v3.25.1
Service Providers and Related Party Agreements
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Service Providers and Related Party Agreements

Note 4 – Service Providers and Related Party Agreements

The Trustee

Delaware Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, acts as the Trustee of the Trust as required to create a Delaware statutory trust in accordance with the Trust Agreement and the DSTA. Under the Trust Agreement, the duties of the Trustee are limited to (i) accepting legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware and (ii) at the direction of the Sponsor, the execution of any certificates required to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware which the Trustee is required to execute under the DSTA.

The Sponsor

Invesco Capital Management LLC is the Sponsor of the Trust. The Sponsor arranged for the creation of the Trust and is responsible for the ongoing registration of the Shares for their public offering, the listing of Shares on the Exchange and valuing the bitcoin held by the Trust. The Sponsor is a limited liability company formed in the state of Delaware on February 7, 2003, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. and its subsidiaries, including the Sponsor, are an independent global investment management group.

The Trust pays the Sponsor a unified fee (the “Sponsor Fee”) in an amount equal to 0.25% per annum of the daily total net assets of the Trust as compensation for services performed under the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor Fee is accrued daily and paid monthly in arrears on the first day the Exchange is open for regular trading (a “Business Day”) of the month in U.S. dollars, and will be calculated by the Administrator. The Sponsor also paid the costs of the Trust’s organization.

From January 9, 2024 until January 28, 2024, the Sponsor Fee was 0.39% per annum. Prior to January 9, 2024, the Sponsor Fee was 0.59% per annum. For a 6-month period commencing on the day the Trust’s Shares were initially listed on the Exchange (January 11, 2024), the Sponsor waived the entire Sponsor Fee on the first $5 billion of Trust assets. Effective July 11, 2024, this waiver expired, and the Sponsor is no longer waiving the Sponsor Fee.

To cover the Sponsor Fee, and extraordinary expenses not assumed by the Sponsor, the Sponsor or its delegate will cause the Trust (or its delegate) to instruct the Execution Agent to convert bitcoin held by the Trust into U.S. dollars. Extraordinary expenses include, but are not limited to, taxes and governmental charges, any applicable brokerage commissions, financing fees, Bitcoin network fees and similar transaction fees, 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, for example, in connection with any fork of the Bitcoin blockchain), any indemnification of the Sponsor, Cash Custodian, Bitcoin Custodian, Administrator or other agents, service providers or counterparties of the Trust and extraordinary legal fees and expenses, including any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with litigation, regulatory enforcement or investigation matters. The NAV of the Trust and the number of bitcoins represented by a Share will decline each time the Trust accrues the Sponsor Fee or any Trust expenses not assumed by the Sponsor. The Trust is not responsible for paying any costs associated with the transfer of bitcoin to or from the Trust in connection with paying the Sponsor Fee or in connection with creation and redemption transactions.

The Sponsor waived fees of $0 and $181,501 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The Administrator

BNYM serves as the Trust’s Administrator. Under the trust administration and accounting agreement, the Administrator provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting services and financial reporting for the maintenance and operations of the Trust, including calculating the NAV of the Trust, determining the net assets of the Trust, and calculating the size of creation baskets.

The Transfer Agent

BNYM also serves as the Transfer Agent for the Trust. The Transfer Agent is responsible for (1) issuing and redeeming Shares in connection with creation and redemption transactions, (2) responding to correspondence by Shareholders and others relating to its duties, (3) maintaining Shareholder accounts and (4) making periodic reports to the Trust.

 

The Bitcoin Custodian

Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC serves as the Trust’s Bitcoin Custodian. Under the custodial agreement, the Bitcoin Custodian is responsible for (1) safekeeping all of the bitcoin owned by the Trust, (2) opening an account that holds the Trust’s bitcoin and (3) facilitating the transfer of bitcoin required for the operation of the Trust, as directed by the Sponsor. The Bitcoin Custodian is chartered as a limited purpose trust company by the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYSDFS”) and is authorized by the NYSDFS to provide digital asset custody services. The Bitcoin Custodian is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinbase Global, Inc.

The Cash Custodian

BNYM serves as the Trust’s cash custodian (the “Cash Custodian”). Under the Cash Custody Agreement, BNYM is responsible for holding the Trust’s cash in connection with creation and redemption transactions effected in cash. The Cash Custodian is a New York state-chartered bank and a member of the Federal Reserve System.

The Marketing Agent

Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Marketing Agent”) is responsible for: (1) working with the Transfer Agent to review and approve, or reject, purchase and redemption orders of Creation Baskets placed by Authorized Participants with the Transfer Agent; and (2) reviewing and approving the marketing materials prepared by the Trust for compliance with applicable SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority advertising laws, rules, and regulations.

The Execution Agent

The Sponsor has entered into an agreement with Galaxy Digital Funds LLC, a subsidiary of Galaxy Digital LP (“Galaxy”), to serve as Execution Agent. The Trust from time to time will be required to sell bitcoin in such quantities as necessary to permit payment of the Sponsor Fee and any Trust expenses and liabilities not assumed by the Sponsor. The Sponsor has engaged the Execution Agent to sell bitcoin on the Trust’s behalf in such circumstances. The Sponsor or its delegate will cause the Trust (or its delegate) to instruct the Execution Agent to sell bitcoin at approximately the price at which it is valued by the Trust and in the smallest amounts required to permit such payments as they become due, with the intention of minimizing the Trust’s holdings of assets other than bitcoin. Accordingly, the amount of bitcoin to be sold may vary from time to time depending on the level of the Trust’s expenses and liabilities and the market price of bitcoin. The Trust also may utilize the services of the Execution Agent to purchase or sell bitcoin in connection with cash creations and redemptions. In addition, as part of this agreement, the Execution Agent has agreed to co-brand and co-market the Trust, and the Sponsor has licensed the use of certain Galaxy trademarks, service marks and trade names in connection with the Trust.

Galaxy is a subsidiary of Galaxy Digital Holdings LP (“Galaxy Holdings”). Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., which holds a limited partner interest in Galaxy Holdings, is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “GLXY.”