kind, and there is no authority directly
addressing whether a grantor trust may create or redeem trust interests under
procedures similar to those that govern Cash Orders. Accordingly, there can be
no complete assurance that the creation or redemption of Shares under the
procedures governing Cash Orders will not cause the Trust to fail to qualify as
a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Moreover,
because of the evolving nature of digital assets, it is not possible to predict
potential future developments that may arise with respect to digital assets,
including forks, airdrops and other similar occurrences. Assuming that the Trust
is currently a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, certain
future developments could render it impossible, or impracticable, for the Trust
to continue to be treated as a grantor trust for such purposes.
If
the Trust is not properly classified as a grantor trust, the Trust might be
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due
to the uncertain treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, there can be no assurance in this regard. If the Trust were classified
as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences of
owning Shares generally would not be materially different from the tax
consequences described herein, although there might be certain differences,
including with respect to timing of the recognition of taxable income or loss.
In addition, tax information reports provided to beneficial owners of Shares
would be made in a different form. If the Trust were not classified as either a
grantor trust or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be
classified as a corporation for such purposes. In that event, the Trust would be
subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax (currently at the rate of 21%)
on its net taxable income and certain distributions made by the Trust to
shareholders would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of the Trust’s
current and accumulated earnings and profits. Any such dividend distributed to a
beneficial owner of Shares that is a non-U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax
purposes would be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or
such lower rate as provided in an applicable tax treaty).
The
remainder of this discussion is based on the assumption that the Trust will be
treated as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Uncertainty
Regarding the U.S. Federal Income Tax Treatment of Digital Assets
Each
beneficial owner of Shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes
as the owner of an undivided interest in the XRP (and any Incidental Rights
and/or IR Virtual Currency) held in the Trust. Due to the new and evolving
nature of digital assets and the absence of comprehensive guidance with respect
to digital assets, many significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax
treatment of digital assets are uncertain.
In
2014, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released a notice (the “Notice”)
discussing certain aspects of the treatment of “convertible virtual currency”
(that is, digital assets that have an equivalent value in fiat currency or that
acts as substitutes for fiat currency) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In
the Notice, the IRS stated that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such
digital assets (i) are “property,” (ii) are not “currency” for purposes of the
provisions of the Code relating to foreign currency gain or loss and (iii) may
be held as a capital asset. In 2019, the IRS released a revenue ruling and a set
of “Frequently Asked Questions” (the “Ruling & FAQs”) that provide some
additional guidance, including guidance to the effect that, under certain
circumstances, hard forks of digital assets are taxable events giving rise to
ordinary income and guidance with respect to the determination of the tax basis
of digital assets. However, the Notice and the Ruling & FAQs do not address
other significant aspects of the U.S. federal income tax treatment of digital
assets. Moreover, although the Ruling & FAQs address the treatment of hard
forks, there continues to be significant uncertainty with respect to the timing
and amount of the income inclusions. While the Ruling & FAQs do not address
most situations in which airdrops occur, it is clear from the reasoning of the
Ruling & FAQs that the IRS generally would treat an airdrop as a taxable
event giving rise to ordinary income.
There
can be no assurance that the IRS will not alter its position with respect to
digital assets in the future or that a court would uphold the treatment set
forth in the Notice and the Ruling & FAQs. It is also unclear what
additional guidance on the treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income
tax purposes may be issued in the future. Any such alteration of the current IRS
positions or additional guidance could result in adverse tax consequences for
shareholders and could have an adverse effect on the prices of digital assets,
including the price of XRP in the Digital Asset Market, and therefore could have
an adverse effect on the value of Shares. Future developments that may arise
with respect to digital assets may increase the uncertainty with respect to the
treatment of digital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For example,
the Notice addresses only digital assets that are “convertible virtual
currency,” and it is conceivable that, as a result of a fork, airdrop or similar
occurrence, a Trust could hold certain types of digital assets that are not
within the scope of the Notice, in the event the Sponsor seeks to change the
Trust’s policy with respect to Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency, subject
to NYSE Arca obtaining regulatory approval from the SEC.
The
remainder of this discussion assumes that XRP, and any Incidental Rights or IR
Virtual Currency that the Trust may hold, is properly treated for U.S. federal
income tax purposes as property that may be held as a capital asset and that is
not currency for purposes of the provisions of the Code relating to foreign
currency gain and loss.
Shareholders
are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of an
investment in the Trust and in digital assets in general, including, in the case
of shareholders that are generally exempt from U.S. federal income taxation,
whether such shareholders may recognize “unrelated business taxable income”
(“UBTI”) as a consequence of a fork, airdrop or similar occurrence.
Tax
Consequences to U.S. Holders
As
used herein, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of a Share for U.S.
federal income tax purposes that is:
•
an
individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal
income tax purposes;
•
a
corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income
tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or
of any political subdivision thereof; or
•
an
estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation
regardless of its source.
Except
as specifically noted, the discussion below assumes that each U.S. Holder will
acquire all of its Shares on the same date for the same price per Share and
solely for cash (or, if In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained in the future,
solely for XRP that were originally acquired by the U.S. Holder for cash on the
same date).
As
discussed in the section entitled “Creation and Redemption of Shares,” if
In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained in the future, a U.S. Holder may be able
to acquire Shares of the Trust by contributing XRP in kind to the Trust (either
directly or through an Authorized Participant acting as agent of the U.S.
Holder). Assuming that the Trust is properly treated as a grantor trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, such a contribution should not be a taxable event
to the U.S. Holder.
For
U.S. federal income tax purposes, each U.S. Holder will be treated as owning an
undivided interest in the XRP held in the Trust and will be treated as directly
realizing its pro rata share of the Trust’s income, gains, losses and
deductions. When a U.S. Holder purchases Shares solely for cash, (i) the U.S.
Holder’s initial tax basis in its pro rata share of the XRP held in the Trust
will be equal to the amount paid for the Shares and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s
holding period for its pro rata share of such XRP will begin on the date of such
purchase. If, in the future, In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained and a U.S.
Holder acquires Shares in exchange for XRP, (i) the U.S. Holder’s initial tax
basis in its pro rata share of the XRP held in the Trust would be equal to the
U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the XRP that the U.S. Holder transferred to the Trust
and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s holding period for its pro rata share of such XRP
generally would include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the XRP
that the U.S. Holder transferred to the Trust. The Ruling & FAQs confirm
that if a taxpayer acquires tokens of a digital asset at different times and for
different prices, the taxpayer has a separate tax basis in each lot of such
tokens. Under the Ruling & FAQs, if, in the future, In-Kind Regulatory
Approval is obtained and a U.S. Holder that owns more than one lot of XRP
contributes a portion of its XRP to the Trust in exchange for Shares, the U.S.
Holder could designate the lot(s) from which such contribution will be made,
provided that the U.S. Holder is able to identify specifically which XRP it is
contributing and to substantiate its tax basis in that XRP. In general, if a
U.S. Holder acquires Shares (i) solely for cash at different prices or (ii) if
In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained, (a) partly for cash and partly in
exchange for a contribution of XRP or (b) in exchange for a contribution of XRP
with different tax bases, the U.S. Holder’s share of the Trust’s XRP will
consist of separate lots with separate tax bases. In addition, in this
situation, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the separate lots may be
different.
Gains
or losses from the sale of XRP to fund cash redemptions are expected to be
treated as incurred only by the shareholder that is being redeemed. However,
when the Trust transfers XRP to the Sponsor as payment of the Sponsor’s Fee, or
sells XRP to fund payment of any Additional Trust Expenses, each U.S. Holder
will be treated as having sold its pro rata share of that XRP for their fair
market value at that time (which, in the case of XRP sold by the Trust,
generally will be equal to the cash proceeds received by the Trust in respect
thereof). As a result, each U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss in an amount
equal to the difference between (i) the fair market value of the U.S. Holder’s
pro rata share of the XRP transferred and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s tax basis for
its pro rata share of the XRP transferred. Any such gain or loss will be
short-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for its pro
rata share of the XRP is one year or less and long-term capital gain or loss if
the U.S. Holder’s holding period for its pro rata share of the XRP is more than
one year. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its pro rata share of any XRP transferred
by the Trust generally will be determined by multiplying the tax basis of the
U.S. Holder’s pro rata share of all of the XRP held in the Trust immediately
prior to the transfer by a fraction the numerator of which is the amount of XRP
transferred and the denominator of which is the total amount of XRP held in the
Trust immediately prior to the transfer. Immediately after the transfer, the
U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its pro rata share of the XRP remaining in the Trust
will be equal to the tax basis of its pro rata share of the XRP held in the
Trust immediately prior to the transfer, less the portion of that tax basis
allocable to its pro rata share of the XRP transferred.
As
noted above, the IRS has taken the position in the Ruling & FAQs that, under
certain circumstances, a hard fork of a digital asset constitutes a taxable
event giving rise to ordinary income, and it is clear from the reasoning of the
Ruling & FAQs that the IRS generally would treat an airdrop as a taxable
event giving rise to ordinary income. As described above, the Sponsor has
committed to causing the Trust to abandon all Incidental Rights and IR Virtual
Currency to which the Trust otherwise might become entitled. If, however, the
Trust were to receive and retain IR Virtual Currency in the future, a U.S.
Holder would have a basis in that IR Virtual Currency equal to the amount of
income the U.S. Holder recognizes as a result of such fork or airdrop and the
U.S. Holder’s holding period for such IR Virtual Currency would begin as of the
time it recognizes such income.
U.S.
Holders’ pro rata shares of the expenses incurred by the Trust will be treated
as “miscellaneous itemized deductions” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As
a result, a non-corporate U.S. Holder’s share of these expenses will not be
deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
On
a sale or other disposition of Shares, a U.S. Holder will be treated as having
sold the XRP underlying such Shares. Accordingly, the U.S. Holder generally will
recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the
amount realized on the sale of the Shares and (ii) the portion of the U.S.
Holder’s tax basis in its pro rata share of the XRP held in the Trust that is
attributable to the Shares that were sold or otherwise subject to a disposition.
Such tax basis generally will be determined by multiplying the tax basis of the
U.S. Holder’s pro rata share of all of the XRP held in the Trust immediately
prior to such sale or other disposition by a fraction the numerator of which is
the number of Shares disposed of and the denominator of which is the total
number of Shares held by such U.S. Holder immediately prior to such sale or
other disposition (such fraction, expressed as a percentage, the “Share
Percentage”). If the U.S. Holder’s share of the Trust’s XRP consists of separate
lots with separate tax bases and/or holding periods, the U.S. Holder will be
treated as having sold the Share Percentage of each such lot. Gain or loss
recognized by a U.S. Holder on a sale or other disposition of Shares will
generally be short-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period
for the XRP underlying such Shares is one year or less and long-term capital
gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the XRP underlying such
Shares is more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to
significant limitations.
If,
in the future, In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained and the Trust redeems all
or a portion of a U.S. Holder’s Shares in exchange for the underlying XRP
represented by the redeemed Shares, such redemption generally would not be a
taxable event to the U.S. Holder. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the XRP
received in the redemption generally would be the same as the U.S. Holder’s tax
basis for the portion of its pro rata share of the XRP held in the Trust
immediately prior to the redemption that was attributable to the Shares
redeemed, determined as described above, and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its
remaining pro rata portion, if any, of the XRP held in the Trust after the
redemption would be equal to the tax basis of its pro rata share of the total
amount of the XRP held in the Trust immediately prior to the redemption, less
the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the XRP received in the redemption. The U.S.
Holder’s holding period with respect to the XRP received would generally include
the period during which the U.S. Holder held the Shares so redeemed. A
subsequent sale of the XRP received in such redemption would generally be a
taxable event.
After
any sale or other disposition of fewer than all of a U.S. Holder’s Shares, the
U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its pro rata share of the XRP held in the Trust
immediately after the disposition will equal the tax basis in its pro rata share
of the total amount of the XRP held in the Trust immediately prior to the
disposition, less the portion of that tax basis that is taken into account in
determining the amount of gain or loss recognized by the U.S. Holder on the
disposition (or, in the case of a redemption pursuant to an In-Kind Order, if
In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained, that is treated as the basis of the XRP
received by the U.S. Holder in the redemption).
Any
brokerage or other transaction fee incurred by a U.S. Holder in purchasing
Shares generally will be added to the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the underlying
assets of the Trust. Similarly, any brokerage fee or other transaction fee
incurred by a U.S. Holder in selling Shares generally will reduce the amount
realized by the U.S. Holder with respect to the sale.
In
the absence of guidance to the contrary, it is possible that any income
recognized by a U.S. tax-exempt shareholder as a consequence of a hard fork,
airdrop or similar occurrence would constitute UBTI. A tax-exempt shareholder
should consult its tax adviser regarding whether such shareholder may recognize
some UBTI as a consequence of an investment in Shares.
Tax
Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders
As
used herein, the term “non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of a Share for
U.S. federal income tax purposes that is not a U.S. Holder. The term “non-U.S.
Holder” does not include (i) a nonresident alien individual who is present in
the United States for 183 days or more in a taxable year, (ii) a former U.S.
citizen or U.S. resident or an entity that has expatriated from the United
States; (iii) a person whose income in respect of Shares is effectively
connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States; or (iv)
an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Shareholders described in the preceding sentence should consult their tax
advisers regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning
Shares.
A
non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or
withholding tax with respect to its share of any gain recognized on the Trust’s
transfer of XRP in payment of the Sponsor’s Fee or any Additional Trust Expense
or on the Trust’s sale or other disposition of XRP. In addition, assuming that
the Trust holds no asset other
than
XRP, a non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or
withholding tax with respect to any gain it recognizes on a sale or other
disposition of Shares. A non-U.S. Holder also will generally not be subject to
U.S. federal income or withholding tax with respect to any distribution received
from the Trust, whether in cash or in-kind.
Provided
that it does not constitute income that is treated as “effectively connected”
with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, U.S.-source “fixed
or determinable annual or periodical” (“FDAP”) income received, or treated as
received, by a non-U.S. Holder will generally be subject to U.S. withholding tax
at the rate of 30% (subject to possible reduction or elimination pursuant to an
applicable tax treaty and to statutory exemptions such as the portfolio interest
exemption). Although the Sponsor has committed to causing the Trust to abandon
all Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust may become
entitled in the future, and although there is no guidance on point, if the Trust
were to receive and retain IR Virtual Currency arising from a future fork,
airdrop or similar occurrence, it is likely that any ordinary income recognized
by a non-U.S. Holder as a result would constitute FDAP income. It is unclear,
however, whether any such FDAP income would be properly treated as U.S.-source
or foreign-source FDAP income. Non-U.S. Holders should assume that, in the
absence of guidance, a withholding agent (including the Sponsor) is likely to
withhold 30% from a non-U.S. Holder’s pro rata share of any such income. A
non-U.S. Holder that is a resident of a country that maintains an income tax
treaty with the United States may be eligible to claim the benefits of that
treaty to reduce or eliminate, or to obtain a partial or full refund of, the 30%
U.S. withholding tax on its share of any such income, but only if the non-U.S.
