Putnam
Focused Large Cap Growth ETF

Prospectus

12 | 30 | 22

• You may have to pay more money to trade the ETF’s shares. This ETF will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.

• The price you pay to buy ETF shares on an exchange may not match the value of the ETF’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this ETF compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.

• These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.

• The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Tracking Basket” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Tracking Basket includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.

Investment Category: Growth

This prospectus explains what you should know about this fund before you invest. Please read it carefully.

These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nor has the SEC passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any statement to the contrary is a crime.

Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.

Fund summary

Table of contents

Fund summary	2
Fund details	8
Investment details	8
Fund management	16
Shareholder information	17
Distribution plans and payments to intermediaries	21
Fund distributions and taxes	23
Financial highlights	25
Appendix	27

Fund summary

Putnam Focused Large Cap Growth ETF

Investment objective

Fees and expenses

Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Example

Portfolio turnover

Principal investment strategies

Principal investment risks

Performance

end

Your fund’s management

Investment advisor

Putnam Investment Management, LLC

Portfolio managers

Richard Bodzy
Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager
of the fund since 2021

Gregory McCullough
Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager
of the fund since 2021

Sub-advisor

Putnam Investments Limited*

Purchase and sale of fund shares

Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market price. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day, rather than at net asset value (NAV). Shares of the fund may trade at a price greater than the fund’s NAV (premium) or less than the fund’s NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling fund shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information regarding the fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spread, is available at putnam.com.

Tax information

The fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you hold the shares through a tax-advantaged arrangement, in which case you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawal of monies from the arrangement.

Financial intermediary compensation

The fund and its related companies may pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker/dealers, or financial professionals, for the sale of fund shares and related services. Please bear in mind that these payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your advisor or visit your advisor’s website for more information.

Fund details

Investment details

Investment objective

Putnam Focused Large Cap Growth ETF seeks capital appreciation.

Principal investment strategies

The fund invests mainly in common stocks of large U.S. companies, with a focus on growth stocks. Growth stocks are stocks of companies whose earnings are expected to grow faster than those of similar firms, and whose business growth and other characteristics may lead to an increase in stock price. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the fund’s net assets in companies of a size similar to those in the Russell 1000 Growth Index. As of September 30, 2022, the index was composed of companies having market capitalizations of between approximately $1.4 billion to $2.2 trillion. This policy may be changed only after 60 days’ notice to shareholders. The fund’s investment manager, Putnam Investment Management, LLC (Putnam Management) may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, financial strength, growth potential, competitive position in its industry, projected future earnings, cash flows and dividends when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.

We expect to integrate environmental, social, or governance (“ESG”) considerations, where we consider them material and relevant, into our fundamental research process and investment decision-making for the fund, although ESG considerations do not represent a primary focus of the fund. We believe that ESG considerations, like other, more traditional subjects of investment analysis such as market position, growth prospects, and business strategy, have the potential to impact financial risk and investment returns. We believe that ESG considerations are best analyzed in combination with a company’s fundamentals, including a company’s industry, geography, and strategic position. When considering ESG factors, we use company disclosures, public data sources, and independent third-party data as inputs into our analytical processes. The consideration of ESG factors as part of the fund’s investment process does not mean that the fund pursues a specific “ESG” or “sustainable” investment strategy, and we may make investment decisions for the fund other than on the basis of relevant ESG considerations.

The fund is “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund. The fund expects to invest in a limited number of issuers.

The fund is an actively managed ETF that operates pursuant to an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (Order) and does not publicly disclose its complete portfolio holdings each business day. Instead, the fund publishes each business day on its website a “Tracking Basket,” which is designed to closely track the daily performance of the fund but is not the fund’s actual portfolio. The Tracking Basket is comprised of: (1) select recently disclosed portfolio holdings and/or select

securities from the universe from which the fund’s investments are selected (Strategy Components); (2) liquid ETFs that convey information about the types of instruments (that are not otherwise fully represented by the Strategy Components) in which the fund invests (Representative ETFs); and (3) cash and cash equivalents. For additional information regarding the Tracking Basket, see “Additional information about the fund — Tracking basket structure” in the prospectus.

The fund also publishes each business day on its website the “Tracking Basket Weight Overlap,” which is the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the prior business day’s Tracking Basket compared to the holdings of the fund that formed the basis for the fund’s calculation of net asset value per share (NAV) at the end of the prior business day. The Tracking Basket Weight Overlap is designed to provide investors with an understanding of how similar the Tracking Basket is to the fund’s actual portfolio in percentage terms.

