Table of Contents
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM
10-Q
 
☒
☒
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 20202023
or
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from
to
Commission File Number
000-56121
 
Grayscale
®
Bitcoin Trust (BTC)
SPONSORED BY GRAYSCALE INVESTMENTS, LLC
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
 
Delaware
 
46-7019388
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
c/o Grayscale Investments, LLC
250 Park Avenue South290 Harbor Drive, 4
th
Floor
New York, New York 10003Stamford, Connecticut 06902
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(212)
668-1427
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC) Shares
 
Title of each class:
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange
on which registered:
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC) Shares
GBTC
N/A
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  
☒
    No  
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation
S-TS-T(§232.405
of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  
☒
    No  
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
 
☐
☒		  
Accelerated filer
 
☐
Non-accelerated filer 
☒
☐		  
Smaller reporting company
 ☐
   
Emerging growth company
 ☒☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has el
ec
tedelected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  
☒☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act).    Yes  
☐
No
☒
Number of sharesShares of the registrant’s common stockregistrant outstanding as of
May 1, 2023: 692,370,100
, 2020: 336,251,000.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: None
 

Table of Contents
Grayscale

GRAYSCALE®

Bitcoin Trust BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item No.
Item Caption
Page
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
3
   Page 
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements1
Industry and Market Data   
3
1		 

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.

Financial Statements (Unaudited)   
Item 1.
Financial Statements (Unaudited)
4
2 
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 20192022   
4
2 
Schedules of Investment at March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 20192022   
5
3 
Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 20202023 and 20192022   
6
4 
Statements of Changes in Net Assets for the Three Months Ended March 31, 20202023 and 20192022   
7
5 
Notes to the Unaudited Financial Statements   
8
6		 

Item 2.

 
Item 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
   
15
13		 

Item 3.

 
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
   
20
18		 

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures   18 
Item 4.
Controls and Procedures
20

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings   20 

Item 1.1A.

 
Legal ProceedingsRisk Factors
   
20
 

Item 2.

 
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
20
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
   
20
 

Item 3.

 
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
   
20
21		 

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures   21

Item 5.

Other Information   21 

Item 4.6.

 
Mine Safety DisclosuresExhibits
   
21
22		 

Glossary

   23

SIGNATURES

   
Item 5.
Other Information
21
Item 6.
Exhibits
21
Glossary
21
SIGNATURES
26
27		 

2
Table of Contents
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form

10-Q
contains “forward-looking statements” with respect to the financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC) (the “Trust”). 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 Quarterly Report 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 plans of Grayscale Investments, LLC (the “Sponsor”) 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. 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, but not limited to, those described in “Item“Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors.”Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors” herein. 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. Investors are therefore cautioned against relying on forward-looking statements.
Industry

Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “our” and Market Data

“us” in this Quarterly Report refer to the Sponsor acting on behalf of the Trust.

A glossary of industry and other defined terms is included in this Quarterly Report, beginning on page 23.

This Quarterly Report supplements and where applicable amends the Memorandum, as defined in the Trust’s Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement, for general purposes.

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

Although we are responsible for all disclosure contained in this Quarterly Report on Form

10-Q,
in some cases we have relied on certain market and industry data obtained from third-party sources that we believe to be reliable. Market estimates are calculated by using independent industry publications in conjunction with our assumptions regarding the Bitcoin industry and market. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any market, industry or similar data presented herein, such data involves risks and uncertainties and is subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the headings “Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item“Forward-Looking Statements,” Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors”Factors in the Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2019,2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 20, 20201, 2023 (the “Annual Report”).
Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “our” and “us”, “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report refer to the Sponsor acting on behalf of the Trust.Form 10-Q.

1

A glossary of industry and other defined terms is included in this Quarterly Report, beginning on page 22.
3

Table of Contents
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Item 1.
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
GRAYSCALE BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (U
N
AUDITE
D
)
(UNAUDITED)(Amounts in thousands, except Share and per Share amounts)
         
(Amounts in U.S. dollars, except Share amounts)
 
March 31, 2020
  
December 31, 2019
 
Assets:
      
Investment in Bitcoin, at fair value (cost $1,223,309,388 and $839,093,484 as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively)
 $
1,972,244,030
  $
1,866,217,842
 
         
Total assets
 $
1,972,244,030
  $
1,866,217,842
 
         
Liabilities:
      
Sponsor’s Fee payable, related party
 $
—
  $
—
 
         
Total liabilities
  
—
   
—
 
         
Net assets
 $
1,972,244,030
  $
1,866,217,842
 
         
Net Assets consists of:
      
Paid-in-capital
  
1,250,883,025
   
861,353,899
 
Accumulated net investment loss
  
(92,628,558
)  
(80,835,170
)
Accumulated net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
  
65,054,921
   
58,574,755
 
Accumulated net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
  
748,934,642
   
1,027,124,358
 
         
 $
1,972,244,030
  $
1,866,217,842
 
         
Shares issued and outstanding, no par value (unlimited Shares authorized)
  
315,828,000
   
269,445,300
 
         
Net asset value per Share
 $
6.24
  $
6.93
 
         
 
   
March 31,

2023
  
December 31,

2022
 
Assets:
         
Investment in Bitcoin, at fair value (cost $7,123,444 and $7,158,661 as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively)
  $17,904,310  $10,464,263 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total assets
  $17,904,310  $10,464,263 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Liabilities:
         
Sponsor’s Fee payable, related party
  $—    $—   
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total liabilities
   —     —   
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net Assets
  $17,904,310  $10,464,263 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net Assets consist of:
         
Paid-in-capital
  $7,513,961  $7,513,961 
Accumulated net investment loss
   (1,221,528)   (1,150,443) 
Accumulated net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
   831,011   795,143 
Accumulated net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
   10,780,866   3,305,602 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
   $17,904,310  $10,464,263 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Shares issued and outstanding, no par value (unlimited Shares authorized)
   692,370,100   692,370,100 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net asset value per Share
  $25.86  $15.11 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statementsstatements.
42
Table of Contents
GRAYSCALE BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
SCHEDULES OF INVESTMENT (UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)(Amounts in thousands, except quantity of Bitcoin and percentages)
March 31, 2020
        
 
Number of Bitcoin
  
Cost
  
Fair Value
  
% of Net
Assets
 
Investment in Bitcoin
  
304,631.31046282
  $
1,223,309,388
  $
1,972,244,030
   
100
%
                 
Net assets
    $
1,223,309,388
  $
1,972,244,030
   
100
%
                 
             
December 31, 2019
        
 
Number of Bitcoin
  
Cost
  
Fair Value
  
% of Net
Assets
 
Investment in Bitcoin
  
261,192.14022299
  $
839,093,484
  $
1,866,217,842
   
100
%
                 
Net assets
    $
839,093,484
  $
1,866,217,842
   
100
%
                 
                 
March 31, 2023
  
Quantity of Bitcoin
   
Cost
   
Fair Value
   
% of Net Assets
 
Investment in Bitcoin
   628,932.20027878   $7,123,444   $17,904,310    100% 
        
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net Assets
       $7,123,444   $17,904,310    100% 
        
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
                 
December 31, 2022
  
Quantity of Bitcoin
   
Cost
   
Fair Value
   
% of Net Assets
 
Investment in Bitcoin
   632,041.52945742   $7,158,661   $10,464,263    100% 
        
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net Assets
       $7,158,661   $10,464,263    100% 
        
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statementsstatements.
53
Table of Contents
GRAYSCALE BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)(Amounts in thousands)
         
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
(Amounts in U.S. dollars)
 
2020
  
2019
 
Investment income:
      
Investment income
 $
—
  $
—
 
         
Expenses:
      
Sponsor’s Fee, related party
  
11,793,388
   
3,862,438
 
         
Net investment loss
  
(11,793,388
)  
(3,862,438
)
         
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain from:
      
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
  
6,480,166
   
1,844,077
 
Net change in unrealized (depreciation) appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
  
(278,189,716
)  
86,536,075
 
         
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on investment
  
(271,709,550
)  
88,380,152
 
         
Net (decrease) increase in net assets resulting from operations
 $
 
(283,502,938
) $
 
84,517,714
 
         
 
   
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
  
2023
  
2022
 
Investment income:
         
Investment income
  $—    $—   
Expenses:
         