Holder’s home country treats the Trust as “fiscally transparent,” as defined in
applicable Treasury regulations.
In
order to prevent the possible imposition of U.S. “backup” withholding and (if
applicable) to qualify for a reduced rate of withholding tax at source under a
treaty, a non-U.S. Holder must comply with certain certification requirements
(generally, by delivering a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E to the
relevant withholding agent).
U.S.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
The
Trust or the appropriate broker will file certain information returns with the
IRS and provide shareholders with information regarding their annual income (if
any) and expenses with respect to the Trust in accordance with applicable
Treasury regulations.
A
U.S. Holder will generally be subject to information reporting requirements and
backup withholding unless (i) the U.S. Holder is a corporation or other exempt
recipient or (ii) in the case of backup withholding, the U.S. Holder provides a
correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to
backup withholding. In order to avoid the information reporting and backup
withholding requirements, a non-U.S. Holder may have to comply with
certification procedures to establish that it is not a U.S. person. The amount
of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against the shareholder’s
U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle the holder to a refund,
provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS.
FATCA
As
discussed above, it is unclear whether any ordinary income recognized by a
non-U.S. Holder as a result of a fork, airdrop or similar occurrence would
constitute U.S.-source FDAP income. Provisions of the Code commonly referred to
as “FATCA” require withholding of 30% on payments of U.S.-source FDAP income
and, subject to the discussion of proposed U.S. Treasury regulations below, of
gross proceeds of dispositions of certain types of property that produce
U.S.-source FDAP income to, “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly
defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and
certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and
due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of
interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied, or an
exemption applies. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and
an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. In addition,
regulations proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department (the preamble to which
indicates that taxpayers may rely on the regulations pending their finalization)
would eliminate the requirement under FATCA of withholding on gross proceeds. If
FATCA withholding is imposed, a beneficial owner that is not a foreign financial
institution generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld by filing a
U.S. federal income tax return (which may entail significant administrative
burden). Shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the effects of
FATCA on an investment in the Trust.
ERISA
and Related
Considerations
ERISA
and Section 4975 of the Code impose certain requirements on employee benefit
plans and certain other plans and arrangements, including individual retirement
accounts (“IRAs”) and annuities, Keogh plans, and certain collective investment
funds or insurance company general or separate accounts in which such plans or
arrangements are invested, that are subject to ERISA and/or the Section 4975 of
the Code (collectively, “Plans”), and on persons who are fiduciaries with
respect to the investment of Plan assets. Government plans, non-U.S. plans and
certain church plans (collectively, “Non-ERISA Arrangements”) are not subject to
the fiduciary responsibility or prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA or
Section 4975 of the Code, but may be subject to similar rules under other
federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other applicable laws (“Similar
Laws”).
General
Fiduciary Matters
In
contemplating an investment of a portion of Plan assets in Shares, the Plan
fiduciary responsible for making such investment should carefully consider,
taking into account the facts and circumstances of the Plan, the risks discussed
in this prospectus, and whether such investment is consistent with its fiduciary
responsibilities, including, but not limited to (i) whether the fiduciary has
the authority to make the investment under the appropriate governing plan
instrument, (ii) whether the investment would constitute a direct or indirect
non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code, (iii) the Plan’s
funding objectives, and (iv) whether under the general fiduciary standards of
investment prudence and diversification such investment is appropriate for the
Plan, taking into account the overall investment policy of the Plan, the
composition of the Plan’s investment portfolio and the Plan’s need for
sufficient liquidity to pay benefits when due. Fiduciaries of Non-ERISA
Arrangements should carefully consider whether an investment in Shares would
violate any applicable Similar Laws.
Plan
Asset Issues
Under
the Department of Labor’s regulations at section 2510.3-101, as amended by
Section 3(42) of ERISA (the “Plan Asset Regulations”), if a Plan invests in an
equity interest of an entity that is “a publicly-offered security,” the entity
will not be deemed to hold “plan assets” subject to ERISA, and a party managing
the assets of such entity will not be subject to the fiduciary responsibility
and prohibited transaction rules of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. A
“publicly-offered security” is a security that is freely transferable, part of a
class of securities that is widely held, and is either (i) part of a class of
securities registered under section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act or (ii)
sold to the plan as part of an offering of securities to the public pursuant to
an effective registration statement under the Securities Act and the class of
securities of which such security is a part is registered under the Exchange Act
within 120 days (or such later time as may be allowed by the Securities and
Exchange Commission) after the end of the fiscal year of the issuer during which
the offering of such securities to the public occurred. Whether a security is
“freely transferable” is a factual question determined on the basis of facts and
circumstances. A class of securities is “widely-held” if it is a class of
securities that is owned by 100 or more investors independent of the issuer and
of one another. It is anticipated that the Shares will constitute
“publicly-offered securities” as defined in the Plan Asset Regulations.
Accordingly, only Shares held by a Plan, and not the underlying XRP held in the
Trust represented by the Shares, should be treated as assets of the Plan, for
purposes of applying the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction
rules of ERISA and the Code.
Investment
by Certain Retirement Plans
IRAs
and participant-directed accounts under tax-qualified retirement plans are
limited in the types of investments they may make under the Code. Potential
purchasers of Shares that are IRAs or participant-directed accounts under a Code
Section 401(a) plan should consult with their own advisors as to the
consequences of an investment in Shares.
Ineligible
Purchasers
In
general, Shares may not be purchased with the assets of a Plan if the Trustee,
the Sponsor, the distributor or any of their respective affiliates or employees
either: (i) has investment discretion with respect to the investment of such
Plan assets; (ii) has authority or responsibility to give or regularly gives
investment advice with respect to such Plan assets, for a fee, and pursuant to
an agreement or understanding that such advice will serve as a primary basis for
investment decisions with respect to such Plan assets and that such advice will
be based on the particular
investment
needs of the Plan; or (iii) is an employer maintaining or contributing to such
Plan. A party that is described in clause (i) or (ii) of the preceding sentence
is a fiduciary under ERISA and the Code with respect to the Plan, and any such
purchase might result in a prohibited transaction under ERISA and/or the Code,
unless an exemption is available.
Representation
Accordingly,
by acceptance of Shares, each purchaser and subsequent transferee of Shares will
be deemed to have represented and warranted that either (i) no portion of the
assets used by such purchaser or transferee to acquire or hold the Shares
constitutes assets of any Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement or (ii) the acquisition,
holding and subsequent disposition of the Shares by such purchaser or transferee
will not constitute or result in any non-exempt prohibited transaction under
Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code or violate any applicable
Similar Law.
Except
as otherwise set forth, the foregoing statements regarding the consequences
under ERISA and the Code of an investment in the Trust are based on the
provisions of ERISA and the Code as currently in effect, and the existing
administrative and judicial interpretations thereunder. No assurance can be
given that administrative, judicial or legislative changes will not occur that
may make the foregoing statements incorrect or incomplete.
ACCEPTANCE
OF SUBSCRIPTIONS ON BEHALF OF PLANS OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENTS IS IN NO RESPECT A
REPRESENTATION BY THE SPONSOR OR ANY OTHER PARTY RELATED TO THE TRUST THAT THIS
INVESTMENT MEETS THE RELEVANT LEGAL REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO INVESTMENTS BY
ANY PARTICULAR PLAN OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENT OR PLANS OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENTS
GENERALLY, OR THAT THIS INVESTMENT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ANY PARTICULAR PLAN OR
NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENT OR PLANS OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENTS GENERALLY. THE PERSON
WITH INVESTMENT DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO ANY PLAN OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENT
SHOULD CONSULT WITH ITS OWN COUNSEL AND ADVISERS AS TO THE PROPRIETY OF AN
INVESTMENT IN THE TRUST, IN LIGHT OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PARTICULAR PLAN OR
NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENT BEFORE PURCHASING SHARES. NEITHER THIS DISCUSSION NOR
ANYTHING IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS OR IS INTENDED TO BE INVESTMENT ADVICE DIRECTED
AT ANY POTENTIAL PURCHASER THAT IS A PLAN OR NON-ERISA ARRANGEMENT, OR AT SUCH
PURCHASERS GENERALLY.
Plan
of Distribution
The
Trust issues Shares in Baskets only to Authorized Participants in exchange for
deposits of XRP via a Liquidity Provider, together with corresponding deposits
of cash from such Authorized Participants, on an ongoing continuous basis. The
Trust does not issue fractions of a Basket. Although the Trust creates Baskets
only upon the receipt of XRP, at this time an Authorized Participant can only
submit Cash Orders, pursuant to which the Authorized Participant will deposit
cash into the Cash Account (and a Liquidity Provider will transfer to the
Trust’s Vault Balance the corresponding XRP) in connection with the creation and
redemption of Baskets. Subject to In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future the
Trust may also create and redeem Baskets via In-Kind Orders, pursuant to which
an Authorized Participant or its AP Designee would deposit XRP directly with the
Trust or receive XRP directly from the Trust. However, because In-Kind
Regulatory Approval has not been obtained, at this time Baskets will not be
created or redeemed through In-Kind Orders and will only be created or redeemed
through Cash Orders. There can be no assurance as to when In-Kind Regulatory
Approval will be sought or obtained, if at all.
Cash
Orders will be facilitated by the Transfer Agent and Grayscale Investments
Sponsors, LLC, which will engage one or more eligible companies (each, a
“Liquidity Provider”) that is not an agent of, or otherwise acting on behalf of,
any Authorized Participant to obtain or receive XRP in connection with such
orders. Authorized Participants may create a Basket pursuant to a Cash Order by
delivering to the Cash Account (x) in the case of a Variable Fee Cash Order, the
Basket NAV and any Variable Fee, or (y) in the case of an Actual Execution Cash
Order, the Basket NAV, plus any Additional Creation Cash, less any Excess
Creation Cash (such amount, as applicable, the “Required Creation Cash”), and
the Liquidity Provider transferring the corresponding Basket Amount to the
Trust’s Vault Balance. The Basket Amount equals the amount of XRP owned by the
Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each trade date (after deducting the
amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but unpaid fees and
expenses of the Trust) by the number of Shares outstanding at such time and
multiplying such quotient by 10,000. The Basket NAV equals the U.S. dollar value
of a Basket calculated by multiplying the Basket Amount by the Index Price as of
the trade date. Shares will only be created and delivered to the Authorized
Participant after the Trust is in simultaneous possession of (i) the Basket
Amount and (ii) the Required Creation Cash.
It
is expected that Authorized Participants that create Shares will sell Shares to
the public at varying prices to be determined by reference to, among other
considerations, the price of XRP and the trading price of the Shares on the NYSE
Arca at the time of each sale.
While
the arbitrage mechanism is expected to keep the value of the Shares closely
linked to the Index Price, due to price volatility and differentials, trading
volume, and closings of Digital Asset Trading Platforms due to fraud, failure,
security breaches or otherwise, there can be no assurance that the value of the
Shares will reflect the value of the Trust’s XRP, less the Trust’s expenses and
other liabilities, and the Shares may trade at a substantial premium over, or a
substantial discount to, the value of the Trust’s XRP, less the Trust’s expenses
and other liabilities. This risk may be exacerbated to the extent in-kind
creations and redemptions of Shares continue to be unavailable for any reason.
See “Risk Factors—Risk Factors Related to the Trust and the Shares— The lack of
ability to facilitate in-kind creations and redemptions of Shares could have
adverse consequences for the Trust.” Moreover, there may be variances in the
prices of XRP on the various Digital Asset Trading Platforms, including as a
result of differences in fee structures or administrative procedures on
different Digital Asset Trading Platforms, which could enhance or inhibit the
arbitrage mechanism in a manner that is beyond our control.
Because
new Shares can be created and issued on an ongoing basis at any point during the
life of the Trust, a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act,
will be occurring. Authorized Participants, other broker-dealers and other
persons are cautioned that some of their activities will result in their being
deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which would render them
statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability
provisions of the Securities Act. For example, an Authorized Participant, other
broker-dealer firm or its client will be deemed a statutory underwriter if it
purchases a Basket from the Trust, breaks the Basket down into its constituent
Shares and sells the Shares directly to its customers, or if it chooses to
couple the creation of a new Basket with an active selling effort involving
solicitation of secondary market demand for the Shares. A determination of
whether a particular market participant is an underwriter must take into account
all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the
broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples
mentioned
above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that
could lead to designation as an underwriter and subject them to the prospectus
delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
Investors
that purchase shares through a brokerage account (whether commission-based or
fee-based) may pay commissions or fees charged by the brokerage
account.
Dealers
that are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as
contrasted to ordinary secondary trading transactions), and thus dealing with
Shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section
4(3)(C) of the Securities Act, would be unable to take advantage of the
prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the Securities
Act.
The
Sponsor intends to qualify the Shares in states selected by the Sponsor and that
sales be made through broker-dealers who are members of FINRA. Investors
intending to create or redeem Baskets through Authorized Participants in
transactions not involving a broker-dealer registered in such investor’s state
of domicile or residence should consult their legal advisor regarding applicable
broker-dealer or securities regulatory requirements under the state securities
laws prior to such creation or redemption.
Authorized
Participants will not receive from the Trust or the Sponsor any compensation in
connection with an offering or reoffering of the Shares. Accordingly, there is,
and will be, no payment of underwriting compensation in connection with any such
offering of Shares in excess of 10% of the gross proceeds of the
offering.
Pursuant
to a Marketing Agent Agreement (the “Marketing Agent Agreement”) to be entered
into between the Sponsor and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, as Marketing Agent
(the “Marketing Agent”), the Marketing Agent will be paid by the Sponsor an
annual fee. In addition, the Sponsor will pay certain out-of-pocket fees and
expenses of the Marketing Agent incurred in connection with its assistance in
the marketing of the Trust and its Shares.
Under
the Marketing Agent Agreement, the Marketing Agent will provide the following
services to the Sponsor:
•
Assist
the Sponsor in facilitating Participation Agreements between and among
Authorized Participants, the Trust, the Transfer Agent;
•
Provide
prospectuses to Authorized Participants;
•
Work
with the Transfer Agent to review and approve orders placed by the Authorized
Participants and transmitted to the Transfer Agent;
•
Review
and file applicable marketing materials with FINRA; and
•
Maintain,
reproduce and store applicable books and records related to the services
provided under the Marketing Agent Agreement.
