Organization |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2025 | |
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
Organization | 1. Organization Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (the “Trust”) is a Delaware Statutory Trust that was formed on September 13, 2013 and commenced operations on September 25, 2013. In general, the Trust holds Bitcoin tokens (“Bitcoin”) and, from time to time, issues common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest (“Shares”) in exchange for Bitcoin. Prior to January 11, 2024, the Trust did not operate a redemption program. On January 10, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved an application under Rule 19b-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) by NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) to list the Shares of the Trust, which began trading on NYSE Arca on January 11, 2024 (the “Uplisting Date”), following the effectiveness of the Trust’s registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File No. 333-275079). As of the date of this Quarterly Report, the Trust is an SEC reporting company with its Shares registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. On January 10, 2024, in connection with the approval of the 19b-4 Application and the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-3, as amended, the Sponsor authorized the commencement of a redemption program. Effective January 11, 2024, the Trust creates and redeems 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. The creation of a Basket requires the delivery to the Trust of the amount of Bitcoin (or cash to acquire such amount of Bitcoin) represented by one Share immediately prior to such creation multiplied by 10,000. The redemption of a Basket requires distribution by the Trust of the amount of Bitcoin represented by one Share immediately prior to such redemption multiplied by 10,000. The Trust may from time to time halt creations and redemptions for a variety of reasons, including in connection with forks, airdrops and other similar occurrences. The Trust’s investment objective is for the value of the Shares (based on Bitcoin per Share) to reflect the value of Bitcoin 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 7. 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 investments products 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”). In addition, the following affiliated investment products are also SEC reporting companies with their shares registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: 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 redeem Baskets. Grayscale Securities, LLC (“Grayscale Securities” or, in such capacity, an “Authorized Participant”), a registered broker-dealer and affiliate of the Sponsor, was the only Authorized Participant from October 3, 2022 through January 10, 2024. On or after January 10, 2024, the Sponsor, on behalf of the Trust, and the Transfer Agent entered into Participant Agreements with a number of unaffiliated Authorized Participants in connection with the approval of NYSE Arca’s application under Rule 19b-4 of the Exchange Act, and the Trust has also since engaged other Authorized Participants. In connection with the entry into the Participant Agreements, as of January 10, 2024, the Sponsor amended, solely, with respect to the Trust, the Participant Agreement, dated as of October 3, 2022, between the Sponsor and Grayscale Securities, to remove the Trust as an entity covered by the Agreement. Effective January 10, 2024, Grayscale Securities no longer serves as Authorized Participant of the Trust. Additional Authorized Participants may be added at any time, subject to the discretion of the Sponsor. Liquidity Providers facilitate the purchase and sale of Bitcoin in connection with cash orders for creations or redemptions of Baskets. The Liquidity Providers with which GSIS, acting in its capacity as the “Liquidity Engager,” will engage in Bitcoin 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 GSIS 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. The Liquidity Engager may engage additional Liquidity Providers who are unaffiliated with the Trust in the future. Effective January 11, 2024, the Trust, the Sponsor and Coinbase, Inc., the prime broker of the Trust (“Coinbase” or the “Prime Broker”), on behalf of itself and as agent for Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (“Coinbase Custody” or the “Custodian”) and Coinbase Credit, Inc. (“Coinbase Credit” and, collectively with Coinbase and Coinbase Custody, the “Coinbase Entities”), entered into the Coinbase Prime Broker Agreement governing the Trust’s and the Sponsor’s use of the Custodial and Prime Broker Services provided by the Custodian and the Prime Broker. 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 Bitcoin 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. The Custodian is responsible for safeguarding the Bitcoin held by the Trust, and holding the private key(s) that provide access to the Trust’s digital wallets and vaults. Effective January 11, 2024, the transfer agent for the Trust (the “Transfer Agent”) is The Bank of New York Mellon. The responsibilities of the Transfer Agent are to (1) facilitate the issuance and redemption of shares of the Trust; (2) respond to correspondence by Trust shareholders and others relating to its duties; (3) maintain shareholder accounts; and (4) make periodic reports to the Trust. The co-transfer agent for the Trust (the “Co-Transfer Agent”) is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The administrator for the Trust (the “Administrator”) is BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon. BNY Mellon Asset Servicing provides administration and accounting services to the Trust. The Administrator’s fees are paid on behalf of the Trust by the Sponsor. The marketing agent for the Trust (the “Marketing Agent”) is Foreside Fund Services, LLC. The Marketing Agent 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. On March 25, 2015, the Trust received notice that its Shares were qualified for public trading on the OTCQX Best Market® (“OTCQX”) of OTC Markets Group Inc. Until January 10, 2024, the Trust’s trading symbol on OTCQX was “GBTC.” On January 10, 2024, the SEC approved an application under Rule 19b-4 of the Exchange Act by NYSE Arca to list the Shares of the Trust. Shares of the Trust began trading on NYSE Arca on January 11, 2024, following the effectiveness of the Trust’s registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File No. 333-275079). The Trust’s trading symbol on NYSE Arca is “GBTC” and the CUSIP number for its Shares is 389637109. The Trust may also receive Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency as a result of the Trust’s investment in Bitcoin, 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 Bitcoin 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. On May 2, 2018 and July 29, 2019, the Sponsor delivered to the former custodian and the current Custodian (as defined below), respectively, on behalf of the Trust, a notice stating that the Trust is abandoning irrevocably for no direct or indirect consideration, effective immediately prior to each time at which the Trust creates Shares, all Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency to which it would otherwise be entitled as of such time. On January 5, 2024, the Trust delivered a supplemental notice to the Prime Broker, the Custodian and Coinbase Credit, Inc. providing that the Trust also will abandon irrevocably for no direct or indirect consideration, effective immediately prior to each time at which the Trust redeems Shares, all Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currency to which it would otherwise be entitled as of such time. 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. Because the Sponsor has now 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. |