Sponsor’s Fee, related party
   71,085   131,025 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net investment loss
   (71,085)   (131,025) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) from:
         
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
   35,868   95,096 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in Bitcoin
   7,475,264   (284,294) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment
   7,511,132   (189,198) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations
  $7,440,047  $(320,223) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statementsstatements.
64
Table of Contents
GRAYSCALE BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
STATEMENTSTATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)(Amounts in thousands, except change in Shares outstanding)
         
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
(Amounts in U.S. dollars, except change in Shares outstanding)
 
2020
  
2019
 
(Decrease) increase in net assets from operations:
      
Net investment loss
 $
(11,793,388
) $
(3,862,438
)
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
  
6,480,166
   
1,844,077
 
Net change in unrealized (depreciation) appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
  
(278,189,716
)  
86,536,075
 
         
Net (decrease) increase in net assets resulting from operations
  
(283,502,938
)  
84,517,714
 
         
Increase in net assets from capital share transactions:
      
Shares issued
  
389,529,126
   
41,832,368
 
         
Net increase in net assets resulting from capital share transactions
  
389,529,126
   
41,832,368
 
         
Total increase in net assets from operations and capital share transactions
  
106,026,188
   
126,350,082
 
         
Net assets:
      
Beginning of period
  
1,866,217,842
   
751,622,174
 
         
End of period
 $
 
1,972,244,030
  $
 
877,972,256
 
         
Change in Shares outstanding:
      
Shares outstanding at beginning of period
  
269,445,300
   
206,559,100
 
         
Shares issued
  
46,382,700
   
11,309,100
 
         
Net increase in Shares
  
46,382,700
   
11,309,100
 
         
Shares outstanding at end of period
  
315,828,000
   
217,868,200
 
         
 
         
   
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
  
2023
  
2022
 
Increase (decrease) in net assets from operations:
         
Net investment loss
  $(71,085)  $(131,025) 
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
   35,868   95,096 
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in Bitcoin
   7,475,264   (284,294) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations
   7,440,047   (320,223) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Increase in net assets from capital share transactions:
         
Total increase (decrease) in net assets from operations and capital share transactions
   7,440,047   (320,223) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net assets:
         
Beginning of period
   10,464,263   29,576,053 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
End of period
  $17,904,310  $29,255,830 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Changes in Shares outstanding
         
Shares outstanding at beginning of period
   692,370,100   692,370,100 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Shares issued
   —     —   
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net increase in Shares
   —     —   
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Shares outstanding at end of period
   692,370,100   692,370,100 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statementsstatements.
7
5
Table of Contents
GRAYSCALE BITCOIN TRUST (BTC)
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Organization
Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC) (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 (“BTC”) 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 Bitcoin. The redemption of Shares is not currently contemplated and 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. The Trust currently has no intentionnot sought such relief as of seeking regulatory approval to operate an ongoing redemption program.the date of this Quarterly Report. The Trust’s investment objective of the Trust 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. 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.
Grayscale Investments, LLC (“Grayscale” or the “Sponsor”) acts as the Sponsor of the Trust and is 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 Basic Attention Token Trust (BAT) (OTCQB: GBAT), Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust (BCH) (OTCQX: BCHG), Grayscale Chainlink Trust (LINK) (OTCQB: GLNK), Grayscale Decentraland Trust (MANA) (OTCQX: MANA), Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) (OTCQX: ETHE), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETC) (OTCQX: ETCG), Grayscale Filecoin Trust (FIL) (OTCQB: FILG), Grayscale Horizen Trust (ZEN) (OTCQX: HZEN), Grayscale Litecoin Trust (LTC) (OTCQX: LTCN), Grayscale Livepeer Trust (LPT) (OTCQB: GLIV), Grayscale Solana Trust (SOL) (OTCQB: GSOL), Grayscale Stellar Lumens Trust (XLM) (OTCQX: GXLM), Grayscale Zcash Trust (ZEC) (OTCQX: ZCSH), Grayscale Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Fund LLC (OTCQB: DEFG), Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund LLC (OTCQX: GDLC), and Grayscale Smart Contract Platform Ex Ethereum (ETH) Fund LLC, each of which is an affiliate of the Trust. The following investment products sponsored or managed by the Sponsor are also 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 Trust (ETH), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETC), Grayscale Horizen Trust (ZEN), Grayscale Litecoin Trust (LTC), Grayscale Stellar Lumens Trust (XLM), Grayscale XRP Trust (XRP), Grayscale Zcash Trust (ZEC), and Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund LLC. Grayscale Advisors, LLC, (OTCQX: GDLC), each of which isa Registered Investment Advisor and an affiliate of the Trust.
Sponsor, is the advisor to the Grayscale Future of Finance (NYSE: GFOF) product.
Authorized Participants of the Trust are the only entities who may place orders to create or, if permitted, redeem Baskets. Genesis Global Trading, Inc. (“Genesis” or, thein such capacity, an “Authorized Participant”), a registered broker-dealer and wholly owned subsidiary of DCG, was the only Authorized Participant prior to October 3, 2022, and was party to a participant agreement with the Sponsor and the Trust. Effective October 3, 2022, Grayscale Securities, LLC (“Grayscale Securities” or, in such capacity, an “Authorized Participant”), a registered broker-dealer and wholly owned subsidiary of the Sponsor, is the only Authorized Participant, and is party to a participant agreement with the Sponsor and the Trust. As a result, since October 3, 2022, Genesis ceased acting as an Authorized Participant of the Trust, but serves as a Liquidity Provider to Grayscale Securities. Additional Authorized Participants may be added at any time, subject to the discretion of the Sponsor. The Authorized Participant(s) may engage additional Liquidity Providers at any time.
The custodian of the Trust
is Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC
(the “
Custodian
” (the “Custodian”), a third-party service provider. The Custodian
is responsible for safeguarding the Bitcoin, 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 Custodian Agreement is for an initial term of three years
.
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 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.
On March 25, 2015, the Trust received notice that its Shares were qualified for public trading on the OTCQX U.S. Marketplace of the OTC Markets Group Inc. (“OTCQX”). The Trust’s trading symbol on OTCQX is “GBTC” and the CUSIP number for its Shares is 389637109.
6
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 March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 20192022 and results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 20202023 and 20192022 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, 20192022 included in the Company’sTrust’s Annual Report on Form
10-K.
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 (“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 –
8
Table of Contents
Investment Companies
.Companies. The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting for Bitcoin 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.
The Trust conducts its transactions in Bitcoin, including receiving Bitcoin for the creation of Shares and delivering Bitcoin 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.shareholders. Since its inception, the Trust has not held cash or cash equivalents.
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 (“NAV”), the Trust follows 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 Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin in connection with a creation order from the Authorized Participant (or its Liquidity Provider) and does not itself transact on any Digital Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to the Authorized Participant when assessing entity specific and market-based volume and level of activity for Digital Asset Markets. The Authorized Participant transactsParticipant(s), or a Liquidity Provider on behalf of the Authorized Participant(s), may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market,
Principal-to-Principal
Markets and Exchange Markets, each as defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary (collectively, “Digital Asset Markets”). The Authorized Participant, as a related party of the Sponsor, provides information about the Digital Asset Markets on which it transacts to the Trust.
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 excludes any Digital Asset Markets that are
non-accessible
policies designed to the Trustcomply with anti-money laundering (“AML”) and the Authorized Participant. The Trust or the Authorized Participant does not have access to Digital Asset Exchange Markets that do not have a BitLicenseknow-your-customer (“KYC”) regulations, and has access only to
non-Digital
Asset Exchange Markets that the Authorized ParticipantTrust 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 the remainingthese Digital Asset Markets from high to low by entity-specific and market-based volume and
level of
activity of Bitcoin traded on each Digital Asset Market in the trailing twelve months.
Third, the Trust then reviews
intra-day
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, Exchange Markets have the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to accessible Exchange 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, an Exchange 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.
7
The cost basis of the investmentBitcoin received in Bitcoinconnection with a creation order is recorded by the Trust for financial reporting purposes isat the fair value of Bitcoin at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the time of transfer.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 Bitcoin for Share creations and the delivery of Bitcoin for Share redemptions or for payment of expenses in Bitcoin. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests from Shareholders.
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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 Bitcoin.
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.
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.
                 