Shareholders should be aware that investments made by the fund and results achieved by the fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which Putnam Management acts as investment manager, including funds with names, investment objectives, and policies that are similar to the fund. The Trustees may change the fund’s goal, investment strategies and other policies set forth in this prospectus without shareholder approval, except as otherwise provided in the prospectus or SAI.

Permitted investment types

Under the terms of the Order, the fund’s investments are limited to the following: ETFs, notes, common stocks, preferred stocks, ADRs, real estate investment trusts, commodity pools, metals trusts, and currency trusts, in each case that are traded on a U.S. securities exchange; common stocks listed on a foreign exchange that trade on such exchange contemporaneously with the fund’s shares; exchange-traded futures (where the future contract’s reference asset is an asset that the fund could invest in directly, or in the case of an index future, is based on an index of a type of asset that the fund could invest in directly) that are traded on a U.S. futures exchange contemporaneously with the fund’s shares; and cash and cash equivalents (which are short-term U.S. Treasury securities, government money market funds, and repurchase agreements) (Permitted Investment Types). In addition to the main investment strategies described above under “Principal investment strategies,” the fund may invest in any of the Permitted Investment Types. The fund may not borrow for investment purposes or hold short positions. The fund may not purchase any securities that are illiquid investments (as defined in Rule 22e-4(a)(8) under the 1940 Act) at the time of purchase.

Principal investment risks

The principal and certain additional risks of investing in the fund are described below. These risks and other factors may adversely affect the fund’s NAV, market price and performance. When you sell your shares, they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you could lose money as a result of your

investment. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund may not achieve its investment objective, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI) contains additional information about the fund’s investment policies and risks.

• Tracking Basket structure risk. The fund’s Tracking Basket structure may affect the price at which shares of the fund trade in the secondary market. Although the Tracking Basket is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the fund at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the fund, the Tracking Basket methodology is novel and not yet proven as an effective arbitrage mechanism. There is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the fund. ETFs trading on the basis of a published Tracking Basket may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. At certain thresholds for such premiums/discounts, bid/ask spreads and tracking error, the Fund’s Board of Trustees will consider possible remedial measures, which may include liquidation or conversion to a fully-transparent, active ETF or a mutual fund. While the Tracking Basket includes some of the fund’s holdings, it is not the fund’s actual portfolio. The fund will not disclose its actual portfolio daily and will not require a minimum overlap of holdings between the Tracking Basket and the Fund’s actual portfolio. In addition, although the fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Tracking Basket to identify the fund’s trading strategy. If successful, this could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the fund and its shareholders, such as front running the fund’s trades of portfolio securities.

• Arbitrage risk. Unlike ETFs that publicly disclose their complete portfolio holdings each business day, the fund discloses the Tracking Basket and Tracking Basket Weight Overlap, which is intended to allow market participants to estimate the value of positions in fund shares. Although this information is designed to facilitate arbitrage opportunities in fund shares to reduce bid/ask spread and minimize discounts or premiums between the market price and NAV of fund shares, there is no guarantee the fund’s arbitrage mechanism will operate as intended and that the fund will not experience wide bid/ask spreads and/or large discounts or premiums to NAV. In addition, market participants may attempt to use the disclosed information to “reverse engineer” the fund’s trading strategy, which, if successful, could increase opportunities for predatory trading practices that may have the potential to negatively impact the fund’s performance. These practices may include front running (trading ahead of the fund) or free riding (mirroring the fund’s strategies).

• Fluctuation of NAV and share price risk. Shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the NAV than shares of other ETFs, including ETFs that make their daily holdings public. The NAV of the fund’s shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the fund’s holdings. The fund’s shares are listed on an exchange

and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV and supply and demand on the listing exchange. Although disclosure of the Tracking Basket and Tracking Basket Weight Overlap is designed to facilitate the arbitrage process to permit the shares of the fund to trade at market prices that are at or close to NAV, it is possible that the market price and NAV will vary significantly. As a result, you may sustain losses if you pay more than the shares’ NAV when you purchase shares, or receive less than the shares’ NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility, or lack of an active trading market for the fund’s shares, the market price of fund shares is more likely to differ significantly from the fund’s NAV. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your shares.

There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the fund. Disruptions at market makers, authorized participants or market participants may also result in significant differences between the market price of the fund’s shares and the fund’s NAV. In addition, in stressed market conditions or periods of market disruption or volatility, the market for shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund’s underlying portfolio holdings.

