Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 127 / Monday, July 2, 2018 / Notices 31013 

1Applicants request that the order apply to 

Defiance Autonomous Future ETF (the ‘‘Initial 

Fund’’), a new series of the Trust, and any 

additional series of the Trust, and any other openend management investment company or series 

thereof (‘‘Future Funds’’ and together with the 

Initial Fund, ‘‘Funds’’), each of which will operate 

as an ETF and will track a specified index 

comprised of domestic and/or foreign equity 

securities and/or domestic and/or foreign fixed 

income securities (each, an ‘‘Underlying Index’’). 

Each Fund will (a) be advised by the Initial Adviser 

or an entity controlling, controlled by, or under 

common control with the Initial Adviser (each such 

entity and any successor thereto, an ‘‘Adviser’’) and 

(b) comply with the terms and conditions of the 

application. For purposes of the requested Order, 

‘‘successor’’ is limited to an entity that results from 

a reorganization into another jurisdiction or a 

change in the type of business organization. 

2Each Self-Indexing Fund will post on its website 

the identities and quantities of the investment 

positions that will form the basis for the Fund’s 

calculation of its NAV at the end of the day. 

Applicants believe that requiring Self-Indexing 

Funds to maintain full portfolio transparency will 

help address, together with other protections, 

conflicts of interest with respect to such Funds. 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Investment Company Act Release No. 

33136; 812–14879] 

Defiance ETFs, LLC, et al. 

June 27, 2018. 

AGENCY: Securities and Exchange 

Commission (‘‘Commission’’). 

ACTION: Notice. 

Notice of an application for an order 

under section 6(c) of the Investment 

Company Act of 1940 (the ‘‘Act’’) for an 

exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 

5(a)(1), 22(d), and 22(e) of the Act and 

rule 22c–1 under the Act, under 

sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an 

exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 

17(a)(2) of the Act, and under section 

12(d)(1)(J) for an exemption from 

sections 12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(B) of 

the Act. The requested order would 

permit (a) index-based series of certain 

open-end management investment 

companies (‘‘Funds’’) to issue shares 

redeemable in large aggregations only 

(‘‘Creation Units’’); (b) secondary market 

transactions in Fund shares to occur at 

negotiated market prices rather than at 

net asset value (‘‘NAV’’); (c) certain 

Funds to pay redemption proceeds, 

under certain circumstances, more than 

seven days after the tender of shares for 

redemption; (d) certain affiliated 

persons of a Fund to deposit securities 

into, and receive securities from, the 

Fund in connection with the purchase 

and redemption of Creation Units; and 

(e) certain registered management 

investment companies and unit 

investment trusts outside of the same 

group of investment companies as the 

Funds (‘‘Funds of Funds’’) to acquire 

shares of the Funds. 

APPLICANTS: Defiance ETFs, LLC (the 

‘‘Initial Adviser’’), a Delaware limited 

liability company that is registered as an 

investment adviser under the 

Investment Advisers Act of 1940, ETF 

Series Solutions (the ‘‘Trust’’), a 

Delaware statutory trust registered 

under the Act as an open-end 

management investment company with 

multiple series, and Quasar Distributors, 

LLC, a Delaware limited liability 

company and broker-dealer registered 

under the Securities Exchange Act of 

1934 (‘‘Exchange Act’’). 

FILING DATES: The application was filed 

on February 26, 2018, and amended on 

June 19, 2018. 

HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING: 

An order granting the requested relief 

will be issued unless the Commission 

orders a hearing. Interested persons may 

request a hearing by writing to the 

Commission’s Secretary and serving 

applicants with a copy of the request, 

personally or by mail. Hearing requests 

should be received by the Commission 

by 5:30 p.m. on July 20, 2018 and 

should be accompanied by proof of 

service on applicants, in the form of an 

affidavit, or for lawyers, a certificate of 

service. Pursuant to rule 0–5 under the 

Act, hearing requests should state the 

nature of the writer’s interest, any facts 

bearing upon the desirability of a 

hearing on the matter, the reason for the 

request, and the issues contested. 

Persons who wish to be notified of a 

hearing may request notification by 

writing to the Commission’s Secretary. 