The
Trust intends to list the Shares on NYSE Arca under the symbol
“GXRP.”
Legal
Matters
The
validity of the Shares will be passed upon by Richards, Layton & Finger,
P.A., as special Delaware counsel to the Trust. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP,
as special tax counsel to the Trust, will render an opinion regarding the
material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership of
Shares.
Experts
The
financial statements of the Trust as of and for the period from September 5,
2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December 31, 2024, have
been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the
report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing
elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting
and auditing.
Where
You Can Find More Information
We
have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the
Securities Act with respect to the Shares offered hereby. This prospectus does
not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and
the exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to the
Trust and its Shares, reference is made to the registration statement and the
exhibits and any schedules filed therewith. Statements contained in this
prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are
not necessarily complete and, in each instance, if such contract or document is
filed as an exhibit, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other
document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement being
qualified in all respects by such reference. The SEC maintains an Internet site
at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements we have
filed electronically with the SEC.
As
a result of the offering, we will be required to file periodic reports and other
information with the SEC. We also maintain an Internet site at www.etfs.grayscale.com/gxrp.
Our
website and the information contained therein or connected thereto shall not be
deemed to be incorporated into this prospectus or the registration statement of
which it forms a part.
We
intend to make available to holders of the Shares annual reports containing
consolidated financial statements audited by an independent registered public
accounting firm.
Glossary
of Defined Terms
In
this prospectus, each of the following terms has the meaning set forth
below.
“Account”—The
accounts associated with the Trust’s Vault Balance and Settlement
Balance.
“Actual
Exchange Rate”—With
respect to any particular asset, at any time, the price per single unit of such
asset (determined net of any associated fees) at which the Trust is able to sell
such asset for U.S. dollars (or other applicable fiat currency) at such time to
enable the Trust to timely pay any Additional Trust Expenses, through use of the
Sponsor’s commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the highest such
price.
“Actual
Execution Cash Order”—A
Cash Order pursuant to which any price differential between (x) the Total Basket
NAV on the trade date and (y) the price realized in acquiring or disposing of
the corresponding Total Basket Amount, as the case may be, will be borne solely
by the Authorized Participant.
“Additional
Creation Cash”—In
connection with a creation pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, the
amount of additional cash required to be delivered by the Authorized Participant
in the event the price realized in acquiring the corresponding Total Basket
Amount is higher than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date.
“Additional
Redemption Cash”—In
connection with a redemption pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, the
amount of additional cash to be delivered to the Authorized Participant in the
event the price realized in disposing the corresponding Total Basket Amount is
higher than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date.
“Additional
Trust Expenses”—Together,
any expenses incurred by the Trust in addition to the Sponsor’s Fee that are not
Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, (i) taxes and governmental
charges, (ii) expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the
Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the
Trust or the interests of shareholders, (iii) any indemnification of the
Custodian or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust,
(iv) the fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or trading of the
Shares on any Secondary Market (including legal, marketing and audit fees and
expenses) to the extent exceeding $600,000 in any given fiscal year and (v)
extraordinary legal fees and expenses, including any legal fees and expenses
incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation
matters.
“Administrator”—The
Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to conduct banking
business.
“Administrator
Fee”—The
fee payable to any administrator of the Trust for services it provides to the
Trust, which the Sponsor will pay such administrator as a Sponsor-paid
Expense.
“Affirmative
Action”—A
decision by the Trust to acquire or abandon specific Incidental Rights and IR
Virtual Currency at any time prior to the time of a creation or redemption of
Shares.
“AP
Designee”—An
Authorized Participant’s designee in connection with In-Kind Orders (to the
extent In-Kind Regulatory Approval is obtained).
“Authorized
Participant”—Certain
eligible financial institutions that have entered into an agreement with the
Trust and the Sponsor concerning the creation or redemption of Shares. Each
Authorized Participant (i) is a registered broker-dealer and (ii) has entered
into a Participant Agreement with the Sponsor and the Transfer Agent. Subject to
In-Kind Regulatory Approval, in the future any Authorized Participants creating
and redeeming Shares through In-Kind Orders must also own, or their AP Designee
(as defined above) must own, a digital wallet address that is known to the
Custodian as belonging to the Authorized Participant or its AP Designee and
maintain an account with the Custodian.
“Basket”—A
block of 10,000 Shares.
“Basket
Amount”—On
any trade date, the amount of XRP required as of such trade date for the
creation or redemption of a Basket, as determined by dividing (x) the amount of
XRP owned by the Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date, after
deducting the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar value of accrued but
unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust (converted using the Index Price at such
time, and carried to the eighth
decimal
place), by (y) the number of Shares outstanding at such time (with the quotient
so obtained calculated to one one-hundred-millionth of one XRP (i.e., carried to
the eighth decimal place)), and multiplying such quotient by 10,000.
“Basket
NAV”—The
U.S. dollar value of a Basket calculated by multiplying the Basket Amount by the
Index Price as of the trade date.
“Binance”—Binance
Holdings Ltd.
“Bitcoin”—A
type of digital asset based on an open-source cryptographic protocol existing on
the Bitcoin network.
“Bitcoin
Network”—The
online, end-user-to-end-user network hosting the public transaction ledger,
known as the Blockchain, and the source code comprising the basis for the
cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the Bitcoin
Network.
“Blockchain”
or “XRP
Blockchain”—The
public transaction ledger of the XRP Network on which transactions in XRP are
recorded.
“Cash
Account”—The
segregated account maintained by the Transfer Agent in the name of the Trust for
purposes of receiving cash from Authorized Participants and Liquidity Providers
in connection with creations of Shares and distributing cash to Authorized
Participants and Liquidity Providers in connection with redemptions of
Shares.
“Cash
Order”—An
order for the creation or redemption of Shares pursuant to procedures
facilitated by the Transfer Agent and pursuant to which a Liquidity Provider is
engaged to facilitate the purchase or sale of XRP. A Cash Order may be executed
as either a Variable Fee Cash Order or an Actual Execution Cash Order. Unless
the Sponsor determines otherwise in its sole discretion based on market
conditions and other factors existing at the time of such Cash Order, all
creations and redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders are expected to be executed as
Variable Fee Cash Orders.
“CEA”—Commodity
Exchange Act of 1936, as amended.
“CFTC”—The
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an independent agency with the
mandate to regulate commodity futures and option markets in the United
States.
“CME”—The
Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
“Code”—The
U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Coinbase”—Coinbase,
Inc.
“Coinbase
Credit”—Coinbase
Credit, Inc.
“Co-Transfer
Agent”—Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company.
“Covered
Person”—The
Sponsor and its affiliates. See “Business—Description of the Trust Agreement—
The Sponsor—Liability of the Sponsor and Indemnification.”
“Creation
Basket”—Basket
of Shares issued by the Trust upon deposit of the Basket Amount required for
each such Creation Basket.
“Creation
Time”—With
respect to the creation of any Shares by the Trust, the time at which the Trust
creates such Shares.
“Custodial
and Prime Broker Services”—The
services of the Custodian and the Prime Broker that provide for: (i) holding of
the Trust’s XRP in the Vault Balance and the Settlement Balance; (ii) transfer
of the Trust’s XRP between the relevant Vault Balance and the Settlement
Balance; (iii) the deposit of XRP from a public blockchain
address
into the respective account or accounts in which the Vault Balance or the
Settlement Balance are maintained; and (iv) the withdrawal of XRP from the Vault
Balance to a public blockchain address the Trust controls.
“Custodial
Entities”—The
Prime Broker, together with the Custodian.
“Custodian”—Coinbase
Custody Trust Company, LLC.
“Custodian
Fee”—Fee
payable to the Custodian and the Prime Broker for services they provide to the
Trust, which the Sponsor shall pay to the Custodian and the Prime Broker as a
Sponsor-paid Expense.
“DCG”—Digital
Currency Group, Inc.
“Digital
Asset Market”—A
“Brokered Market,” “Dealer Market,” “Principal-to-Principal Market” or “Exchange
Market,” as each such term is defined in the Financial Accounting Standards
Board Accounting Standards Codification Master Glossary.
“Digital
Asset Trading Platform”—An
electronic marketplace where trading platform participants may trade, buy and
sell XRP based on bid-ask trading. The largest Digital Asset Trading Platforms
are online and typically trade on a 24-hour basis, publishing transaction price
and volume data.
“Digital
Asset Trading Platform Market”—The
global exchange market for the trading of XRP, which consists of transactions on
electronic Digital Asset Trading Platforms.
“DSTA”—The
Delaware Statutory Trust Act, as amended.
“DTC”—The
Depository Trust Company. DTC is a limited purpose trust company organized under
New York law, a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and a clearing agency
registered with the SEC. DTC will act as the securities depository for the
Shares.
“ERISA”—The
U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
“ETC”
or “Ethereum
Classic”—
Ether Classic tokens, which are a type of digital asset based on an open-source
cryptographic protocol existing on the Ethereum Classic Network.
“Ether”—Ethereum
tokens, which are a type of digital asset based on an open source cryptographic
protocol existing on the Ethereum Network, comprising units that constitute the
assets underlying the Trust’s Shares.
“Ethereum
Classic Network”—The
online, end-user-to-end-user network hosting a public transaction ledger, known
as the Ethereum Classic blockchain, and the source code comprising the basis for
the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the Ethereum Classic
network.
“Ethereum
Network”—The
online, end-user-to-end-user network hosting the public transaction ledger,
known as the “Ethereum Blockchain,” and the source code comprising the basis for
the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the Ethereum
Network.
“Excess
Creation Cash”—In
connection with a creation pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, the
amount of excess cash to be returned to the Authorized Participant in the event
the price realized in acquiring the corresponding Total Basket Amount is lower
than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date.
“Exchange
Act”—The
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“FCA”
— The Financial Conduct Authority.
“FDIC”—
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
“FinCEN”—The
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury.
“FINRA”—The
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., which is the primary regulator in
the United States for broker-dealers, including Authorized
Participants.
“FTX”—FTX
Trading, Ltd.
“GAAP”—United
States generally accepted accounting principles.
“Grayscale
Securities”—Grayscale
Securities, LLC.
“GSI”—Grayscale
Investments, LLC, the Sponsor of the Trust until December 31, 2024.
“GSIS”—Grayscale
Investments Sponsors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly
owned direct subsidiary of Grayscale Operating, LLC.
“GSO”—Grayscale
Operating, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned indirect
subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, Inc.
“GSOIH”—GSO
Intermediate Holdings Corporation, a Delaware corporation formed in connection
with the Reorganization which is the sole managing member of GSO, and an
indirect subsidiary of DCG.
“Incidental
Rights”—Rights
to acquire, or otherwise establish dominion and control over, any virtual
currency or other asset or right, which rights are incident to the Trust’s
ownership of XRP and arise without any action of the Trust, or of the Sponsor or
Trustee on behalf of the Trust.
“Index”—The
CoinDesk Ripple Price Index (XRX).
“Index
License Agreement”—The
license agreement, dated as of February 1, 2022, between the Index Provider and
the Sponsor, governing the Sponsor’s use of the Index for calculation of the
Index Price, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto and as the same may be
amended from time to time.
“Index
Price”—The
U.S. dollar value of an XRP derived from the Digital Asset Trading Platforms
that are reflected in the Index, calculated at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each
business day. See “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index
and the Index Price” for a description of how the Index Price is calculated. For
purposes of the Trust Agreement, the term Index Price shall mean the Index Price
as defined herein.
“Index
Provider”—CoinDesk
Indices, Inc., a Delaware corporation that publishes the Index. Prior to its
sale to an unaffiliated third party on November 20, 2023, DCG was the indirect
parent company of CoinDesk Indices, Inc. As a result, CoinDesk Indices, Inc. was
an affiliate of the Sponsor and the Trust and was considered a related party of
the Trust.
“In-Kind
Order”—An
order for the creation or redemption of Shares pursuant to which the Authorized
Participant (or its AP Designee) will deliver or receive XRP directly from the
Trust’s Vault Balance. Because In-Kind Regulatory Approval has not been
obtained, at this time Shares will not be created or redeemed through In-Kind
Orders.
“In-Kind
Regulatory Approval”—The
necessary regulatory approval to permit NYSE Arca to list the Shares of the
Trust utilizing a structure that allows the Trust to create and redeem Shares
via in-kind transactions with Authorized Participants or their AP Designees in
exchange for XRP. Although the SEC recently approved orders to permit in-kind
creations and redemptions by authorized participants for certain spot digital
asset ETP shares, the Trust is not at this time able to create and redeem shares
via in-kind transactions with Authorized Participants. In light of new SEC staff
orders, NYSE Arca may seek the necessary regulatory approval to amend its
listing rules to permit the Trust to create and redeem Shares through In-Kind
Orders. There can be no assurance as to when NYSE Arca will seek or obtain such
regulatory approval, if at all.
“Investment
Advisers Act”—Investment
Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.
“Investment
Company Act”—Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended.
“Investor”—Any
investor that has entered into a subscription agreement with an Authorized
Participant, pursuant to which such Authorized Participant will act as agent for
the investor.
“IRS”—The
U.S. Internal Revenue Service, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury.
“IR
Virtual Currency”—Any
virtual currency tokens, or other asset or right, acquired by the Trust through
the exercise (subject to the applicable provisions of the Trust Agreement) of
any Incidental Right.
“Ledger”
or “XRP
Ledger”—The
public transaction ledger of the XRP on which transactions in XRP are
recorded.
“Liquidity
Engager”—Grayscale
Investments Sponsors, LLC, acting other than in its capacity as Sponsor, and in
its capacity to engage one or more Liquidity Providers.
“Liquidity
Provider”—
One or more eligible companies that facilitate the purchase and sale of XRP in
connection with creations or redemptions pursuant to Cash Orders. The Liquidity
Providers with which Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC, acting in its capacity
as the Liquidity Engager, will engage in XRP transactions are third parties that
are not affiliated with the Sponsor or the Trust and are not acting as agents of
the Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized Participant, and all transactions will
be done on an arms-length basis. Except for the contractual relationships
between each Liquidity Provider and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC in its
capacity as the Liquidity Engager, there is no contractual relationship between
each Liquidity Provider and the Trust, the Sponsor, or any Authorized
Participant.
“Marketing
Agent”—Foreside
Fund Services, LLC.