The market price of shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a “bid/ask” spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers, or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption or volatility, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares.

• Trading issues risk. The fund has a limited public trading history and will operate differently from other actively managed ETFs that publish their portfolio holdings on a daily basis. Although shares are listed on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market or requirements to remain listed will be met or maintained, or that the market for fund shares will operate as intended. If the market does not operate as intended, it could lead to the fund’s shares trading at wider spreads and larger premiums and discounts to NAV than other actively managed ETFs that publish their portfolio holdings on a daily basis, particularly during periods of market disruption or volatility. As a result, it may cost investors more to trade fund shares than shares of other ETFs.

Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. There is no guarantee that the fund will be able to attract market makers and authorized participants. There are no obligations of market makers to make a market in the fund’s shares or of authorized participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. In addition, trading of shares in

the secondary market may be halted, for example, due to activation of market-wide “circuit breakers.” If trading halts or an unanticipated early closing of the listing exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of the fund.

If the fund’s shares are delisted from the listing exchange, Putnam Management may seek to list the fund shares on another market, merge the fund with another exchange-traded fund or traditional mutual fund, or redeem the fund shares at NAV.

Shares of the fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short.

• Trading halt risk. There may be circumstances where a security held in the fund’s portfolio but not in the Tracking Basket does not have readily available market quotations. If Putnam Management determines that such circumstance may affect the reliability of the Tracking Basket as an arbitrage vehicle, that information, along with the identity and weighting of that security in the fund’s portfolio, will be publicly disclosed on the fund’s website and Putnam Management will assess appropriate remedial measures. In these circumstances, market participants may use this information to engage in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the fund and its shareholders. In addition, if securities representing 10% or more of the fund’s portfolio do not have readily available market quotations, Putnam Management would promptly request the exchange to halt trading on the fund, meaning that investors would not be able to trade their shares. Trading may also be halted in other circumstances, for example, due to market conditions.

• Large shareholder risk. Certain accounts or affiliates of Putnam Management, including other funds advised by Putnam Management or third parties, may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a substantial amount of the fund’s shares, including through seed capital arrangements. Such shareholders may at times be considered to control the fund. Dispositions of a large number of shares by these shareholders may adversely affect the fund’s liquidity and net assets to the extent such transactions are executed directly with the fund in the form of redemptions through an authorized participant, rather than executed in the secondary market. These redemptions may also force the fund to sell securities, which may increase the fund’s brokerage costs. To the extent these large shareholders transact in shares of the fund on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect (upward or downward), on the market price of the fund’s shares.

• Authorized participant concentration risk. The fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as authorized participants, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role with respect to market making or creation and redemption activities during times of market stress, or a decline in the number of authorized participants due to decisions to exit the business, bankruptcy, or other factors, could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the fund’s portfolio securities and the

market price of fund shares. To the extent no other authorized participants are able to step forward to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting. The authorized participant concentration risk may be heightened due to the fact that the fund has a novel and unique structure and does not disclose its portfolio holdings daily, unlike certain other actively managed ETFs, and could be greater during market disruptions or periods of market volatility and in scenarios where authorized participants have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.

• Market risk. The value of investments in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions; investor sentiment and market perceptions (including perceptions about monetary policy, interest rates or the risk of default); government actions (including protectionist measures, intervention in the financial markets or other regulation, and changes in fiscal, monetary or tax policies); geopolitical events or changes (including natural disasters, epidemics or pandemics, terrorism and war); and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. Foreign financial markets have their own market risks, and they may be more or less volatile than U.S. markets and may move in different directions. During a general downturn in financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings. During those periods, the fund may experience high levels of shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices. These risks may be exacerbated during economic downturns or other periods of economic stress.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain its spread have negatively affected, and are likely to continue to negatively affect, the global economy, the economies of the United States and other individual countries, and the financial performance of individual issuers, sectors, industries, asset classes, and markets in significant and unforeseen ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures, declines in global financial markets, higher default rates, and economic downturns and recessions, and these effects may continue for an extended period of time and may increase in severity over time. In addition, actions taken by government and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, may affect the value, volatility, and liquidity of some securities and other assets. Given the significant uncertainty surrounding the magnitude, duration, reach, costs and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as actions that have been or could be taken by governmental authorities or other third parties, it is difficult to predict its potential impacts on the fund’s investments. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic also are likely to exacerbate other risks that apply to the fund, including the risks disclosed in this prospectus, which could negatively impact the fund’s performance and lead to losses on your investment in the fund.

