Subject to Completion—Dated November 9, 2023

 

The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The Trust may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

THEMES ETF TRUST

 

PROSPECTUS _________ __, 2023

 

 

AIRL Themes Airlines ETF CZAR Themes Natural Monopoly ETF
DENG Themes China Technology ETF KAMI Themes Renewable Energy ETF
CLOD Themes Cloud Computing ETF BOTT Themes Robotics & Automation ETF
SPAM Themes Cybersecurity ETF NODE Themes Semiconductors ETF
FINE Themes European Luxury ETF AGMI Themes Silver Miners ETF*
CROP Themes Future of Farming ETF SOLP Themes Solar Energy ETF*
WISE Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF USCF Themes US Cash Flow Champions ETF
GSIB Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF AWEB Themes US Internet ETF
AUMI Themes Gold Miners ETF USRD Themes US R&D Champions ETF
NEWW Themes Industry 4.0 ETF SMCF Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF
JRMI Themes Junior Gold Miners ETF* KAZE Themes Wind Energy ETF*

 

each of the above is listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

 

* These Funds are not currently available to the public.

 

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 representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The Funds offered through this Prospectus are not money market funds and do not seek to maintain a fixed or stable NAV of $1.00 per share.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: ■ ARE NOT FDIC INSURED ■ MAY LOSE VALUE ■ ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

SUMMARY SECTIONS   1
Themes Airlines ETF   1
Themes China Technology ETF   9
Themes Cloud Computing ETF   20
Themes Cybersecurity ETF   28
Themes European Luxury ETF   37
Themes Future of Farming ETF   45
Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF   53
Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF   62
Themes Gold Miners ETF   71
Themes Industry 4.0 ETF   80
Themes Junior Gold Miners ETF   90
Themes Natural Monopoly ETF   99
Themes Renewable Energy ETF   106
Themes Robotics & Automation ETF   114
Themes Semiconductors ETF   123
Themes Silver Miners ETF   131
Themes Solar Energy ETF   140
Themes US Cash Flow Champions ETF   149
Themes US Internet ETF   155
Themes US R&D Champions ETF   161
Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF   167
Themes Wind Energy ETF   173
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS   182
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY INFORMATION   219
ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISK INFORMATION   219
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION   219
MANAGEMENT   220
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES   221
ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION   223
DISTRIBUTION   226
PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION   226
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   226

 

i

 

 

SUMMARY SECTIONS

 

Themes Airlines ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Airlines ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the airlines industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year

3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Airlines Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the airlines industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 30 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $446 million and $46 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $11.5 billion.

 

1

 

 

In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Developed Markets All Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of all small-, mid- and large-capitalization companies covering approximately the largest 100% of the free-float market capitalization in Developed Markets (as identified by the Index Provider): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and 2) are classified in the airlines industry by the Index Provider using the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”), which includes companies that provide air transportation of passengers, both scheduled (regular routes) and non-scheduled (no regular routes) (“Airline Companies”). Only one share class of each company is eligible for inclusion in the Index Universe. The eligible share class is the share class with the higher minimum Average Daily Value Traded over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. In order to be classified in the airlines industry, RBICS requires that a company generate at least 50% of its revenue from that industry.

 

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by ranking all eligible securities based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and selecting the top 30 securities for inclusion in the Index. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of securities for inclusion in the Index (“Index Components”) is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. “Selection Day” is 20 business days before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the first Wednesday in February, May, August and November.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned a weight according to free float market capitalization. Then, a weight cap is applied for each Index Component by re-distributing any weight which is larger than 4.5% to the other Index Components proportionally in an iterative manner. Adjustments to the Index are made on Rebalance Day. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Airline Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before they can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions imposed by the U.S. government) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the airlines industry and the transportation sector. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

2

 

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also is expected to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

  ○ Airline Industry Risk. Airline Companies may be adversely affected by a downturn in economic conditions that can result in decreased demand for air travel. Airline Companies may also be significantly affected by changes in fuel prices, which may be very volatile, the imposition of tariffs, and/or changes in labor relations and insurance costs. Airline Companies may also be highly dependent on aircraft or related equipment from a small number of suppliers, and consequently, issues affecting the availability, reliability, safety, or longevity of such aircraft or equipment (e.g., the inability of a supplier to meet aircraft demand or the grounding of an aircraft due to safety concerns) may have a significant effect on the operations and profitability of Airline Companies.

 

Beginning in the first quarter of 2020, financial markets in the United States and around the world experienced extreme and in many cases unprecedented volatility and severe losses due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, a novel coronavirus. The pandemic has resulted in a wide range of social and economic disruptions, including closed borders and reduced or prohibited domestic or international travel. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, including Airline Companies, have experienced particularly large losses. Such disruptions may continue for an extended period of time or reoccur in the future to a similar or greater extent.

 

In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions by Western countries on Russia, as well as retaliatory measures by Russia, may have a significant impact on Airline Companies. Bans on oil and energy imports from Russia by certain Western countries may increase the costs of jet fuel. In addition, certain Western nations have closed their airspace to all Russian aircraft, issued a recall of leased Russian aircraft and/or seized aircraft on leased aircraft located in Western airports. In response, Russia has closed its airspace to certain Western aircraft and Russia has seized certain leased aircraft located in Russia. These actions may lead to higher ticket prices, flight cancellations, longer routes, fewer diversion airports, a decreased demand for travel, and the permanent loss of property for Western companies. These and any related events could significantly and adversely affect the Fund’s performance and the value of an investment in the Fund.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

3

 

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

  ○ Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

4

 

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

5

 

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Transportation Sector Risk. Companies in the transportation sector may be adversely affected by changes in the economy, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, insurance costs, industry competition and government regulation. Global or regional events and conditions may materially disrupt or indefinitely impair the operations, financial condition and liquidity of companies in the transportation industry. Securities of companies in the transportation sector are generally cyclical and occasionally subject to sharp price movements.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

6

 

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

7

 

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

8

 

 

Themes China Technology ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes China Technology ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of the largest Chinese technology-driven companies.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.45%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.45%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year

3 Years
$46 $144

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive China Technology Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that intends to track the performance of the 100 largest Chinese technology-driven companies which derive the majority of their revenues from innovative business activities, including cloud computing, medical technologies, future mobility, and digital entertainment. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 100 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $673 million and $405 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $86.6 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) China All Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of all small-, mid- and large-capitalization companies covering approximately the largest 100% of the free-float market capitalization in the Chinese market), and 2) are headquartered or incorporated in China. Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance is determined on the Selection Day in accordance with the following rules: Companies must fit in the Technology, Healthcare Innovation, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Future Cars, Genomics, Robotics & Automation, Social Media, or Digital Entertainment index categories based on their FactSet or FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”) Classification (“Chinese Technology Companies”). All eligible securities are ranked based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and the top 100 securities by free float market capitalization are selected for inclusion in the Index (an “Index Component”). Securities subject to sanctions or ownership restrictions by the U.S. or Chinese governments are excluded from the Index Universe by the Index Provider and Index Components that become subject to any such restrictions are removed by the Index Provider from the Index. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. “Selection Day” is 20 business days before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the first Wednesday in February, May, August and November.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned a weight according to free float market capitalization. The weight of individual securities is capped at 10%. Any excess weight is redistributed to the other Index Components that have a weight of less than 10%. This allocation is performed pro-rata based on the free float market capitalization. This is an iterative process until the maximum individual weight of all Index Components is 10%. The cap represents a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the cap based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing. Adjustments to the Index are made on Rebalance Day.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts(“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Chinese Technology Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The following China-related securities may be included in the Index and/or represent investments of the Fund:

 

China A-Shares, which are shares of companies incorporated in mainland China that are traded on the Chinese exchanges and denominated in domestic renminbi. China A-Shares are primarily purchased and sold in the domestic Chinese market. To the extent the Fund invests in China A-Shares, it expects to do so through the trading and clearing facilities of a participating exchange located outside of mainland China (“Stock Connect Programs”). A Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“RQFII”) or Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (“QFII”) license may also be acquired to invest directly in China A-Shares.

 

China B-Shares, which are shares of companies listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchange but quoted and traded in foreign currencies (such as Hong Kong Dollars or U.S. Dollars), which were primarily created for trading by foreign investors.

 

China H-Shares, which are shares of companies incorporated in mainland China and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“H-Shares”), where they are traded in Hong Kong dollars and may be traded by foreign investors.

 

China N-Shares, which are shares of companies with business operations in mainland China and listed on an American stock exchange, such as NYSE or NASDAQ (“N-Shares”).

 

P-Chips, which are shares of private sector companies with a majority of their business operations in mainland China and controlling private Chinese shareholders, which are incorporated outside of mainland China and traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong dollars.

 

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Red Chips, which are shares of companies with a majority of their business operations in mainland China and controlled by the central, provincial or municipal governments of China, whose shares are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong dollars.

 

S-Chips, which are shares of companies with business operations in mainland China and listed on the Singapore Exchange. S-Chip shares are issued by companies incorporated anywhere, but many are registered in Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, or Bermuda.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions imposed by the U.S. or Chinese government (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. Securities subject to ownership restrictions by the U.S. or Chinese governments are excluded from the Index Universe by the Index Provider and Index Components that become subject to any such restrictions are removed by the Index Provider from the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, issuers in the internet industry and communications and information technology sectors represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries and may demonstrate significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trading with key partners. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized.

 

In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility. In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold relatively large amounts of non-performing debt. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make Chinese securities illiquid.

 

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In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. There may be companies included in the Index that have at times been, and may in the future be, subject to such restrictions. These recent developments have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund. Market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares may also result.

 

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers. Chinese companies, including Chinese companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, such as those mandated by the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA), which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. In addition, there may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

 

Risk of Investments in A-Shares. Investments by foreign investors in A-Shares are subject to various restrictions, regulations and limits. Investments in A-Shares are heavily regulated and the recoupment and repatriation of assets invested in A-Shares is subject to restrictions by the Chinese government.

 

The Chinese government may intervene in the A-Shares market and halt or suspend trading of A-Share securities for short or even extended periods of time. Recently, the A-Shares market has experienced considerable volatility and been subject to frequent and extensive trading halts and suspensions. These trading halts and suspensions have, among other things, contributed to uncertainty in the markets and reduced the liquidity of the securities subject to such trading halts and suspensions. This could cause volatility in the Fund’s share price and subject the Fund to a greater risk of trading halts.

 

A-Shares Tax Risk. The Fund’s investments in A-Shares will be subject to a number of taxes and tax regulations in China. The application of many of these tax regulations is at present uncertain. Moreover, China has implemented a number of tax reforms in recent years, including the value added tax reform, and may continue to amend or revise existing Chinese tax laws in the future. Changes in applicable Chinese tax law, particularly taxation on a retrospective basis, could reduce the after-tax profits of the Fund directly or indirectly by reducing the after-tax profits of the companies in China in which the Fund invests. Uncertainties in the Chinese tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in A-Shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund. The Fund’s investments in securities issued by Chinese companies, including A-Shares, may cause the Fund to become subject to withholding income tax and other taxes imposed by China. The Chinese taxation rules are evolving, may change, and new rules may be applied retroactively. Any such changes could have an adverse impact on Fund performance.

 

Stock Connect Programs Risk. The Stock Connect Programs are subject to daily quota limitations, and an investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict the Fund’s ability to invest in A-Shares through the Programs and to enter into or exit trades on a timely basis. The Shanghai and Shenzhen markets may be open at a time when the participating exchanges located outside of mainland China are not active, with the result that prices of A-Shares may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to or exit its positions. Only certain China A-Shares are eligible to be accessed through the Stock Connect Programs. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they could be sold but could no longer be purchased through the Stock Connect Programs. Because the Stock Connect Programs are still evolving, the actual effect on the market for trading A-Shares with the introduction of large numbers of foreign investors is still relatively unknown. Further, regulations or restrictions, such as limitations on redemptions or suspension of trading, may adversely impact the program. There is no guarantee that the participating exchanges will continue to support the Stock Connect Programs in the future.

 

Investments in China A-Shares may not be covered by the securities investor protection programs of either the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchange and, without the protection of such programs, will be subject to the risk of default by the broker. Because of the way in which China A-Shares are held in the Stock Connect Programs, the Fund may not be able to exercise the rights of a shareholder and may be limited in its ability to pursue claims against the issuer of a security, and may suffer losses in the event the depository of the Chinese exchange becomes insolvent.

 

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B-Shares Risk. The China B-Share market is generally smaller, less liquid and has a smaller issuer base than the China A-Share market. The issuers that compose the B-Share market include a broad range of companies, including companies with large, medium and small capitalizations. Further, the B-Shares market may behave very differently from other portions of the Chinese equity markets, and there may be little to no correlation between the performance of the two.

 

H-Shares Risk. H-Shares are foreign securities which, in addition to the Foreign Securities Risk described below, are subject to the risk that the Hong Kong stock market may behave very differently from the mainland Chinese stock market. There may be little to no correlation between the performance of the Hong Kong stock market and the mainland Chinese stock market.

 

N-Shares Risk. Because companies issuing N-Shares have business operations in China, they are subject to certain political and economic risks in China. The American stock market may behave very differently from the mainland Chinese stock market, and there may be little to no correlation between the performance of the two.

 

P-Chip Companies Risk. Because P-Chip companies are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, P-Chips are subject to risks similar to those associated with investments in H Shares. They are also subject to risks affecting their jurisdiction of incorporation, including any legal or tax changes.

 

Red Chip Companies Risk. Because Red Chip shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and are subject to risks similar to those of H-Shares. Red Chip companies are controlled by various Chinese governmental authorities and investing in Red Chips involves risks that political changes, social instability, regulatory uncertainty, adverse diplomatic developments, asset expropriation or nationalization, or confiscatory taxation could adversely affect the performance of Red Chip companies. Red Chip companies may be less efficiently run and less profitable than other companies.

 

S-Chip Companies Risk. S-Chip companies are subject to risks affecting their jurisdiction of incorporation, including any legal or tax changes. S-Chip companies may or may not be owned at least in part by a Chinese central, provincial or municipal government and be subject to the types of risks that come with such ownership described herein. There may be little or no correlation between the performance of the Singapore stock market and the mainland Chinese stock market.

 

Special Risk Considerations of Investing in China. For purposes of raising capital offshore on exchanges outside of China, including on U.S. exchanges, many Chinese-based operating companies are structured as Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). In this structure, the Chinese-based operating company is the VIE and establishes an entity, which is typically offshore in a foreign jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands. The offshore entity lists on a foreign exchange and enters into contractual arrangements with the VIE. This structure allows Chinese companies in which the government restricts foreign ownership to raise capital from foreign investors. While the offshore entity has no equity ownership of the VIE, these contractual arrangements permit the offshore entity to consolidate the VIE’s financial statements with its own for accounting purposes and provide for economic exposure to the performance of the underlying Chinese operating company. Therefore, an investor in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, will have exposure to the Chinese-based operating company only through contractual arrangements and has no ownership in the Chinese-based operating company. Furthermore, because the offshore entity only has specific rights provided for in these service agreements with the VIE, its abilities to control the activities at the Chinese-based operating company are limited and the operating company may engage in activities that negatively impact investment value.