“Marketing
Agent Agreement”—An
agreement entered into by the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, dated , with
Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
“Marketing
Fee”—Fee
payable to the marketer for services it provides to the Trust, which the Sponsor
will pay to the marketer as a Sponsor-paid Expense.
“Merger”—The
merger of Grayscale Investments, LLC with and into Grayscale Operating, LLC,
with Grayscale Operating, LLC continuing as the surviving company.
“NAV”—The
aggregate value, expressed in U.S. dollars, of the Trust’s assets (other than
U.S. dollars or other fiat currency), less its liabilities (which include
estimated accrued but unpaid fees and expenses) calculated in the manner set
forth under “Business—Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV.” See also
“Business— Trust Objective and Determination of Principal Market NAV and NAV”
for a description of the Trust’s Principal Market NAV, as calculated in
accordance with GAAP.
“NAV
Fee Basis Amount”—The
amount on which the Sponsor’s Fee for the Trust is based, as calculated in the
manner set forth under “Valuation of XRP and Determination of NAV”.
“NYSE
Arca”—NYSE
Arca, Inc.
“Participant
Agreement”—An
agreement entered into by an Authorized Participant with the Sponsor and the
Transfer Agent, that provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of
Baskets via a Liquidity Provider.
“Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment”—The
abandonment by the Trust, irrevocably for no direct or indirect consideration,
all Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which the Trust would otherwise
be entitled, effective immediately prior to a Creation Time or a Redemption Time
(as the case may be) for the Trust.
“Pre-Creation/Redemption
Abandonment Notices”—The
notices, collectively, as amended or supplemented from time to time, delivered
by the Sponsor to each of the Prime Broker, the Custodian and Coinbase Credit,
on behalf of the Trust, stating that the Trust will abandon, irrevocably and for
no direct or indirect consideration, effective immediately prior to each
Creation Time and each Redemption Time for the Trust, all Incidental Rights and
IR Virtual Currency to which it would otherwise be entitled as of such time and
with respect to which the Trust has not taken any Affirmative Action at or prior
to such time.
“Prime
Broker”—Coinbase,
Inc.
“Prime
Broker Agreement”—The
Prime Broker Agreement, dated as of , by and among the Trust, the Sponsor and
the Prime Broker, on behalf of itself, the Custodian and Coinbase Credit, that
governs the Trust’s and the Sponsor’s use of the Custodial and Prime Broker
Services provided by the Custodian and the Prime Broker.
“Principal
Market NAV”—The
net asset value of the Trust determined on a GAAP basis.
“Redemption
Cash Shortfall”—In
connection with a redemption pursuant to an Actual Execution Cash Order, the
amount by which the cash to be delivered to the Authorized Participant is
reduced in the event the price realized in disposing the corresponding Total
Basket Amount is lower than the Total Basket NAV on the trade date.
“Redemption
Time”—With
respect to the redemption of any Shares by the Trust, the time at which the
Trust redeems such Shares.
“Reorganization”—The
internal corporate reorganization of Grayscale Investments, LLC consummated on
January 1, 2025.
“Required
Redemption Cash”—The
actual proceeds to the Trust from the liquidation of the Total Basket
Amount.
“Ripple
Labs”
—Ripple Labs Inc.
“SEC”—The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Secondary
Index”—The
Coin Metrics Real-Time Rate.
“Secondary
Index Price”—The
price set by Coin Metrics Real-Time Rate as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the
valuation date. See “Business—Overview of the XRP Industry and Market—The Index
and the Index Price—Determination of the Index Price When Index Price is
Unavailable” for a description of how the Secondary Index Price is utilized when
the Index Price is unavailable.
“Secondary
Index Provider”—Coin
Metrics Inc., a Delaware corporation that publishes the Secondary
Index.
“Secondary
Market”—Any
marketplace or other alternative trading system, as determined by the Sponsor,
on which the Shares may then be listed, quoted or traded, including but not
limited to, NYSE Arca.
“Securities
Act”—The
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Settlement
Balance”—An
account controlled and maintained by the Custodian to which cash and digital
assets of the Trust are credited on the Trust’s behalf.
“Shares”—Common
units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in, and ownership of, the
Trust.
“SIPC”—The
Securities Investor Protection Corporation.
“Sponsor”
or
“Co-Sponsor”—The
sponsor of the Trust. Grayscale Investments, LLC was the sponsor of the Trust
before January 1, 2025, Grayscale Operating, LLC was a co-sponsor of the Trust
from January 1, 2025 to May 3, 2025, and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC was
a co-sponsor of the Trust from January 1, 2025 to May 3, 2025 and is the sole
sponsor thereafter.
“Sponsor-paid
Expenses”—The
fees and expenses incurred by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs
that the Sponsor is obligated to assume and pay, excluding taxes, but including:
(i) the Marketing Fee, (ii) the Administrator Fee, (iii) the Custodian Fee and
fees for any other security vendor engaged by the Trust, (iv) the Transfer Agent
fee, (v) the Trustee fee, (vi) the fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any Secondary Market (including customary
legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) in an amount up to $600,000 in any
given fiscal year, (vii) ordinary course, legal fees and expenses, (viii) audit
fees, (ix) regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to the
registration of the Shares under the Securities Act or
the
Exchange Act, (x) printing and mailing costs, (xi) costs of maintaining the
Trust’s website and (xii) applicable license fees, provided that any expense
that qualifies as an Additional Trust Expense will be deemed to be an Additional
Trust Expense and not a Sponsor-paid Expense.
“Sponsor’s
Fee”—A
fee, payable in XRP, which accrues daily in U.S. dollars at an annual rate of
2.5% of the NAV Fee Basis Amount of the Trust as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on
each day; provided
that
for a day that is not a business day, the calculation of the Sponsor’s Fee will
be based on the NAV Fee Basis Amount from the most recent business day, reduced
by the accrued and unpaid Sponsor’s Fee for such most recent business day and
for each day after such most recent business day and prior to the relevant
calculation date.
“Total
Basket Amount”—With
respect to any creation or redemption order, the applicable Basket Amount
multiplied by the number of Baskets being created or redeemed.
“Total
Basket NAV”—The
applicable Basket NAV Amount multiplied by the number of Baskets being created
or redeemed.
“Transfer
Agency and Service Agreement”—The
agreement between the Sponsor and the Transfer Agent which sets forth the
obligations and responsibilities of the Transfer Agent with respect to transfer
agency services and related matters.
“Transfer
Agent”—
The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to conduct
banking business.
“Transfer
Agent Fee”—Fee
payable to the Transfer Agent for services it provides to the Trust, which the
Sponsor will pay to the Transfer Agent as a Sponsor-paid Expense.
“Treasury
Regulations”—The
regulations, including proposed or temporary regulations, promulgated under the
Code.
“Trust”—Grayscale
XRP Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, formed on April 23, 2024 under the DSTA
and pursuant to the Trust Agreement. In connection with the effectiveness of
this registration statement and the listing of the Shares on NYSE Arca, the
Sponsor intends to rename the Trust as Grayscale XRP Trust ETF by filing a
Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Delaware Secretary
of State in accordance with the provisions of the DSTA.
“Trust
Agreement”—The
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement, dated as of
August 14, 2024 between the Trustee and the Sponsor establishing and governing
the operations of the Trust, as may be further amended from time to
time.
“Trustee”—CSC
Delaware Trust Company (formerly known as Delaware Trust Company), a Delaware
trust company, is the Delaware trustee of the Trust.
“U.S.”—United
States.
“U.S.
dollar”
or “$”—United
States dollar or dollars.
“Variable
Fee”—An
amount in cash based on the Total Basket NAV, which shall be paid by the
Authorized Participant in connection with Variable Fee Cash Orders. The amount
may be changed by the Sponsor in its sole discretion at any time.
“Variable
Fee Cash Order”—A
Cash Order pursuant to which any price differential between (x) the Total Basket
NAV on the trade date and (y) the price realized in acquiring or disposing of
the corresponding Total Basket Amount, as the case may be, will be borne solely
by the applicable Liquidity Provider.
“Vault
Balance”—A
segregated custody account controlled and secured by the Custodian to store
private keys, which allow for the transfer of ownership or control of the
Trust’s XRP on the Trust’s behalf.
“XRP”—
XRP tokens, which are a type of digital asset based on an open source
cryptographic protocol existing on the XRP Network, comprising units that
constitute the assets underlying the Trust’s Shares. See “Overview of the XRP
Industry and Market.”
“XRP
Network”—A
decentralized public transaction ledger maintained by validators running XRP
Ledger software. The XRP Network leverages the cryptographic and algorithmic
mechanisms of the underlying protocol to govern its application. See “Overview
of the XRP Industry and Market.”
“Zcash”
or “ZEC”—A
type of digital asset based on an open source cryptographic protocol existing on
the Zcash network.
Index
to Financial Statements
|
|
|
Grayscale
XRP Trust Unaudited Interim Financial Statements
|
Page |
|
Statements
of Assets and Liabilities at June 30, 2025 and December 31,
2024
|
F-2 |
|
Schedules
of Investment at June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024
|
F-3 |
|
Statement
of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2025
|
F-4 |
|
Statement
of Changes in Net Assets for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30,
2025
|
F-5 |
|
Notes to
Unaudited Financial Statements
|
F-6 |
|
|
|
Grayscale
XRP Trust Annual Financial Statements
|
Page |
|
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
F-13 |
|
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities at December 31, 2024
|
F-8 |
|
Schedule
of Investment at December 31, 2024
|
F-9 |
|
Statement
of Operations for the Period from September 5, 2024 (the Commencement of
the Trust’s Operations) to December 31, 2024 |
F-10 |
|
Statement
of Changes in Net Assets for the Period from September 5, 2024 (the
Commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December 31, 2024 |
F-11 |
|
Notes to
Financial Statements
|
F-12 |
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statements
of Assets and Liabilities
(Unaudited)
(Amounts
in thousands, except Share and per Share amounts)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June
30, 2025 |
|
|
December
31, 2024 |
|
|
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
in XRP, at fair value (cost $4,832 and $3,205 as of June 30, 2025 and
December 31, 2024, respectively) |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
Total
assets |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee payable, related party |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Total
liabilities |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
Net
assets |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
Shares
issued and outstanding, no par value (unlimited Shares
authorized) |
|
|
283,600 |
|
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Principal
Market NAV per Share |
|
$ |
45.46 |
|
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
See
accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Schedules
of Investment (Unaudited)
(Amounts
in thousands, except quantity of XRP and percentages)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June
30, 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quantity
of XRP |
|
|
Cost |
|
|
Fair
Value |
|
|
%
of Net Assets |
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
|
5,557,520.347611 |
|
|
$ |
4,832 |
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
Total
Investment |
|
|
|
|
$ |
4,832 |
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
Net
assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quantity
of XRP |
|
|
Cost |
|
|
Fair
Value |
|
|
%
of Net Assets |
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
|
4,976,071.513885 |
|
|
$ |
3,205 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
Total
Investment |
|
|
|
|
$ |
3,205 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
Net
assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
See
accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statement
of Operations
(Unaudited)
(Amounts
in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Investment
income: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
income |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee, related party |
|
|
76 |
|
|
|
158 |
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
(76 |
) |
|
|
(158 |
) |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain from: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
47 |
|
|
|
103 |
|
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
1,208 |
|
|
|
816 |
|
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment |
|
|
1,255 |
|
|
|
919 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
$ |
1,179 |
|
|
$ |
761 |
|
See
accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statement
of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited)
(Amounts
in thousands, except change in Shares outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Increase
in net assets from operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
$ |
(76 |
) |
|
$ |
(158 |
) |
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
47 |
|
|
|
103 |
|
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
1,208 |
|
|
|
816 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
|
1,179 |
|
|
|
761 |
|
|
Increase
in net assets from capital share transactions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
issued |
|
|
269 |
|
|
|
1,682 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from capital share
transactions |
|
|
269 |
|
|
|
1,682 |
|
|
Total
increase in net assets from operations and capital share
transactions |
|
|
1,448 |
|
|
|
2,443 |
|
|
Net
assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginning
of period |
|
|
11,445 |
|
|
|
10,450 |
|
|
End of
period |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
Change
in Shares outstanding: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
outstanding at beginning of period |
|
|
277,700 |
|
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Shares
issued |
|
|
5,900 |
|
|
|
32,800 |
|
|
Net
increase in Shares |
|
|
5,900 |
|
|
|
32,800 |
|
|
Shares
outstanding at end of period |
|
|
283,600 |
|
|
|
283,600 |
|
See
accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
1.
Organization
Grayscale
XRP Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on August
5, 2024 and commenced operations on September 5, 2024. In general, the Trust
holds XRP and, from time to time, issues common units of fractional undivided
beneficial interest (“Shares”) (in minimum baskets of 100 Shares, referred to as
“Baskets”) in exchange for XRP. The Trust does not currently operate a
redemption program. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval and approval by
the Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future operate a
redemption program. On January 30, 2025, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) submitted
an application under Rule 19b-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”) to list the Shares of the Trust on NYSE Arca. As of
the date of this filing, the NYSE Arca 19b-4 application has not been approved
by the SEC, and the Trust makes no representation as to when or if such approval
and relief will be obtained. The Trust’s investment objective is for the value
of the Shares (based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the
Trust, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities.
Grayscale
Investments, LLC (“GSI”), the sponsor of the Trust before January 1, 2025,
Grayscale Operating, LLC (“GSO”), the co-sponsor of the Trust from January 1,
2025 to May 3, 2025, and Grayscale Investments Sponsors, LLC (“GSIS”), the
co-sponsor of the Trust from January 1, 2025 to May 3, 2025 and the sole
remaining sponsor thereafter (each of GSI, GSO and GSIS, the “Sponsor”, as the
context may require, and GSO and GSIS, together, the “Co-Sponsors”) are each an
indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”). The
Sponsor is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Trust pursuant
to the provisions of the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor is responsible for
preparing and providing annual and quarterly reports on behalf of the Trust to
investors and is also responsible for selecting and monitoring the Trust’s
service providers. As partial consideration for the Sponsor’s services, the
Trust pays the Sponsor a Sponsor’s Fee as discussed in Note 6. The Sponsor also
acts as the sponsor and manager of other single-asset and diversified investment
products, each of which is an affiliate of the Trust. Information related to the
affiliated investment products can be found on the Sponsor’s website at
www.grayscale.com/resources/regulatory-filings. Any information contained on or
linked from such website is not part of nor incorporated by reference into these
unaudited financial statements. Several of the affiliated investment products
are SEC reporting companies with their shares registered pursuant to Section
12(g) of the Exchange Act. In addition, the following affiliated investment
products are SEC reporting companies with their shares registered pursuant to
Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF, Grayscale
Ethereum Trust ETF, Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF, and Grayscale Bitcoin
Mini Trust ETF.