• Common stock risk. Common stock represents an ownership interest in a company. The value of a company’s stock may fall or fail to rise as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. A stock’s value may also fall because of factors affecting not just the company, but also other companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries, such as increases in production costs. The value of a company’s stock may also be affected by changes in financial markets that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates. In addition, a company’s stock generally pays dividends only after the company invests in its own business and makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly than its bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

• Growth investing risk. Stocks of companies Putnam Management believes are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The values of these stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. If Putnam Management’s assessment of the prospects for a company’s earnings growth is wrong, or if Putnam Management’s judgment of how other investors will value the company’s earnings growth is wrong, then the price of the company’s stock may fall or may not approach the value that Putnam Management has placed on it. In addition, growth stocks, at times, may not perform as well as value stocks or the stock market in general, and may be out of favor with investors for varying periods of time.

• Industry or sector concentration risk. From time to time, the fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related industries or sectors, which would make the fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting those companies, industries or sectors. For example, the fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in the information technology sector (including companies that develop products, processes or services that will provide advances and improvements through information technology to consumers, enterprises and governments). The information technology sector may be significantly affected by technological obsolescence or innovation, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competitive pressures and general market conditions.

• Non-diversified risk. As a non-diversified fund, the fund invests in fewer issuer and is more vulnerable than a more broadly diversified fund to fluctuations in the values of the securities it holds. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the fund’s NAV and may make the fund more volatile than more diversified funds.

• Management and operational risk. The fund is actively managed and its performance will reflect, in part, Putnam Management’s ability to make investment decisions that seek to achieve the fund’s investment objective. There is no guarantee that the investment techniques, analyses, or judgments that Putnam Management applies in making investment decisions for the fund will produce the intended outcome

or that the investments Putnam Management selects for the fund will perform as well as other securities that were not selected for the fund. As a result, the fund may underperform its benchmark or other funds with a similar investment goal and may realize losses. In addition, Putnam Management, or the fund’s other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the fund. Although service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, and to take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors, it may not be possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.

• Portfolio turnover rate risk. A fund with a high rate of portfolio turnover may be more likely to realize capital gains that must be distributed to shareholders as taxable income. A fund with a high rate of portfolio turnover may also pay more brokerage commissions and may be more likely to incur other transaction costs (including imputed transaction costs), which may detract from performance. The fund’s portfolio turnover rate and the amount of brokerage commissions it pays and transactions costs it incurs will vary over time based on market conditions.

Other Investments

In addition to the main investment strategies described above, the fund may also invest in cash or cash equivalents, including money market instruments or short-term instruments such as commercial paper, bank obligations (e.g., certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances), repurchase agreements, and U.S. Treasury bills or other government obligations. The fund may also from time to time invest all or a portion of its cash balances in money market and/or short-term bond funds advised by Putnam Management or its affiliates. The percentage of the fund invested in cash and cash equivalents and such money market and short-term bond funds is expected to vary over time and will depend on various factors, including market conditions, purchase and redemption activity by fund shareholders, and our assessment of the cash level that is appropriate to allow the fund to pursue investment opportunities as they arise and to meet shareholder redemption requests. Large cash positions may dampen performance and may prevent the fund from achieving its goal. These practices may be subject to other risks, as described under Miscellaneous Investments, Investment Practices and Risks in the SAI.

Temporary defensive strategies

In response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, Putnam Management may take temporary defensive positions, such as investing some or all of the fund’s assets in cash and cash equivalents, that differ from the fund’s usual investment strategies. However, Putnam Management may choose not to use these temporary defensive strategies for a variety of reasons, even in very volatile market conditions. If we do employ these strategies, the fund may miss out on investment opportunities and may not achieve its goal. Additionally, while temporary defensive strategies are mainly designed to limit losses, they may not work as intended.

Fund management

Investment manager

The Trustees have retained Putnam Management, which has managed mutual funds since 1937, to be the fund’s investment manager, responsible for making investment decisions for the fund and managing the fund’s other affairs and business.

The fund pays an annual all-inclusive management fee of 0.55% to Putnam Management based on the fund’s average daily net assets. The management fee is calculated and accrued daily. The management fee covers all of the other expenses of the fund with limited exceptions.

Putnam Management’s address is 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110.