 

While the VIE structure has been widely adopted, it is not formally recognized under Chinese law and therefore there is a risk that the Chinese government could prohibit the existence of such structures or negatively impact the VIE’s contractual arrangements with the listed offshore entity by making them invalid. If these contracts were found to be unenforceable under Chinese law, investors in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, may suffer significant losses with little or no recourse available. If the Chinese government determines that the agreements establishing the VIE structures do not comply with Chinese law and regulations, including those related to restrictions on foreign ownership, it could subject a Chinese-based issuer to penalties, revocation of business and operating licenses, or forfeiture of ownership interest.

 

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Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. In the Chinese equity market, free float market capitalization is significantly lower than total market capitalization. This lower float ratio is primarily due to widespread government ownership. As a result, certain well-known Chinese technology companies may be excluded from or have lower weights in the Index as a result of the inclusion of only the top 100 securities by free float market capitalization in the Index.

 

Geographic Risk. The Fund’s investments are expected to be focused in a particular country, countries, or region to the same extent as the Index and therefore the Fund may be susceptible to adverse market, political, regulatory, and geographic events affecting that country, countries or region. Such geographic focus also may subject the Fund to a higher degree of volatility than a more geographically diversified fund.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also is expected to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Internet Industry Risk. Internet companies are subject to rapid changes in technology, worldwide competition, rapid obsolescence of products and services, loss of patent protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Competitive pressures, such as technological developments, fixed-rate pricing and the ability to attract and retain skilled employees, can significantly affect internet companies, and changing domestic and international demand, research and development costs, availability and price components and product obsolescence also can affect their profitability. Certain companies in the internet industry provide retail services primarily on the internet, through mail order and TV home shopping retailers, and rely heavily on consumer spending. Prices of securities of companies in this industry may fluctuate widely due to general economic conditions, consumer spending and the availability of disposable income, changing consumer tastes and preferences and consumer demographics. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in this industry.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund’s assets will be invested primarily in the securities of issuers in China, and the gains, losses and income received by the Fund will be denominated primarily in Chinese renminbi (“RMB”) whereas the Fund’s reference currency is the U.S. dollar. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by changes in currency exchange rates, which can be very volatile and change quickly and unpredictably. Such fluctuations may be due to changes in interest rates, investors’ expectations concerning inflation and interest rates, the imposition of currency controls or other national or global political or economic developments. The Fund may lose value if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies. In addition, the remittance of foreign currency and the exchange of RMB within China are subject to significant governmental restrictions. Because all transactions in A-Shares must be settled in RMB, limitations of the supply of RMB may adversely affect the Fund’s operations. There is no assurance that the Fund will continue to have access to sufficient amounts of RMB to remain fully invested.

 

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Custody Risk. Investments in emerging markets, such as China, may be subject to even greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. In accordance with Chinese regulations and the terms of a QFII or RQFII license, as applicable, and insofar as the Adviser acquires a QFII or RQFII license, A-Shares will be held in the joint names of the Fund and the Adviser. While the Adviser may not use such an account for any purpose other than for maintaining the Fund’s assets, the Fund’s assets may not be as well protected as they would be if it were possible for them to be registered and held solely in the name of the Fund. There is a risk that creditors of the Adviser may assert that the securities are owned by the Adviser and that regulatory actions taken against Adviser may affect the Fund. The risk is particularly acute in the case of cash deposited with a People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) sub-custodian (“PRC Custodian”) because it may not be segregated, and it may be treated as a debt owing from the PRC Custodian to the Fund as a depositor. Thus, in the event of a PRC Custodian bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar event, the Fund may face difficulties and/or encounter delays in recovering its cash.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

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  ○ Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Tracking Risk. The performance of the Fund may vary from the performance of the Index as a result of Fund fees and expenses, the use of representative sampling, brokerage and transaction costs, the effect of Chinese taxes, and other factors. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Index or invest in them in the exact proportions represented in the Index due to market disruptions, legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the Chinese government, certain exchange listing standards, or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. In addition, foreign exchange fluctuations and any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking error risk.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Communications Sector Risk. Communications companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.

 

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Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Cloud Computing ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Cloud Computing ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the field of cloud computing.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year

3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Cloud Computing Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the field of cloud computing based in developed market countries. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 50 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $4.4 billion and $2.5 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $297 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Global Markets Digital Infrastructure All Cap USD Index, (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of small-, mid- and large-capitalization securities that have business operations in industries related to digital infrastructure covering approximately the largest 100% of the free-float market capitalization in Developed Markets (as identified by the Index Provider): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), 2) are classified under any of the following industries (the “Index Categories”) based on the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”): digital security software, e-commerce infrastructure software, data infrastructure software, data architecture software, internet infrastructure software and data support software (“Cloud Computing Companies”), and 3) only one share class of each company is eligible for inclusion in the Index Universe. The largest share class of a company that fulfills steps 1 and 2 will be eligible for the Index Universe.

 

Based on the Index Universe, all securities are ranked based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and the top ranked securities within the Index Categories are included as eligible securities as follows: 10 companies from digital security software, 3 companies from e-commerce infrastructure software, 10 companies from data infrastructure software, 10 companies from data architecture software, 20 companies from internet infrastructure software and 20 companies from data support software. The top 50 securities are selected for the Index. In case there are less than 50 eligible securities, all eligible securities are selected and the Index will consist of less than 50 securities. The components of the Index (each, an “Index Component”) may change over time. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. Selection Day is 20 business days before the Rebalance Day. The Index is adjusted on the Rebalance Day which is the first Wednesday in February, May, August, and November. If that day is not a trading day the Rebalance Day will be the next trading day.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned an initial weight according to its free float market capitalization. Afterwards, the weights are adjusted by applying a weight cap for each Index Component by re-distributing any weight which is larger than 4.5% to the other Index Components with an initial weight lower than 4.5% proportionally in an iterative manner. The weighting process seeks to weight Index Components primarily based on market capitalization, but subject to caps on the weights of the individual securities. This process is designed to limit the amount of concentration in the largest market capitalization companies and increase company-level diversification.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Cloud Computing Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions imposed by the U.S. government) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the information technology and communications sectors, the software industry and that have business operations in the field of cloud computing. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Cloud Computing Industry Risk. Cloud Computing companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. In addition, many Cloud Computing companies store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. As a result, Cloud Computing companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, and may be subject to additional regulatory oversight with regard to privacy concerns and cybersecurity risk. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Cloud Computing companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers. Cloud Computing companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of Cloud Computing companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on Cloud Computing companies. Cloud Computing companies may participate in monopolistic practices that could make them subject to higher levels of regulatory scrutiny and/or potential break ups in the future, which could severely impact the viability of these companies.

 

Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the application software industry, in particular, may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the systems software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in their products and services, which may result in individual or class action lawsuits, state or federal enforcement actions and other remediation costs.

 

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Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

  ○ Communications Sector Risk. Communications companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of such companies. Companies in the communications sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

  ○ Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

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Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Cybersecurity ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Cybersecurity ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the cybersecurity industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of Solactive Cyber Security Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the cybersecurity industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 32 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $178 million and $78 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $14 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Global Markets Digital Infrastructure All Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of small-, mid- and large-capitalization securities that have business operations in industries related to digital security software covering approximately the largest 100% of the free-float market capitalization in Developed Markets (as identified by the Index Provider): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), 2) are classified under the digital security software category as identified by the Index Provider (“Cybersecurity Companies”) using the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”), and 3) only the largest share class of each company is eligible for inclusion in the Index Universe. In order to be classified in the digital security software category, RBICS requires that a company generate at least 50% of its revenue from digital security software.

 

Based on the Index Universe, all eligible securities are ranked based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and the top 35 ranked securities are included in the Index. If less than 35 securities are eligible, all eligible securities are selected and the Index consists of less than 35 securities (each, an “Index Component”). The Index Components may change over time. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. Selection Day is 20 business days before the Rebalance Day. The Index is adjusted on the Rebalance Day which is the first Wednesday in February, May, August, and November. If that day is not a trading day the Rebalance Day will be the next trading day.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned an initial weight according to its free float market capitalization. Afterwards, the weights are adjusted by applying a weight cap for each Index Component by re-distributing any weight which is larger than 4.5% to the other Index Components with an initial weight lower than 4.5% proportionally in an iterative manner. The weighting process seeks to weight Index Components primarily based on market capitalization, but subject to caps on the weights of the individual securities. This process is designed to limit the amount of concentration in the largest market capitalization companies and increase company-level diversification.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Cybersecurity Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions imposed by the U.S. government) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities in the software industry, and had the information technology and communications sectors. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of the collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Risks Related to Investing in Cybersecurity Companies: Cybersecurity companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Cybersecurity companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations and actions, and may be subject to additional regulatory oversight with regard to privacy concerns and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity companies may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Cybersecurity companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of Cybersecurity companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on Cybersecurity companies. Confronting cyberthreats amid increasing remote work environments could result in challenges for Cybersecurity companies.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the application software industry, in particular, may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the systems software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in in their products and services, which may result in individual or class action lawsuits, state or federal enforcement actions and other remediation costs.

 

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Currency Risk. The Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, therefore, the Fund may lose value if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably, which may adversely affect the Fund. The Fund may also be subject to delays in converting or transferring U.S. dollars to foreign currencies for the purpose of purchasing portfolio investments. This may hinder the Fund’s performance, including because any delay could result in the Fund missing an investment opportunity and purchasing securities at a higher price than originally intended, or incurring cash drag.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

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International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Communications Sector Risk. Communications companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, smaller capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

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Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-877-337-0500.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

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Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes European Luxury ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes European Luxury ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of European companies that have business operations in the luxury industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive European Luxury Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to European companies that have business operations in the luxury industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 25 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1 billion and $473 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $46 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) have a primary listing in a country classified as a developed country according to the Index Provider (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), 2) are headquartered in one of the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, 3) have a market capitalization of at least $100,000,000 and 4) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1 million over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for a security is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period.

 

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by first screening publicly available information such as financial news, business profiles and company publications using the Index Provider’s proprietary natural language processing algorithm (“ARTIS®”) to identify companies that have or are expected to have exposure to the provision of products and/or services that contribute to the luxury industry. Companies are only eligible if they generate at least 50% of their revenues from the luxury industry, including companies involved in:

 

Luxury Accessories — Companies involved in the design, manufacturing and sale of luxury and designer accessories, including handbags, precision timepieces, jewelry, eyewear, leather goods, luggage and lifestyle products.

 

Premium Clothing — Companies engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of high-end or designer clothing, including men’s and women’s ready-to-wear garments, lingerie, sportswear, outerwear and footwear.

 

Luxury Beauty — Companies involved in the development, manufacture and distribution of high end beauty products, including perfumes and colognes, cosmetic and makeup products, premium haircare, skincare and bodycare products.

 

Cars and Yachts — Companies engaged in the design, production and sale of exclusive and luxurious automobiles and boats, including hypercars, supercars, sportscars and yachts.

 

Upscale Hospitality — Companies involved in the luxury or high-end hospitality business, including luxury hotels, resorts and spas.

 

Each company identified by ARTIS® receives a score that reflects its exposure to the Index strategy. This set of companies is then reviewed by the Index Provider and companies are removed from the selection process if they don’t have business operations consistent with the Index’s luxury theme. The remaining companies (“European Luxury Companies”) are ranked by their score (in descending order) and the top 25 companies are selected for inclusion in the Index (“Index Components”). The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

 

“Selection Day” is 10 weekdays before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the third Friday in January and July. On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned an equal weight. Adjustments to the Index are made on Rebalance Day. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of European Luxury Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

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The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the luxury industry and the consumer discretionary sector. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Luxury Industry Risk. Companies in the luxury goods industry may face intense competition and may be dependent on their ability to maintain brand image. Companies may be subject to changes in consumer preferences, and technologies employed by luxury goods companies may become obsolete. Companies in this industry are dependent on consumer spending and, as such, are likely to be sensitive to any downturns in the broader economy. Demand for products may be seasonal, and incorrect assessment of future demand can lead to overproduction or underproduction, which can impact company profitability.

 

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Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser (as defined below) can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

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Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

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Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Model Risk. The Index Provider uses NLP models to assist in the development of the Fund’s Index. The Index’s investment theme is created by the Index Provider and the Index Provider’s description of the theme is used by the NLP screening models to identify relevant companies for index consideration. The investment theme must be accurately described in order for the NLP models to identify companies that reflect the themes and sub-themes of the Index. If the description of the theme is incorrect or incomplete, the NLP model may identify companies that are not relevant to the Fund’s investment theme or fail to identify companies that are relevant. As a result, securities may be included in or excluded from the Index that would have been excluded or included had the description of the theme been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended. The Index Provider relies on the integrity of the data being analyzed and its review processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Future of Farming ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Future of Farming ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the agricultural industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Smart Farming and Agriscience Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the agricultural industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 35 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $57 million and $119 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $21 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) have a primary listing in a country classified as a developed country according to the Index Provider (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States); 2) have a market capitalization of at least $100 million; 3) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1 million over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for a security is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period.

 

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by first screening publicly available information such as financial news, business profiles and company publications using the Index Provider’s proprietary natural language processing algorithm (“ARTIS®”) to identify companies that have or are expected to have exposure to the provision of products and/or services that contribute to the innovative and forward-looking aspects of the agricultural industry. The Index Provider identifies relevant search terms for ARTIS® that best represent the industries and areas of such innovation (i.e., drones, agtech, high-tech agriculture, hydroponics, agricultural robot and farming software). The investment strategy’s focus extends beyond traditional agricultural practices and production to include technology-enabled agricultural processes, encompassing everything from crop monitoring to precision agriculture, digital farming, and smart agriculture - growing trends shaping the future of farming. Companies are only eligible for inclusion in the Index if they generate at least 50% of their revenues from agricultural related business operations. This encompasses companies involved in the following: 1) agricultural production – includes companies engaged in the production and distribution of crops and animal products, including fresh fruit and vegetable products, live animals, eggs, seeds and other agricultural commodities, animal feed and farm animal veterinary products; 2) agricultural machinery - includes companies that are involved in the production and distribution of equipment which supports the agriculture industry. This includes irrigation, seeding, and tillage equipment, specialized storage solutions, and as innovative technologies and equipment designed to improve agricultural output and sustainability; 3) agricultural chemicals & fuels – includes companies that are involved in the development and production of chemicals and fuels that support the agriculture industry. This includes fertilizers, crop protection products, crop nutrients, insect control products, and biofuels; and 4) agriscience & technology – includes companies involved in crop monitoring, planting, management, and harvesting, as well as precision agriculture, digital farming (combines on-the-ground insights provided by farmers with aggregated data from satellites and third parties and machine learning techniques to understand what’s happening in their fields), and smart agriculture, including research and development of crop nutrition and plant science. This also comprises the production of agricultural equipment, crop yield maximization, agritech, agribusiness, and sustainable farming practices.

