Description of Shares

EX-4.3 2 f10k2022ex4-3_vstrust.htm DESCRIPTION OF SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST

 

The following summary describes in brief the shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in each of the two series (“Funds”) of VS Trust (the “Trust”) and certain aspects of the operation of the Trust, the Funds. Prospective investors should carefully review the Trust Agreement filed as an exhibit to the annual report on Form 10-K and consult with their own advisors concerning the implications to such prospective investors of investing in a series of a Delaware statutory trust. Capitalized terms used in this section and not otherwise defined shall have such meanings assigned to them under the annual report on Form 10-K.

 

Description of the Shares

 

The Funds issue common units of beneficial interest, or Shares, which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Funds.

 

The Shares may be purchased from the Funds or redeemed on a continuous basis, but only by Authorized Participants and only in blocks of Shares (“Creation Units”). Individual Shares may not be purchased or redeemed from the Funds. Shareholders that are not Authorized Participants may not purchase or redeem any Shares or Creation Units from the Funds.

 

The Funds

 

The Funds are separate series of the Trust. The Trust is formed and operated in a manner such that each Fund is liable only for obligations attributable to that Fund and shareholders of each Fund are not subject to the losses or liabilities of the other Fund, or any other series of the Trust. If any creditor or shareholder in a Fund asserted against the Fund a valid claim with respect to its indebtedness or Shares, the creditor or shareholder would only be able to recover money from that particular Fund and its assets. Accordingly, the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses, or collectively, claims, incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing solely with respect to the Fund are enforceable only against the assets of the Fund, and not against any other series of the Trust or the Trust generally, or any of their respective assets. The assets of a Fund include only those funds and other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to the Fund on account of and for the benefit of the Fund, including, without limitation, funds delivered to the Trust for the purchase of Shares or Creation Units in the Fund. This limitation on liability is referred to as the “Inter-Series Limitation on Liability.” The Inter-Series Limitation on Liability is expressly provided for under the DSTA, which provides that if certain conditions (as set forth in Section 3804(a)) are met, then the debts of any particular series will be enforceable only against the assets of such series and not against the assets of any other series of the Trust or the Trust generally.

 

The Trustee

 

Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware trust company, is the sole Trustee of the Trust. The rights and duties of the Trustee and the Sponsor with respect to the offering of the Shares and Fund management and the shareholders are governed by the provisions of the DSTA and by the Trust Agreement. The Trustee will accept service of legal process on the Trust in the State of Delaware and will make certain filings under the DSTA. The Trustee does not owe any other duties to the Trust, the Sponsor or the shareholders of the Funds. The Trustee’s principal offices are located at 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890. The Trustee is unaffiliated with the Sponsor.

 

The Trustee is permitted to resign upon at least sixty (60) days’ notice to the Trust, provided, that any such resignation will not be effective until a successor Trustee is appointed by the Sponsor. The Trustee is compensated by a Fund, as appropriate, and is indemnified by the Fund, as appropriate, against any expenses it incurs relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or termination of the Fund, as appropriate, or the performance of its duties pursuant to the Trust Agreement, except to the extent that such expenses result from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Trustee. The Sponsor has the discretion to replace the Trustee.

 

Only the assets of the Trust and the Sponsor are subject to issuer liability under the federal securities laws for the information contained in this Prospectus and under federal securities laws with respect to the issuance and sale of the Shares. Under such laws, 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 or a director, officer or controlling person of the issuer of the Shares. The Trustee’s liability in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares is limited solely to the express obligations of the Trustee set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

Under the Trust Agreement, the Sponsor has exclusive management and control of all aspects of the Trust’s business. The Trustee has no duty or liability to supervise the performance of the Sponsor, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Sponsor. The shareholders have no voice in the day-to-day management of the business and operations of a Fund and the Trust, other than certain limited voting rights as set forth in the Trust Agreement. In the course of its management of the business and affairs of a Fund and the Trust, the Sponsor may, in its sole and absolute discretion, appoint an affiliate or affiliates of the Sponsor as additional sponsors and retain such persons, including affiliates of the Sponsor, as it deems necessary to effectuate and carry out the purposes, business and objectives of the Trust.

 

Because the Trustee has no authority over the Trust’s operations, the Trustee itself is not registered in any capacity with the CFTC.

 

 

 

 

Shares Freely Transferable

 

The Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on the Exchange and provide institutional and retail investors with direct access to the Funds. Each Fund’s Shares may be bought and sold on Cboe BZX Exchange (the “Exchange”) like any other exchange-listed security.

 

Book-Entry Form

 

Individual certificates will not be issued for the Shares. Instead, global certificates are deposited by the Trust with DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the Shares outstanding at any time. Under the Trust Agreement, shareholders are limited to (1) participants in DTC such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies (“DTC Participants”), (2) those who maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant (“Indirect Participants”), and (3) those banks, brokers, dealers, trust companies and others who hold interests in the Shares through DTC.

 

The Shares are only transferable through the book-entry system of DTC. Shareholders who are not DTC Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC by instructing the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by instructing the Indirect Participant or other entity through which their Shares are held) to transfer the Shares. Transfers are made in accordance with standard securities industry practice.

 

Distributions

 

The Sponsor does not expect to make distributions. Depending on a Fund’s performance and an investor’s own tax situation, an investor’s income tax liability for his, her or its allocable share of the Fund’s net ordinary income or loss and capital gain or loss may exceed the capital gains an investor may realize from selling his, her or its Shares of the Fund in a taxable year.

 

Buying and Selling Shares

 

Most investors buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund trade on the Exchange under the ticker symbol listed in this Prospectus. Shares are bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded securities. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, most investors incur customary brokerage commissions and charges.

 

Authorized Participants

 

Each Fund continuously offers Shares in Creation Units to Authorized Participants. Shares of a Fund are to be offered to Authorized Participants in Creation Units at the Fund’s NAV.

 

Authorized Participants may offer to the public, from time to time, Shares of a Fund from any Creation Units they create. Shares of a Fund offered to the public by Authorized Participants are offered at a per Share market price that varies depending on, among other factors, the trading price of the Shares of a Fund on the Exchange, the NAV per Share and the supply of and demand for the Shares at the time of the offer. Shares initially comprising the same Creation Unit but offered by Authorized Participants to the public at different times may have different offering prices. Additionally, the price at which an Authorized Participant sells a Share may be higher or lower than the price paid by such Authorized Participant in connection with the creation of such Share in a Creation Unit.

 

Authorized Participants do not receive from a Fund, the Sponsor or any of their affiliates, any fee or other compensation in connection with their sale of Shares to the public, although investors are expected to be charged a customary commission by their brokers in connection with the purchase and sale of Shares that varies from investor to investor. Investors are encouraged to review the terms of their brokerage accounts for applicable charges.