 
Amount at Fair
Value
  
Fair Value Measurement Using
 
Level 1
  
Level 2
  
Level 3
 
March 31, 2020
            
Assets
            
Investment in Bitcoin
 $
1,972,244,030
  $
—
  $
1,972,244,030
  $
—
 
                 
December 31, 2019
            
Assets
            
Investment in Bitcoin
 $
1,866,217,842
  $
—
  $
1,866,217,842
  $
—
 
                 
 
       
Fair Value Measurement Using
 
(Amounts in thousands)  
Amount at Fair
Value
   
Level 1
   
Level 2
   
Level 3
 
March 31, 2023
                    
Assets
                    
Investment in Bitcoin
  $17,904,310   $17,904,310   $—     $—   
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
       
Fair Value Measurement Using
 
(Amounts in thousands)  
Amount at Fair
Value
   
Level 1
   
Level 2
   
Level 3
 
December 31, 2022
                    
Assets
                    
Investment in Bitcoin
  $10,464,263   $10,464,263   $—     $—   
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
3. Fair Value of Bitcoin
Bitcoin is held by the Custodian on behalf of the Trust and is carried at fair value. As of March 31, 2020,2023 and December 31, 2019,2022 the Trust held 304,631.31046282628,932.20027878 and 261,192.14022299632,041.52945742 Bitcoin, respectively.
The Trust determined the fair value per Bitcoin to be $6,474.20$28,467.79 and $7,145.00$16,556.29 on March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019,2022, respectively, using the price provided at 4:00 p.m., New York time, by the Digital Asset Exchange Market considered to be the Trust’s principal market (Coinbase Pro).
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The following represents the changes in quantity of Bitcoin and the respective fair value:
         
 
Bitcoin
  
Fair Value
 
Balance at January 1, 2019
  
204,277.35165345
  $
751,622,174
 
Bitcoin contributed
  
61,555.82798061
   
462,775,143
 
Bitcoin distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party
  
(4,641.03941107
)  
(34,730,355
)
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
  
—  
   
663,245,720
 
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
  
—  
   
23,305,160
 
         
Balance at December 31, 2019
  
261,192.14022299
   
1,866,217,842
 
         
Bitcoin contributed
  
44,867.71207927
   
389,529,126
 
Bitcoin distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party
  
(1,428.54183944
)  
(11,793,388
)
Net change in unrealized depreciation on investment in Bitcoin
  
—  
   
(278,189,716
)
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
  
—  
   
6,480,166
 
         
Balance at March 31, 2020
  
304,631.31046282
  $
1,972,244,030
 
         
 
(Amounts in thousands, except Bitcoin amounts)  
Bitcoin
   
Fair Value
 
Beginning balance as of January 1, 2022
   644,809.96863835   $29,576,053 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Bitcoin contributed
   —      —   
Bitcoin distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party
   (12,768.43918093)    (360,683) 
Net change in unrealized depreciation on investment in Bitcoin
   —      (18,967,171) 
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
   —      216,064 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Ending balance as of December 31, 2022
   632,041.52945742   $10,464,263 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
(Amounts in thousands, except Bitcoin amounts)  
Bitcoin
   
Fair Value
 
Beginning balance as of January 1, 2023
   632,041.52945742   $10,464,263 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Bitcoin contributed
   —      —   
Bitcoin distributed for Sponsor’s Fee, related party
   (3,109.32917864)    (71,085) 
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin
   —      7,475,264 
Net realized gain on investment in Bitcoin
   —      35,868 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Ending balance as of March 31, 2023
   628,932.20027878   $17,904,310 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
4. 4
.
Creations and Redemptions of Shares
At March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019,2022, 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 Bitcoin to the Trust or the distribution of Bitcoin by the Trust. The number of Bitcoin required for each creation Basket or redemption Basket is determined by dividing (x) the number of Bitcoin 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 number of
Bitcoin
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 0.00100.0009 of one Bitcoin at both March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019.2022. The decrease in the number of Bitcoin represented by each Share since inception is primarily a result of the periodic withdrawal of Bitcoin to pay the Sponsor’s Fee.
The cost basis of investments in Bitcoin recorded by the Trust is the fair value of Bitcoin, 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 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 may realize significant profits buying, selling, creating, and, if permitted, redeeming Shares as a result of changes in the value of Shares or Bitcoin.
Effective October 28, 2014, the Trust suspended its redemption program, in which Shareholdersshareholders were permitted to request the redemption of their Shares through Genesis, the sole Authorized Participant at the time out of concern that the redemption program was in violation of Regulation M under the Exchange Act, resulting in a settlement reached with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). 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. TheOn October 19, 2021, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) filed an application with the SEC pursuant to Rule
19b-4
under the Exchange Act to list the Shares of the Trust currently has no intentionon NYSE Arca. On June 29, 2022, the SEC denied NYSE Arca’s
19b-4
application and the Sponsor subsequently petitioned the United States Court of seeking regulatoryAppeals for the District of Columbia for review of the SEC’s June 29, 2022 final order denying approval to operate an ongoing redemption program.
During the year ended December 31, 2019,list shares of the Trust amended its offering to offer Shares on a periodic basis at such times and for such periodsNYSE Arca as the Sponsor determines in its sole discretion (each such period, an “Offering Period”).
exchange-traded product. The Sponsor’s petition remains pending.
5. Income Taxes
As of January 1, 2016, an amendment to the Trust Agreement was made to ensure that the Trust Agreement was consistent with the treatment of the Trust as a grantor trust. On February 9, 2017, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware ordered that the Original Trust Agreement be reformed so that the amendments made are retroactive to the original date of execution of the Trust Agreement. On September 11, 2017, the Trust received a private letter ruling from the IRS in which the IRS concluded, based on the facts at that time, that the Trust qualified as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the date of the private letter ruling.
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Furthermore, as of October 24, 2017, amendments to the Trust Agreement were made to permit the Trust to hold rights to acquire, or otherwise establish, dominion and control over, Incidental Rights and IR Virtual Currency in a manner consistent with the Trust’s continued treatment as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
9
Accordingly, 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, gain, 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 currencies,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 a maximumthe rate of 21%) on its net taxable income and certain distributions made by the Trust to Shareholdersshareholders would be treated as taxable dividends to the extent of the Trust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.
In accordance with GAAP, the Trust has defined the threshold for recognizing the benefits of tax return 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 periods ended March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019,2022, 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
on-going
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 March 31, 20202023 or December 31, 2019.2022.
6. Related Parties
The Trust considers the following entities, their directors, and certain employees to be related parties of the Trust: DCG, Genesis, Genesis Global Holdco, LLC, Grayscale, Grayscale Securities, and Grayscale.CoinDesk Indices, Inc. As of March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019, 11,213,3922022, 36,066,527 and 12,617,86936,065,470 Shares of the Trust were held by related parties of the Trust, respectively.
The Sponsor’s parent, an affiliate of the Trust, holds a minority interest in Coinbase, Inc., the parent company of the Custodian, that represents less than 1.0% of Coinbase Inc.’s ownership.
In accordance with the Trust Agreement governing the Trust, the Trust pays a fee to the Sponsor, calculated as 2.0% 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 Bitcoin, monthly in arrears. The amount of Bitcoin payable in respect of each daily U.S. dollar accrual will be determined by reference to the same U.S. dollar value of Bitcoin used to determine such accrual. For purposes of these financial statements, the U.S. dollar value of Bitcoin is determined by reference to the Digital Asset Exchange 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 March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. No Incidental Rights or IR Virtual Currencies have been distributed in payment of the Sponsor’s Fee during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
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 (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.
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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 Shareholdersshareholders (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 Bitcoin accountDigital Asset Account Bitcoins, 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 Bitcoins, 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 Bitcoins, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency in kind to the Sponsor in satisfaction of such Additional Trust Expenses.
10
For the three months ended March 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022, the Trust incurred Sponsor’s Fees of $11,793,388$71,084,974 and $3,862,438,$131,024,620, respectively. As of March 31, 20202023 and December 31, 2019,2022, there were 0no 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 months ended March 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022 the Sponsor did not pay any Additional Trust Expenses on behalf of the Trust.
On March 10, 2021, the Board of the Sponsor (the “Board”) approved the purchase by DCG, the parent company of the Sponsor, of up to $250 million worth of Shares of the Trust. Subsequently, DCG authorized such purchase. On April 30, 2021, the Board approved the purchase by DCG of up to $750 million worth of Shares of the Trust. This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $250 million worth of Shares by $500 million. On October 20, 2021, the Board of the Sponsor approved the purchase by DCG, the parent company of the Sponsor, of up to $1 billion worth of Shares of the Trust. Subsequently, DCG authorized such purchase. This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $750 million worth of Shares by $250 million. On March 2, 2022, the Board approved the purchase by DCG of up to an aggregate total of $200 million worth of Shares of the Trust and shares of any of the following five investment products the Sponsor also acts as the sponsor and manager of, including Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust (BCH) (OTCQX: BCHG), Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund LLC (OTCQX: GDLC), Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) (OTCQX: ETHE), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETC) (OTCQX: ETCG), and Grayscale Stellar Lumens Trust (XLM) (OTCQX: GXLM). This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $1 billion worth of Shares by up to a maximum of $200 million. The Share purchase authorization does not obligate DCG to acquire any specific number of Shares in any period, and may be expanded, extended, modified, or discontinued at any time. From March 10, 2021 through June 30, 2022, DCG purchased a total of $771.8 million worth of Shares of the Trust under this authorization. From July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, DCG did not purchase any Shares of the Trust under this authorization.
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, Bitcoin. Investing in Bitcoin is currently highly speculative and volatile.
The net asset value of the Trust relates primarily to the value of Bitcoin held by the Trust, and fluctuations in the price of Bitcoin could materially and adversely affect an investment in the Shares of the Trust. The price of Bitcoin has a limited history. During such history, Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin, including, but not limited to, global Bitcoin supply and demand, theft of Bitcoin from global exchanges 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 such as the novel coronavirus outbreak.situations.
The Bitcoin held by the Trust are commingled and the Trust’s Shareholdersshareholders have no specific rights to any specific Bitcoin. In the event of the insolvency of the Trust, its assets may be inadequate to satisfy a claim by its Shareholders.shareholders.
There is currently no clearing house for Bitcoin, nor is there a central or major depository for the custody of Bitcoin. There is a risk that some or all of the Trust’s Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin. Further, transactions in Bitcoin are irrevocable. Stolen or incorrectly transferred Bitcoin may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed Bitcoin transactions could adversely affect an investment in the Shares.
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 Ethereum to be securities, and does not currently consider Bitcoin to be a security. The SEC staff has also provided informal assurances 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.
If Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin. For example, it may become more difficult for Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin and cause users to migrate to other digital assets. As such, any determination that Bitcoin is a security under federal or state securities laws may adversely affect the value of Bitcoin and, as a result, an investment in the Shares.
11
To the extent that Bitcoin is determined to be a security, the Trust and the Sponsor may also be subject to additional regulatory requirements, including those under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Sponsor may be required to register as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. 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 Bitcoin at a time that is disadvantageous to Shareholders. shareholders.
To the extent a private key required to access a Bitcoin address is lost, destroyed or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private keys are accessible, the Trust may be unable to access the Bitcoin controlled by the private key and the private key will not be capable of being restored by the Bitcoin network.Network. The processes by which Bitcoin transactions are settled are dependent on the
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 Bitcoin.
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The Trust relies on third party service providers to perform certain functions essential to its operations. Any disruptions to the Trust’s or the Trust’s service providers’ business operations resulting from business restrictions, quarantinesfailures, financial instability, security failures, government mandated regulation or restrictions on the ability of personnel to perform their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemicoperational problems could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to access critical services and would be disruptive to the operationoperations 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 March 31,
 