 

Each company identified by ARTIS® receives a score that reflects its exposure to the Index strategy. This set of companies is then reviewed by the Index Provider and companies are removed from the selection process if they don’t have business operations consistent with the Index’s future of agriculture theme. The remaining companies (“Agricultural Companies”) are ranked by their score (in descending order) and the top 35 companies are selected for inclusion in the Index (“Index Components”). The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

 

“Selection Day” is 10 weekdays before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the third Friday in January and July. On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned a weight according to market capitalization. A weight cap is applied for each Index Component by-redistributing any weight which is larger than 4.5% to other Index Components proportionally in an iterative manner. Adjustments to the Index are made on Rebalance Day. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Agricultural Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

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The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the agriculture production industry and the chemicals and food products industry, and the agriculture and livestock, industrials and materials sectors. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Agricultural Production Industry Risk. Companies engaged in agricultural production may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices and labor costs, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Many companies in the agricultural production industry are subject to government subsidy policies and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Any changes to these policies and regulations, or the imposition of tariffs or other trade restraints, may have a material adverse effect on companies operating in this industry. Adverse weather conditions (such as floods or droughts), natural disasters and other factors, such as disease outbreaks, war or other conflict, also may adversely affect companies operating in this industry.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

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Commodity Risk. The Fund invests in companies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets and to price changes due to trade relations. Any negative changes in commodity markets that may be due to changes in supply and demand for commodities, market events, war, regulatory developments, other catastrophic events, or other factors that the Fund cannot control could have an adverse impact on those companies.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

 

Risk of Investing in Agriculture and Livestock Sectors. Investments in the agricultural and livestock sectors may be volatile and change unpredictably as a result of many factors, such as legislative or regulatory developments relating to food safety, the imposition of tariffs or other trade restraints, and the supply and demand of each commodity. Increased competition and changes in consumer tastes and spending can also influence the demand for agricultural and livestock products, affecting the price of such commodities and the performance of the Fund.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and changes in general economic conditions, among other factors.

 

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Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of overbuilding or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Model Risk. The Index Provider uses NLP models to assist in the development of the Fund’s Index. The Index’s investment theme is created by the Index Provider and the Index Provider’s description of the theme is used by the NLP screening models to identify relevant companies for index consideration. The investment theme must be accurately described in order for the NLP models to identify companies that reflect the themes and sub-themes of the Index. If the description of the theme is incorrect or incomplete, the NLP model may identify companies that are not relevant to the Fund’s investment theme or fail to identify companies that are relevant. As a result, securities may be included in or excluded from the Index that would have been excluded or included had the description of the theme been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended. The Index Provider relies on the integrity of the data being analyzed and its review processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) related industries.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Generative Artificial Intelligence Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

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The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in AI related industries. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 40 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $37 million and $3 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $456 billion.

 

In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) have a primary listing in a country classified as a developed country according to the Index Provider (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States); 2) have a market capitalization of at least $100 million; 3) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1 million over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for a security is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period.

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by first screening publicly available information such as financial news, business profiles and company publications using the Index Provider’s proprietary natural language processing algorithm (“ARTIS®”) to identify companies that have or are expected to have exposure to the provision of products and/or services that contribute to AI related industries. Companies are only eligible for inclusion in the Index if they generate at least 50% of their revenues from the following AI related industries: 1) artificial intelligence (AI) – comprises companies involved in the provision of AI computing solutions, software for digital transformation, processors and services to a variety of industries such as media, pharmaceutical and computers. Generative AI describes algorithms that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos; 2) data analytics and big data – comprises companies involved in data-related technologies such as data mining (i.e., the process of extracting information from a large amount of data by using statistical, mathematical and analytics tools), predictive analytics (i.e., use of advanced analytics to make predictions about future outcomes using historical data), and machine learning. It also comprises companies engaged in the provision of business specific process management and business solutions data analytics; 3) natural language processing – comprises companies involved in delivering natural language processing, speech recognition, semantic networks (i.e., a type of graphical model that shows relationships between concepts, ideas and objects), ontology engineering (i.e., the study of methods and methodologies for building a set of concepts and categories in a subject area or domain that shows their properties and the relations between them to allow the AI to make inferences based on content and relationships), logic programming (i.e., a programming strategy that tells a model what goal to accomplish, rather than how to accomplish it), cognitive science, and theory of mind (i.e., the study of the mind and its processes and investigates how we ascribe mental states to other persons and how we use the states to explain and predict the actions of those other persons). It also includes the provision of algorithm-based solutions for machine learning; and 4) AI-driven services – comprises companies that develop and use AI-powered applications, such as chatbots, virtual assistants, predictive analytics, marketing technology and recommendation engines, as well as those that produce hardware and software components for AI systems, such as computer chips, graphics processing units, and specialized algorithms. Each company identified by ARTIS® receives a score that reflects its exposure to the Index strategy. This set of companies is then reviewed by the Index Provider and companies are removed from the selection process if they don’t have relevant business operations. The remaining companies (“Generative AI Companies”) are ranked by their score (in descending order) and the top 40 companies are selected for inclusion in the Index (“Index Components”) each weighted based on its relevance to its ARTIS® score. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

“Selection Day” is 10 weekdays before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the last weekday in February and August. The Index is rebalanced and reconstituted on each Rebalance Day based on data as of Selection Day. At the time of rebalancing, the Index is generally re-weighted based on the latest ARTIS® scores. This is designed such that the greater the exposure an Index Component has to AI related industries, the higher its weight will be. The Index Components may change over time.

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The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Generative AI Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies that have business operations in the artificial intelligence and data services, semiconductors, software, and internet industries, and in the information technology sector. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

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Artificial Intelligence and Data Services Industry Risk. Companies involved in, or exposed to, data services and artificial intelligence-related businesses may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence, and many depend significantly on retaining and growing the consumer base of their respective products and services. Many of these companies are also reliant on the end user demand of products and services in various industries that may in part utilize artificial intelligence and/or data services. Further, many companies involved in, or exposed to, artificial intelligence-related businesses and data services (as determined by the Index Provider) may be substantially exposed to the market and business risks of other industries or sectors, and the Fund may be adversely affected by negative developments impacting those companies, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. There can be no assurance that companies involved in artificial intelligence and data services will be able to successfully protect their intellectual property to prevent the misappropriation of their technology, or that competitors will not develop technology that is substantially similar or superior to such companies’ technology. Artificial intelligence and data services companies are potential targets for cyberattacks, which can have a materially adverse impact on the performance of these companies. In addition, the collection of data from consumers and other sources could face increased scrutiny as regulators consider how the data is collected, stored, safeguarded and used. Artificial intelligence and data services companies may face regulatory fines and penalties, including potential forced break-ups, that could hinder the ability of the companies to operate on an ongoing basis. Artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that the products or services produced by these companies will be successful. Artificial intelligence and data services companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology.

 

Internet Industry Risk. Many Internet-related companies have incurred large losses since their inception and may continue to incur large losses in the hope of capturing market share and generating future revenues. Accordingly, many such companies expect to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future, and may never be profitable. The markets in which many Internet companies compete face rapidly evolving industry standards, frequent new service and product announcements, introductions and enhancements, and changing customer demands. The failure of an Internet company to adapt to such changes could have a material adverse effect on the company’s business. Additionally, the widespread adoption of new Internet, networking, telecommunications technologies, or other technological changes could require substantial expenditures by an Internet company to modify or adapt its services or infrastructure, which could have a material adverse effect on an Internet company’s business.

 

Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies typically face intense competition, potentially rapid product obsolescence and high capital costs and are dependent on third-party suppliers and the availability of materials. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Semiconductor companies are also affected by the economic performance of their customers.

 

Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the application software industry, in particular, may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the systems software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in their products and services, which may result in individual or class action lawsuits, state or federal enforcement actions and other remediation costs.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

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Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

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Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Model Risk. The Index Provider uses NLP models to assist in the development of the Fund’s Index. The Index’s investment theme is created by the Index Provider and the Index Provider’s description of the theme is used by the NLP screening models to identify relevant companies for index consideration. The investment theme must be accurately described in order for the NLP models to identify companies that reflect the themes and sub-themes of the Index. If the description of the theme is incorrect or incomplete, the NLP model may identify companies that are not relevant to the Fund’s investment theme or fail to identify companies that are relevant. As a result, securities may be included in or excluded from the Index that would have been excluded or included had the description of the theme been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended. The Index Provider relies on the integrity of the data being analyzed and its review processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF (the “Fund”) seeks growth of capital.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that will invest in the equity securities of companies that operate in the global banking sector. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that are part of the global banking sector and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) that represent such companies in the banking sector. The Fund’s 80% Policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed. The banks included in the Fund’s portfolio will generally be classified as large-capitalization companies.

 

The Fund’s investment universe will include all banks included in the list of Global Systemically Important Banks (“G-SIBs”), published annually by the Financial Stability Board. Currently, there are 28 publicly traded banks that are classified as G-SIBs. The Fund’s investment adviser, Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) will manage the Fund’s portfolio by investing the Fund’s assets on an equally weighted basis in the equity securities issued by the G-SIB banks. The banks selected for investment by the Fund are selected solely based on their classification as G-SIBs. The Adviser expects to rebalance the Fund’s portfolio on a quarterly basis and will do an annual reconstitution of the portfolio, as applicable.

 

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G-SIBs are banks that are believed to be so systemically important to the global banking system that the bank’s failure could trigger a wider financial crisis and threaten the global economy. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (“BCBS”), which is considered the primary global standard setter for the prudential regulation of banks, is responsible for identifying G-SIBs. BCBS consists of 45 members representing central bank and bank supervisors from 28 jurisdictions. BCBS has developed an indicator-based measurement approach to identify G-SIBs. A G-SIB designation does not represent an investment recommendation by BCBS, but it is designed to identify those banks that are systemically important to the global banking system. The measurement approach, which is risk based, considers the following five categories and the underlying indicators of each category, as applicable:

 

1. Size of the banks – A bank’s distress or failure is more likely to damage the global economy or financial markets if its activities comprise a large share of global activity. The larger the bank, the more difficult it is for its activities to be quickly replaced by other banks and therefore the greater the chance that its distress or failure would cause disruption to the financial markets in which it operates. The distress or failure of a large bank is also more likely to damage confidence in the financial system as a whole. Size is therefore a key measure of systemic importance.

 

2. Interconnectedness – Financial distress at one institution can materially increase the likelihood of distress at other institutions given the network of contractual obligations in which these firms operate. A bank’s systemic impact is likely to be positively related to its interconnectedness vis-à-vis other financial institutions. Three indicators are used to measure interconnectedness: (i) intra-financial system assets; (ii) intra-financial system liabilities; and (iii) securities outstanding. All three indicators include insurance subsidiaries of a bank in their measurements.

 

3. Substitutability/financial institution infrastructure – The systemic impact of a bank’s distress or failure is expected to be negatively related to its degree of substitutability as both a market participant and a client service provider. For example, the greater a bank’s role in a particular business line, or as a service provider in underlying market infrastructure (e.g., payment systems), the larger the disruption will likely be following its failure, in terms of both service gaps and reduced flow of market and infrastructure liquidity. At the same time, the cost to the failed bank’s customers in having to seek the same service from another institution is likely to be higher for a failed bank with relatively greater market share in providing the service. Four indicators are used to measure substitutability/financial institution infrastructure: (i) assets under custody; (ii) payments activity; (iii) underwritten transactions in debt and equity markets; and (iv) trading volume.

 

4. Cross-jurisdictional activity – The objective of this indicator is to capture banks’ global footprint. Two indicators in this category measure the importance of the bank’s activities outside its home (headquarter) jurisdiction relative to overall activity of other banks in the sample: (i) cross-jurisdictional claims; and (ii) cross-jurisdictional liabilities. The idea is that the international impact of a bank’s distress or failure would vary in line with its share of cross-jurisdictional assets and liabilities. The greater a bank’s global reach, the more difficult it is to coordinate its resolution and the more widespread the spillover effects from its failure.

 

5. Complexity – The systemic impact of a bank’s distress or failure is expected to be positively related to its overall complexity – that is, its business, structural and operational complexity. The more complex a bank is, the greater the costs and time needed to resolve the matters impacting the bank. Three indicators are used to measure complexity: (i) notional amount of OTC derivatives; (ii) amount of level 3 assets (i.e., are those assets fair valued using observable inputs that require significant adjustment based on unobservable inputs); and (iii) trading and available-for-sale securities. The first two indicators include insurance subsidiaries of a bank in their measurements.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result of its investment strategies, the Fund will concentrate (i.e., invest more than 25% of its total assets) its investments in the banking industry and the financials sector. The banks being classified as G-SIBs may change over time, which would result in the Fund’s portfolio changing as well.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities of particular issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.

 

Banking Industry Risk. Performance of companies in the banking industry may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Extensive governmental regulations may limit the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments companies in the banking industry can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is heavily dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact banking companies. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual banking company, or of the financials sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this industry and have caused significant losses to companies in this industry, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund. The success of the Fund’s investment program depends largely on the investment techniques applied by the Adviser. It is possible the investment techniques employed on behalf of the Fund will not produce the desired results.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in the financials sector of the economy, and its performance will therefore be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect that sector.

 

Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financials sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

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Bank Crisis Risk. Economic downturns and changes in monetary policies could potentially impact G-SIBs or the banking industry negatively. Until 2022, most U.S. banks allocated their reserves to low-yielding government securities, encompassing Agency Mortgage-Backed and U.S. Treasury Securities. However, the Federal Reserve’s decision to increase interest rates in 2022 led to a large decrease in bond prices. This development eroded the value of bank capital reserves, driving some banks into the sphere of unrealized losses.

 

Further stress was added to the industry when Silvergate Bank announced its plan to liquidate in March 2023. This triggered widespread panic leading to a series of bank runs, beginning with Silicon Valley Bank, progressing to Signature Bank, and then at First Republic Bank. In response to this potential systemic threat, global industry regulators intervened, providing liquidity to government securities and facilitating acquisitions within the banking industry to restore confidence.

 

The regional banking crisis in the U.S. triggered unease among international investors, leading to apprehension regarding other potentially unstable banks. Consequently, Credit Suisse’s share price saw a significant decline. In an effort to reinforce investor confidence and bring stability, the Swiss government, in collaboration with the Financial Market Supervisory Authority, oversaw Credit Suisse’s acquisition by UBS. Despite the status of G-SIBs, there is no guarantee that G-SIBs can withstand a banking crisis better than other banking institutions.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries and may demonstrate significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trading with key partners. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized.

 

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In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility. Recent developments in relations between the United States and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund.

 

In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold relatively large amounts of non-performing debt. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make Chinese securities illiquid.

 

In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in on-shore Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. Worsening trade relations may also result in market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares.

 

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers.

 

Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

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Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size and may ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception. 