Authorized
Participants of the Trust are the only entities who may place orders to create
or, if permitted, redeem Baskets. Grayscale Securities, LLC (“Grayscale
Securities” or, in such capacity, an “Authorized Participant”), a registered
broker-dealer and affiliate of the Sponsor, is the only Authorized Participant,
and is party to a participant agreement with the Sponsor and the Trust.
Additional Authorized Participants may be added at any time, subject to the
discretion of the Sponsor. Liquidity Providers who are unaffiliated with the
Trust may be engaged from time to time and at any time.
The
custodian of the Trust is Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (the “Custodian”),
a third-party service provider. The Custodian is responsible for safeguarding
the XRP, Incidental Rights, and IR Virtual Currency held by the Trust, and
holding the private key(s) that provide access to the Trust’s digital wallets
and vaults.
The
transfer agent for the Trust (the “Transfer Agent”) is Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company. The responsibilities of the Transfer Agent are to
maintain creations, redemptions, transfers, and distributions of the Trust’s
Shares which are primarily held in book-entry form.
The
Trust may also receive Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency as a result
of the Trust’s investment in XRP, in accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement.
Incidental
Rights are rights to claim, or otherwise establish dominion and control over,
any virtual currency or other asset or right, which rights are incident to the
Trust’s ownership of XRP and arise without any action of the Trust, or of the
Sponsor or Trustee on behalf of the Trust; IR Virtual Currency is any virtual
currency tokens, or other asset or right, received by the Trust through the
exercise (subject to the applicable provisions of the Trust Agreement) of any
Incidental Right.
2.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
In
the opinion of management of the Sponsor of the Trust, all adjustments (which
include normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial
position as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024 and results of operations for
the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 have been made. The results of
operations for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the
results of operations expected for the full year. These unaudited financial
statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2024 included in our Annual Report.
The
following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the
Trust:
The
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The Trust qualifies as
an investment company for accounting purposes pursuant to the accounting and
reporting guidance
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
under
Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial
Services—Investment Companies.
The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting for XRP in accordance with
its classification as an investment company for accounting purposes. The Trust
is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual
results could differ from those estimates and these differences could be
material.
The
Trust conducts its transactions in XRP, including receiving XRP for the creation
of Shares and delivering XRP for the redemption of Shares and for the payment of
the Sponsor’s Fee. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests
from shareholders. Since its inception, the Trust has not held cash or cash
equivalents. The Sponsor will determine the Trust’s net asset value on each
business day as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, or as soon thereafter as
practicable.
Principal
Market and Fair Value Determination
To
determine which market is the Trust’s principal market (or in the absence of a
principal market, the most advantageous market) for purposes of calculating the
Trust’s net asset value in accordance with U.S. GAAP (“Principal Market NAV”),
the Trust follows ASC Topic 820-10, Fair
Value Measurement,
which outlines the application of fair value accounting. ASC 820-10 determines
fair value to be the price that would be received for XRP in a current sale,
which assumes an orderly transaction between market participants on the
measurement date. ASC 820-10 requires the Trust to assume that XRP is sold in
its principal market to market participants or, in the absence of a principal
market, the most advantageous market. Market participants are defined as buyers
and sellers in the principal or most advantageous market that are independent,
knowledgeable, and willing and able to transact.
The
Trust only receives XRP in connection with a creation order from the Authorized
Participant (or a Liquidity Provider) and does not itself transact on any
Digital Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to market-based volume and
level of activity for Digital Asset Markets. The Authorized Participant(s), or a
Liquidity Provider, may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market,
Principal-to-Principal Markets and Exchange Markets (referred to as “Trading
Platform Markets” in this Quarterly Report), each as defined in the FASB ASC
Master Glossary (collectively, “Digital Asset Markets”).
In
determining which of the eligible Digital Asset Markets is the Trust’s principal
market, the Trust reviews these criteria in the following order:
First,
the Trust reviews a list of Digital Asset Markets that maintain practices and
policies designed to comply with anti-money laundering (“AML”) and
know-your-customer (“KYC”) regulations, and non-Digital Asset Trading Platform
Markets that the Trust reasonably believes are operating in compliance with
applicable law, including federal and state licensing requirements, based upon
information and assurances provided to it by each market.
Second,
the Trust sorts these Digital Asset Markets from high to low by market-based
volume and level of activity of XRP traded on each Digital Asset Market in the
trailing twelve months.
Third,
the Trust then reviews pricing fluctuations and the degree of variances in price
on Digital Asset Markets to identify any material notable variances that may
impact the volume or price information of a particular Digital Asset
Market.
Fourth,
the Trust then selects a Digital Asset Market as its principal market based on
the highest market-based volume, level of activity and price stability in
comparison to the other Digital Asset Markets on the list. Based on information
reasonably available to the Trust, Trading Platform Markets have the greatest
volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to
accessible Trading Platform Markets as opposed to the Brokered Market, Dealer
Market and Principal-to-Principal Markets to determine its principal market. As
a result of the aforementioned analysis, a Trading Platform Market has been
selected as the Trust’s principal market.
The
Trust determines its principal market (or in the absence of a principal market
the most advantageous market) annually and conducts a quarterly analysis to
determine (i) if there have been recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s
trading volume and level of activity in the trailing twelve months, (ii) if any
Digital Asset Markets have developed that the Trust has access to, or (iii) if
recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s price stability have occurred that
would materially impact the selection of the principal market and necessitate a
change in the Trust’s determination of its principal market.
The
cost basis of the XRP received by the Trust in connection with a creation order
is recorded by the Trust at the fair value of XRP at 4:00 p.m., New York time,
on the creation date for financial reporting purposes. The cost basis recorded
by the Trust may differ from proceeds collected by the Authorized Participant
from the sale of the corresponding Shares to investors.
Investment
Transactions and Revenue Recognition
The
Trust considers investment transactions to be the receipt of XRP for Share
creations and the delivery of XRP for Share redemptions or for payment of
expenses in XRP. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests
from shareholders. The Trust records its investment transactions on a trade date
basis and changes in fair value are reflected as net change in unrealized
appreciation or depreciation on investments. Realized gains and losses are
calculated using the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses
are recognized in connection with transactions including settling obligations
for the Sponsor’s Fee in XRP.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
Fair
Value Measurement
Fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to
transfer a liability (i.e., the ‘exit price’) in an orderly transaction between
market participants at the measurement date.
U.S.
GAAP utilizes a fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value
that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of
unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when
available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in
pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources
independent of the Trust. Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions
about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability
developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances.
The
fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as
follows:
•
Level
1 – Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical
assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to access. Since valuations
are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active
market, these valuations do not entail a significant degree of
judgment.
•
Level
2 – Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for
which significant inputs are observable, either directly or
indirectly.
•
Level
3 – Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the
overall fair value measurement.
The
availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary by
investment. To the extent that valuations are based on sources that are less
observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value
requires more judgment. Fair value estimates do not necessarily represent the
amounts that may be ultimately realized by the Trust.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Value Measurement Using |
|
|
(Amounts
in thousands) |
|
Amount
at Fair Value |
|
|
Level
1 |
|
|
Level
2 |
|
|
Level
3 |
|
|
June
30, 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
12,893 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
December
31, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
Segment
Reporting
The
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor act as the
Trust’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). The Trust represents a single
operating segment, as the CODM monitors the operating results of the Trust as a
whole and the Trust’s passive investment objective is pre-determined in
accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement. The financial information in
the form of the Trust’s total returns, expense ratios and changes in net assets
(i.e., changes in net assets resulting from operations and capital share
transactions), which are used by the CODM to assess the segment’s performance,
are consistent with that presented within the Trust’s financial statements.
Segment assets are reflected on the accompanying Statements of Assets and
Liabilities as Total assets and the only significant segment expense, the
Sponsor’s fee, related party, is included in the accompanying Statements of
Operations.
3.
Fair Value of XRP
XRP
is held by the Custodian on behalf of the Trust and is carried at fair value. As
of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Trust held 5,557,520.347611 and
4,976,071.513885 XRP, respectively.
The
Trust determined the fair value per XRP to be $2.32 and $2.10 on June 30, 2025
and December 31, 2024, respectively, using the price provided at 4:00 p.m., New
York time, by the Digital Asset Trading Platform Market considered to be the
Trust’s principal market (Coinbase).
The
following represents the changes in quantity of XRP and the respective fair
value:
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Amounts
in thousands, except XRP amounts) |
|
Quantity |
|
|
Fair
Value |
|
|
Balance
at September 5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s
Operations) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
XRP
contributed |
|
|
5,006,299.850211 |
|
|
|
3,222 |
|
|
XRP
distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party |
|
|
(30,228.336326 |
) |
|
|
(39 |
) |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
7,245 |
|
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2024 |
|
|
4,976,071.513885 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
XRP
contributed |
|
|
647,661.688550 |
|
|
|
1,682 |
|
|
XRP
distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party |
|
|
(66,212.854824 |
) |
|
|
(158 |
) |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
816 |
|
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
103 |
|
|
Balance
at June 30, 2025 |
|
|
5,557,520.347611 |
|
|
|
12,893 |
|
4.
Creations and Redemptions of Shares
At
June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, there were an unlimited number of Shares
authorized by the Trust. The Trust creates (and, should the Trust commence a
redemption program, redeems) Shares from time to time, but only in one or more
Baskets. The creation and redemption of Baskets on behalf of investors are made
by the Authorized Participant in exchange for the delivery of XRP to the Trust
or the distribution of XRP by the Trust. The amount of XRP required for each
Creation Basket or redemption Basket is determined by dividing (x) the amount of
XRP owned by the Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date of a
creation or redemption order, after deducting the amount of XRP representing the
U.S. dollar value of accrued but unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust, by (y)
the number of Shares outstanding at such time and multiplying the quotient
obtained by 100. Each Share represented approximately 19.5963 and 19.8408 XRP at
June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. The decrease in the amount of
XRP represented by each Share is primarily a result of the periodic withdrawal
of XRP to pay the Sponsor’s Fee.
The
cost basis of investments in XRP recorded by the Trust is the fair value of XRP,
as determined by the Trust, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of transfer
to the Trust by the Authorized Participant, or Liquidity Provider, based on the
Creation Baskets. The cost basis recorded by the Trust may differ from proceeds
collected by the Authorized Participant from the sale of each Share to
investors. The Authorized Participant or Liquidity Provider may realize
significant profits buying, selling, creating, and, if permitted, redeeming
Shares as a result of changes in the value of Shares or XRP.
At
this time, the Trust is not operating a redemption program and is not accepting
redemption requests. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval and approval by
the Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future operate a
redemption program. On January 30, 2025, NYSE Arca filed an application with the
SEC pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Exchange Act to list the Shares of the
Trust on NYSE Arca. As of the date of this filing, the NYSE Arca 19b-4
application has not been approved by the SEC, and the Trust makes no
representation as to when or if such approval and relief will be
obtained.
5.
Income Taxes
The
Sponsor takes the position that the Trust is properly treated as a grantor trust
for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Assuming that the Trust is a grantor
trust, the Trust will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Rather, if the
Trust is a grantor trust, each beneficial owner of Shares will be treated as
directly owning its pro rata Share of the Trust’s assets and a pro rata portion
of the Trust’s income, gains, losses and deductions will “flow through” to each
beneficial owner of Shares.
If
the Trust were not properly classified as a grantor trust, the Trust might be
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due
to the uncertain treatment of digital assets, including forks, airdrops and
similar occurrences for U.S. federal income tax purposes, there can be no
assurance in this regard. If the Trust were classified as a partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences of owning Shares generally
would not be materially different from the tax consequences described herein,
although there might be certain differences, including with respect to timing.
In addition, tax information reports provided to beneficial owners of Shares
would be made in a different form. If the Trust were not classified as either a
grantor trust or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be
classified as a corporation for such purposes. In that event, the Trust would be
subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax (currently at the rate of 21%)
on its net taxable income and certain distributions made by the Trust to
shareholders would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of the Trust’s
current and accumulated earnings and profits.
In
accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Trust has defined the threshold for recognizing
the benefits of tax positions in the financial statements as
“more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the applicable taxing authority and
requires measurement of a tax position meeting the “more-likely-than-not”
threshold, based on the largest benefit that is more than 50% likely to be
realized. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold
are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current period. As of, and
during the period ended June 30, 2025 and from September 5, 2024 (the
commencement of the Trust’s operations) to December 31, 2024, the
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
Trust
did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax amounts. However, the
Sponsor’s conclusions concerning its determination of “more-likely-than-not” tax
positions may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on
factors including, but not limited to, further implementation guidance, and
ongoing analyses of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations
thereof.
The
Sponsor of the Trust has evaluated whether or not there are uncertain tax
positions that require financial statement recognition and has determined that
no reserves for uncertain tax positions related to federal, state and local
income taxes existed as of June 30, 2025 or December 31, 2024.
6.
Related Parties
The
Trust considered the following entities, their directors, and certain employees
to be related parties of the Trust as of June 30, 2025: DCG, GSO, GSIS, and
Grayscale Securities. As of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, 50,186 and
49,328 Shares of the Trust were held by related parties of the Trust,
respectively.
In
accordance with the Trust Agreement governing the Trust, the Trust pays a fee to
the Sponsor, calculated as 2.5% of the aggregate value of the Trust’s assets,
less its liabilities (which include any accrued but unpaid expenses up to, but
excluding, the date of calculation), as calculated and published by the Sponsor
or its delegates in the manner set forth in the Trust Agreement (the “Sponsor’s
Fee”). The Sponsor’s Fee accrues daily in U.S. dollars and is payable in XRP,
monthly in arrears. The amount of XRP payable in respect of each daily U.S.
dollar accrual will be determined by reference to the same U.S. dollar value of
XRP used to determine such accrual. For purposes of these financial statements,
the U.S. dollar value of XRP is determined by reference to the Digital Asset
Trading Platform Market that the Trust considers its principal market as of 4:00
p.m., New York time, on each valuation date. The Trust held no Incidental Rights
or IR Virtual Currency as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024. No Incidental
Rights or IR Virtual Currencies have been distributed in payment of the
Sponsor’s Fee during the three and six months ended June 30, 2025.