 
2020
  
2019
 
Per Share Data:
      
Net asset value, beginning of period
 $
6.93
  $
3.64
 
         
Net (decrease) increase in net assets from investment operation
s
:
      
Net investment loss
  
(0.04
)  
(0.02
)
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain
  
(0.65
)  
0.41
 
         
Net (decrease) increase in net assets resulting from operations
  
(0.69
)  
0.39
 
         
Net asset value, end of period
 $
6.24
  $
4.03
 
         
Total return
  
-32.66
%  
54.34
%
         
Ratios to average net assets:
      
Net investment loss
  
-2.00
%  
-2.00
%
         
Expenses
  
-2.00
%  
-2.00
%
         
   
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
  
2023
  
2022
 
Per Share Data
         
Net asset value, beginning of period
  $15.11  $42.72 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets from investment operations:
         
Net investment loss
   (0.10)   (0.19) 
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
   10.85   (0.28) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations
   10.75   (0.47) 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Net asset value, end of period
  $25.86  $42.25 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total return
   71.14%   (1.10)% 
Ratios to average net assets:
         
Net investment loss
   (2.00)%   (2.00)% 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Expenses
   (2.00)%   (2.00)% 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
Ratios of net investment loss and expenses to average net assets have been annualized.
An individual Shareholder’sshareholder’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 net asset value at the beginning of the
period
and assuming redemption on the last day of the
period and has been annualized
. 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 May
1,
, 2020 2023, the fair value of Bitcoin determined in accordance with the Trust’s accounting policy was $8,731.74$27,833.06 per Bitcoin.
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.
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Table

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Contents

Item 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
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 unaudited financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP.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 set forth under “Part II, Item 1A. Risk FactorsFactors” in this Quarterly Report or in “Part I, Item 1A,1A. Risk FactorsFactors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” or other sections of our Annual Report on Form

10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2019.
2022.

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 Bitcoins and, from time to time on a periodic basis, issues Creation Baskets in exchange for deposits of Bitcoins. As a passive investment vehicle, the Trust’s investment objective ofis for the Trust is forvalue of the Shares (based on Bitcoin per Share) to reflect the value of the Bitcoins held by the Trust, determined by reference to the Index Price, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities. TheWhile an investment in the Shares is not a direct investment in Bitcoin, the Shares are designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and convenient way to invest ingain investment exposure to Bitcoin. To date, the Trust has not met its investment objective and the Shares quoted on OTCQX have not reflected the value of Bitcoins held by the Trust, less the Trust’s expenses and other liabilities, but instead have traded at both premiums and discounts to such value, which at times have been substantial. 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 Bitcoin for Share creations and the delivery of Bitcoin for Share redemptions or for payment of expenses in Bitcoin. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests from Shareholders.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 Bitcoin.

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 NAV,net asset value (“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 Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin 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 Bitcoin in connection with a creation order from the Authorized Participant (or its Liquidity Provider) and does not itself transact on any Digital Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to the Authorized Participant when assessing entity-specific and market-based volume and level of activity for Digital Asset Markets. The Authorized Participant transactsParticipant(s), or a Liquidity Provider on behalf of the Authorized Participant(s), may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market,

Principal-to-Principal
Markets
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and Exchange Markets, each as defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary. The Authorized Participant, as a related party of the Sponsor, provides information about the DigitalGlossary (collectively, “Digital Asset Markets on which it transacts to the Trust.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 Exchange 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.

First, the Trust reviews a list of Digital Asset Markets and excludes any Digital Asset Markets that are
non-accessible
to the Trust and the Authorized Participant. The Trust or the Authorized Participant does not have access to Digital Asset Exchanges that do not have a BitLicense and has access only to
non-
Digital Asset Exchange Markets that the Authorized Participant 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 the remainingthese Digital Asset Markets from high to low by entity-specific and market-based volume and level of activity of Bitcoin traded on each Digital Asset Market in the trailing twelve months.

Third, the Trust then reviews

intra-day
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, Exchange Markets have the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to accessible Exchange 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, an Exchange Market has been selected as the Trust’s principal market.