Putnam Management has retained its affiliate PIL to make investment decisions for such fund assets as may be designated from time to time for its management by Putnam Management. PIL is not currently managing any fund assets. If PIL were to manage any fund assets, Putnam Management (and not the fund) would pay a quarterly sub-management fee to PIL for its services at the annual rate of 0.25% of the average NAV of any fund assets managed by PIL. PIL, which provides a full range of international investment advisory services to institutional clients, is located at 16 St James’s Street, London, England, SW1A 1ER.

Pursuant to this arrangement, Putnam investment professionals who are based in foreign jurisdictions may serve as portfolio managers of the fund or provide other investment services, consistent with local regulations.

A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Trustees and its conclusions in approving the investment management and sub-advisory agreements for the fund are discussed in the fund’s annual report to shareholders for the period ended August 31, 2021.

Portfolio managers

The officers of Putnam Management identified below are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

The SAI provides information about these individuals’ compensation, other accounts managed by these individuals and these individuals’ ownership of securities in the fund.

Shareholder information

Valuation of fund shares

The price of the fund’s shares is based on its NAV. The NAV per share of each class equals the total value of its assets, less its liabilities, divided by the number of its outstanding shares. Shares are only valued as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE each day the exchange is open.

The fund values its investments for which market quotations are readily available at market value. It values all other investments and assets at their fair value, which may differ from recent market prices. For example, the fund may value a stock traded on a U.S. exchange at its fair value when the exchange closes early or trading in the stock is suspended. It may also value a stock at fair value if recent transactions in the stock have been very limited or if, in the case of a security traded on a market that closes before the NYSE closes, material information about the issuer becomes available after the close of the relevant market.

The fund translates prices for its investments quoted in foreign currencies into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates, which are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each day the NYSE is open. As a result, changes in the value of those currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar may affect the fund’s NAV.

Additional information about the fund

The fund is an actively managed ETF that operates pursuant to the Order. Like other ETFs, shares of the fund are generally purchased and redeemed in creation unit aggregations through authorized participants, shares of the fund are listed and traded on a stock exchange, and individual investors can purchase or sell shares in less than creation unit sizes and for cash in the secondary market through a broker. The fund’s creation units generally can be purchased or redeemed in-kind in exchange for the Strategy Components included in the fund’s Tracking Basket, together with an amount of cash corresponding to the value of the Representative ETFs and cash and cash equivalents that form the remainder of the Tracking Basket.

Tracking basket structure

However, the fund has some unique features that differentiate it from other ETFs. As described above, the fund does not disclose its complete portfolio holdings each business day, and instead, the fund discloses other information to the market that is designed to facilitate arbitrage opportunities in fund shares to maintain efficient secondary market trading of shares. On each business day before the commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange, the fund publishes on its website a Tracking Basket that is designed to closely track the daily performance of the fund. The Tracking Basket is comprised of Strategy Components (select recently disclosed portfolio holdings and/or select securities from the universe from which the fund’s investments are selected), Representative ETFs (liquid ETFs that convey information about the types of instruments (that are not otherwise fully represented by the Strategy Components) in which the fund invests), and cash and cash

equivalents. Representative ETFs are selected for inclusion in the Tracking Basket such that, when aggregated with the other Tracking Basket components, the Tracking Basket corresponds to the fund’s overall holdings exposure. Representative ETFs may constitute no more than 50% of the Tracking Basket’s assets on each business day at the time that the Tracking Basket is published.

The Tracking Basket is constructed utilizing a proprietary optimization process to minimize daily deviations in return of the Tracking Basket relative to the fund and is used to facilitate the creation/redemption process and arbitrage. The Tracking Basket is typically expected to be rebalanced on schedule with the public disclosure of the fund’s holdings; however, a new Tracking Basket may be generated as frequently as daily. In determining whether to rebalance the Tracking Basket, Putnam Management will consider various factors, including liquidity of the securities in the Tracking Basket, tracking error of the Tracking Basket relative to the fund, and the cost to create and trade the Tracking Basket.

Tracking basket weight overlap

In addition to disclosure of the Tracking Basket, the fund publishes the “Tracking Basket Weight Overlap” on its website on each business day before the commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange. The Tracking Basket Weight Overlap is the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the prior day’s Tracking Basket compared to the holdings of the fund that formed the basis for the fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior business day. It is calculated by taking the lesser weight of each asset held in common between the fund’s portfolio and the Tracking Basket and adding the totals. The Tracking Basket Weight Overlap is intended to provide investors with an understanding of the degree to which the Tracking Basket and the fund’s portfolio overlap and help investors evaluate the risk that the performance of the Tracking Basket may deviate from the performance of the portfolio holdings of the fund.

