UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 11, 2024 |
Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH)
(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware | 000-56193 | 82-6677805 | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer | ||
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c/o Grayscale Investments, LLC 290 Harbor Drive, 4th Floor |
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Stamford, Connecticut |
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) |
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Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 212 668-1427 |
N/A |
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
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| Trading |
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Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) Shares |
| ETHE |
| N/A |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected 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. ☐
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On June 12, 2024, following approval of the Proposals (as defined below), Grayscale Investments, LLC, the sponsor (the “Sponsor”) of Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETH) (the “Trust”), and CSC Delaware Trust Company, the trustee (the “Trustee”) of the Trust, entered into the Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement, dated as of June 12, 2024 (the “Second A&R Trust Agreement”). The amendments implemented by the Second A&R Trust Agreement are described in the Trust’s Consent Solicitation Statement included in its definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 22, 2024 (the “Consent Solicitation Statement”).
The foregoing description of the Second A&R Trust Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Second A&R Trust Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
On May 22, 2024, the Sponsor solicited the consent of the shareholders of the Trust (the “Consent Solicitation”) to approve three proposals to amend the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement (as amended, the “Trust Agreement”) between the Sponsor and the Trustee, all of which were approved by the requisite majority of outstanding shares held by the Trust’s shareholders as of the record date for the Consent Solicitation. The proposals are described in more detail in the Consent Solicitation Statement.
Proposal 1:
The proposal to approve amendments to the Trust Agreement providing the Trust with alternative procedures for the creation and redemption of Baskets (as defined in the Trust Agreement) ( “Proposal 1”) was approved based on the following votes:
For | Against | Abstain | ||
24,769,969 | 2,084,064 | 430,362 |
Proposal 2:
The proposal to approve amendments to the Trust Agreement providing that the Sponsor’s Fee (as defined in the Trust Agreement) be payable to the Sponsor daily in arrears (“Proposal 2”) was approved based on the following votes:
For | Against | Abstain | ||
22,618,123 | 4,021,683 | 644,589 |
Proposal 3:
The proposal to approve amendments to the Trust Agreement permitting a portion of the Trust Estate (as defined in the Trust Agreement) to be held from time to time in one or more omnibus accounts in order to facilitate the creation and redemption of shares of the Trust (“Proposal 3” and, together with Proposal 1 and Proposal 2, the “Proposals”), was approved based on the following votes:
For | Against | Abstain | ||
24,492,760 | 2,345,641 | 445,994 |
As described in the Consent Solicitation Statement, under the terms of the Trust Agreement, any shareholders that did not, within twenty (20) calendar days of the date of the Consent Solicitation Statement, notify the Sponsor in writing that they objected to one or more of the Proposals were deemed to consent to each of the Proposals. As such, in the aggregate, shareholders holding 99.33% of the Trust’s outstanding shares consented to Proposal 1, shareholders holding 98.71% of the Trust’s outstanding shares consented to Proposal 2 and shareholders holding 99.25% of the Trust’s outstanding shares consented to Proposal 3.
A sufficient number of shareholders consented to approve the Proposals described above by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 11, 2024. As a result, the Consent Solicitation, and the period during which consents could be revoked, concluded as of 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 11, 2024.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit No. | Description | |
4.1 | Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement | |
104 |
| Cover Page Interactive Data File (the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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| Grayscale Investments, LLC, as Sponsor of Grayscale |
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Date: | June 12, 2024 | By: | /s/ Edward McGee |
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| Edward McGee |
* The Registrant is a trust and the identified person signing this report is signing in their capacity as an authorized officer of Grayscale Investments, LLC, the Sponsor of the Registrant.