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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, Exchange Markets have the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to accessible Exchange 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, an Exchange 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 investmentBitcoin received in Bitcoinconnection with a creation order is recorded by the Trust for financial reporting purposes isat the fair value of Bitcoin at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the time of transfer.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 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
.Companies. The Trust uses fair value as its method of accounting for Bitcoin 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 (unaudited)

Financial Highlights for the Three Months endedEnded March 31, 20202023 and 2019

March 31, 2022

(All amounts in the following table and the subsequent paragraphs, except Share, per Share, Bitcoin and price of Bitcoin amounts, are in thousands)

         
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2020
  
2019
 
Net realized and unrealized (loss) gain on investment in Bitcoin
 $
 (271,710
) $
88,380
 
         
Net (decrease) increase in net assets resulting from operations
 $
(283,503
) $
84,518
 
         
Net assets
 $
1,972,244
  $
877,972
 
         

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
  2023   2022 

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment in Bitcoin

  $7,511,132   $(189,198) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

  $7,440,047   $(320,223) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net assets

  $17,904,310   $29,255,830 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was $7,511,132 which includes a realized gain of $35,868 on the transfer of Bitcoins to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin of $7,475,264. Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin for the period was driven by Bitcoin price appreciation from $16,556.29 per Bitcoin as of December 31, 2022 to $28,467.79 per Bitcoin as of March 31, 2023. Net increase in net assets resulting from operations was $7,440,047 for the three months ended March 31, 2023, which consisted of the net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin, less the Sponsor’s Fee of $71,085. Net assets increased to $17,904,310 at March 31, 2023, a 71% increase for the period. The increase in net assets resulted from the aforementioned Bitcoin price appreciation and by the withdrawal of approximately 3,110 Bitcoin to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s Fee.

Net realized and unrealized loss on investment in Bitcoin for the three months ended March 31, 20202022 was ($271,710)$(189,198) which includes a realized gain of $6,480$95,096 on the transfer of Bitcoins to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and net change in unrealized depreciation on investment in Bitcoin of ($278,190)$(284,294). Net realized and unrealized loss on investment in Bitcoin for the yearperiod was driven by Bitcoin price

16
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depreciation from $7,145.00$45,867.86 per Bitcoin as of December 31, 20192021 to $6,474.20$45,595.55 per Bitcoin as of March 31, 2020.2022. Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations was ($283,503)$(320,223) for the three months ended March 31, 2020,2022, which consisted of the net realized and unrealized loss on investment in Bitcoin, plus the Sponsor’s Fee of $11,793. Net assets increased to $1,972,244 at March 31, 2020, a 6% increase for the period. The increase in net assets resulted from the contribution of approximately 44,868 Bitcoin with a value of $389,529 to the Trust in connection with Share creations during the period, partially offset by the aforementioned Bitcoin price depreciation and the withdrawal of approximately 1,429 Bitcoin to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s Fee.
Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $88,380 which includes a realized gain of $1,844 on the transfer of Bitcoins to pay the Sponsor’s Fee and net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in Bitcoin of $86,536. Net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin for the year was driven by Bitcoin price appreciation from $3,679.42 per Bitcoin as of December 31, 2018 to $4,094.99 per Bitcoin as of March 31, 2019. Net increase in net assets resulting from operations was $84,518 for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which consisted of the net realized and unrealized gain on investment in Bitcoin, less the Sponsor’s Fee of $3,862.$131,025. Net assets increaseddecreased to $877,972$29,255,830 at March 31, 2019,2022, a 17% increase1% decrease for the period. The increasedecrease in net assets resulted from the aforementioned Bitcoin price appreciationdepreciation and the contribution of approximately 11,154 Bitcoin with a value of $41,832 to the Trust in connection with Share creations during the period, partially offset by the withdrawal of approximately 1,0303,172 Bitcoin to pay the foregoing Sponsor’s Fee.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
The Trust is not a party to any
off-balance
sheet arrangements.

Cash Resources and Liquidity

The Trust has not had a cash balance at any time since inception. When selling Bitcoins, 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 number of Bitcoins, Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency needed to pay expenses in order to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than Bitcoin. 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.

14

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 during the periods covered by this Quarterly Report was the Sponsor’s Fee. 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 Months Ended March 31,
 
 
2020
  
2019
 
 
(All Bitcoin balances are rounded to the nearest whole 
Bitcoin)
 
Bitcoins:
      
Opening Balance
  
261,192
   
204,277
 
Creations
  
44,868
   
11,154
 
Sponsor’s Fee, related party
  
(1,429
)  
(1,030
)
         
Closing balance
  
304,631
   
214,401
 
Accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s Fee, related party
  
—  
   
—  
 
         
Net closing balance
  
304,631
   
214,401
 
         
Number of Shares:
      
Opening balance
  
269,445,300
   
206,559,100
 
Creations
  
46,382,700
   
11,309,100
 
         
Closing balance
  
315,828,000
   
217,868,200
 
         
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As of March 31,
 
 
2020
  
2019
 
Price of Bitcoin on principal market(1)
 $
6,474.20
  $
4,094.99
 
         
NAV per Share(2)
 $
6.24
  $
4.03
 
         
Index Price
 $
6,466.48
  $
4,088.08
 
         
Digital Asset Holdings per Share(3)
 $
6.24
  $
4.02
 
         

   Three Months Ended March 31, 
  2023   2022 

(All Bitcoin balances are rounded to the nearest whole Bitcoin)

    

Bitcoins:

    

Opening Balance

   632,042    644,810 

Creations

   —      —   

Sponsor’s Fee, related party

   (3,110)    (3,172) 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Closing balance

   628,932    641,638 

Accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s Fee, related party

   —      —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net closing balance

   628,932    641,638 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Number of Shares:

    

Opening balance

   692,370,100    692,370,100 

Creations

   —      —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Closing Balance

   692,370,100    692,370,100 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

   As of March 31, 
   2023   2022 

Price of Bitcoin on principal market (1)

  $28,467.79   $45,595.55 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

NAV per Share (2)

  $25.86   $42.25 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Index Price (3)

  $28,464.50   $45,625.48 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Digital Asset Holdings per Share (3)

  $25.86   $42.28 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1)

The Trust performed an assessment of the principal market at March 31, 20202023 and 2019,2022, and identified the principal market as Coinbase Pro.

(2)

As of March 31, 20202023 and 20192022, the NAV per Share was calculated using the fair value of Bitcoin based on the price provided by Coinbase Pro, the Digital Asset Exchange that the Trust currently considersconsidered its principal market, as of 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the valuation date.

(3)

The Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings 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 Digital Asset Holdings per Share is calculated using a

non-GAAP
methodology where the volume-weighted average price is derived from multiple Digital Asset Exchanges. See “Item 1. Business—Trust ObjectiveOverview of the Bitcoin Industry and Key Operating Metrics”Market—Bitcoin Value—The Index and the Index Price” in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form
10-K
for a description of the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings per Share.Index and the Index Price. The Digital Asset Exchanges used to calculate the Index Price as of March 31, 20202023 were Coinbase Pro, LMAX Digital, itBit,Binance.US, Kraken, and Bitstamp. As of March 31, 2019, theLMAX Digital. The Digital Asset Exchanges used to calculate the Index Price consistedas of March 31, 2022 were Coinbase Pro, Bittrex,Bitstamp, Kraken, Bitstamp, and itBit.LMAX Digital. See “Item 1. Business—Valuation of Bitcoin and Determination of Digital Asset Holdings” in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings per Share.

For accounting purposes, the Trust reflects creations and the Bitcoins 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 number of Bitcoins is received. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests from Shareholders.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 intentionnot sought such relief as of seeking regulatory approval to operate an ongoing redemption program.

the date of this Quarterly Report.

As of March 31, 2020,2023, the Trust had a net closing balance of 628,932.20027878 Bitcoins with a value of $1,969,892,276,$17,902,240,615 based on the Index Price

of $28,464.50 on March 31, 2023 (non-GAAP
methodology). As of March 31, 2020,2023, the Trust had a total market value of $1,972,244,030,the Trust’s Bitcoin was $17,904,309,802, based on the price of a Bitcoin in the principal market (Coinbase Pro).
of $28,467.79 on March 31, 2023.

As of March 29, 2019 (the last business day on which a Creation Basket could have been originated),31, 2022, the Trust had a net closing balance of 641,637.82510544 Bitcoins with a value of $869,774,518,$29,275,033,757 based on the Index Price

of $45,625.48 on March 31, 2022 (non-GAAP
methodology). As of March 31, 2019,2022, the Trust had a net closing balance with a total value of $876,490,741, based on the Bitcoin Index Price of
(non-GAAP
 methodology). As of March 31, 2019, the Trust had a total market value of $877,972,256,the Trust’s Bitcoin was $29,255,829,536, based on the price of a Bitcoin in the principal market (Coinbase Pro). of $45,595.55 on March 31, 2022.