As
partial consideration for receipt of the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor is obligated
under the Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other expenses incurred
by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs, excluding taxes, but
including marketing fees; administrator fees, if any; custodian fees; transfer
agent fees; trustee fees; the fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any secondary market (including customary
legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) in an amount up to $600,000 in any
given fiscal year; ordinary course legal fees and expenses; audit fees;
regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to the registration
of the Shares under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act; printing and mailing
costs; the costs of maintaining the Trust’s website and applicable license fees
(together, the “Sponsor-paid Expenses”), provided that any expense that
qualifies as an Additional Trust Expense will be deemed to be an Additional
Trust Expense and not a Sponsor-paid Expense.
The
Trust may incur certain extraordinary, non-recurring expenses that are not
Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, taxes and governmental
charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the
Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the
Trust or the interests of shareholders (including in connection with any
Incidental Rights and any IR Virtual Currency), any indemnification of the
Custodian or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust, the
fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or trading of the Shares on
any secondary market (including legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) to
the extent exceeding $600,000 in any given fiscal year and extraordinary legal
fees and expenses, including any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection
with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation matters (collectively
“Additional Trust Expenses”). In such circumstances, the Sponsor or its delegate
(i) will instruct the Custodian to withdraw from the Digital Asset Account XRP,
Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency in such quantity as may be
necessary to permit payment of such Additional Trust Expenses and (ii) may
either (x) cause the Trust (or its delegate) to convert such XRP, Incidental
Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies at
the Actual Exchange Rate or (y) when the Sponsor incurs such expenses on behalf
of the Trust, cause the Trust (or its delegate) to deliver such XRP, Incidental
Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency in kind to the Sponsor, in each case in such
quantity as may be necessary to permit payment of such Additional Trust
Expenses.
For
the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, the Trust incurred Sponsor’s Fees
of $75,761 and $157,158, respectively. As of June 30, 2025 and December 31,
2024, there were no accrued and unpaid Sponsor’s Fees. In addition, the Sponsor
may pay Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the Trust, which are reimbursable
by the Trust to the Sponsor. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2025,
the Sponsor did not pay any Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the
Trust.
7.
Risks and Uncertainties
The
Trust is subject to various risks including market risk, liquidity risk, and
other risks related to its concentration in a single asset, XRP. Investing in
XRP is currently highly speculative and volatile.
The
Principal Market NAV of the Trust, calculated by reference to the principal
market price in accordance with U.S. GAAP, relates primarily to the value of the
XRP held by the Trust, and fluctuations in the price of XRP could materially and
adversely affect an investment in the Shares of the Trust. The price of XRP has
a limited history. During such history, XRP prices have been volatile and
subject to influence by many factors, including the levels of liquidity. If
Digital Asset Markets continue to experience significant price fluctuations, the
Trust may experience losses. Several factors may affect the price of XRP,
including, but not limited to, global XRP
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
supply
and demand, theft of XRP from global trading platforms or vaults, competition
from other forms of digital currency or payment services, global or regional
political, economic or financial conditions, and other unforeseen events and
situations.
The
XRP held by the Trust are commingled, and the Trust’s shareholders have no
specific rights to any specific XRP. In the event of the insolvency of the
Trust, its assets may be inadequate to satisfy a claim by its
shareholders.
There
is currently no clearing house for XRP, nor is there a central or major
depository for the custody of XRP. There is a risk that some or all of the
Trust’s XRP could be lost or stolen. There can be no assurance that the
Custodian will maintain adequate insurance or that such coverage will cover
losses with respect to the Trust’s XRP. Further, transactions in XRP are
irrevocable. Stolen or incorrectly transferred XRP may be irretrievable. As a
result, any incorrectly executed XRP transactions could adversely affect an
investment in the Shares.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), at least under the prior
administration, has stated that certain digital assets may be considered
“securities” under the federal securities laws. The test for determining whether
a particular digital asset is a “security” is complex and difficult to apply,
and the outcome is difficult to predict. A number of SEC and SEC staff actions
with respect to a variety of digital assets demonstrate this difficulty. For
example, public though non-binding, statements by senior officials at the SEC
have indicated that the SEC did not consider Bitcoin or Ether to be securities,
and does not currently consider Bitcoin to be a security. In addition, the SEC
appears to have implicitly taken the view that Ether is not a security (i) by
not objecting to Ether futures trading on Commodity Futures Trading
Commission-regulated markets under rules designed for futures on non-security
commodity underliers and (ii) by approving the listing and trading of
exchange-traded products (“ETPs”) that invest in Ether (i.e., approving the
redemption of shares of such ETPs) under the rules for commodity-based trust
shares, without requiring these ETPs to be registered as investment companies.
Likewise, in various courts filings and arguments the SEC has distinguished
Ether from assets that it claimed were securities, and in judicial opinions,
courts have accepted or even assumed that Ether is not a security. Moreover, in
a recent settlement with another market participant relating to allegations that
it acted as an unregistered broker-dealer for facilitating trading in certain
digital assets, the SEC highlighted that the firm would cease trading in all
digital assets other than Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ether—activity that, if the
SEC believed Ether was presently a security—would continue to constitute
unregistered brokerage activity. The SEC staff has also provided informal
assurances via no-action letter to a handful of promoters that their digital
assets are not securities. Moreover, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance
has published statements that it does not consider, under certain circumstances,
“meme coins” or some stablecoins to be securities. However, such statements may
be withdrawn at any time without notice and comment by the Division of
Corporation Finance at the SEC or the SEC itself. In addition, the SEC has
brought enforcement actions against the issuers and promoters of several other
digital assets on the basis that the digital assets in question are securities,
and has not formally or explicitly confirmed that it does not deem Ether to be a
security. These developments demonstrate the difficulty in applying the federal
securities laws to digital assets generally. In January 2025, the SEC launched a
crypto task force dedicated to developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory
framework for digital assets led by Commissioner Hester Peirce. Subsequently,
Commissioner Peirce announced a list of specific priorities to further that
initiative, which included pursuing final rules related to a digital asset’s
security status, a revised path to registered offerings and listings for digital
assets-based investment vehicles, and clarity regarding digital asset custody,
lending, and staking. However, the efforts of the crypto task force have only
just begun, and how or whether the SEC regulates digital asset activity in the
future remains to be seen.
In
2020, the SEC filed a complaint against the issuer of XRP, Ripple Labs, Inc.,
and two of its executives, alleging that they raised more than $1.3 billion
through XRP sales that should have been registered under the federal securities
laws, but were not. In the years prior to the SEC’s action, XRP’s market
capitalization at times reached over $140 billion. However, in the weeks
following the SEC’s complaint, XRP’s market capitalization fell to less than $10
billion, which was less than half of its market capitalization in the days prior
to the complaint and certain significant market participants announced they
would no longer support XRP, among other measures, including the delisting of
XRP from major Digital Asset Trading Platforms. Subsequently, in July 2023, the
District Court for the Southern District of New York held that while XRP is not
a security, certain sales of XRP to certain buyers (but not other types of sales
to other buyers) amounted to “investment contracts” under the Howey test. The
District Court entered a final judgment in the case on August 7, 2024, and the
parties each dismissed their appeals to the Second Circuit on August 7,
2025.
If
XRP is determined to be a “security” under federal or state securities laws by
the SEC or any other agency, or in a proceeding in a court of law or otherwise,
it may have material adverse consequences for XRP. For example, it may become
more difficult for XRP to be traded, cleared and custodied as compared to other
digital assets that are not considered to be securities, which could, in turn,
negatively affect the liquidity and general acceptance of XRP and cause users to
migrate to other digital assets. As such, any determination that XRP is a
security under federal or state securities laws may adversely affect the value
of XRP and, as a result, an investment in the Shares.
In
addition, if XRP is in fact a security, the Trust could be considered an
unregistered “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
which could necessitate the Trust’s liquidation. In this case, the Trust and the
Sponsor may be deemed to have participated in an illegal offering of securities
and there is no guarantee that the Sponsor will be able to register the Trust
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 at such time or take such other actions
as may be necessary to ensure the Trust’s activities comply with applicable law,
which could force the Sponsor to liquidate the Trust.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Unaudited Financial Statements
To
the extent a private key, held by the Custodian, required to access a XRP
address is lost, destroyed or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private
keys are accessible, the Trust may be unable to access the XRP controlled by the
private key and the private key will not be capable of being restored by the XRP
Network. The processes by which XRP transactions are settled are dependent on
the XRP peer-to-peer network, and as such, the Trust is subject to operational
risk. A risk also exists with respect to previously unknown technical
vulnerabilities, which may adversely affect the value of XRP.
The
Trust relies on third-party service providers to perform certain functions
essential to its operations. Any disruptions to the Trust’s service providers’
business operations resulting from business failures, financial instability,
security failures, government mandated regulation or operational problems could
have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to access critical services and be
disruptive to the operations of the Trust.
The
Sponsor and the Trust may be subject to various litigation, regulatory
investigations, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of
its business.
8.
Financial Highlights Per Share Performance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30, 2025 |
|
|
Per
Share Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
Market NAV, beginning of period |
|
$ |
41.21 |
|
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets from investment operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
(0.27 |
) |
|
|
(0.58 |
) |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain |
|
|
4.52 |
|
|
|
4.37 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
|
4.25 |
|
|
|
3.79 |
|
|
Principal
Market NAV, end of period |
|
$ |
45.46 |
|
|
$ |
45.46 |
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
10.31 |
% |
|
|
9.10 |
% |
|
Ratios
to average net assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
|
Expenses |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
Ratios
of net investment loss and expenses to average net assets have been
annualized.
An
individual shareholder’s return, ratios, and per Share performance may vary from
those presented above based on the timing of Share transactions. The amount
shown for a Share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the
Statement of Operations for the period due to the number of Shares issued in
Creations occurring at an operational value derived from an operating metric as
defined in the Trust Agreement.
Total
return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the Principal Market
NAV at the beginning of the period and assuming redemption on the last day of
the period.
9.
Indemnifications
In
the normal course of business, the Trust enters into certain contracts that
provide a variety of indemnities, including contracts with the Sponsor and
affiliates of the Sponsor, DCG and its officers, directors, employees,
subsidiaries and affiliates, and the Custodian as well as others relating to
services provided to the Trust. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these and its
other indemnities is unknown. However, no liabilities have arisen under these
indemnities in the past and, while there can be no assurances in this regard,
there is no expectation that any will occur in the future. Therefore, the
Sponsor does not consider it necessary to record a liability in this
regard.
10.
Subsequent Events
As
of the close of business on August 20, 2025, the fair value of XRP determined in
accordance with the Trust’s accounting policy was $2.99 per XRP.
There
are no known events
that have occurred that require disclosure other than that which has already
been disclosed in these notes to the financial statements.
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Shareholders
and Sponsor of
Grayscale
XRP Trust:
Opinion
on the Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Grayscale
XRP Trust (the Trust), including the schedule of investment, as of December 31,
2024, the related statements of operations and changes in net assets for the
period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to
December 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively, the financial
statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of the Trust as of December 31, 2024,
and the results of its operations and changes in its net assets for the period
from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December
31, 2024, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles.
Basis
for Opinion
These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on
our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be
independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audit included performing
procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial
statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that
respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis,
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our
audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of
the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
/s/
KPMG LLP
We
have served as the Trust’s auditor since 2024.
New
York, New York
April
7, 2025
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statement
of Assets and Liabilities
(Amounts
in thousands, except Share and per Share amounts)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2024(1) |
|
|
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
Investment
in XRP, at fair value (cost $3,205 as of December 31, 2024) |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
Total
assets |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee payable, related party |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Total
liabilities |
|
|
- |
|
|
Net
assets |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
issued and outstanding, no par value (unlimited Shares
authorized) |
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
market net asset value per Share |
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
(1)
No
comparative financial statements have been provided as the Trust’s operations
commenced on September 5, 2024.
See
accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-4
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Schedule
of
Investment
(Amounts
in thousands, except quantity of XRP and percentages)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2024(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quantity
of XRP |
|
|
Cost |
|
|
Fair
Value |
|
|
%
of Net Assets |
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
|
4,976,071.513885 |
|
|
$ |
3,205 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
|
Net
assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
|
100 |
% |
(1)
No
comparative financial statements have been provided as the Trust’s operations
commenced on September 5, 2024.
See
accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-5
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statement
of Operations
(Amounts
in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December 31,
2024(1) |
|
|
Investment
income: |
|
|
|
|
Investment
income |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
Expenses: |
|
|
|
|
Sponsor’s
Fee, related party |
|
|
39 |
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
(39 |
) |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment from: |
|
|
|
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
22 |
|
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
7,245 |
|
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investment |
|
|
7,267 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
$ |
7,228 |
|
(1)
No
comparative financial statements have been provided as the Trust’s operations
commenced on September 5, 2024.
See
accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-6
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Statement
of Changes in Net Assets
(Amounts
in thousands, except change in Shares outstanding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December 31,
2024(1) |
|
|
Increase
in net assets from operations: |
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
$ |
(39 |
) |
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
22 |
|
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
7,245 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
|
7,228 |
|
|
Increase
in net assets from capital share transactions: |
|
|
|
|
Shares
issued |
|
|
3,222 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from capital share
transactions |
|
|
3,222 |
|
|
Total
increase in net assets from operations and capital share
transactions |
|
|
10,450 |
|
|
Net
assets: |
|
|
|
|
Beginning
of period |
|
|
- |
|
|
End of
period |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
Change
in Shares outstanding: |
|
|
|
|
Shares
outstanding at beginning of period |
|
|
- |
|
|
Shares
issued |
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Net
increase in Shares |
|
|
250,800 |
|
|
Shares
outstanding at end of period |
|
|
250,800 |
|
(1)
No
comparative financial statements have been provided as the Trust’s operations
commenced on September 5, 2024.
See
accompanying notes to financial statements.
F-7
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
1.
Organization
Grayscale
XRP Trust (the “Trust”) is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on August
5, 2024 and commenced operations on September 5, 2024. In general, the Trust
holds XRP and, from time to time, issues common units of fractional undivided
beneficial interest (“Shares”) (in minimum baskets of 100 Shares, referred to as
“Baskets”) in exchange for XRP. The Trust does not currently operate a
redemption program. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval and approval by
the Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future operate a
redemption program. As of December 31, 2024, the Trust had not sought such
regulatory approval to operate an ongoing redemption program, However, on
January 30, 2025, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) submitted an application under
Rule 19b-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”) to list the Shares of the Trust on NYSE Arca. As of the date of this
filing, the NYSE Arca 19b-4 application has not been approved by the SEC, and
the Trust makes no representation as to when or if such approval and relief will
be obtained. The Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the Shares
(based on XRP per Share) to reflect the value of XRP held by the Trust, less the
Trust’s expenses and other liabilities.