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

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Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Gold Miners ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Gold Miners ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that are active in the gold mining industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36

$113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Global Pure Gold Miners Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that are active in the gold mining industry and is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 23 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $920 million and $29.7 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $6 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies a universe of companies (the “Index Universe”) that, on Selection Days (as defined below), 1) are listed on a regulated stock exchange in the form of shares tradable for foreign investors without restrictions, 2) have significant business operations in the gold mining industry, evidenced by having at least 90% of the company’s revenues generated in gold mining for companies included in the Index on the Selection Day (an “Index Component”) or at least 95% of the company’s revenues generated in gold mining for companies that are not Index Components (“Gold Mining Companies”), 3) have a free float market capitalization of at least $750 million for companies which are Index Components and of at least $1 billion for companies which are not Index Components, 4) have an average daily trading volume in the last 3 months of at least $1 million for companies which are Index Components and $2 million for companies which are not Index Components, and 5) have an average monthly trading volume of at least 75,000 shares in each of the last 6 months (“Liquidity Criterion”). The Index Provider may decide to include companies in the Index Universe which do not fulfil the Liquidity Criterion.

 

The companies in the Index Universe are ranked according to their free float market capitalization. The company with the largest free float market capitalization is assigned rank number 1, the company with the second-largest free float market capitalization rank number 2…etc. For clarification, rank number 1 is higher than rank number 2. The companies with the highest ranks are then chosen as Index Components and the new index composition determined this way is valid starting the business day immediately following the last business day in February (“Adjustment Day”). Selection Day is the business day 10 business days before the Adjustment Day.

 

The minimum number of Index Components is 20 and the maximum number of Index Components is 30. The Index Provider may decide to increase the maximum number of Index Components on a Selection Day. In case the rank assigned to a company which is an existing Index Component on a Selection Day is not sufficient to be selected as an Index Component, it shall only be removed from the Index if its rank exceeds the maximum number of Index Components by more than 10 ranks. The company with the lowest rank which is selected as an Index Component on this Selection Day but which is not currently an Index Component on the Selection Day is not included in the Index in this case. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The composition of the Index is ordinarily adjusted once a year on Adjustment Day after the close of business. The composition of the Index is reviewed on the Selection Day and the appropriate decision made is announced. On each Selection Day and on the business day five business days before the last business day in August (“Reweighting Day”), each Index Component of the Index is weighted proportionally according to its free float market capitalization. The percentage weight of each Index Component is capped at 4.75% on the Selection Days and on the business days five business days before the Reweighting Days. The excess weight is allocated proportionally to all Index Components whose percentage weight is not capped at 4.75%. The new index composition and weightings are implemented after the close of trading on the Adjustment Day and Reweighting Day. The cumulative Percentage Weight of the Index Components which do not fulfil the Liquidity Criterion is capped at 10% on the Adjustment Days and on the business day five business days before the Reweighting Days. The excess weight is allocated proportionally to all Index Components whose Percentage Weight is not capped. These caps represent general guidelines set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Reweighting Day.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Gold Mining Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of small-, mid- and large-capitalization companies and foreign issuers. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

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The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June, 2023, securities of companies in the gold mining industry and materials sector represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Gold Mining Industry Risk. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of gold mining companies. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of gold mining companies. Also, gold mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold bullion and may be adversely affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the price of gold may be due to a number of factors, including changes in inflation, changes in currency exchange rates and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals (including fabricator demand). Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metal investments.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry. The exploration and development of mineral deposits involve significant financial risks over a significant period of time, which even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge may not eliminate. Few properties which are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. Major expenditures may be required to establish reserves by drilling and to construct mining and processing facilities at a site. In addition, mineral exploration companies typically operate at a loss and are dependent on securing equity and/or debt financing, which might be more difficult to secure for an exploration company than for a more established counterpart.

 

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Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may be significantly subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the gold mining industry and the price of gold bullion. The price of gold may be affected by changes in inflation rates, interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions, and political stability. Commodity prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time; therefore, the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies may also be significantly affected by import controls, worldwide competition, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices. Metals and mining companies may have significant operations in areas at risk for social and political unrest, security concerns and environmental damage. These companies may also be at risk for increased government regulation and intervention. Such risks may adversely affect the issuers to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Materials Sector Risk. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations. Many companies in this sector are significantly affected by the level and volatility of commodity prices, the exchange value of the dollar, import controls, and worldwide competition. At times, worldwide production of industrial materials has exceeded demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns or losses. This sector may also be affected by economic cycles, interest rates, resource availability, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Commodity Risk. The Fund invests in companies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets and to price changes due to trade relations. Any negative changes in commodity markets that may be due to changes in supply and demand for commodities, market events, war, regulatory developments, other catastrophic events, or other factors that the Fund cannot control could have an adverse impact on those companies.

 

Commodity Price Relationship Risk. The Index measures the performance of companies involved in the gold mining industry and not the performance of the price of gold bullion itself. The securities of companies involved in the gold mining industry may under- or over-perform the price of gold bullion over the short-term or the long-term.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

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Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Canada. Investments in securities of Canadian issuers, including issuers located outside of Canada that generate significant revenue from Canada, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States, countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent on and may be significantly affected by the U.S. economy. Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S. economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Trade agreements may further increase Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy, and uncertainty as to future trade agreements may cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares. Past periodic demands by the Province of Quebec for sovereignty have significantly affected equity valuations and foreign currency movements in the Canadian market and such demands may have this effect in the future. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the Index.

 

Risk of Investing in Australia. Securities of issuers located in Australia may be subject to regulatory, political, currency, security, environmental, and economic risk specific to Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. As a result, the Australian economy is susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. The Australian economy is also becoming increasingly dependent on its growing services industry. The Australian economy is dependent on trading with key trading partners, including the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and certain European countries. Reduction in spending on Australian products and services, or changes in any of the economies, may cause an adverse impact on the Australian economy. Additionally, Australia is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and droughts, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the Australian economy, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

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Risk of Investing in Africa and the Middle East. Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, social instability, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared with those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on exporting oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Industry 4.0 ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Industry 4.0 ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that stand to benefit from the technological advancement leading to a new industrial revolution.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Industry 4.0 Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

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The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies that are generating revenue from the technological segments such as cybersecurity, virtual reality or the Internet of Things (i.e., the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data) that lead us towards an autonomous machine-driven economic model, in which machines interact with each other without human intervention. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 232 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $55 million and $362 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $105 billion.

 

In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), must be included in the STOXX Developed and Emerging Markets Index (the “Parent Index”). The Parent Index is designed to represent the world’s developed and emerging markets as a whole, covering approximately 95% of the free float capitalization of the investable stock universe. In constructing the Index, the Parent Index is further screened for the following criteria: A company must be classified under any of the following Industry 4.0 sub-themes:

 

Automation: Industrial/ Manufacturing Automation involves everything from self-driving trucks, to supply-chain management software. Industrial automation has the ability to pack and ship items using advanced technology.

 

Digitization/ Cyber-Physical Systems: Boston Consulting Group analysis found that use of AI can reduce producers’ conversion costs (the cost of changing raw materials into finished goods) by up to 20%. In manufacturing, improvements and efficiencies in the analysis of big data are expected to bring millions of dollar to this industry.

 

Virtual/ Augmented Reality: Augmented-reality-based systems support a variety of services, such as selecting parts in a warehouse and sending repair instructions over mobile devices.

 

Rapid Prototyping: With Industry 4.0, additive-manufacturing methods are expected to be widely used to produce small batches of customized products that offer construction advantages, such as complex, lightweight designs.

 

Industrial Connectivity: Intelligent sensors in machines of all kinds – will link the globe as a direct result of information and communication technologies (ICT) 2).

 

Blockchain: Blockchain enables the creation of smart contracts, with terms and conditions both sides can specify and that assures trust in the enforceability of the contract and the identity of the counterparty.

 

The Index Provider has determined that, based on the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”), the following industries are considered part of one or more of the Industry 4.0 sub-themes listed above: 3D Modeling/Rapid Prototyping Automation Providers; Application Management Consulting; Audio Multimedia Semiconductors; Automotive Industry Software; Blockchain Technology; Business Intelligence Software; Business Intelligence/Data Warehousing Consulting; Carrier Edge Network Management Equipment; Colocation and Data Center Services; Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software; Customer Premises Network Security Equipment; Data Storage Infrastructure Software; Disk Storage Systems; Drone Manufacturers; Drone Parts Manufacturers; Enterprise Middleware Software; Enterprise Security Management Software; Flash Memory Semiconductors; General Analog and Mixed Signal Semiconductors; General Enterprise Management Software; General Factory Automation Makers; General Information Technology (IT) Consulting; General Infrastructure and Network Consulting; Image Sensor and Image Capture Semiconductors; Industrial Robots and Robotic Assembly Line Makers; Information Storage Systems; Lasers and Optical Instrument Manufacturing; Machine Vision and Quality Control Manufacturing; Manufacturing Industry Software; Microprocessor (MPU) Semiconductors; Monitoring and Control Sensor/Instrument Products; Multi-Industry-Specific Factory Machinery Makers; Multi-Tactic Enterprise Solutions Consulting; Network Administration Software; Network Design and Implementation Consulting; Network Security Software; Operating Systems Software; Other Automation Support Product Manufacturing; Other Communications Semiconductors; Other Design and Engineering Software; Other Memory Semiconductors; Other Network Software; Other Nonvolatile Memory Semiconductors; Other Processor Semiconductors; Other Test and Measurement Equipment; Peripheral Semiconductors; Power, Control and Mixed Signal Semiconductors; Programmable Logic Device Semiconductors; RF Analog and Mixed Signal Semiconductors; Security and Management Consulting; Smart Grid Technology and Smart Meter Products; Software Design and Engineering Consulting; Solid Waste Recycling Equipment Manufacturing; Specialty Analog and Mixed Signal Semiconductors; Supply Chain ERP Software; Virtual Reality Design and Engineering Software; Virtual Reality Equipment; Volatile Memory Semiconductors; and Wireline Equipment.

 

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In addition, a company must have a 3-month median daily trading value greater than $1,000,000 EUR, a company must generate more than 50% of its revenues in the aggregate of the RBICS sectors listed above (“Industry 4.0 Companies”), only the most liquid share class of a multi-share class company will be eligible for inclusion in the Index, and a company must be compliant with the Sustainalytics Global Standards Screening assessment. Global Standards Screening identifies companies that are in violation or are at risk of violating commonly accepted international norms and standards, enshrined in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Principles, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs, and their underlying conventions. In addition, companies that are involved in the production or sale of controversial weapons are excluded from the Index. The following weapons are considered controversial: anti-personnel mines, biological and chemical weapons, cluster weapons, depleted uranium, nuclear weapons and white phosphorus weapons.

 

Based on the Index Universe, all eligible securities are weighted proportionally to the free-float market capitalization of the security multiplied by the aggregate revenue exposure of the company related to the RBICS sectors listed above in criteria 1. The components of the Index (“Index Components”) may change over time. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

 

Selection Day for the Index is performed annually in June and the review cut-off date is the last dissemination day of the preceding month. The Index applies an index cap weighting process as it relates to the Index Components and this process is performed quarterly in March, June, September, and December and is published on the second Friday of each of these months. Each Index Component’s capped weight is derived from the initial weights via an iterative process that seeks to maintain the sum of all weights above 4.5% to 35% of the overall Index with no single weight to exceed 8% of the overall Index. Any excess weights are redistributed from the relevant Index Component(s) to the other Index Components that are not subject to the above cap limitations, proportionally to their current weight in the Index. This process is designed to increase company-level diversification. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Industry 4.0 Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. As it relates to the remaining 20% of the Fund’s net assets, the Fund may allocate a portion of the Fund’s net assets to cash and cash equivalents, money market funds, and other short-term instruments. The Fund’s 80% Policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Adviser uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of the Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Index.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the internet, semiconductor and software industries, and industrials and information technology sectors. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Internet Industry Risk. Many Internet-related companies have incurred large losses since their inception and may continue to incur large losses in the hope of capturing market share and generating future revenues. Accordingly, many such companies expect to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future, and may never be profitable. The markets in which many Internet companies compete face rapidly evolving industry standards, frequent new service and product announcements, introductions and enhancements, and changing customer demands. The failure of an Internet company to adapt to such changes could have a material adverse effect on the company’s business. Additionally, the widespread adoption of new Internet, networking, telecommunications technologies, or other technological changes could require substantial expenditures by an Internet company to modify or adapt its services or infrastructure, which could have a material adverse effect on an Internet company’s business.

 

Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies typically face intense competition, potentially rapid product obsolescence and high capital costs and are dependent on third-party suppliers and the availability of materials. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Semiconductor companies are also affected by the economic performance of their customers. The stock prices of companies in the semiconductor sector have been and likely will continue to be extremely volatile.

 

Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the application software industry, in particular, may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the systems software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in their products and services, which may result in individual or class action lawsuits, state or federal enforcement actions and other remediation costs.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

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Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

ESG Investment Risk. This is the risk that because the Index Provider includes and excludes issuers and assigns weights to issuers in the Index by applying nonfinancial factors, the Fund may underperform the broader equity market or other funds that do or do not use ESG investment criteria. The ESG methodology of the Index will affect the Fund’s exposure to certain companies and sectors and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance depending on whether such companies and sectors are in or out of favor. Although the Index is designed to exclude certain companies that do not meet certain ESG characteristics, there is no assurance that the Index or Fund will be comprised of such securities.

 

Currently, there is a lack of common industry standards relating to the development and application of ESG criteria, which may make it difficult to compare the Fund’s principal investment strategies with the investment strategies of other funds that integrate certain ESG criteria. The subjective value that investors may assign to certain types of ESG characteristics may differ substantially from that of the assessment by the Index Provider or a data provider. Investors can differ in their views of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics. As a result, the Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. A company included in the Index may not exhibit positive or favorable ESG characteristics. The companies selected by the Index Provider as demonstrating certain ESG characteristics may not be the same companies selected by other index providers or investment managers as exhibiting those characteristics.

 

The Index Provider relies on various sources of information regarding an issuer, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. ESG information from third-party data providers may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Neither the Fund nor the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of the issuers of the securities included in the Fund’s Index. The Index Provider uses third-party data that it believes to be reliable, but it does not guarantee the accuracy of such third-party data. Data can vary across providers or within industries. ESG standards differ by region and industry, and a company’s ESG practices or the Index Provider’s or data providers’ assessment of a company’s ESG practices may change over time. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

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Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners.