15

Historical Digital Asset Holdings and Bitcoin Prices

As movements in the price of Bitcoin will directly affect the price of the Shares, investors should understand recent movements in the price of Bitcoin. Investors, however, should also be aware that past movements in the Bitcoin 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,service providers, as well as political and economic uncertainties around the world.

The following chart illustrates the movement in the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings per Share (as adjusted for the Share Split for periods prior to January 26, 2018) versus the Index Price and the Trust’s NAV per Share (as adjusted for the Share Split for periods prior to January 26, 2018) from September 25, 2013 (date of the first Creation Basket of the Trust) to March 31, 2020.2023. For more information on the determination of the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings, see “Item 1. Business—Overview of the Bitcoin Industry and Market—Bitcoin Value—The Index and the Index Price” in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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16

18
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IMAGE

The following table illustrates the movements in the Index Price from the beginning of the Trust’s operations on September 25, 2013April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020. Since the beginning of the Trust’s operations,2023. During such period, the Index Price has ranged from $117.03$3,164.99 to $18,756.45,$67,352.59, with the straight average being $3,422.74.

                             
Period
 
Average
  
High
  
Date
  
Low
  
Date
  
End of
period
  
Last
business
day
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2016
 $
311.86
  $
459.52
   
12/18/2015
  $
211.86
   
8/25/2015
  $
414.70
  $
414.70
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2017
 $
719.90
  $
1,279.00
   
3/6/2017
  $
416.00
   
4/1/2016
  $
1,056.48
  $
1,056.48
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2018
 $
6,242.51
  $
18,756.45
   
12/18/2017
  $
1,056.48
   
4/1/2017
  $
6,990.70
  $
7,580.80
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2019
 $
5,863.11
  $
9,650.29
   
5/4/2018
  $
3,228.07
   
12/14/2018
  $
4,088.08
  $
4,056.31
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2020
 $
8,441.28
  $
12,681.53
   
7/10/2019
  $
4,118.78
   
4/1/2019
  $
6,466.48
  $
6,466.48
 
                             
September 25, 2013 (the inception of the Trust’s operations) to March 31, 2020
 $
3,422.74
  $
18,756.45
   
12/18/2017
  $
117.03
   
10/3/2013
  $
6,466.48
  $
6,466.48
 
$20,925.15 through March 31, 2023. The Sponsor has not observed a material difference between the Index Price and average prices from the constituent Digital Asset Exchanges individually or as a group.

       High   Low         

Period

  Average   Index Price   Date   Index Price   Date   End of
period		   Last
business day		 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2019

  $5,865.47   $9,830.06    5/5/2018   $3,164.99    12/14/2018   $4,095.82   $4,078.69 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2020

  $8,471.60   $13,838.57    6/26/2019   $4,132.14    4/1/2019   $6,471.60   $6,471.60 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2021

  $20,225.08   $61,593.93    3/13/2021   $6,212.24    4/1/2020   $58,592.37   $58,592.37 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2022

  $45,450.47   $67,352.59    11/9/2021   $29,789.20    7/20/2021   $45,625.48   $45,625.48 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2023

  $23,647.24   $46,425.74    4/3/2022   $15,768.02    11/21/2022   $28,464.50   $28,464.50 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023

  $20,925.15   $67,352.59    11/9/2021   $3,164.99    12/14/2018   $28,464.50   $28,464.50 

The following table illustrates the movements in the Digital Asset Market price of Bitcoin, as reported on the Trust’s principal market, from the beginning of the Trust’s operations on September 25, 2013April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020. Since the beginning of the Trust’s operations,2023. During such period, the price of Bitcoin has ranged from $110.83$3,164.61 to $19,433.21,$67,371.70, with the straight average being $3,437.86:$20,925.40 through March 31, 2023.

       High   Low         

Period

  Average   Digital Asset
Market Price		   Date   Digital
Asset
Market
Price		   Date   End of
period		   Last
business
day		 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2019

  $5,865.26   $9,815.55    5/5/2018   $3,164.61    12/14/2018   $4,094.99   $4,078.82 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2020

  $8,472.15   $13,849.81    6/26/2019   $4,133.74    4/1/2019   $6,474.20   $6,474.20 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2021

  $20,226.28   $61,607.76    3/13/2021   $6,214.99    4/1/2020   $58,601.27   $58,601.27 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2022

  $46,449.98   $67,371.70    11/9/2021   $29,785.71    7/202021   $45,595.55   $45,595.55 

Twelve months ended March 31, 2023

  $23,647.43   $46,423.42    4/3/2022   $15,766.93    11/21/2022   $28,467.79   $28,467.79 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023

  $20,925.40   $67,371.70    11/9/2021   $3,164.61    12/14/2018   $28,467.79   $28,467.79 

The following chart sets out the historical closing prices for the Shares as reported by OTCQX and the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings per Share from May 5, 2015 to March 31, 2023.

17

                             
Period
 
Average
  
High
  
Date
  
Low
  
Date
  
End of
period
  
Last
business
day
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2016
 $
311.91
  $
469.00
   
11/4/2015
  $
216.24
   
8/24/2015
  $
416.43
  $
416.43
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2017
 $
721.53
  $
1,290.01
   
3/10/2017
  $
415.59
   
4/1/2016
  $
1,084.70
  $
1,084.70
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2018
 $
6,307.72
  $
19,433.21
   
12/16/2017
  $
1,082.07
   
4/1/2017
  $
7,055.00
  $
7,337.16
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2019
 $
5,865.26
  $
9,815.55
   
5/5/2018
  $
3,164.61
   
12/14/2018
  $
4,094.99
  $
4,078.82
 
Twelve months ended March 31, 2020
 $
8,472.15
  $
13,849.81
   
6/26/2019
  $
4,133.74
   
4/1/2019
  $
6,474.20
  $
6,474.20
 
                             
September 25, 2013 (the inception of the Trust’s operations) to March 31, 2020
 $
3,437.86
  $
19,433.21
   
12/16/2017
  $
110.83
   
10/2/2013
  $
6,474.20
  $
6,474.20
 

19
Table of Contents
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

GBTC Premium/(Discount): GBTC Share Price vs. Digital Asset Holdings per Share ($)

LOGO

The following chart sets out the historical premium and discount for the Shares as reported by OTCQX and the Trust’s Digital Asset Holdings per Share from May 5, 2015 to March 31, 2023.

GBTC Premium/(Discount): GBTC Share Price vs. Digital Asset Holdings per Share (%)

LOGO

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The Trust Agreement does not authorize the Trustee 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.

Item 4.
Controls and Procedures

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The Trust maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Principal Executive Officer and ChiefPrincipal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Sponsor, and to the audit committee of the Boardboard of Directorsdirectors of the Sponsor, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

18

Under the supervision and with the participation of the Principal Executive Officer and the ChiefPrincipal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Sponsor, the Sponsor conducted an evaluation of the TrustsTrust’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined under Exchange Act Rule

13a-15(e).
Based on this evaluation, the Principal Executive Officer and the ChiefPrincipal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Sponsor concluded that the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There was no change in the Trust’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the Trust’s most recently completed fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, these internal controls.

19

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION:

Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
None.
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
Except

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

On November 18, 2022, the Sponsor received a letter on behalf of Fir Tree Master Fund, L.P. and certain of its affiliates (together, “Fir Tree”) demanding access to certain of the Sponsor’s and the Trust’s books and records pursuant to Section 3819 of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act and certain provisions under the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor and the Trust disputed Fir Tree’s entitlement to the requested books and records and, therefore, declined to comply with the demand. On December 6, 2022, Fir Tree filed a suit in Delaware Chancery Court against the Sponsor and the Trust alleging that the Sponsor and the Trust violated Fir Tree’s information rights and seeking to compel access to the requested books and records. The Sponsor and the Trust believe that this lawsuit is without merit and are vigorously defending against it.

On January 30, 2023, Osprey Funds, LLC filed a suit in Connecticut Superior Court against the Sponsor alleging that statements the Sponsor made in its advertising and promotion of the Trust violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, and seeking statutory damages and injunctive relief. On April 17, 2023, the Sponsor filed its brief in support of its motion to dismiss the complaint. The Sponsor and the Trust believe this lawsuit is without merit and intend to vigorously defend against it.