Information on the fund’s website

Investors can access information about the Tracking Basket and Tracking Basket Weight Overlap for each business day on putnam.com. The fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings, including the name, identifier, market value and weight of each security and instrument in the portfolio, on putnam.com on a quarterly basis with an 8-day lag. Recent information, including information regarding the fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spread, is also available at putnam.com.

Derivative actions

The fund is a series of Putnam ETF Trust (the Trust). The Trust’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust imposes certain conditions on derivative actions that are not otherwise required by law, including, in the case of any claim not arising under the federal securities laws, a requirement that the holders of 10% or more of the total outstanding shares of the applicable fund join the request to

commence the action. Although these conditions are intended to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction, and other harm that can be caused to a fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder demands and derivative actions, they may make it more difficult or costly for fund shareholders to bring derivative actions on behalf of the Trust.

Buying and selling shares in the secondary market

Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. The fund does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the fund purchased on an exchange. These transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than the fund’s NAV (premium) or less than the fund’s NAV (discount). As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. If you buy or sell shares in the secondary market, you will generally incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and you may also incur the cost of the spread between the price at which a dealer will buy fund shares and the somewhat higher price at which a dealer will sell shares. Due to such commissions and charges and spread costs, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns.

The fund is designed to offer investors an investment that can be bought and sold frequently in the secondary market without impact on the fund, and such trading activity is designed to enable the market price of fund shares to remain at or close to NAV. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees has not adopted policies and procedures designed to discourage excessive or short-term trading by these investors.

The fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions of creation units by authorized participants and does not place a limit on purchases or redemptions of creation units by these investors. The fund reserves the right, but does not have the obligation, to reject any purchase or redemption transaction (subject to legal and regulatory limits regarding redemption transactions) at any time. In addition, the fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.

Precautionary notes

Note to registered investment companies

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the fund.

Note to authorized participants regarding continuous offering

Certain legal risks may exist that are unique to authorized participants purchasing creation units directly from the fund. Because new creation units may be issued on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act), could be occurring. As a broker-dealer, certain activities that you perform may, depending on the circumstances, result in your being deemed a participant in a distribution, in a manner which could render you a statutory underwriter and subject you to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

For example, you may be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase creation units from the fund, break them down into individual fund shares, and sell such shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new fund shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for fund shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, you should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.

Certain affiliates of the fund may purchase and resell fund shares pursuant to this prospectus.

Note to secondary market investors

The Depository Trust Company (DTC), a limited trust company and securities depository that facilitates the clearance and settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers, has executed an agreement with Foreside Fund Services,

LLC (Foreside), the Fund’s distributor. DTC, or its nominee, is the registered owner of all outstanding shares of the fund. Putnam Management will not have any record of your ownership. Your ownership of shares will be shown on the records of DTC and the DTC participant broker through which you hold the shares. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information. Your broker will also be responsible for distributing income and capital gain distributions and for sending you shareholder reports and other information as may be required.

Costs associated with creations and redemptions

The fund generally imposes a creation transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of creation units of shares. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of creation units and the applicable transaction fees is included in the SAI.

Distribution plans and payments to intermediaries

Principal distributor

Foreside distributes creation units for the fund on an agency basis, does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the fund, and has no role in determining the investment policies of the fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the fund. Foreside is not affiliated with Putnam Management, PIL, or any other service provider for the fund.

Foreside’s address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101.

Intermediaries may receive from Putnam Management, Foreside, and/or their respective affiliates compensation for providing recordkeeping and administrative services, as well as other retirement plan expenses, and compensation for services intended to result in the sale of fund shares. These payments are described in more detail in this section and in the SAI.

Distribution and service plan

The fund has adopted a distribution and service plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act that authorizes the fund to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution of its shares and service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing shareholder support services. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the fund.

No dealer, sales representative, or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in this prospectus and in the related SAI, in connection with the offer contained in this prospectus. If given or made, such other information or representations must not be

relied upon as having been authorized by the fund or Foreside. This prospectus and the related SAI do not constitute an offer by the fund or by Foreside to sell shares of the fund to or to buy shares of the fund from any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer.

Payments to intermediaries

Investors may purchase shares of the fund on an exchange through intermediaries (including any broker, intermediary, bank, bank trust department, registered investment advisor, financial planner, retirement plan administrator and any other institution that offers shares of the fund to its customers). In addition to distribution and service plans, Putnam Management and its affiliates may make payments to intermediaries that do not increase your fund expenses, as described below.