 

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Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

  ○ Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

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Management Risk. To the extent the Fund uses a representative sampling strategy to obtain exposure to the Index, the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index will be contingent on the ability of the Adviser to identify a subset of Index Components whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Junior Gold Miners ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Junior Gold Miners ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies with significant exposure to the gold mining industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Junior Gold Miners Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is a rules-based equity index developed and maintained by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to global companies in the small-capitalization segment that are active in the gold mining industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 45 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $261 million and $7.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $2.8 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Day (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the STOXX World AC Small Cap Index (a free float market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of small-capitalization companies from developed markets and emerging markets, as determined by the Index Provider, covering approximately 15% of the investable market capitalization, excluding companies based in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudia Arabia); 2) have a three month Average Daily Traded Value (ADTV) greater than $1 million; and 3) have 50% or more of revenues generated within the sectors associated with the gold mining theme as defined by the Index Provider based on FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”): Other North America Gold Ore Mining, Latin America Gold Ore Mining, Pan-Asia Gold Ore Mining, Other Americas Gold Ore Mining, United States Gold Ore Mining, Australia Gold Ore Mining, South Africa Gold Ore Mining, Rest of Asia Gold Ore Mining, China Gold Ore Mining, Canada Gold Ore Mining, Europe Gold Ore Mining, Southeast Asia Gold Ore Mining, Other Africa Gold Ore Mining, Multinational Gold Ore Mining, Multiple Precious Metals Ore Mining and Russia and CIS Gold Ore Mining; or have a RBICS Focus classification (revenue of 50% or more) in one of these sectors (“Junior Gold Mining Companies”). The revenue threshold is lowered to 45% for existing constituents in order to manage portfolio turnover. The Index aims to have a minimum number of 50 constituents at each review (“Index Components”). If the screening process described above results in being too restrictive, the revenue filter is progressively lowered in steps of 5% for the Index, to a minimum of 30% (25% for current Index Components), until the number of Index Components is equal to or greater than 50. This process allows the Fund to obtain access to companies that are considered diversified players (i.e., a company with revenues greater than 25% but less than 50% in the gold mining industry) and/or market leaders in the gold mining industry.

The companies in the Index are initially weighted by their free float market capitalization. The Index is then capped so that Junior Gold Mining Companies in aggregate weigh a minimum 80% of the Index. In addition, the maximum Index Component weight is no higher than 8% and Index Components with a weight over 4.5% do not exceed 35% in aggregation. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

The composition of the Index is ordinarily reviewed once a year in September (“Selection Day”). The weight factors are calculated quarterly in March, June, September, and December. They are published on the second Friday of March, June, September, and December, based on the stocks’ closing prices the preceding Thursday. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Junior Gold Mining Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of mid- and small-capitalization companies from developed and emerging market countries. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions imposed by the U.S. government) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, the exploration, gold mining, and metals and mining industries, and the materials sector represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Gold Mining Industry Risk. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of gold mining companies. Investments related to gold are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of gold mining companies. Also, gold mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold bullion and may be adversely affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the price of gold may be due to a number of factors, including changes in inflation, changes in currency exchange rates and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals (including fabricator demand). Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metal investments.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry. The exploration and development of mineral deposits involve significant financial risks over a significant period of time, which even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge may not eliminate. Few properties which are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. Major expenditures may be required to establish reserves by drilling and to construct mining and processing facilities at a site. In addition, mineral exploration companies typically operate at a loss and are dependent on securing equity and/or debt financing, which might be more difficult to secure for an exploration company than for a more established counterpart.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may be significantly subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the gold mining industry and the price of gold bullion. The price of gold may be affected by changes in inflation rates, interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions, and political stability. Commodity prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time; therefore, the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies may also be significantly affected by import controls, worldwide competition, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices. Metals and mining companies may have significant operations in areas at risk for social and political unrest, security concerns and environmental damage. These companies may also be at risk for increased government regulation and intervention. Such risks may adversely affect the issuers to which the Fund has exposure.

 

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Commodity Risk. The Fund invests in companies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets and to price changes due to trade relations. Any negative changes in commodity markets that may be due to changes in supply and demand for commodities, market events, war, regulatory developments, other catastrophic events, or other factors that the Fund cannot control could have an adverse impact on those companies.

 

Commodity Price Relationship Risk. The Index measures the performance of companies involved in the gold mining industry and not the performance of the price of gold bullion itself. The securities of companies involved in the gold mining industry may under- or over-perform the price of gold bullion over the short-term or the long-term.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of overbuilding or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

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Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

Risk of Investing in Australia. Securities of issuers located in Australia may be subject to regulatory, political, currency, security, environmental, and economic risk specific to Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. As a result, the Australian economy is susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. The Australian economy is also becoming increasingly dependent on its growing services industry. The Australian economy is dependent on trading with key trading partners, including the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and certain European countries. Reduction in spending on Australian products and services, or changes in any of the economies, may cause an adverse impact on the Australian economy. Additionally, Australia is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and droughts, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the Australian economy, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

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Risk of Investing in Canada. Investments in securities of Canadian issuers, including issuers located outside of Canada that generate significant revenue from Canada, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States, countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent on and may be significantly affected by the U.S. economy. Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S. economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Trade agreements may further increase Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy, and uncertainty as to future trade agreements may cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares. Past periodic demands by the Province of Quebec for sovereignty have significantly affected equity valuations and foreign currency movements in the Canadian market and such demands may have this effect in the future. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

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Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Tax Status Risk. The Fund intends to pay dividends each taxable year to enable it to continue to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If the Fund were to distribute to its shareholders less than the minimum amount required for any year, the Fund would become subject to federal income tax for that year on all of its taxable income and recognized gains, even those distributed to its shareholders. In addition, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Fund may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from the sale of commodities and precious metals. This could make it more difficult for the Fund to pursue its investment strategy and maintain qualification as a RIC. In lieu of potential disqualification as a RIC, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy this income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

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Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Natural Monopoly ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Natural Monopoly ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of global companies which exhibit a strong competitive advantage in their sector.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Natural Monopoly Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies in the large- and mid- capitalization segments that exhibit a strong competitive advantage in their respective sector. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 95 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $2 billion and $1.3 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $188 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Developed Markets Large & Mid Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of the large- and mid- capitalization segment covering approximately 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the developed markets (as identified by the Index Provider): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States); 2) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1 million for new components of the Index (“Index Components”) and $750,000 for current Index Components over the 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for a security is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period; 3) new (current) Index Components must maintain a volume traded of at least 100,000 (75,000) shares over the 1 month period prior to and including the Selection Day and 600,000 (450,000) shares over the preceding 6 month period prior to and including Selection Day; 4) new (current) Index Components require a Free Float percentage of at least 10% (7.5%) - this requirement is not applicable to new (current) securities that have a Free Float Market Capitalization (shares outstanding for a specific class multiplied by the closing price of the security) of at least $1 billion ($750 million). Free Float represents the share-class specific fraction of the total number of shares of such share class issued that are available for trading; and 5) must have less than 10 non-trading days over the preceding 3 month period prior to and including Selection Day.

 

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by first screening a company for the following fundamental financial metrics: 1) sales; 2) profit margin; 3) profit margin volatility (over 3 years); 4) return on equity; 5) return on equity volatility (over 3 years); 6) inventory/total assets; and 7) intangible assets/total assets. All of these fundamental financial metrics for a company must be available for consideration in order to be considered for the Index. Companies are ranked according to all of these financial metrics using a proprietary methodology with the top 5 companies within each sector being selected for the Index. Sectors are based on FactSet’s Level 2 Sector Classification system and companies included in FactSet’s Miscellaneous Sector are excluded from the Index. In addition, China A Shares are excluded from the Index. On each Selection Day, each Component of the Index (“Index Component”) is assigned a weight that is sector-neutral relative to the free float market capitalization of the Index Universe. Within each sector, the weights of the Index Components are equally distributed. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

 

The Index is rebalanced 7 business days after each Selection Day. “Selection Day” is the last business day in June and December. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

  Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

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Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.
   

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

   
Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Renewable Energy ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Renewable Energy ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the renewable energy industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Renewable Energy Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the renewable energy industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 47 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $79 million and $40 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $9.8 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Developed Markets All Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of all small-, mid- and large-capitalization companies covering approximately the largest 100% of the free-float market capitalization in Developed Markets (as identified by the Index Provider): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), 2) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS Global Markets Renewable Energy All Cap USD Index which consists of companies included in one of the following Index Categories based on their FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”) sub-industry classification: wind energy (wind energy equipment manufacturing), solar energy (photovoltaic and solar cells and systems providers), hydrogen power (fuel cell equipment and technology providers, thermal and chemical processing machinery makers), renewable energy equipment and technology (smart grid technology and smart meter products, mixed renewable energy generation manufacturing) and green utilities (wholesale power) (“Renewable Energy Companies”), and 3) have an Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1 million over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for a security is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period. Only one share class of each company is eligible for inclusion in the Index Universe. The eligible share class is the share class with the higher minimum Average Daily Value Traded over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by ranking all eligible securities based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and selecting the top 50 securities (if 50 companies are eligible for purchase) for inclusion in the Index (each, an “Index Component”). The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. “Selection Day” is 20 business days before the Rebalance Day. “Rebalance Day” is the first Wednesday in February, May, August and November.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned a weight according to free float market capitalization. Then, a weight cap is applied for each Index Component by re-distributing any weight which is larger than 5% to the other Index Component proportionally in an iterative manner. Adjustments to the Index are made on Rebalance Day. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Renewable Energy Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. The Index may include securities of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements or sanctions imposed by the U.S. government) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, issuers in the clean energy industry and the energy and utilities sectors represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Clean Energy Industry Risk. Renewable and alternative energy companies can be significantly affected by the following factors: obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, the supply of and demand for oil and gas, world events and economic conditions. In addition, shares of clean energy companies have been significantly more volatile than shares of companies operating in other more established industries and the securities included in the Fund may be subject to sharp price declines. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

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Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

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Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the energy sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, among others, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts, natural disasters, and potential civil liabilities. Such companies are also subject to risks changes in economic conditions, as well as market and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business.

 

Utilities Sector Risk. Utility companies include companies producing or providing gas, electricity or water. These companies are subject to the risk of the imposition of rate caps, increased competition due to deregulation, the difficulty in obtaining an adequate return on invested capital or in financing large construction projects counterparty risk, the limitations on operations and increased costs and delays attributable to environmental considerations and the capital market’s ability to absorb utility debt. In addition, taxes, government regulation, domestic and international politics, price and supply fluctuations, volatile interest rates and energy conservation may negatively affect utility companies.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Robotics & Automation ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Robotics & Automation ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies whose products and services are focused on robotics and automation solutions in an industrial context.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Industrial Robotics & Automation Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to companies whose products and services are focused on robotics and automation solutions in an industrial context, including those that have business operations in factory automation equipment, semiconductors, industrial machine parts, and programable logic devices. The Index is an equally-weighted index that is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 30 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $700 million and $1 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $65.8 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are listed on an exchange in a country classified as a developed country according to the Index Provider (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States); 2) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $5,000,000 over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for an index component is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period; 3) have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion; 4) have a free float percentage of at least 10%; and 5) are classified in one of the following sectors based on the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”): Factory Automation Equipment; General Semiconductors; Industrial Machine Parts and Support Equipment; Processor Semiconductors; Programmable Logic and ASIC Semiconductors; and Specialized Conductors (“Robotics and Automation Companies”). In order to be classified in one of the above sectors, RBICS requires that the company generate at least 50% of its revenue from that sector.

 

The Index Provider further screens the Index Universe based on the following criteria in order to determine the components of the Index (“Index Components”). On the Selection Days, Index Components are selected by the Index Provider based on the following rules: 1) Companies with a negative total return over the 12 month period preceding the Selection Day are excluded. The return realized on the Selection Day itself is included in the calculation of the Total Return for each company; 2) All companies are ranked based on their security-level market capitalization in descending order, such that those companies with the highest market capitalization receive the highest rank; and 3) The 30 highest ranking companies are selected as Index Components subject to the constraint that not more than 9 companies from the same industry enter the Index. In a situation where 9 companies from the same industry are already included in the Index and another company from this industry is among the 30 highest-ranking stocks, the next highest-ranking company from another industry is included (if less than 9 stocks from this other industry are included). Should the process above yield less than 30 index members, the following steps are applied: i. The maximum number of stocks from each industry is increased from 9 to any number that allows to select 30 Index Components and, ii. Instead of excluding stocks with a negative 12-month Total Return (as defined above), these companies are eligible to be selected as Index Components. In this case, the security with the smallest negative returns is allowed to be added to the Index first. This process is repeated until 30 Index Components are reached.

 

The composition of the Index is adjusted quarterly. The composition of the Index is reviewed on the Selection Day and necessary changes are announced. “Selection Day” is the first Friday in January, April, July, and October. Adjustment day is the second Friday in January, April, July and October. On each Adjustment Day each Index Component is weighted equally. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Robotics and Automation Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Index securities include equity securities of companies that have business operations in factory automation equipment, semiconductors, industrial machine parts, and programable logic devices and may include large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies that have business operations in the robotics & artificial intelligence and semiconductor industries, and the information technology and industrials sectors. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Industry Risk. Companies involved in, or exposed to, robotics and artificial intelligence-related businesses may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence, and many depend significantly on retaining and growing the consumer base of their respective products and services. Many of these companies are also reliant on the end user demand of products and services in various industries that may in part utilize robotics and artificial intelligence. Further, many companies involved in, or exposed to, robotics and artificial intelligence-related businesses (as determined by the Index Provider) may be substantially exposed to the market and business risks of other industries or sectors, and the Fund may be adversely affected by negative developments impacting those companies, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. There can be no assurance that companies involved in robotics and artificial intelligence will be able to successfully protect their intellectual property to prevent the misappropriation of their technology, or that competitors will not develop technology that is substantially similar or superior to such companies’ technology. Legal and regulatory changes, particularly related information privacy and data protection, may have an impact on a company’s products or services. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that the products or services produced by these companies will be successful. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology.

 

Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies typically face intense competition, potentially rapid product obsolescence and high capital costs and are dependent on third-party suppliers and the availability of materials. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Semiconductor companies are also affected by the economic performance of their customers.

 

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Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Industrials Sector Risk. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and changes in general economic conditions, among other factors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

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Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

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Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

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Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

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Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Semiconductors ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Semiconductors ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies that have business operations in the semiconductor industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Semiconductor Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free-float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to companies that have business operations in the semiconductor industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 30 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $17 billion and $1 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $261 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) Part/Component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) Global Markets Semiconductor All Cap USD Index GTR; 2) Companies’ primary listing must be on an exchange in a country classified as a developed country according to the Index Provider (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States – in addition, the Index Provider has included South Korea and Taiwan in its developed country list for purposes of this Index); 3) A company must have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded of at least $1,000,000 over 1 month and over 6 months for companies included in the Index on the Selection Day prior to and including the Selection Day and at least $800,000 for companies that are Index Components on the respective Selection Day. The Average Daily Value Traded for an Index Component is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period; 4) A company must have a free float market capitalization of at least $1 billion for companies that are not Index Components on the respective Selection Day and at least $800 million for companies that are Index Components on the respective Selection Day; 5) Only one share class of each company is eligible for inclusion and it will be the share class with the highest Average Daily Value Traded over 1 month and over 6 months prior to and including the Selection Day; and 6) A company must be classified under one or more of the following industries or subsectors based on FactSet or the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”) and generate at least 50% of their revenue, in the following industries or subsectors: semiconductors (FactSet industry); semiconductor equipment and services (RBICS subsector); and semiconductor manufacturing (RBICS subsector)(“Semiconductor Companies”). The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The components of the Index may change over time. In order to be classified in one of the above industries or subsectors, FactSet and RBICS require that the company generate at least 50% of its revenue from that industry or subsector.