On January 13, 2023, the Sponsor received a letter on behalf of 210K Capital, LP (“210K Capital”) demanding access to certain of the Sponsor’s and the Trust’s books and records pursuant to Section 3819 of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act and certain provisions under the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor and the Trust disputed 210K Capital’s entitlement to the requested books and records and, therefore, declined to comply with the demand. On March 6, 2023, 210K Capital filed a suit in Delaware Chancery Court against the Sponsor and the Trust alleging that the Sponsor and the Trust violated 210K Capital’s information rights and seeking to compel access to the requested books and records. Trial has not yet been set. The Sponsor and the Trust believe that this lawsuit is without merit and plan to vigorously defend against it.

In October 2021, NYSE Arca filed a proposal with the SEC pursuant to Rule 19b-4 under the Exchange Act for a rule change to list the Shares of the Trust on NYSE Arca as an exchange traded product, and on June 29, 2022, the SEC issued a final order disapproving NYSE Arca’s proposed rule change. On June 29, 2022, the Sponsor filed a petition for review of the SEC’s final order in the United States Court of Appeals for the following new District of Columbia Circuit. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case on March 7, 2023. As of the date of this Quarterly Report, the Sponsor’s petition remains pending and the Sponsor expects to receive a decision from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals by fall of 2023.

On March 6, 2023, Alameda Research, Ltd. filed a suit against the Sponsor, DCG, Michael Sonnenshein and Barry Silbert in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware alleging various breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims, including that the defendants had breached the terms of the trust agreements for the Trust and Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) for failing to reduce its fees and authorize a redemption program. On April 4, 2023, the Sponsor, DCG, Michael Sonnenshein and Barry Silbert moved to dismiss the Alameda Research complaint. The Sponsor believes this lawsuit is without merit and intends to vigorously defend against it.

As of the date of this report, the Sponsor does not expect the foregoing proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, 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.

Item 1A. Risk Factor, thereFactors

There have been no material changes to the Risk Factorsrisk factors last reported under Part“Part I, Item 1A1A. Risk Factors” of the registrant’s Annual Report on Form

10-K.
The

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Purchases of equity securities by the issuer and affiliated purchasers —The table below sets forth information regarding open market purchases of Shares of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust faces risks related to(BTC) (OTCQX: GBTC) by Digital Currency Group, Inc. (“DCG”), the novel coronavirus

(COVID-19)
outbreak, which could negatively impact the valueparent company of the Trust’s holdings and significantly disrupt its operations.Sponsor, on a monthly basis during the three months ended March 31, 2023:

Period

  (a) Total
Number
of Shares
of GBTC
Purchased		   (b) Average
Price Paid
per Share
of GBTC		   (c) Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased
as Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs(1)		   (d)
Approximate
Dollar Value
of Shares that
May Yet Be
Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs(1)		 
               (in millions) 

January 1, 2023 – January 31, 2023

   —     $—      —     $428.2 

February 1, 2023 – February 28, 2023

   —      —      —      428.2 

March 1, 2023 – March 31, 2023

   —      —      —      428.2 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   —     $—      —     $428.2 

20

The novel coronavirus
(“COVID-19”)
will in the short-term, and may over the longer term, adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that may adversely affect demand for digital assets generally and impact the value of, and demand for, the digital assets held by the Trust. Although the magnitude of the impact of the
COVID-19
outbreak or the occurrence of other epidemics or pandemics on the digital assets held by the Trust remains uncertain, the continued spread of
COVID-19
and the imposition of related public health measures and travel and business restrictions have resulted in, and will continue to result in, increased volatility and uncertainty in the Digital Asset Markets. In addition, we rely on third party service providers to perform certain functions essential to the operation of the Trust. Any disruptions to 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 could have an adverse impact on the Trust’s ability to access critical services and would be disruptive to the operation of the Trust.
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
a)Information has been previously included in the Trust’s Current Reports on Form
8-K
during the period covered by this report.
b)Not applicable.
c)None.
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
20

Table of Contents
Item 4.(1)
Mine Safety Disclosures

On March 10, 2021, the Board approved the purchase by DCG, the parent company of the Sponsor, of up to $250 million worth of Shares of the Trust. Subsequently, DCG authorized such purchase. On April 30, 2021, the Board approved the purchase by DCG of up to $750 million worth of Shares of the Trust. This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $250 million work of Shares by $500 million. On October 20, 2021, the Board approved the purchase by DCG of up to $1 billion worth of Shares of the Trust. This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $750 million worth of Shares by $250 million. On March 2, 2022, the Board approved the purchase by DCG, the parent company of the Sponsor, of up to an aggregate total of $200 million worth of Shares of the Trust and shares of any of the following five investment products the Sponsor also acts as the sponsor and manager of, including Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust (BCH) (OTCQX: BCHG), Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund LLC (OTCQX: GDLC), Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) (OTCQX: ETHE), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETC) (OTCQX: ETCG), and Grayscale Stellar Lumens Trust (XLM) (OTCQX: GXLM). This increased DCG’s prior authorization to purchase up to $1 billion worth of Shares by up to a maximum of $200 million. Subsequently, DCG authorized such purchase. The Share purchase authorization does not obligate DCG to acquire any specific number of Shares in any period, and may be expanded, extended modified, or discontinued at any time. From March 10, 2021 through June 30, 2022, DCG purchased a total of $771.8 million worth of Shares of the Trust under this authorization. From July 1, 2022 through May 1, 2023, DCG had not purchased any Shares of the Trust under this authorization.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

None.

21

Item 6. Exhibits

Item 5.
Other Information
None.
Item 6.
Exhibits

Exhibit
Number

  

Exhibit Description

31.1  
Exhibit
Number
Exhibit Description
  31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to the Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.2023.
31.2  
  31.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to the Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.2023.
32.1  
  32.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, with respect to the Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.2023.
32.2  
  32.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, with respect to the Trust’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.2023.
101.INS*  Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
101.SCH*  
101.INS*
XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL*  
101.CAL*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.LAB*  
101.LAB*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE*  
101.PRE*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
101.DEF*  
101.DEF*
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
104  
104.1
Cover Page Interactive Data File—The cover page interactive data file does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document.

*

Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation

S-T,
these interactive data files are deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, are deemed not filed for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise are not subject to liability under those sections.

22

21
Table of Contents
Glossary of Defined Terms
In this Quarterly Report, each of the following quoted terms has the meanings set forth after such term:

GLOSSARY OF DEFINED TERMS

“

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.

“

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)service provider) on behalf of the Trust to protect the Trust or the interests of Shareholdersshareholders (including in connection with any Incidental Rights and any IR Virtual Currency), (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
”—Any Person from time The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to time engaged by the Sponsor to assist in the administration of the Shares.
do a banking business.

“

Administrator Fee
”—The fee payable to any administrator of the AdministratorTrust for services it provides to the Trust, which the Sponsor will pay the Administratorsuch administrator as a Sponsor-paid Expense.

“

Agent
”—A Person appointed by the Trust to act on behalf of the Shareholdersshareholders in connection with any distribution of Incidental Rights and/or IR Virtual Currency.

“

Authorized Participant
”—Certain eligible financial institutions that have entered into an agreement with the Trust and the Sponsor concerning the creation of Shares. Each Authorized Participant (i) is a registered broker-dealer, (ii) has entered into a Participant Agreement with the Sponsor and (iii) owns an Authorized Participant Self-Administered Account.
“
Authorized Participant Self-Administered Account
”—A Bitcoina digital wallet address that is known to the Custodian as belonging to the Authorized Participant.
Participant or such Authorized Participant’s Liquidity Provider.

“

Basket
”—A block of 100 Shares.

“

Basket Amount
”—On any trade date, the number of Bitcoins required as of such trade date for each Creation Basket, as determined by dividing (x) the number of Bitcoins owned by the Trust at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such trade date, after deducting the number of Bitcoins 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 Bitcoin (
i.e.
(i.e., carried to the eighth decimal place)), and multiplying such quotient by 100.

“

Bitcoin
” or “
BTC
”—A type of digital asset based on an open-source cryptographic protocol existing on the Bitcoin Network, comprising units that constitute the assets underlying the Trust’s Shares.

“

Bitcoin Network
”—The online,
end-user-to-end
-user
end-user-to-end-usernetwork hosting the public transaction ledger, known as the Bitcoin Blockchain, and the source code comprising the basis for the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the Bitcoin Network.
See “Item 1. Business—Overview of the BTC Industry and Market” in our Annual Report.