ADDRESSES: Secretary, Securities and 

Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20549–1090; 

Applicants: Defiance ETFs, LLC, 450 

West 42nd Street, #37S, New York, New 

York 10036; ETF Series Solutions, 615 

East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin 53202; Quasar Distributors, 

LLC, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, 6th 

Floor, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christine Y. Greenlees, Senior Counsel, 

at (202) 551–6990, or Andrea 

Ottomanelli Magovern, Branch Chief, at 

(202) 551–6821 (Division of Investment 

Management, Chief Counsel’s Office). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following is a summary of the 

application. The complete application 

may be obtained via the Commission’s 

website by searching for the file 

number, or for an applicant using the 

Company name box, at http://

www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by 

calling (202) 551–8090. 

Summary of the Application 

1. Applicants request an order that 

would allow Funds to operate as index 

exchange traded funds (‘‘ETFs’’).1 Fund 

shares will be purchased and redeemed 

at their NAV in Creation Units only. All 

orders to purchase Creation Units and 

all redemption requests will be placed 

by or through an ‘‘Authorized 

Participant’’, which will have signed a 

participant agreement with the 

Distributor. Shares will be listed and 

traded individually on a national 

securities exchange, where share prices 

will be based on the current bid/offer 

market. Any order granting the 

requested relief would be subject to the 

terms and conditions stated in the 

application. 

2. Each Fund will hold investment 

positions selected to correspond 

generally to the performance of an 

Underlying Index. In the case of SelfIndexing Funds, an affiliated person, as 

defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act 

(‘‘Affiliated Person’’), or an affiliated 

person of an Affiliated Person (‘‘SecondTier Affiliate’’), of the Trust or a Fund, 

of the Adviser, of any sub-adviser to or 

promoter of a Fund, or of the Distributor 

will compile, create, sponsor or 

maintain the Underlying Index.2

3. Shares will be purchased and 

redeemed in Creation Units and 

generally on an in-kind basis. Except 

where the purchase or redemption will 

include cash under the limited 

circumstances specified in the 

application, purchasers will be required 

to purchase Creation Units by 

depositing specified instruments 

(‘‘Deposit Instruments’’), and 

shareholders redeeming their shares 

will receive specified instruments 

(‘‘Redemption Instruments’’). The 

Deposit Instruments and the 

Redemption Instruments will each 

correspond pro rata to the positions in 

the Fund’s portfolio (including cash 

positions) except as specified in the 

application. 

4. Because shares will not be 

individually redeemable, applicants 

request an exemption from section 

5(a)(1) and section 2(a)(32) of the Act 

that would permit the Funds to register 

as open-end management investment 

companies and issue shares that are 

redeemable in Creation Units only. 

5. Applicants also request an 

exemption from section 22(d) of the Act 

and rule 22c–1 under the Act as 

secondary market trading in shares will 

take place at negotiated prices, not at a 

current offering price described in a 

Fund’s prospectus, and not at a price 

based on NAV. Applicants state that (a) 

secondary market trading in shares does 

not involve a Fund as a party and will 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
31014 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 127 / Monday, July 2, 2018 / Notices 

3The requested relief would apply to direct sales 

of shares in Creation Units by a Fund to a Fund of 

Funds and redemptions of those shares. Applicants 

are not seeking relief from section 17(a) for, and the 

requested relief will not apply to, transactions 

where a Fund could be deemed an Affiliated 

Person, or a Second-Tier Affiliate, of a Fund of 

Funds because an Adviser or an entity controlling, 

controlled by or under common control with an 

Adviser provides investment advisory services to 

that Fund of Funds. 

1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 

2 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 

not result in dilution of an investment 

in shares, and (b) to the extent different 

prices exist during a given trading day, 

or from day to day, such variances occur 

as a result of third-party market forces, 

such as supply and demand. Therefore, 

applicants assert that secondary market 

transactions in shares will not lead to 

discrimination or preferential treatment 

among purchasers. Finally, applicants 

represent that share market prices will 

be disciplined by arbitrage 

opportunities, which should prevent 

shares from trading at a material 

discount or premium from NAV. 

6. With respect to Funds that effect 

creations and redemptions of Creation 

Units in kind and that are based on 

certain Underlying Indexes that include 

foreign securities, applicants request 

relief from the requirement imposed by 

section 22(e) in order to allow such 

Funds to pay redemption proceeds 

within fifteen calendar days following 

the tender of Creation Units for 

redemption. Applicants assert that the 

requested relief would not be 

inconsistent with the spirit and intent of 

section 22(e) to prevent unreasonable, 

undisclosed or unforeseen delays in the 

actual payment of redemption proceeds. 

