Company: GBTC
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-029408
Chunk: 85

Company: Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 85
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 acquiring Bitcoin required for the creation of Baskets may increase the market price of Bitcoin on the Digital Asset Markets, which will result in higher prices for the Shares. Alternatively, selling activity associated with sales of Bitcoin withdrawn from the Trust in connection with the redemption of Baskets may decrease the market price of Bitcoin on the Digital Asset Markets, which will result in lower prices for the Shares. Increases or decreases in the market price of Bitcoin may also occur as a result of the purchasing or selling activity of other market participants. Other market participants may attempt to benefit from an increase or decrease in the market price of Bitcoin that may result from increased purchasing or selling activity of Bitcoin connected with the creation or redemption of Baskets. Consequently, the market price of Bitcoin may decline immediately after Baskets are created. Decreases in the market price of Bitcoin may also occur as a result of sales in Secondary Markets by other market participants. If the Index Price declines, the value of the Shares will generally also decline. 

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Competition from the emergence or growth of other digital assets could have a negative impact on the price of Bitcoin and adversely affect the value of the Shares. 

Bitcoin was the first digital asset to gain global adoption and critical mass, and as a result, it has a “first to market” advantage over other digital assets. As of December 31, 2024, Bitcoin was the largest digital asset by market capitalization, as tracked by CoinMarketCap.com and had the largest user base and largest combined mining power. Despite this first to market advantage, as of December 31, 2024, the alternative digital assets tracked by CoinMarketCap.com had a total market-capitalization of approximately $3.3 trillion (including the approximately $1.85 trillion market cap of Bitcoin), as calculated using market prices and total available supply of each digital asset, excluding tokens pegged to other assets. In addition, many consortiums and financial institutions are also researching and investing resources into private or permissioned blockchain platforms rather than open platforms like the Bitcoin Network. Competition from the emergence or growth of alternative digital assets and smart contracts platforms, such as Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche or Cardano, could have a negative impact on the demand for, and price of, Bitcoin and thereby adversely affect the value of the Shares. 

In addition, some digital asset networks, including the Bitcoin Network, may be the target of ill will from users of other digital asset networks. For example, Litecoin is the result of a hard fork of Bitcoin. Some users of the Bitcoin Network