“

Blockchain”Blockchain” or “Bitcoin Blockchain”
“Bitcoin Blockchain”—The public transaction ledger of the Bitcoin Network on which miners or mining pools solve algorithmic equations allowing them to add records of recent transactions (called “blocks”) to the chain of transactions in exchange for an award of Bitcoins from the Bitcoin Network and the payment of transaction fees, if any, from users whose transactions are recorded in the block being added.
recorded.

“

Creation Basket
”—Basket of Shares issued by the Trust in exchange for deposits of the Basket Amount required for each such Creation Basket.

“

Custodial Services
”—the The Custodian’s services that (i) allow Bitcoins to be deposited from a public blockchain address to the Trust’s Digital Asset Account and (ii) allow the Trust and the Sponsor to withdraw Bitcoin from the Trust’s BitcoinDigital Asset Account to a public blockchain address the Trust or the Sponsor controls pursuant to instructions the Trust or the Sponsor provides to the Custodian.
22
Table of Contents

“

Custodian
”—Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC.

23

“

“Custodian Agreement

”—The Amended and Restated Custodial Services Agreement, dated as of June 29, 2022, by and between the Trust and the Sponsor and Custodian that governs the Trust’s and the Sponsor’s use of the Custodial Services provided by the Custodian as a fiduciary with respect to the Trust’s assets.

“

Custodian Fee
”—Fee payable to the Custodian for services it provides to the Trust, which the Sponsor shall pay to the Custodian as a Sponsor-paid Expense.

“

DCG
”—Digital Currency Group, Inc.

“

Digital Asset Account
”—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 BitcoinBitcoins on the Trust’s behalf.

“

Digital Asset Exchange
”—An electronic marketplace where exchange participants may trade, buy and sell Bitcoins based on
bid-ask
trading. The largest Digital Asset Exchanges are online and typically trade on a
24-hour
basis, publishing transaction price and volume data.

“

Digital Asset Exchange Market
”—The global exchange market for the trading of Bitcoins, which consists of transactions on electronic Digital Asset Exchanges.

“

Digital Asset Holdings
”—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 “Valuation“Item 1. Business—Valuation of Bitcoin and Determination of the Trust’s BitcoinDigital Asset Holdings” in our Annual Report on Form
10-K.
Report. See also “Key Operating Metrics”“Item 1. Business—Investment Objective” in our Annual Report on Form
10-K
for a description of the Trust’s NAV, as calculated in accordance with GAAP.

“

Digital Asset Holdings 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“Item 1. Business—Valuation of Bitcoin and Determination of BitcoinDigital Asset Holdings” in our Annual Report on Form
10-K.
Report.

“

Digital Asset Market
”—A dealer market, brokered market,
principal-to-principal
market“Brokered Market,” “Dealer Market,” “Principal-to-Principal Market” or exchange market on which Bitcoins are bought and sold.
“
Distribution and Marketing Agreement
“Exchange Market,”—The agreement among the Sponsor and the Distributor and Marketer, which sets forth the obligations and responsibilities of the Distributor and Marketer.
“
Distributor
”—Genesis, or any other person from time to time, who as each such term is engaged by the Sponsor to assistdefined in the distribution of the Shares.
Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Master Glossary.

“

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.

“

Exchange Act
”—The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“

FINRA” – The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., which is the primary regulator in the United States for broker-dealers, including Authorized Participants.

“GAAP

”—United States generally accepted accounting principles.

“

Genesis
”—Genesis Global Trading, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, Inc., which as of the date of this Quarterly Report, is the only Liquidity Provider of the Authorized Participant.

“Grayscale Securities”— Grayscale Securities, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Sponsor, which as of the date of this Quarterly Report, is the only acting Authorized Participant.

“

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 Bitcoins and arise without any action of the Trust, or of the Sponsor or Trustee on behalf of the Trust.

“

Index
”—The TradeBlock XBX Index.
CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX).

“

Index License Agreement
”—The license agreement, entered into bydated 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.
23
Table of Contents

“

Index Price
”—The U.S. dollar value of a Bitcoin derived from the Digital Asset Exchanges that are reflected in the Index, calculated at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on each business day. See “Overview“Item 1. Business—Overview of the Bitcoin Industry and Market—Bitcoin Value—The Index and the Bitcoin Index Price” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of how the Index Price is calculated. For purposes of the Trust Agreement, the term Bitcoin Index Price shall mean the Index Price as defined herein.

24

“

“Index Provider

”—TradeBlock, CoinDesk Indices, Inc., a Delaware corporation that publishes the Index
Index. DCG is the indirect parent company of CoinDesk Indices, Inc. As a result, CoinDesk Indices, Inc. is an affiliate of the Sponsor and the Trust and is considered a related party of the Trust.

“

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 Agreementsubscription agreement with an Authorized Participant, pursuant to which such Authorized Participant will act as agent for the investor.

“

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.

“

IRS
”—The —The U.S. Internal Revenue Service, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

“

Marketer
Liquidity Provider”—Genesis or any other person from time A service provider engaged by an Authorized Participant to time engaged to provide marketing services or related services tosource Bitcoin on behalf of the Trust pursuant to authority delegated by the Sponsor.
Authorized Participant.

“

Marketing Fee
”—Fee payable to the Marketermarketer for services it provides to the Trust, which the Sponsor will pay to the Marketermarketer as a Sponsor-paid Expense.

“

NAV
”—The net asset value of the Trust determined on a GAAP basis.

“

OTCQX
”—The OTCQX tier of OTC Markets Group Inc.

“

Participant Agreement
”—An agreement entered into by an Authorized Participant with the Sponsor that provides the procedures for the creation of Baskets and for the delivery of Bitcoins required for Creation Baskets.

“

SEC
”—The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“

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, the OTCQX tier of the OTC Markets Group Inc.

“

Securities Act
”—The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

“

Service Providers
Shares”—Collectively, Grayscale Investments, LLC, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Genesis, TradeBlock, Inc., Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC and Digital Currency Group, Inc.
“
Shareholder
”—Any person that owns Shares.
“
Shares
”—Common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in, and ownership of, the Trust.

“

Share Split
”—A
91-for-1
Share split of the Trust’s issued and outstanding Shares, which was effected on January 26, 2018 to Shareholdersshareholders of record as of the close of business on January 22, 2018.

“

Sponsor
”—Grayscale Investments, LLC.

“

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.
24
Table of Contents

“

Sponsor’s Fee
”—A fee, payable in Bitcoins, which accrues daily in U.S. dollars at an annual rate of 2.0% of the Digital Asset Holdings 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 Digital Asset Holdings 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.

25

“

Subscription Agreement
”—An agreement between an Investor and an Authorized Participant pursuant to which the Investor can subscribe for Shares.

“

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
”—Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a Delaware corporation.

“

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.

“

Trust
”—Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC), a Delaware statutory trust, formed on September 13, 2013 under the DSTA and pursuant to the Trust Agreement.

“

Trust Agreement
”—The Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement between the Trustee and the Sponsor establishing and governing the operations of the Trust, as amended by AmendmentAmendments No. 1 and No. 2 thereto and as the same may be amended from time to time.

“

Trustee
”—Delaware Trust Company (formerly known as CSC Trust Company of Delaware), a Delaware trust company, is the Delaware trustee of the Trust.

“

U.S.
”—United States.

“

U.S. dollar
” or “
$
”—United States dollar or dollars.

26

25
Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned in the capacities* indicated, thereunto duly authorized.


Grayscale Investments, LLCasLLC
as Sponsor of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC)
By: 
By:

/s/ Barry E. Silbert

Michael Sonnenshein

 
Name:
 
Barry E. Silbert
Michael Sonnenshein
 
Title:
 
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)*
By:
/s/ Simcha Wurtzel
Name:
Simcha Wurtzel
Title:
Member of the Board of Directors
and Vice President, Finance (PrincipalChief Executive Officer
Title:(Principal Executive Officer)*
By:

/s/ Edward McGee

Name:Edward McGee
Chief Financial Officer
Title:(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)*

Date: May 8, 2020

5, 2023

*

The Registrant is a trust and the persons are signing in their capacities as officers or directors of Grayscale Investments, LLC, the Sponsor of the Registrant.

27