As
of December 31, 2024, Grayscale Investments, LLC (“Grayscale” or the “Sponsor”)
acted as the Sponsor of the Trust and was a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital
Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”). The Sponsor is responsible for the day-to-day
administration of the Trust pursuant to the provisions of the Trust Agreement.
Grayscale is responsible for preparing and providing annual and quarterly
reports on behalf of the Trust to investors and is also responsible for
selecting and monitoring the Trust’s service providers. As partial consideration
for the Sponsor’s services, the Trust pays Grayscale a Sponsor’s Fee as
discussed in Note 6. The Sponsor also acts as the sponsor and manager of other
investment products including Grayscale Aave Trust (AAVE), Grayscale Avalanche
Trust (AVAX), Grayscale Basic Attention Token Trust (BAT) (OTCQX: GBAT),
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (NYSE Arca: GBTC), Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust
(BCH) (OTCQX: BCHG), Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (NYSE Arca: BTC),
Grayscale Bittensor Trust (TAO), Grayscale Chainlink Trust (LINK) (OTCQX: GLNK),
Grayscale Decentraland Trust (MANA) (OTCQX: MANA), Grayscale Dogecoin Trust
(DOGE), Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF (NYSE Arca: ETHE), Grayscale Ethereum
Classic Trust (ETC) (OTCQX: ETCG), Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF (NYSE Arca:
ETH), Grayscale Filecoin Trust (FIL) (OTC Markets: FILG), Grayscale Horizen
Trust (ZEN) (OTCQX: HZEN), Grayscale Lido DAO Trust (LDO), Grayscale Litecoin
Trust (LTC) (OTCQX: LTCN), Grayscale Livepeer Trust (LPT) (OTCQX: GLIV),
Grayscale MakerDao Trust (MKR), Grayscale NEAR Trust (NEAR), Grayscale Optimism
Trust (OP), Grayscale Pyth Trust (PYTH), Grayscale Solana Trust (SOL) (OTCQX:
GSOL), Grayscale Stacks Trust (STX), Grayscale Stellar Lumens Trust (XLM)
(OTCQX: GXLM), Grayscale Sui Trust (SUI), Grayscale Zcash Trust (ZEC) (OTCQX:
ZCSH), Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund LLC, Grayscale Decentralized Finance
(DeFi) Fund LLC (OTCQB: DEFG), Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund LLC (OTCQX:
GDLC), and Grayscale Smart Contract Fund LLC, each of which is an affiliate of
the Trust. The following investment products sponsored or managed by the Sponsor
are SEC reporting companies with their shares registered pursuant to Section
12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”):
Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust (BCH), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETC),
Grayscale Horizen Trust (ZEN), Grayscale Litecoin Trust (LTC), Grayscale Stellar
Lumens Trust (XLM), Grayscale Zcash Trust (ZEC), and Grayscale Digital Large Cap
Fund LLC. The following investment products sponsored by the Sponsor are SEC
reporting companies with their shares registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of
the Exchange Act: Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF, Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF,
Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF, and Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust
ETF.
Authorized
Participants of the Trust are the only entities who may place orders to create
or, if permitted, redeem Baskets. Grayscale Securities, LLC (“Grayscale
Securities” or, in such capacity, an “Authorized Participant”), a registered
broker-dealer and affiliate of the Sponsor, is the only Authorized Participant,
and is party to a participant agreement with the Sponsor and the Trust.
Additional Authorized Participants may be added at any time, subject to the
discretion of the Sponsor. Liquidity Providers who are unaffiliated with the
Trust may be engaged from time to time and at any time.
The
custodian of the Trust is Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (the “Custodian”),
a third-party service provider. The Custodian is responsible for safeguarding
the XRP, Incidental Rights, and IR Virtual Currency held by the Trust, and
holding the private key(s) that provide access to the Trust’s digital wallets
and vaults.
The
transfer agent for the Trust (the “Transfer Agent”) is Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company. The responsibilities of the Transfer Agent are to
maintain creations, redemptions, transfers, and distributions of the Trust’s
Shares which are primarily held in book-entry form.
The
Trust may also receive Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency as a result
of the Trust’s investment in XRP, in accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement.
Incidental
Rights are rights to claim, or otherwise establish dominion and control over,
any virtual currency or other asset or right, which rights are incident to the
Trust’s ownership of XRP and arise without any action of the Trust, or of the
Sponsor or Trustee on behalf of the Trust; IR Virtual Currency is any virtual
currency tokens, or other asset or right, received by the Trust through the
exercise (subject to the applicable provisions of the Trust Agreement) of any
Incidental Right.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
2.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The
following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the
Trust:
The
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The Trust qualifies as
an investment company for accounting purposes pursuant to the accounting and
reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial
Services—Investment Companies.
The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting for XRP in accordance with
its classification as an investment company for accounting purposes. The Trust
is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual
results could differ from those estimates and these differences could be
material.
The
Trust conducts its transactions in XRP, including receiving XRP for the creation
of Shares and delivering XRP for the redemption of Shares and for the payment of
the Sponsor’s Fee. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests
from shareholders. Since its inception, the Trust has not held cash or cash
equivalents. The Sponsor will determine the Trust’s net asset value on each
business day as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, or as soon thereafter as
practicable.
Principal
Market and Fair Value Determination
To
determine which market is the Trust’s principal market (or in the absence of a
principal market, the most advantageous market) for purposes of calculating the
Trust’s net asset value in accordance with U.S. GAAP (“Principal Market NAV”),
the Trust follows ASC Topic 820-10, Fair
Value Measurement,
which outlines the application of fair value accounting. ASC 820-10 determines
fair value to be the price that would be received for XRP in a current sale,
which assumes an orderly transaction between market participants on the
measurement date. ASC 820-10 requires the Trust to assume that XRP is sold in
its principal market to market participants or, in the absence of a principal
market, the most advantageous market. Market participants are defined as buyers
and sellers in the principal or most advantageous market that are independent,
knowledgeable, and willing and able to transact.
The
Trust only receives XRP in connection with a creation order from the Authorized
Participant (or a Liquidity Provider) and does not itself transact on any
Digital Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to market-based volume and
level of activity for Digital Asset Markets. The Authorized Participant(s), or a
Liquidity Provider, may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market,
Principal-to-Principal Markets and Exchange Markets (referred to as “Trading
Platform Markets” in this Annual Report), each as defined in the FASB ASC Master
Glossary (collectively, “Digital Asset Markets”).
In
determining which of the eligible Digital Asset Markets is the Trust’s principal
market, the Trust reviews these criteria in the following order:
First,
the Trust reviews a list of Digital Asset Markets that maintain practices and
policies designed to comply with anti-money laundering (“AML”) and
know-your-customer (“KYC”) regulations, and non-Digital Asset Trading Platform
Markets that the Trust reasonably believes are operating in compliance with
applicable law, including federal and state licensing requirements, based upon
information and assurances provided to it by each market.
Second,
the Trust sorts these Digital Asset Markets from high to low by market-based
volume and level of activity of XRP traded on each Digital Asset Market in the
trailing twelve months.
Third,
the Trust then reviews pricing fluctuations and the degree of variances in price
on Digital Asset Markets to identify any material notable variances that may
impact the volume or price information of a particular Digital Asset
Market.
Fourth,
the Trust then selects a Digital Asset Market as its principal market based on
the highest market-based volume, level of activity and price stability in
comparison to the other Digital Asset Markets on the list. Based on information
reasonably available to the Trust, Trading Platform Markets have the greatest
volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to
accessible Trading Platform Markets as opposed to the Brokered Market, Dealer
Market and Principal-to-Principal Markets to determine its principal market. As
a result of the aforementioned analysis, a Trading Platform Market has been
selected as the Trust’s principal market.
The
Trust determines its principal market (or in the absence of a principal market
the most advantageous market) annually and conducts a quarterly analysis to
determine (i) if there have been recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s
trading volume and level of activity in the trailing twelve months, (ii) if any
Digital Asset Markets have developed that the Trust has access to, or (iii) if
recent changes to each Digital Asset Market’s price stability have occurred that
would materially impact the selection of the principal market and necessitate a
change in the Trust’s determination of its principal market.
The
cost basis of the XRP received by the Trust in connection with a creation order
is recorded by the Trust at the fair value of XRP at 4:00 p.m., New York time,
on the creation date for financial reporting purposes. The cost basis recorded
by the Trust may differ from proceeds collected by the Authorized Participant
from the sale of the corresponding Shares to investors.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
Investment
Transactions and Revenue Recognition
The
Trust considers investment transactions to be the receipt of XRP for Share
creations and the delivery of XRP for Share redemptions or for payment of
expenses in XRP. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests
from shareholders. The Trust records its investment transactions on a trade date
basis and changes in fair value are reflected as net change in unrealized
appreciation or depreciation on investments. Realized gains and losses are
calculated using the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses
are recognized in connection with transactions including settling obligations
for the Sponsor’s Fee in XRP.
Fair
Value Measurement
Fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to
transfer a liability (i.e., the ‘exit price’) in an orderly transaction between
market participants at the measurement date.
U.S.
GAAP utilizes a fair value hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value
that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of
unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when
available. Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in
pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources
independent of the Trust. Unobservable inputs reflect the Trust’s assumptions
about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability
developed based on the best information available in the
circumstances.
The
fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the inputs as
follows:
•
Level
1 – Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical
assets or liabilities that the Trust has the ability to access. Since valuations
are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active
market, these valuations do not entail a significant degree of
judgment.
•
Level
2 – Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for
which significant inputs are observable, either directly or
indirectly.
•
Level
3 – Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the
overall fair value measurement.
The
availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary by
investment. To the extent that valuations are based on sources that are less
observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value
requires more judgment. Fair value estimates do not necessarily represent the
amounts that may be ultimately realized by the Trust.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
Value Measurement Using |
|
|
|
|
Amount
at Fair Value |
|
|
Level
1 |
|
|
Level
2 |
|
|
Level
3 |
|
|
December
31, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
in XRP |
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recently
Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-08,
Intangibles—Goodwill
and Other—Crypto Assets (Subtopic 350-60): Accounting for and Disclosure of
Crypto Assets
(“ASU 2023-08”). ASU 2023-08 is intended to improve the accounting for certain
crypto assets by requiring an entity to measure those crypto assets at fair
value each reporting period with changes in fair value recognized in net income.
The amendments also improve the information provided to investors about an
entity’s crypto asset holdings by requiring disclosure about significant
holdings, contractual sale restrictions, and changes during the reporting
period. ASU 2023-08 is effective for annual and interim reporting periods
beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted for both interim
and annual financial statements that have not yet been issued. The Trust adopted
this new guidance on January 1, 2025, with no material impact on its financial
statements and disclosures as the Trust historically used fair value as its
method of accounting for XRP in accordance with its classification as an
investment company for accounting purposes.
In
this reporting period, the Trust adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update
2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280)—Improvements
to Reportable Segment Disclosures
(“ASU 2023-07”). Adoption of the new standard impacted financial statement
disclosures only and did not affect the Trust’s financial position or the
results of its operations. Operating segments are defined as components of an
enterprise that engage in business activities for which discrete financial
information is available and regularly reviewed by the chief operating decision
maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources and to assess performance.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor act as
the Trust’s CODM. The Trust represents a single operating segment, as the CODM
monitors the operating results of the Trust as a whole and the Trust’s passive
investment objective is pre-determined in
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
accordance
with the terms of the Trust Agreement. The financial information in the form of
the Trust’s total returns, expense ratios and changes in net assets (i.e.,
changes in net assets resulting from operations and capital share transactions),
which are used by the CODM to assess the segment’s performance, are consistent
with that presented within the Trust’s financial statements. Segment assets are
reflected on the accompanying Statement of Assets and Liabilities as Total
assets and the only significant segment expense, the Sponsor’s fee, related
party, is included in the accompanying Statement of Operations.
3.
Fair Value of XRP
XRP
is held by the Custodian on behalf of the Trust and is carried at fair value. As
of December 31, 2024, the Trust held 4,976,071.513885 XRP.
The
Trust determined the fair value per XRP to be $2.10 on December 31, 2024, using
the price provided at 4:00 p.m., New York time, by the Digital Asset Trading
Platform Market considered to be the Trust’s principal market
(Coinbase).
The
following represents the changes in quantity of XRP and the respective fair
value:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Amounts
in thousands, except XRP amounts) |
|
Quantity |
|
|
Fair
Value |
|
|
Balance
at September 5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s
Operations) |
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
XRP
contributed |
|
|
5,006,299.850211 |
|
|
|
3,222 |
|
|
XRP
distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party |
|
|
(30,228.336326 |
) |
|
|
(39 |
) |
|
Net
change in unrealized appreciation on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
7,245 |
|
|
Net
realized gain on investment in XRP |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2024 |
|
|
4,976,071.513885 |
|
|
$ |
10,450 |
|
4.
Creations and Redemptions of Shares
At
December 31, 2024, there were an unlimited number of Shares authorized by the
Trust. The Trust creates (and, should the Trust commence a redemption program,
redeems) Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets. The creation
and redemption of Baskets on behalf of investors are made by the Authorized
Participant in exchange for the delivery of XRP to the Trust or the distribution
of XRP by the Trust. The amount of XRP required for each creation Basket or
redemption Basket is determined by dividing (x) the amount of XRP owned by the
Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date of a creation or
redemption order, after deducting the amount of XRP representing the U.S. dollar
value of accrued but unpaid fees and expenses of the Trust, by (y) the number of
Shares outstanding at such time and multiplying the quotient obtained by 100.
Each Share represented approximately 19.8408 XRP at December 31,
2024.
The
cost basis of investments in XRP recorded by the Trust is the fair value of XRP,
as determined by the Trust, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of transfer
to the Trust by the Authorized Participant, or Liquidity Provider, based on the
creation Baskets. The cost basis recorded by the Trust may differ from proceeds
collected by the Authorized Participant from the sale of each Share to
investors. The Authorized Participant or Liquidity Provider may realize
significant profits buying, selling, creating, and, if permitted, redeeming
Shares as a result of changes in the value of Shares or XRP.
At
this time, the Trust is not operating a redemption program and is not accepting
redemption requests. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval and approval by
the Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Trust may in the future operate a
redemption program. On January 30, 2025, NYSE Arca filed an application with the
SEC pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Exchange Act to list the Shares of the
Trust on NYSE Arca. As of the date of this filing, the NYSE Arca 19b-4
application has not been approved by the SEC and the Trust has not obtained
relief from the SEC under Regulation M, and the Trust makes no representation as
to when or if such approval and relief will be obtained.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
5.