Putnam Management and its affiliates also pay additional compensation to selected intermediaries in recognition of their marketing support and/or program servicing (each of which is described in more detail below). These payments may create an incentive for an intermediary firm or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of the fund or other Putnam funds to its customers. These additional payments are made by Putnam Management and its affiliates and do not increase the amount paid by you or the fund as shown under Fund summary — Fees and expenses. The additional payments to intermediaries by Putnam Management and its affiliates are generally based on one or more of the following factors: average net assets of a fund attributable to that intermediary, sales or net sales of a fund attributable to that intermediary, or reimbursement of ticket charges (fees that an intermediary firm charges its representatives for effecting transactions in fund shares), or on the basis of a negotiated lump sum payment for services provided.

Marketing support payments are generally available to most intermediaries engaging in significant sales of Putnam fund shares. These payments are individually negotiated with each intermediary firm, taking into account the marketing support services provided by the intermediary, including business planning assistance, educating intermediary personnel about the Putnam funds and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the intermediary’s preferred or recommended fund company list, access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the intermediary, market data, as well as the size of the intermediary’s relationship with Putnam Management.

Program servicing payments, which are paid in some instances to intermediaries in connection with investments in the fund through intermediary platforms and other investment programs. These payments are made for program or platform services provided by the intermediary, including shareholder recordkeeping, reporting, or transaction processing, as well as services rendered in connection with intermediary platform development and maintenance, fund/investment selection and monitoring, or other similar services.

You can find a list of all intermediaries to which Putnam made marketing support and/ or program servicing payments in the SAI, which is on file with the SEC and is also available on Putnam’s website at putnam.com. You can also find other details in the SAI about the payments made by Putnam Management and its affiliates and the services provided by your intermediary. Your intermediary may charge you fees or commissions in addition to those disclosed in this prospectus. You can also ask your intermediary about any payments it receives from Putnam Management and its affiliates and any services your intermediary provides, as well as about fees and/or commissions it charges.

Other payments.

Putnam Management and its affiliates may make other payments (including payments in connection with educational seminars or conferences) or allow other promotional incentives to intermediaries to the extent permitted by SEC and NASD (as adopted by FINRA) rules and by other applicable laws and regulations.

Fund distributions and taxes

The fund earns dividends, interest, and other income from its investments, and distributes this income (less expenses) to shareholders as dividends. The fund also realizes capital gains from its investments and distributes these gains (less any losses) as capital gain distributions. If you purchased your shares in the secondary market, your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you. The fund normally distributes any net investment income and any net realized capital gains annually.

For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the fund owned (or is deemed to have owned) the investments that generated them, rather than by how long you have owned (or are deemed to have owned) your shares. Distributions that the fund properly reports to you as gains from investments that the fund owned for more than one year are generally taxable to you as long-term capital gains includible in net capital gain and taxed to individuals at long-term capital tax rates. Distributions of gains from investments that the fund owned for one year or less and gains on the sale of or payment on bonds characterized as market discount are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions that the fund properly reports to you as “qualified dividend income” are taxable at the reduced rates applicable to your net capital gain provided that both you and the fund meet certain holding period and other requirements.

Distributions by the fund to retirement plans that qualify for tax-advantaged treatment under federal income tax laws will not be taxable. Special tax rules apply to investments through such plans. You should consult your tax advisor to determine the suitability of the fund as an investment through such a plan and the tax treatment of distributions (including distributions of amounts attributable to an investment in the fund) from such a plan.

Unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account (such as an IRA), you should consider avoiding a purchase of fund shares shortly before the fund makes a distribution because doing so may cost you money in taxes. Distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid). Contact your financial representative to find out the distribution schedule for your fund.

Other tax considerations

Unlike other ETFs, the securities exchanged for a creation unit will not correspond pro rata to the positions in the fund’s portfolio, and the fund will effect its creations and redemptions partially or wholly for cash rather than on an in-kind basis. Because of this, the fund may be unable to realize certain tax benefits associated with in-kind transfers of portfolio securities that may be realized by other ETFs. Shareholders may be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise have been subject to and/or at an earlier date than if the fund had effected redemptions wholly on an in-kind basis.

If investors buy shares when the fund has realized but not yet distributed income or capital gains, they will be “buying a dividend” by paying the full price for the shares and then receiving a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution.