 

All eligible securities are ranked based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and the top 30 from the Index Universe are selected for inclusion in the Index (“Index Component”). The maximum weight of the top five Index Components by free float market capitalization is 8% and all other Index Components are capped at 4%. “Selection Day” is 20 business days before rebalance day. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing. Rebalance day is the first Wednesday in February, May, August, and November.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Semiconductor Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Companies classified within the semiconductors industry include companies that either manufacture materials that have electrical conductivity (semiconductors) to be used in electronic applications or utilize LED (light-emitting diode (LED) is a type of display technology that uses backlight to illuminate the pixels) and OLED (organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a type of display technology that emits its own light in response to an electric current) technology. The semiconductors industry also includes companies that provide services or equipment associated with semiconductors such as packaging and testing. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the semiconductor Industry and information technology sector. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies typically face intense competition, potentially rapid product obsolescence and high capital costs and are dependent on third-party suppliers and the availability of materials. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Semiconductor companies are also affected by the economic performance of their customers. The stock prices of companies in the semiconductor industry have been and likely will continue to be extremely volatile.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

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Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund may invest, within U.S. regulations, in foreign securities. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region. The securities in which the Fund invests and, consequently, the Fund are also subject to specific risks as a result of their business operations, including, but not limited to:

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

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  Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. For example, tensions between the U.S. and China have increased over the past several years in general and, in particular, as it relates to Taiwan. To the extent the Fund continues to invest in securities issued by Taiwanese issuers, the Fund may be subject to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy, its securities market and the overall supply chain for the semiconductor industry. Taiwan’s economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korea’s neighbors, including escalated tensions involving North Korea and any outbreak of hostilities involving North Korea, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, may have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy.

 

Risk of Investing in Taiwan. Investments in Taiwanese issuers involve risks that are specific to Taiwan, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. Political and economic developments of Taiwan’s neighbors may have an adverse effect on Taiwan’s economy. Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions, which may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

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Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.
   
New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

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New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

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Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Silver Miners ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Silver Miners ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies with significant exposure to the silver mining industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Silver Mining Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is a rules-based equity index developed and maintained by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to global companies in the large-, mid- and small- capitalization segments that have significant exposure to the silver mining industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 28 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $375 million and $55 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $10 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Day (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the STOXX World AC All Cap Index (a free float market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of large-, mid- and small- capitalization companies, as calculated by the Index Provider, that represent the top 85% of the investable market capitalization of each developed and emerging market country included in the Index, excluding companies based in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia); and 2) have three month Average Daily Traded Value of $0.5 million or more.

 

The Index Universe is then screened to identify Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies. Tier 1 companies are companies 1) with RBICS Focus of Silver Ore Mining (revenue of 50% or more from the Silver Ore Mining sector), and 2) companies with revenues of 25% or more from the RBICS L6 subindustry of Silver Ore Mining, which companies are ranked by their revenues to the subindustry and included in Tier 1 until there are a maximum of 50 companies in Tier 1. Tier 2 companies are companies that are in the top 40% in terms of market share from Silver Ore Mining not selected as Tier 1 companies and eligible in terms of their Average Daily Traded Value. For this purpose, “market share” is defined by the Index Provider as the percentile ranking of all companies in the Index Universe with at least $1 million dollars in revenue generated within the Silver Ore Mining sector Tier 1 and Tier 2 Companies are included in the Index (“Index Components”).

 

The Index Components are initially weighted by their free float market capitalization. The Index is then capped so that High Exposure Silver Mining Companies weigh in aggregate a minimum of 80% of the Index. “High Exposure Silver Mining Companies” are defined as those with revenues of 50% or more from the RBICS L6 subindustry of Silver Ore Mining, companies with RBICS Focus of Silver Ore Mining (i.e., revenue of 50% or more from the Silver Ore Mining sector), or companies that rank in the top 10 in terms of market share (as defined above) from Silver Ore Mining as identified by the Index Provider. In addition, the maximum Index Component weight is no higher than 10% and companies with a weight over 4.5% do not exceed 45% in aggregation. Tier 2 companies, in aggregate, are capped at 30% of the Index. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

 

The composition of the Index is ordinarily reviewed once a year in September (“Selection Day”). The Index Component weight factors are calculated quarterly in March, June, September, and December. They are published on the second Friday of March, June, September, and December, based on the stocks’ closing prices the preceding Thursday. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of the Index Components of the Index is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of High Exposure Silver Mining Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small- capitalization companies from developed and emerging market countries. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, companies in the exploration, metals and mining, and silver mining industries and the materials sector represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry. The exploration and development of mineral deposits involve significant financial risks over a significant period of time, which even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge may not eliminate. Few properties which are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. Major expenditures may be required to establish reserves by drilling and to construct mining and processing facilities at a site. In addition, mineral exploration companies typically operate at a loss and are dependent on securing equity and/or debt financing, which might be more difficult to secure for an exploration company than for a more established counterpart.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may be significantly subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the silver mining industry and the price of silver bullion. The price of silver may be affected by changes in inflation rates, interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions, and political stability. Commodity prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time; therefore, the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies may also be significantly affected by import controls, worldwide competition, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices. Metals and mining companies may have significant operations in areas at risk for social and political unrest, security concerns and environmental damage. These companies may also be at risk for increased government regulation and intervention. Such risks may adversely affect the issuers to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Commodity Risk. The Fund invests in companies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets and to price changes due to trade relations. Any negative changes in commodity markets that may be due to changes in supply and demand for commodities, market events, war, regulatory developments, other catastrophic events, or other factors that the Fund cannot control could have an adverse impact on those companies.

 

Commodity Price Relationship Risk. The Index measures the performance of companies involved in the silver mining industry and not the performance of the price of silver bullion itself. The securities of companies involved in the silver mining industry may under- or over-perform the price of silver bullion over the short-term or the long-term.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector are affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and worldwide competition. At times, worldwide production of industrial materials has exceeded demand, leading to poor investment returns or outright losses. Issuers in the materials sector are at risk of depletion of resources, technological progress, labor relations, governmental regulations and environmental damage and product liability claims.

 

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Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

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Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Canada. Investments in securities of Canadian issuers, including issuers located outside of Canada that generate significant revenue from Canada, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States, countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent on and may be significantly affected by the U.S. economy. Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S. economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Trade agreements may further increase Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy, and uncertainty as to future trade agreements may cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares. Past periodic demands by the Province of Quebec for sovereignty have significantly affected equity valuations and foreign currency movements in the Canadian market and such demands may have this effect in the future. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the Index.

 

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Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries and may demonstrate significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trading with key partners. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized.

 

In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility. Recent developments in relations between the United States and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund.

 

In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold relatively large amounts of non-performing debt. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make Chinese securities illiquid.

 

In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in on-shore Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. Worsening trade relations may also result in market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares.

 

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers.

 

Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

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Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

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Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Tax Status Risk. The Fund intends to pay dividends each taxable year to enable it to continue to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If the Fund were to distribute to its shareholders less than the minimum amount required for any year, the Fund would become subject to federal income tax for that year on all of its taxable income and recognized gains, even those distributed to its shareholders. In addition, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Fund may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from the sale of commodities and precious metals. This could make it more difficult for the Fund to pursue its investment strategy and maintain qualification as a RIC. In lieu of potential disqualification as a RIC, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy this income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Solar Energy ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Solar Energy ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies with significant exposure to the Solar energy distribution and related manufacturing industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$36 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Solar Energy Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is a rules-based equity index developed and maintained by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to global companies in the large- mid- and small- capitalization segments that are active in the Solar energy distribution and related manufacturing industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 52 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $81 million and $30 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $8.5 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Day (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the STOXX World AC All Cap Index (a free float market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of large-, mid- and small- capitalization companies, as calculated by the Index Provider, that represent the top 85% of the investable market capitalization of each developed and emerging market country included in the index, excluding companies based in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia); 2) have free-float market capitalization greater than $100 million; 3) have a three month Average Daily Traded Value (ADTV) greater than $1 million; and 4) have 50% or more of revenues generated within the sectors associated with the solar energy theme as defined by the Index Provider based on the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”): China Solar Wholesale Power, United States Solar Wholesale Power, Canada Solar Wholesale Power, Latin America Solar Wholesale Power, Europe Solar Wholesale Power, Middle East and Africa Solar Wholesale Power, Other Asia/Pacific Solar Wholesale Power, Photovoltaic and Solar Cells and Systems Providers, and Alternative Energy Infrastructure Construction; or have a RBICS Focus classification (revenue of 50% or more) in one of these sectors (“Solar Energy Companies”). The Index aims to have a minimum number of 50 constituents at each review (“Index Components”). If the screening process described above results in being too restrictive, the revenue filter is progressively lowered in steps of 5% for the Index, to a minimum of 30% (25% for current Index Components), until the number of constituents is equal to or greater than 50. This process allows the Fund to obtain access to companies that are considered diversified players (i.e., a company with revenues greater than 25% but less than 50% in the solar energy distribution and related manufacturing industry) and/or absolute market leaders in the solar energy distribution and related manufacturing industry. The revenue threshold is lowered to 45% for existing Index Components in order to manage portfolio turnover.

The Index Components are initially weighted by their free float market capitalization. The Index is then capped so that Solar Energy Companies in aggregate weigh a minimum 80% of the Index. In addition, the maximum Index Component weight is no higher than 10% and Index Components with a weight over 4.5% do not exceed 45% in aggregation. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

The composition of the Index is ordinarily reviewed once a year in September (“Selection Day”). The Index Component weight factors are calculated quarterly in March, June, September, and December. They are published on the second Friday of March, June, September, and December, based on the stocks’ closing prices the preceding Thursday. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components of the Index is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts(“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Solar Energy Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small- capitalization companies from developed and emerging market countries. The Fund’s 80% Polices are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, the solar energy distribution and related manufacturing industry and energy and utilities sectors represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Risk of Investing in the Solar Energy Industry. The value of stocks that comprise the solar energy industry and the prices of energy may decline. The solar energy industry can be significantly affected by obsolescence of existing technology, short product lifecycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions. This industry can also be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, tax incentives, subsidies and other government regulations and policies. Companies in this industry may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, availability of certain inputs and materials required for production, depletion of resources, technological developments and labor relations. Recently, the price of oil has declined significantly and experienced significant volatility, which may materially impact companies operating in the solar energy industry. Shares of companies involved in the solar energy industry have historically been more volatile than shares of companies operating in more established industries.

 

Clean Energy Industry Risk. Renewable and alternative energy companies can be significantly affected by the following factors: obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, the supply of and demand for oil and gas, world events and economic conditions. In addition, shares of clean energy companies have been significantly more volatile than shares of companies operating in other more established industries and the securities included in the Fund may be subject to sharp price declines. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the energy sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, among others, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts, natural disasters, and potential civil liabilities. Such companies are also subject to risks changes in economic conditions, as well as market and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business.

 

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Utilities Sector Risk. Utility companies include companies producing or providing gas, electricity or water. These companies are subject to the risk of the imposition of rate caps, increased competition due to deregulation, the difficulty in obtaining an adequate return on invested capital or in financing large construction projects counterparty risk, the limitations on operations and increased costs and delays attributable to environmental considerations and the capital market’s ability to absorb utility debt. In addition, taxes, government regulation, domestic and international politics, price and supply fluctuations, volatile interest rates and energy conservation may negatively affect utility companies.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

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Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

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Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries and may demonstrate significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trading with key partners. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized.

 

In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility. Recent developments in relations between the United States and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund.

 

In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold relatively large amounts of non-performing debt. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make Chinese securities illiquid.

 

In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in on-shore Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. Worsening trade relations may also result in market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares.

 

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers.

 

Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

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Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes US Cash Flow Champions ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes US Cash Flow Champions ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S. companies with a high cash flow yield.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.29%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.29%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$30 $93

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive US Cash Flow Champions Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free-float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to U.S. companies that have a high cash flow yield. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 75 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1 billion and $434 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $143 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) is a member of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) United States Large & Mid Cap Index; and 2) only companies with a positive cash flow yield (free cash flow/enterprise value) in the last 4 years are eligible. A company’s free cash flow is its cash flow from operations less its capital expenditures, and its enterprise value is its market capitalization plus its debt and less its cash and cash equivalents. All eligible companies are ranked according to next year’s estimated cash flow yield and the top 75 are selected for the Index (each, an “Index Component”). To limit turnover in the Index a buffer rule is included: In case a company is already an Index Component and is ranked within the top 200 the company remains in the Index. Each Index Component is assigned a weight according to its free float market capitalization weight which is capped at 5%. The Index is adjusted on the Rebalance Day which is 7 days after the Selection Day. “Selection Day” is the last business day in March, June, September, and December. The cap represents a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the cap based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The country classification of a company (i.e., as a “US” company) is generally determined by the Index Provider using the company’s country of incorporation and the country of primary listing of its securities. If the company’s country of primary listing is the same as its country of incorporation, then the company will be assigned to that country. If the country of primary listing is not the same as the company’s country of incorporation, then additional criteria, such as the location of the company’s management board (country of domicile) and an assessment by the Index Provider of the country in which the company would be influenced the most by potential changes in the business environment (country of risk), are considered by the Index Provider for classification purposes.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of U.S. companies. The Index may include securities of large-, mid-, and small-capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer staples and financials sectors. The degree toIch Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not a money market fund and does not qualify for the special money market fund tax treatment or tax accounting methods under U.S. Treasury regulations. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Consumer Staples Sector Risk. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and changes in the global economy, consumer spending and consumer demand. Companies in the consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Fads, marketing campaigns, and other factors affecting consumer demand are tied closely to the performance of companies in this sector.

 

Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financials sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

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ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

  ○ Authorized Participants (“APps”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APps. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

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Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes US Internet ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes US Internet ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index designed to track the performance of companies that are engaged in internet-related business activities.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.29%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.29%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$30 $93

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive US Internet Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free-float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to U.S. companies that are engaged in internet-related businesses. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 58 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $2.2 billion and $1.3 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $349 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe”. The Index Universe comprises all companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: (1) are included in the current selection universe of the Solactive US Broad Market Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of approximately 3,000 of the largest US equities); (2) have minimum free-float market capitalization of $500 million; (3) have a minimum Average Daily Value Traded over the past three months of $2 million. The Average Daily Value Traded for an Index Component is the sum of daily value traded over the specified period divided by the number of trading days that fall in the specified period; and (4) are listed and traded on a national U.S. stock exchange.

 

The Index Provider further screens the Index Universe for companies that generate a majority (greater than 50%) of their revenue from internet activity, defined as: (1) providing for a) the sale of goods (e.g. retail durables like appliances and non-durables like food and cleaning products), b) the sale of services (e.g. banking, broker, payments or real estate; static or streaming media; travel), or c) social networking (e.g. professional, personal or targeted networking) through an open network (i.e., a network with an open ecosystem designed to share as widely as possible); or (2) providing Internet-related services, including but not limited to a) network communications, b) Internet access, c) Internet infrastructure, d) Internet software, e) Internet search capability, f) web hosting, g) website design, h) cloud computing, or i) e-commerce (“Internet Companies”).