Income Taxes
The
Sponsor takes the position that the Trust is properly treated as a grantor trust
for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Assuming that the Trust is a grantor
trust, the Trust will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Rather, if the
Trust is a grantor trust, each beneficial owner of Shares will be treated as
directly owning its pro rata Share of the Trust’s assets and a pro rata portion
of the Trust’s income, gains, losses and deductions will “flow through” to each
beneficial owner of Shares.
If
the Trust were not properly classified as a grantor trust, the Trust might be
classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due
to the uncertain treatment of digital assets, including forks, airdrops and
similar occurrences for U.S. federal income tax purposes, there can be no
assurance in this regard. If the Trust were classified as a partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, the tax consequences of owning Shares generally
would not be materially different from the tax consequences described herein,
although there might be certain differences, including with respect to timing.
In addition, tax information reports provided to beneficial owners of Shares
would be made in a different form. If the Trust were not classified as either a
grantor trust or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be
classified as a corporation for such purposes. In that event, the Trust would be
subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax (currently at the rate of 21%)
on its net taxable income and certain distributions made by the Trust to
shareholders would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of the Trust’s
current and accumulated earnings and profits.
In
accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Trust has defined the threshold for recognizing
the benefits of tax positions in the financial statements as
“more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the applicable taxing authority and
requires measurement of a tax position meeting the “more-likely-than-not”
threshold, based on the largest benefit that is more than 50% likely to be
realized. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold
are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current period. As of, and
during the period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s
operations) to December 31, 2024, the Trust did not have a liability for any
unrecognized tax amounts. However, the Sponsor’s conclusions concerning its
determination of “more-likely-than-not” tax positions may be subject to review
and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to,
further implementation guidance, and ongoing analyses of and changes to tax
laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.
The
Sponsor of the Trust has evaluated whether or not there are uncertain tax
positions that require financial statement recognition and has determined that
no reserves for uncertain tax positions related to federal, state and local
income taxes existed as of December 31, 2024.
6.
Related Parties
The
Trust considered the following entities, their directors, and certain employees
to be related parties of the Trust as of December 31, 2024: DCG, Grayscale, and
Grayscale Securities. As of December 31, 2024, 49,328 Shares of the Trust were
held by related parties of the Trust.
In
accordance with the Trust Agreement governing the Trust, the Trust pays a fee to
the Sponsor, calculated as 2.5% of the aggregate value of the Trust’s assets,
less its liabilities (which include any accrued but unpaid expenses up to, but
excluding, the date of calculation), as calculated and published by the Sponsor
or its delegates in the manner set forth in the Trust Agreement (the “Sponsor’s
Fee”). The Sponsor’s Fee accrues daily in U.S. dollars and is payable in XRP,
monthly in arrears. The amount of XRP payable in respect of each daily U.S.
dollar accrual will be determined by reference to the same U.S. dollar value of
XRP used to determine such accrual. For purposes of these financial statements,
the U.S. dollar value of XRP is determined by reference to the Digital Asset
Trading Platform Market that the Trust considers its principal market as of 4:00
p.m., New York time, on each valuation date. The Trust held no Incidental Rights
or IR Virtual Currency as of December 31, 2024. No Incidental Rights or IR
Virtual Currencies have been distributed in payment of the Sponsor’s Fee during
the period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations)
to December 31, 2024.
As
partial consideration for receipt of the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor is obligated
under the Trust Agreement to assume and pay all fees and other expenses incurred
by the Trust in the ordinary course of its affairs, excluding taxes, but
including marketing fees; administrator fees, if any; custodian fees; transfer
agent fees; trustee fees; the fees and expenses related to the listing,
quotation or trading of the Shares on any secondary market (including customary
legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) in an amount up to $600,000 in any
given fiscal year; ordinary course legal fees and expenses; audit fees;
regulatory fees, including, if applicable, any fees relating to the registration
of the Shares under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act; printing and mailing
costs; the costs of maintaining the Trust’s website and applicable license fees
(together, the “Sponsor-paid Expenses”), provided that any expense that
qualifies as an Additional Trust Expense will be deemed to be an Additional
Trust Expense and not a Sponsor-paid Expense.
The
Trust may incur certain extraordinary, non-recurring expenses that are not
Sponsor-paid Expenses, including, but not limited to, taxes and governmental
charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the
Sponsor (or any other service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the
Trust or the interests of shareholders (including in connection with any
Incidental Rights and any IR Virtual Currency), any indemnification of the
Custodian or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust, the
fees and expenses related to the listing, quotation or trading of the Shares on
any secondary market (including legal, marketing and audit fees and expenses) to
the extent exceeding $600,000 in any given fiscal year and extraordinary legal
fees and expenses, including any
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
legal
fees and expenses incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory enforcement
or investigation matters (collectively “Additional Trust Expenses”). In such
circumstances, the Sponsor or its delegate (i) will instruct the Custodian to
withdraw from the Digital Asset Account XRP, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual
Currency in such quantity as may be necessary to permit payment of such
Additional Trust Expenses and (ii) may either (x) cause the Trust (or its
delegate) to convert such XRP, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency into
U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies at the Actual Exchange Rate or (y) when
the Sponsor incurs such expenses on behalf of the Trust, cause the Trust (or its
delegate) to deliver such XRP, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency in
kind to the Sponsor, in each case in such quantity as may be necessary to permit
payment of such Additional Trust Expenses.
For
the period from September 5, 2024 (the commencement of the Trust’s operations)
to December 31, 2024, the Trust incurred Sponsor’s Fees of $39,417. As of
December 31, 2024, there were no accrued and unpaid Sponsor’s Fees. In addition,
the Sponsor may pay Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the Trust, which are
reimbursable by the Trust to the Sponsor. For the period from September 5, 2024
(the commencement of the Trust’s operations) to December 31, 2024, the Sponsor
did not pay any Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the Trust.
7.
Risks and Uncertainties
The
Trust is subject to various risks including market risk, liquidity risk, and
other risks related to its concentration in a single asset, XRP. Investing in
XRP is currently highly speculative and volatile.
The
Principal Market NAV of the Trust, calculated by reference to the principal
market price in accordance with U.S. GAAP, relates primarily to the value of the
XRP held by the Trust, and fluctuations in the price of XRP could materially and
adversely affect an investment in the Shares of the Trust. The price of XRP has
a limited history. During such history, XRP prices have been volatile and
subject to influence by many factors, including the levels of liquidity. If
Digital Asset Markets continue to experience significant price fluctuations, the
Trust may experience losses. Several factors may affect the price of XRP,
including, but not limited to, global XRP supply and demand, theft of XRP from
global trading platforms or vaults, competition from other forms of digital
currency or payment services, global or regional political, economic or
financial conditions, and other unforeseen events and situations.
The
XRP held by the Trust are commingled, and the Trust’s shareholders have no
specific rights to any specific XRP. In the event of the insolvency of the
Trust, its assets may be inadequate to satisfy a claim by its
shareholders.
There
is currently no clearing house for XRP, nor is there a central or major
depository for the custody of XRP. There is a risk that some or all of the
Trust’s XRP could be lost or stolen. There can be no assurance that the
Custodian will maintain adequate insurance or that such coverage will cover
losses with respect to the Trust’s XRP. Further, transactions in XRP are
irrevocable. Stolen or incorrectly transferred XRP may be irretrievable. As a
result, any incorrectly executed XRP transactions could adversely affect an
investment in the Shares.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has stated that certain digital
assets may be considered “securities” under the federal securities laws. The
test for determining whether a particular digital asset is a “security” is
complex and difficult to apply, and the outcome is difficult to predict. Public,
though non-binding, statements by senior officials at the SEC have indicated
that the SEC did not consider Bitcoin or Ether to be securities, and does not
currently consider Bitcoin to be a security. The SEC staff has also provided
informal assurances via no-action letter to a handful of promoters that their
digital assets are not securities. On the other hand, the SEC has brought
enforcement actions against the issuers and promoters of several other digital
assets on the basis that the digital assets in question are securities and has
not formally or explicitly confirmed that it does not deem Ether to be a
security. In 2020, the SEC filed a complaint against the issuer of XRP, Ripple
Labs, Inc., and two of its executives, alleging that they raised more than $1.3
billion through XRP sales that should have been registered under the federal
securities laws, but were not. In the years prior to the SEC’s action, XRP’s
market capitalization at times reached over $140 billion. However, in the weeks
following the SEC’s complaint, XRP’s market capitalization fell to less than $10
billion, which was less than half of its market capitalization in the days prior
to the complaint and certain significant market participants announced they
would no longer support XRP, among other measures, including the delisting of
XRP from major Digital Asset Trading Platforms. Subsequently, in July 2023, the
District Court for the Southern District of New York held that while XRP is not
a security, certain sales of XRP to certain buyers (but not other types of sales
to other buyers) amounted to “investment contracts” under the Howey test. The
District Court entered a final judgment in the case on August 7,
2024.
If
XRP is determined to be a “security” under federal or state securities laws by
the SEC or any other agency, or in a proceeding in a court of law or otherwise,
it may have material adverse consequences for XRP. For example, it may become
more difficult for XRP to be traded, cleared and custodied as compared to other
digital assets that are not considered to be securities, which could, in turn,
negatively affect the liquidity and general acceptance of XRP and cause users to
migrate to other digital assets. As such, any determination that XRP is a
security under federal or state securities laws may adversely affect the value
of XRP and, as a result, an investment in the Shares.
In
addition, if XRP is in fact a security, the Trust could be considered an
unregistered “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
which could necessitate the Trust’s liquidation. In this case, the Trust and the
Sponsor may be deemed to have
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
participated
in an illegal offering of investment company securities and there is no
guarantee that the Sponsor will be able to register the Trust under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 at such time or take such other actions as may be
necessary to ensure the Trust’s activities comply with applicable law, which
could force the Sponsor to liquidate the Trust.
To
the extent a private key required to access a XRP address is lost, destroyed or
otherwise compromised and no backup of the private keys are accessible, the
Trust may be unable to access the XRP controlled by the private key and the
private key will not be capable of being restored by the XRP Network. The
processes by which XRP transactions are settled are dependent on the XRP
peer-to-peer network, and as such, the Trust is subject to operational risk. A
risk also exists with respect to previously unknown technical vulnerabilities,
which may adversely affect the value of XRP.
The
Trust relies on third-party service providers to perform certain functions
essential to its operations. Any disruptions to the Trust’s service providers’
business operations resulting from business failures, financial instability,
security failures, government mandated regulation or operational problems could
have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to access critical services and be
disruptive to the operations of the Trust.
The
Sponsor and the Trust may be subject to various litigation, regulatory
investigations, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of
its business.
8.
Financial Highlights Per Share Performance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
5, 2024 (the Commencement of the Trust’s Operations) to December 31,
2024 |
|
|
Per
Share Data: |
|
|
|
|
Principal
market net asset value, initial creation |
|
$ |
10.85 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets from investment operations: |
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
(0.21 |
) |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain |
|
|
31.03 |
|
|
Net
increase in net assets resulting from operations |
|
|
30.82 |
|
|
Principal
market net asset value, end of period |
|
$ |
41.67 |
|
|
Total
return |
|
|
284.06 |
% |
|
Ratios
to average net assets: |
|
|
|
|
Net
investment loss |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
|
Expenses |
|
|
-2.50 |
% |
Ratios
of net investment loss and expenses to average net assets have been
annualized.
An
individual shareholder’s return, ratios, and per Share performance may vary from
those presented above based on the timing of Share transactions. The amount
shown for a Share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the
Statement of Operations for the period due to the number of Shares issued in
Creations occurring at an operational value derived from an operating metric as
defined in the Trust Agreement.
Total
return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the Principal Market
NAV at the beginning of the period and assuming redemption on the last day of
the period and has not been annualized.
Grayscale
XRP Trust
Notes
to Financial Statements
9.
Indemnifications
In
the normal course of business, the Trust enters into certain contracts that
provide a variety of indemnities, including contracts with the Sponsor and
affiliates of the Sponsor, DCG and its officers, directors, employees,
subsidiaries and affiliates, and the Custodian as well as others relating to
services provided to the Trust. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these and its
other indemnities is unknown. However, no liabilities have arisen under these
indemnities in the past and, while there can be no assurances in this regard,
there is no expectation that any will occur in the future. Therefore, the
Sponsor does not consider it necessary to record a liability in this
regard.
10.
Subsequent Events
On
January 1, 2025, Grayscale Investments, LLC (“GSI”) consummated an internal
corporate reorganization (the “Reorganization”), pursuant to which Grayscale
Investments, LLC, the Sponsor of the Trust prior to the Reorganization, merged
with and into Grayscale Operating, LLC (“GSO”), a Delaware limited liability
company and a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of DCG, with GSO continuing as
the surviving company (the “Merger”). As a result of the Merger, GSO succeeded
by operation of law to all the rights, powers, privileges and franchises and
became subject to all of the obligations, liabilities, restrictions and
disabilities of GSI, including with respect to the Sponsor Contracts (as defined
below), all as provided under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act. The
Reorganization is not expected to have any material impact on the operations of
the Trust.
In
connection with the Reorganization, on January 1, 2025, and promptly following
the effectiveness of the Merger, GSO assigned certain contracts pertaining to
its role as Sponsor (as such term is defined in the Trust Agreement) of the
Trust (such contracts, the “Sponsor Contracts”) to Grayscale Investments
Sponsors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned direct
subsidiary of GSO (“GSIS”), whereby GSIS assumed all of the rights and
obligations of GSO under the Sponsor Contracts. Other than the assumption of the
Sponsor Contracts by GSIS, the Reorganization does not alter the rights or
obligations under any of the Sponsor Contracts.
In
connection with the Reorganization, on January 1, 2025, and promptly following
the effectiveness of the Merger, GSO and GSIS executed a Certificate of
Admission, pursuant to which GSIS was admitted as an additional Sponsor of the
Trust under the Trust Agreement, by and among GSO (as successor in interest to
GSI), the Trustee, and the shareholders from time to time thereunder, as amended
from time to time. GSIS shall be subject to the rights and obligations of a
Sponsor under the Trust Agreement.
On
January 3, 2025, GSO voluntarily withdrew as a Sponsor of the Trust pursuant to
the terms of the Trust Agreement, and, effective May 3, 2025, GSIS shall be the
sole remaining Sponsor of the Trust.
As
of the close of business on April 2, 2025, the fair value of XRP determined in
accordance with the Trust’s accounting policy was $2.16 per XRP.
Subsequent
events have been evaluated through April 7, 2025, the date the financial
statements were available to be issued.
GRAYSCALE
XRP TRUST

PRELIMINARY
PROSPECTUS
,
2025