Any taxable distributions investors receive will normally be taxable to them when they receive them.

Taxes on transactions

Purchases and sales of shares, as well as purchases and redemptions of creation units, may result in a capital gain or loss for federal tax purposes.

The above is a general summary of the tax implications of investing in the fund. Please refer to the SAI for further details. You should consult your tax advisor for more information on your own tax situation, including possible foreign, state and local taxes.

Information about the Summary Prospectus, Prospectus, and SAI

The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI for a fund provide information concerning the fund. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI are updated at least annually, and any information provided in a summary prospectus, prospectus, or SAI can be changed without a shareholder vote unless specifically stated otherwise. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and the SAI are not contracts between the fund and its shareholders, and do not give rise to any contractual rights or obligations or any shareholder rights other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.

Financial highlights

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the fund’s recent financial performance. Certain information reflects financial results for a single fund share. The total returns represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The financial highlights have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s report and the fund’s financial statements are included in the fund’s annual report to shareholders, which is available upon request.

Financial highlights (For a common share outstanding throughout the period)

Appendix — Related Performance Information of Similar Accounts

THE PERFORMANCE INFORMATION PRESENTED BELOW IS FOR THE PUTNAM U.S. LARGE CAP GROWTH EQUITY CONCENTRATED COMPOSITE (THE “COMPOSITE”). IT IS NOT THAT OF THE FUND AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FUND’S OWN PERFORMANCE. PAST RETURNS ARE NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”) is the Fund’s investment adviser. Putnam Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments (“Putnam Investments”), a broad-based investment management organization that provides financial services to institutions and individuals through segregated accounts and pooled vehicles, such as mutual funds, active exchange-traded funds, collective investment trusts and private funds. Except for a minority stake owned by employees, Putnam Investments is a wholly owned subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco Inc. Investment management is provided by four wholly owned subsidiaries of Putnam Investments: The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC; Putnam Investment Management, LLC; Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, LLC, and Putnam Investments Limited. Composite performance information represents actual performance of all accounts that have (i) substantially similar investment policies, objectives, and strategies, and (ii) are managed by Putnam Investments. Composite performance information is intended to illustrate the past performance of Putnam Investments in managing accounts that are substantially similar to the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio managers played a primary role in the management of accounts in the Composite during the entire period for which the Composite’s performance is shown. Total Fund expenses may be higher than fees reflected in net performance for the Composite.

Included below are the average annual total returns over the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and since inception periods ended October 31, 2022 for the Composite. Certain of the other accounts in the Composite (the “Other Accounts”), unlike the Fund, are not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and, therefore, are not subject to certain investment restrictions, diversification requirements, and other regulatory requirements imposed by the 1940 Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. If the Other Accounts had been registered under the 1940 Act, their returns might have been lower. For each period shown, we have also included information about the average annual total return for the Russell 1000 Growth Index, an unmanaged index of those companies in the large-cap Russell 1000 Index chosen for their growth orientation. The index results assume the reinvestment of dividends or interest paid on the securities constituting the index. Unlike the accounts in the Composite (and the Fund), the index does not incur fees or expenses.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. An investment in the Fund can lose value. Composite returns are presented in U.S. dollars and include the reinvestment of dividends and interest. The Fund’s return will be reduced by management fees. The performance below reflects the deduction of a model fee

applied on a monthly basis, equal to the actual management fee incurred by a portfolio in the Composite or the highest management fee that would be charged to a prospect of the strategy, whichever is higher. The model fee may change over time. Actual advisory fees may vary among clients with the same investment strategy. The inception date for the Putnam U.S. Large Cap Growth Equity Concentrated Composite was March 31, 2017. As of October 31, 2022, there were 2 accounts in the Composite with approximately $9.5 million in aggregate assets.

Actual performance of the Other Accounts, including the Fund, will be different, and may be higher or lower, than the Composite returns shown below.

Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ending October 31, 2022)

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For more information about
Putnam Focused Large Cap Growth ETF

The fund’s SAI and annual and semiannual reports to shareholders include additional information about the fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means it is part of this prospectus for legal purposes. The fund’s annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. You may get free copies of these materials, request other information about any Putnam fund, or make shareholder inquiries, by contacting your financial representative, by visiting Putnam’s website at putnam.com/individual, or by calling Putnam toll-free at 1-833-228-5577. You may access reports and other information about the fund on the EDGAR Database on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: [email protected]. You may need to refer to the fund’s file number.

Putnam Investments
100 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02110
1-833-228-5577

putnam.com