7. Applicants request an exemption to 

permit Funds of Funds to acquire Fund 

shares beyond the limits of section 

12(d)(1)(A) of the Act; and the Funds, 

and any principal underwriter for the 

Funds, and/or any broker or dealer 

registered under the Exchange Act, to 

sell shares to Funds of Funds beyond 

the limits of section 12(d)(1)(B) of the 

Act. The application’s terms and 

conditions are designed to, among other 

things, help prevent any potential (i) 

undue influence over a Fund through 

control or voting power, or in 

connection with certain services, 

transactions, and underwritings, (ii) 

excessive layering of fees, and (iii) 

overly complex fund structures, which 

are the concerns underlying the limits 

in sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the 

Act. 

8. Applicants request an exemption 

from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the 

Act to permit persons that are Affiliated 

Persons, or Second-Tier Affiliates, of the 

Funds, solely by virtue of certain 

ownership interests, to effectuate 

purchases and redemptions in-kind. The 

deposit procedures for in-kind 

purchases of Creation Units and the 

redemption procedures for in-kind 

redemptions of Creation Units will be 

the same for all purchases and 

redemptions and Deposit Instruments 

and Redemption Instruments will be 

valued in the same manner as those 

investment positions currently held by 

the Funds. Applicants also seek relief 

from the prohibitions on affiliated 

transactions in section 17(a) to permit a 

Fund to sell its shares to and redeem its 

shares from a Fund of Funds, and to 

engage in the accompanying in-kind 

transactions with the Fund of Funds.3

The purchase of Creation Units by a 

Fund of Funds directly from a Fund will 

be accomplished in accordance with the 

policies of the Fund of Funds and will 

be based on the NAVs of the Funds. 

9. Section 6(c) of the Act permits the 

Commission to exempt any persons or 

transactions from any provision of the 

Act if such exemption is necessary or 

appropriate in the public interest and 

consistent with the protection of 

investors and the purposes fairly 

intended by the policy and provisions of 

the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act 

provides that the Commission may 

exempt any person, security, or 

transaction, or any class or classes of 

persons, securities, or transactions, from 

any provision of section 12(d)(1) if the 

exemption is consistent with the public 

interest and the protection of investors. 

Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the 

Commission to grant an order 

permitting a transaction otherwise 

prohibited by section 17(a) if it finds 

that (a) the terms of the proposed 

transaction are fair and reasonable and 

do not involve overreaching on the part 

of any person concerned; (b) the 

proposed transaction is consistent with 

the policies of each registered 

investment company involved; and (c) 

the proposed transaction is consistent 

with the general purposes of the Act. 

For the Commission, by the Division of 

Investment Management, under delegated 

authority. 

Eduardo A. Aleman, 

Assistant Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14191 Filed 6–29–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE 

COMMISSION 

[Release No. 34–83520; File No. SR– 

CboeBZX–2018–040] 

Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe 

BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of 

Proposed Rule Change To List and 

Trade Shares of SolidX Bitcoin Shares 

Issued by the VanEck SolidX Bitcoin 

Trust 

June 26, 2018. 

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 

(‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2

notice is hereby given that on June 20, 

2018, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (‘‘BZX’’ 

or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the 

Securities and Exchange Commission 

(‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule 

change as described in Items I, II, and 

III below, which Items have been 

prepared by the Exchange. The 

Commission is publishing this notice to 

solicit comments on the proposed rule 

change from interested persons. 

I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Terms of Substance of 

the Proposed Rule Change 

The Exchange filed a proposal to list 

and trade shares of SolidX Bitcoin 

Shares (the ‘‘Fund’’) issued by the 

VanEck SolidX Bitcoin Trust (the 

‘‘Trust’’), under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4), 

Commodity-Based Trust Shares. 

The text of the proposed rule change 

is available at the Exchange’s website at 

www.markets.cboe.com, at the principal 

office of the Exchange, and at the 

Commission’s Public Reference Room. 

II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s 

Statement of the Purpose of, and 

Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule 

Change 

In its filing with the Commission, the 

Exchange included statements 

concerning the purpose of and basis for 

the proposed rule change and discussed 

any comments it received on the 

proposed rule change. The text of these 

statements may be examined at the 

places specified in Item IV below. The 

Exchange has prepared summaries, set 

forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of 

the most significant parts of such 

statements. 


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