 

The country classification of a company (i.e., as a “US” company) is generally determined by the Index Provider using the company’s country of incorporation and the country of primary listing of its securities. If the company’s country of primary listing is the same as its country of incorporation, then the company will be assigned to that country. If the country of primary listing is not the same as the company’s country of incorporation, then additional criteria, such as the location of the company’s management board (country of domicile) and an assessment by the Index Provider of the country in which the company would be influenced the most by potential changes in the business environment (country of risk), are considered by the Index Provider for classification purposes.

 

All Internet Companies are ranked based on their free float market capitalization in a descending order and the top 60 Internet Company securities by free float market capitalization are selected for inclusion in the Index (each, and “Index Component”). “Selection Day” is the third business day of January, April, July and October.

 

On each Selection Day, each Index Component is assigned a weight according to free float market capitalization and adjustment to the Index takes place on the fifth business day after each Selection Day. The weight of individual securities is capped at 10%. Any excess weight is redistributed to the other Index Components that have a weight of less than 10%. This allocation is performed pro-rata based on the free float market capitalization. This is an iterative process until the maximum individual weight of all Index Components is 10%. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

 

The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of US Internet Companies. Index securities are U.S. exchange traded large-, mid- and small-capitalization equity securities that are classified as Internet Companies by the Index Provider. Internet Companies represent businesses that provide internet-related services, including, but not limited to, internet software, internet search engines, web hosting, website design or internet retail commerce. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

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The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the internet industry, and the communications services and information technology sectors. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. Similarly, if the Index has significant exposure to one or more sectors, the Fund’s investments will likely have significant exposure to such sectors. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry or sector, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries or sectors.

 

Internet Industry Risk. Internet companies are subject to rapid changes in technology, worldwide competition, rapid obsolescence of products and services, loss of patent protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Competitive pressures, such as technological developments, fixed-rate pricing and the ability to attract and retain skilled employees, can significantly affect internet companies, and changing domestic and international demand, research and development costs, availability and price components and product obsolescence also can affect their profitability. Certain companies in the internet-related services industry provide retail services primarily on the internet, through mail order and TV home shopping retailers, and rely heavily on consumer spending. Prices of securities of companies in this industry may fluctuate widely due to general economic conditions, consumer spending and the availability of disposable income, changing consumer tastes and preferences and consumer demographics. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in this industry.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Communications Sector Risk. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

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Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

  ○ Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

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Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

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Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception. 

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes US R&D Champions ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes US R&D Champions ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of innovative US companies which exhibit strong and consistent investment in research and development (R&D) as well as profitability.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.29%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.29%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$30 $93

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive US R&D Champions Index (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to US companies in the large- and mid- capitalization segments that rank in the top 50 companies based on the Index Provider’s R&D intensity metric (defined below). The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 50 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $8.8 billion and $2.5 trillion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $184.5 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below) are a part/component of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) United States Large & Mid Cap USD Index (an index developed and maintained by the Index Provider that intends to track the performance of the large- and mid- capitalization segments covering approximately 85% of the free-float market capitalization in the United States).

 

The country classification of a company (i.e. as a “US” company) is generally determined by the Index Provider using the company’s country of incorporation and the country of primary listing of its securities. If the company’s country of primary listing is the same as its country of incorporation, then the company will be assigned to that country. If the country of primary listing is not the same as the company’s country of incorporation, then additional criteria, such as the location of the company’s management board (country of domicile) and an assessment by the Index Provider of the country in which the company would be influenced the most by potential changes in the business environment (country of risk), are considered by the Index Provider for classification purposes.

 

Based on the Index Universe, the initial composition of the Index, as well as any selection for an ordinary rebalance, is determined on the Selection Day by the Index Provider based on its R&D ranking metric. To be eligible for the Index a company must have reported through its public filings its R&D expenses and must have a positive profit margin in each of the last three years (“R&D Companies”). R&D Companies must also meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Index: 1) must have increasing research & development expenses in each of the last three years; 2) must have a positive return on equity in each of the last three years; and 3) must have a positive return on assets in each of the last three years. All eligible companies are then assigned a ranking based on the Index Provider’s R&D ranking metric. This R&D metric ranks a company’s research & development activities by determining the percentage that research & development expenses are of a company’s sales and net income with the top 50 R&D focused companies being selected for the Index. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of securities for inclusion in the Index (“Index Components”) is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology.

 

“Selection Day” is the last business day in January, April, July and October. “Rebalance Day” is seven business days after Selection Day. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities that comprise the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of R&D Companies. The Index may include securities of large- and mid- capitalization companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the information technology sector. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time. 

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information (i.e., a company’s R&D expense information) will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index. There is no guarantee that companies within the Fund’s Investment Universe will continue to report their R&D expenses annually. If a significant number of companies stop reporting their R&D expenses the Fund’s investment strategy may no longer be viable.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

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Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of small capitalization U.S. companies with a high cash flow yield.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.29%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.29%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$30 $93

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is based on a proprietary methodology developed and maintained by Solactive AG (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is a free-float adjusted, market capitalization weighted index that is designed to provide exposure to small capitalization U.S. companies that have a high cash flow yield. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 75 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $371 million and $14 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of approximately $5 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Days (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) is a member of the Solactive GBS (Global Benchmark Series) United States Small Cap Index (which includes the bottom 15% of the total U.S. market capitalization) (a “Small Cap Company”); and 2) only companies with a positive cash flow yield (free cash flow/enterprise value) in the last 4 years are eligible. A company’s free cash flow is its cash flow from operations less its capital expenditures, and its enterprise value is its market capitalization plus its debt and less its cash and cash equivalents. All eligible companies are ranked according to next year’s estimated cash flow yield and the top 75 are selected for the Index (each, an “Index Component”). To limit turnover in the Index a buffer rule is included: In case a company is already an Index Component and is ranked within the top 200 the company remains in the Index. Each Index Component is assigned a weight according to its free float market capitalization weight which is capped at 5%. The cap represents a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the cap based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

 

The country classification of a company (i.e., as a “US” company) is generally determined by the Index Provider using the company’s country of incorporation and the country of primary listing of its securities. If the company’s country of primary listing is the same as its country of incorporation, then the company will be assigned to that country. If the country of primary listing is not the same as the company’s country of incorporation, then additional criteria, such as the location of the company’s management board (country of domicile) and an assessment by the Index Provider of the country in which the company would be influenced the most by potential changes in the business environment (country of risk), are considered by the Index Provider for classification purposes.

 

The Index is adjusted on the Rebalance Day which is 7 days after the Selection Day. “Selection Day” is the last business day in March, June, September, and December. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of Index Components is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of US Small Cap Companies. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of June 30, 2023, a significant portion of the Index is represented by securities of companies in the financials sector. The degree to which Index Components represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is not a money market fund and does not qualify for the special money market fund tax treatment or tax accounting methods under U.S. Treasury regulations. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. customers.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Financials Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financials sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, changes in government regulations, economic conditions, and interest rates, credit rating downgrades, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. The impact of changes in capital requirements and recent or future regulation of any individual financial company, or of the financials sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have caused significant losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

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Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

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Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

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Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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Themes Wind Energy ETF

 

 

Investment Objective

 

The Themes Wind Energy ETF (the “Fund”) is an exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies with significant exposure to the wind energy distribution and related manufacturing industry.

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
Management Fees 0.35%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees None
Other Expenses* 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.35%

 

* Estimated for the current fiscal year

 

Example

The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the Shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year 3 Years
$35 $113

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover information is not yet available.

 

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

 

The Fund employs a “passive management” (or indexing) investment approach designed to track the performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Wind Energy Index, or any successor thereto (the “Index”). The Index is a rules-based equity index developed and maintained by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”), which is an organization that is independent of, and unaffiliated with, the Fund and Themes Management Company, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”).

 

The Index

 

The Index is designed to provide exposure to global companies in the large-, mid- and small- capitalization segments that are active in the wind energy distribution and related manufacturing industry. The Index is denominated in U.S. dollars. As of June 30, 2023, the Index was comprised of 48 companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $183 million and 39.7 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $11 billion.

 

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In constructing or adjusting the Index, the Index Provider identifies an “Index Universe” of companies that, on Selection Day (as defined below), fulfill the following requirements: 1) are a part/component of the STOXX World AC All Cap Index (a free float market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies, as calculated by the Index Provider, that represent the top 85% of the investable market capitalization of each developed and emerging market country included in the index, excluding companies based in India, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia); 2) have free-float market capitalization greater than $100 million; 3) have a three month Average Daily Traded Value (ADTV) greater than $1 million; and 4) have 50% or more of revenues generated within the following sectors associated with the wind energy theme as defined by the Index Provider based on the FactSet Revere Business Industry Classification System (“RBICS”): China Wind Wholesale Power, United States Wind Wholesale Power, Canada Wind Wholesale Power, Europe Wind Wholesale Power, Latin America Wind Wholesale Power, Middle East and Africa Wind Wholesale Power, Other Asia/Pacific Wind Wholesale Power, Wind Energy Equipment Manufacturing, and Alternative Energy Infrastructure Construction; or have a RBICS Focus classification (revenue of 50% or more) in one of these sectors (“Wind Energy Companies”). The Index aims to have a minimum number of 50 constituents at each review (“Index Components”). If the screening process described above results in being too restrictive, the revenue filter is progressively lowered in steps of 5% for the Index, to a minimum of 30% (25% for current Index Components), until the number of constituents is equal to or greater than 50. This process allows the Fund to obtain access to companies that are considered diversified players (i.e., a company with revenues greater than 25% but less than 50% in the wind distribution and related manufacturing industry) and/or market leaders in the wind distribution and related manufacturing industry. The revenue threshold is lowered to 45% for existing Index Components in order to manage portfolio turnover.

 

The Index Components are initially weighted by their free float market capitalization. The Index is then capped so that Wind Energy Companies in aggregate weigh a minimum 80% of the Index. In addition, the maximum Index Component weight is no higher than 8% and Index Components with a weight over 4.5% do not exceed 35% in aggregation. These caps represent a general guideline set by the Index Provider and, at times, the Fund may hold positions that exceed the caps based on market activity and/or timing of Index selection/rebalancing.

 

The composition of the Index is ordinarily reviewed once a year in September (“Selection Day”). The Index Component weight factors are calculated quarterly in March, June, September, and December. They are published on the second Friday of March, June, September, and December, based on the stocks’ closing prices the preceding Thursday. The determination of the Index Universe and the selection of the Index Components of the Index is made by the Index Provider based on its proprietary methodology. The Index Components may change over time.

 

The Fund’s Investment Strategy

 

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the securities that comprise the Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) based on the securities in the Index. The Fund will also invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of Wind Energy Companies and in ADRs and GDRs based on such securities. Such securities may include those of large-, mid- and small capitalization companies from developed and emerging market countries. The Fund’s 80% Policies are non-fundamental and require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before each can be changed.

 

The Fund uses a “passive” or indexing approach. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to beat the Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

 

The Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportion as in the Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Index, in instances in which a security in the Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Index. The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of the Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.

 

The Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. To the extent the Index is concentrated (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to be concentrated in that industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent. As of June 30, 2023, companies in the wind energy distribution and related manufacturing industry, and utilities and energy sectors represented a significant portion of the Index. The degree to which components of the Index represent certain sectors or industries may change over time.

 

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

 

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Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks summarized below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds.” Each risk summarized below is considered a “principal risk” of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries.

 

  Wind Energy Companies Risk. Wind energy companies can be significantly affected by the obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions. Such companies may also be highly dependent on government subsidies and contracts with government entities and may be negatively affected if such subsidies and contracts become unavailable. They are also susceptible to fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects and tax and other government regulations. Wind energy companies could be negatively affected by adverse environmental conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technological developments and labor relations.

 

Clean Energy Industry Risk. Renewable and alternative energy companies can be significantly affected by the following factors: obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, the supply of and demand for oil and gas, world events and economic conditions. In addition, shares of clean energy companies have been significantly more volatile than shares of companies operating in other more established industries and the securities included in the Fund may be subject to sharp price declines. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The Fund may invest in companies in the energy sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, among others, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts, natural disasters, and potential civil liabilities. Such companies are also subject to risks changes in economic conditions, as well as market and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business.

 

Utilities Sector Risk. Utility companies include companies producing or providing gas, electricity or water. These companies are subject to the risk of the imposition of rate caps, increased competition due to deregulation, the difficulty in obtaining an adequate return on invested capital or in financing large construction projects counterparty risk, the limitations on operations and increased costs and delays attributable to environmental considerations and the capital market’s ability to absorb utility debt. In addition, taxes, government regulation, domestic and international politics, price and supply fluctuations, volatile interest rates and energy conservation may negatively affect utility companies.

 

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Calculation Methodology Risk. The Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Currency Risk. The Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if currencies of the underlying securities depreciate against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currencies. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning, which could have a significant negative impact on the Fund.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts (e.g., ADRs and GDRs) which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Index. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

 

Equity Market Risk. The equity securities held in the Fund’s portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific industries, sectors or companies in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

Authorized Participants (“APs”), Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Costs of Buying or Selling Shares of the Fund. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares of the Fund may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares of the Fund may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The price of shares of the Fund, like the price of all traded securities, will be subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.

 

Trading. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange, such as The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that shares of the Fund will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of shares of the Fund may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than shares of the Fund, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the shares of the Fund and the underlying value of those shares.

 

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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities can be riskier than U.S. securities investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers (including investments in ADRs and GDRs) are subject to the risks associated with investing in those foreign markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The prices of foreign securities and the prices of U.S. securities have, at times, moved in opposite directions. In addition, securities of foreign issuers may lose value due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market. During periods of social, political or economic instability in a country or region, the value of a foreign security traded on U.S. exchanges could be affected by, among other things, increasing price volatility, illiquidity, or the closure of the primary market on which the security (or the security underlying the ADR or GDR) is traded. You may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a foreign issuer or market.

 

Geographic Risk. A natural, biological or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region or in a region economically tied to the affected region.

 

Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. The Fund’s investment in a developed country issuer may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund’s investments. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

 

Risk of Investing in Europe. The economies of Europe are highly dependent on each other, both as key trading partners and, in many cases, as fellow members maintaining the euro. Decreasing European imports, new trade regulations, changes in exchange rates, a recession in Europe, or a slowing of economic growth in this region could have an adverse impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Reduction in trading activity among European countries may cause an adverse impact on each nation’s individual economies. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and recessions in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect European countries.

 

Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is generally considered an emerging market and can be significantly affected by economic and political conditions in China and surrounding Asian countries and may demonstrate significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trading with key partners. A downturn in the economies of China’s primary trading partners could slow or eliminate the growth of the Chinese economy and adversely impact the Fund’s investments. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. The Chinese government may introduce new laws and regulations that could have an adverse effect on the Fund. Although China has begun the process of privatizing certain sectors of its economy, privatized entities may lose money and/or be re-nationalized.

 

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In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets are subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility. Recent developments in relations between the United States and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on China’s export industry and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund.

 

In recent years, Chinese entities have incurred significant levels of debt and Chinese financial institutions currently hold relatively large amounts of non-performing debt. Thus, there exists a possibility that widespread defaults could occur, which could trigger a financial crisis, freeze Chinese debt and finance markets and make Chinese securities illiquid.

 

In addition, trade relations between the U.S. and China have recently been strained. Worsening trade relations between the two countries could adversely impact the Fund, particularly to the extent that the Chinese government restricts foreign investments in on-shore Chinese companies or the U.S. government restricts investments by U.S. investors in China. Worsening trade relations may also result in market volatility and volatility in the price of Fund shares.

 

Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers.

 

Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of large-capitalization companies underperform securities of smaller-capitalization companies or the market as a whole. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult or impossible to purchase or sell at an advantageous time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, market turmoil, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants, or the lack of an active trading market. Markets for securities or financial instruments could be disrupted by a number of events, including, but not limited to, an economic crisis, natural disasters, new legislation or regulatory changes inside or outside the U.S. Liquid investments may become less liquid after being purchased by the Fund, particularly during periods of market stress. In addition, if a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert holdings to cash.

 

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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Mid-capitalization companies may have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies may have smaller revenues, narrower product lines, less management depth and experience, smaller shares of their product or service markets, fewer financial resources and less competitive strength than large-capitalization companies.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Fund shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund and/or the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser, Index Provider, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s Index Provider, Adviser, other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index, regardless of their investment merits. The Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Securities Lending Risk. To the extent the Fund lends its securities, it may be subject to the following risks: (1) the securities in which the collateral is invested may not perform sufficiently to cover the applicable rebate rates paid to borrowers and related administrative costs; (2) delays may occur in the recovery of securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Fund’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions; and (3) although borrowers of the Fund’s securities typically provide collateral in the form of cash that is reinvested in securities, there is the risk of possible loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower fail financially.

 

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

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Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, when the Fund uses a representative sampling approach, the Fund may not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as when the Fund purchases all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index.

 

Valuation Risk. Independent market quotations for certain investments held by the Fund may not be readily available, and such investments may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations involve subjectivity and different market participants may assign different prices to the same investment. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. In addition, the securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days that the Fund does not price its shares; as a result, the value of Fund shares may change on days when investors cannot purchase or sell their Fund holdings.

 

Fund Performance

 

Performance information for the Fund is not included because the Fund did not commence operations prior to the date of this Prospectus. In the future, performance for the Fund will be presented in this section. Updated performance information will be available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at _________.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Themes Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”) serves as investment adviser to the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Dingxun (Kevin) Shao, Vice President, Product Management & Development of the Adviser, and Calvin Tsang, CFA, Head of Product Management & Development of the Adviser, are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and have served as portfolio managers since the Fund’s inception.

 

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

 

The Fund is an ETF. This means that individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).

 

The Fund generally issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares known as “Creation Units,” which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash that the Fund specifies each day.

 

Investors 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 Shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund, including its net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

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Tax Information

 

Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account. Distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal from tax-deferred accounts.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase the Fund through a broker or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and its related companies may pay the intermediary for activities related to the marketing and promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales person to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales person or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS

 

Each Fund’s ticker symbol appears on the cover of this Prospectus, and references to specific Funds in the sections below may refer to such Funds by their ticker symbol.

 

Additional Information About Each Fund’s Investment Objective

 

Each Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon written notice to shareholders.

 

Additional Information About Each Fund’s Principal Investment Strategies

 

Each Fund, excluding Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF, is expected to concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of related industries to approximately the same extent that the Fund’s underlying index is concentrated. Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF is an actively managed ETF that will concentrate its investments in the banking sector. For purposes of the limitation on concentration, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. The components of each Fund’s underlying index (excluding Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF), and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.

 

Additional Information About the ARTIS® Scoring System

 

The Themes European Luxury ETF, Themes Future of Farming ETF and the Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF all rely in part on the Solactive ARTIS® Scoring System when developing their respective indexes. Solactive has developed its own proprietary software tool designed to identify thematic exposure in corporations using various data sources. The software, Algorithmic Theme Identification System (“ARTIS®”), works as a multidimensional classification tool that is designed to generate a deeper understanding of the products and services a company offers compared to a traditional one-dimensional sector classification system. There are two main drivers of a company’s ARTIS® Score: the frequency with which a company is referenced in relation to the respective set of keywords (“Term Frequency”) as well as the keywords’ relative importance (“Inverse Document Frequency”). In general, the more words in common with the keywords a company has, the higher its ARTIS® Score will be. However, the impact a single keyword can have on the final score is limited, i.e., each keyword has a diminishing marginal score. The repetition of a single keyword is less important than matches of several different keywords. While the repetition of a keyword in a document will generally lead to a higher Term Frequency, the Inverse Document Frequency gives less weight to words that are common within the Search Corpus as a whole. Generally, the algorithm is deterministic, i.e., the same input will always lead to the same output. As such, there is no unexpected behavior in the results.

 

Solactive uses sources such as company filings, financial news, business descriptions, press releases, and earnings call transcripts and is constantly analyzing new sources to add. This list can therefore change in the future. At each rebalancing process, Solactive performs a final business operation check based on manual research. Solactive’s Index Management Department will go through each of the companies selected during the previous methodology steps, and check if there are any false-positives (in which case these companies would not be selected in the end). This process involves reading through the business description provided by FactSet, plus other checks like analyzing the revenue streams based on publicly available information (e.g. Annual Reports), where necessary to ensure that the selected companies are all relevant to the respective theme.

 

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Additional Information About the Themes Cloud Computing ETF

 

Below is a description of each of the industries included in the Solactive Cloud Computing Index. This information provides an explanation as to why the Index Provider believes companies providing these products and services belong within the cloud computing theme.

 

Digital Security Software: Digital security software is crucial in cloud computing in order to protect data and applications from unauthorized access, data breaches, and other cybersecurity threats. It includes tools for encryption, authentication, access control, firewalls, and monitoring, which are essential for maintaining the security and integrity of data and services in the cloud.

 

E-commerce Infrastructure Software: E-commerce infrastructure software provides the necessary tools and platforms to build, manage, and scale online businesses. In the cloud industry/in cloud computing, this software enables businesses to leverage cloud-based infrastructure, such as servers, databases, and storage, to support their e-commerce operations. It includes solutions for online storefronts, payment gateways, inventory management, order processing, and customer relationship management.

 

Data Infrastructure Software: Data infrastructure software in the cloud industry focuses on managing and processing large volumes of data. It includes tools and technologies for data storage, retrieval, and analytics in cloud-based environments. This software enables organizations to store and process data efficiently, scale their infrastructure as needed, and derive valuable insights from their data using cloud-based platforms and services.

 

Data Architecture Software: Data architecture software is essential for designing and organizing data structures, workflows, and systems within an organization. In the cloud industry, data architecture software helps businesses plan and implement data models, data integration strategies, and data governance frameworks in cloud-based environments. It enables efficient data management and ensures the compatibility, security, and accessibility of data across cloud platforms and applications.

 

Internet Infrastructure Software: Internet infrastructure software focuses on the underlying technologies and systems that power the internet and enable its functioning. In the cloud industry, internet infrastructure software plays a crucial role in providing reliable and scalable network connectivity, load balancing, domain name services (DNS), content delivery networks (CDNs), and other essential components that support cloud-based services and applications.

 

Data Support Software: Data support software encompasses a range of tools and solutions that assist in managing and manipulating data effectively. In the context of the cloud industry, data support software aids in tasks such as data cleansing, data transformation, data integration, and data quality management. It helps organizations optimize their data processes, ensure data consistency and accuracy, and facilitate data-driven decision-making in cloud-based environments.

 

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Additional Information About the Themes Generative AI ETF

 

Below is a description of each of the AI related industries included in the Solactive Generative Artificial Intelligence Index. This information provides an explanation as to why the Index Provider believes companies providing these products and services belong within the AI theme.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI): This segment is at the forefront of the AI industry, driving advancements in AI computing solutions, software, processors, and services. These companies focus on developing cutting-edge technologies and algorithms that enable machines to simulate human intelligence. By leveraging techniques such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, they provide AI-based solutions to industries such as media, services, pharmaceuticals, and computers. These solutions empower businesses to automate repetitive tasks, optimize processes, extract meaningful insights from data, and make informed decisions. The AI industry heavily relies on the innovations and advancements brought forth by companies in this segment.

 

Data Analytics and Big Data: In the AI industry, the importance of data analytics and big data cannot be overstated. Companies in this segment specialize in data-related technologies, including data mining, predictive analytics, and machine learning. They develop sophisticated algorithms and tools that can process and analyze vast amounts of data, enabling organizations to uncover valuable insights, patterns, and correlations. By applying AI techniques to big data, these companies help businesses make data-driven decisions, optimize operations, and gain a competitive edge. The AI industry heavily relies on the availability and effective utilization of high-quality data, and companies in this segment play a vital role in unlocking its potential.

 

Natural Language Processing: Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a critical branch of AI that focuses on enabling machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language. Companies in this segment are at the forefront of NLP research and development, offering solutions such as speech recognition, semantic networks, ontology engineering, and cognitive science. These companies create advanced algorithms and models that allow machines to comprehend and interact with human language in a meaningful way. NLP has significant applications in AI-driven systems, including voice assistants, chatbots, sentiment analysis, language translation, and information extraction. The advancements in NLP made by companies in this segment are pivotal in enhancing human-machine interactions and enabling AI to understand and communicate effectively with users.

 

AI-driven Services: This segment encompasses companies that develop AI-powered applications and components, which are integral to the AI industry. They create sophisticated AI-driven services such as chatbots, virtual assistants, predictive analytics, marketing technology, recommendation engines, and more. These services leverage AI techniques such as machine learning, natural language processing, and data analytics to automate tasks, provide personalized experiences, and optimize business processes. Furthermore, companies in this segment contribute to the AI industry by producing hardware and software components that power AI systems, such as specialized computer chips, graphics processing units (GPUs), and algorithms. These components are designed to deliver the computational power and efficiency required for AI tasks, enabling the industry to push the boundaries of AI innovation.

 

184

 

 

Additional Information About the Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF

 

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (“BCBS”), which is considered the primary global standard setter for the prudential regulation of banks, is responsible for identifying G-SIBs. BCBS consists of 45 members representing central bank and bank supervisors from 28 jurisdictions. BCBS has developed an indicator-based measurement approach to identify G-SIBs. A G-SIB designation does not represent an investment recommendation by BCBS, but it is designed to identify those banks that are systemically important to the global banking system. The measurement approach, which is risk based, considers the following five categories and the underlying indicators of each category, as applicable:

 

1. Size of the banks – A bank’s distress or failure is more likely to damage the global economy or financial markets if its activities comprise a large share of global activity. The larger the bank, the more difficult it is for its activities to be quickly replaced by other banks and therefore the greater the chance that its distress or failure would cause disruption to the financial markets in which it operates. The distress or failure of a large bank is also more likely to damage confidence in the financial system as a whole. Size is therefore a key measure of systemic importance.

 

2. Interconnectedness – Financial distress at one institution can materially increase the likelihood of distress at other institutions given the network of contractual obligations in which these firms operate. A bank’s systemic impact is likely to be positively related to its interconnectedness vis-à-vis other financial institutions. Three indicators are used to measure interconnectedness: (i) intra-financial system assets; (ii) intra-financial system liabilities; and (iii) securities outstanding. All three indicators include insurance subsidiaries of a bank in their measurements.

 

3. Substitutability/financial institution infrastructure – The systemic impact of a bank’s distress or failure is expected to be negatively related to its degree of substitutability as both a market participant and a client service provider. For example, the greater a bank’s role in a particular business line, or as a service provider in underlying market infrastructure (e.g., payment systems), the larger the disruption will likely be following its failure, in terms of both service gaps and reduced flow of market and infrastructure liquidity. At the same time, the cost to the failed bank’s customers in having to seek the same service from another institution is likely to be higher for a failed bank with relatively greater market share in providing the service. Four indicators are used to measure substitutability/financial institution infrastructure: (i) assets under custody; (ii) payments activity; (iii) underwritten transactions in debt and equity markets; and (iv) trading volume.

 

4. Cross-jurisdictional activity – The objective of this indicator is to capture banks’ global footprint. Two indicators in this category measure the importance of the bank’s activities outside its home (headquarter) jurisdiction relative to overall activity of other banks in the sample: (i) cross-jurisdictional claims; and (ii) cross-jurisdictional liabilities. The idea is that the international impact of a bank’s distress or failure would vary in line with its share of cross-jurisdictional assets and liabilities. The greater a bank’s global reach, the more difficult it is to coordinate its resolution and the more widespread the spillover effects from its failure.

 

5. Complexity – The systemic impact of a bank’s distress or failure is expected to be positively related to its overall complexity – that is, its business, structural and operational complexity. The more complex a bank is, the greater the costs and time needed to resolve the matters impacting the bank. Three indicators are used to measure complexity: (i) notional amount of OTC derivatives; (ii) amount of level 3 assets (i.e., are those assets fair valued using observable inputs that require significant adjustment based on unobservable inputs); and (iii) trading and available-for-sale securities. The first two indicators include insurance subsidiaries of a bank in their measurements.

 

In constructing its indicator-based measurement approach, BCBS has allocated a 20% weight to each of the broad categories and within all the broad categories, excluding the size category, unique indicators have been identified and assigned a specific weighting. For the cross-jurisdictional category, BCBS has identified two indicators, cross-jurisdictional claims (10%) and cross-jurisdictional liabilities (10%) that it considers when analyzing a bank. The category interconnectedness has been broken down into three indicators, intra-financial assets (6.67%), intra-financial system liabilities (6.67%) and securities outstanding (6.67%). Substitutability/financial institution infrastructure category has four indicators, assets under custody (6.67%), payments activity (6.67%), underwritten transactions in debt and equity markets (3.33%) and trading volume (3.33%). Lastly, the complexity category has three indicators, notional amount of the over-the-counter derivatives (6.67%), amount of level 3 assets (6.67%) and trading and available-for-sale securities (6.67%).

 

185

 

 

BCBS’s indicator-based measurement approach uses a large sample of banks as its proxy for the global banking sector. Data supplied by this sample of banks are then used to calculate banks’ scores. Banks fulfilling any of the following criteria are included in the sample: banks that the BCBS identifies as the 75 largest global banks, based on the financial year-end Basel III leverage ratio exposure measure, including exposures arising from insurance subsidiaries; banks that were designated as G-SIBs in the previous year (unless supervisors agree that there is a compelling reason to exclude them); and banks that have been added to the sample by national supervisors using supervisory judgment (subject to certain criteria).

 

For each bank, the score for a particular indicator is calculated by dividing the individual bank amount (expressed in EUR) by the aggregate amount for the indicator summed across all banks in the sample. This amount is then multiplied by 10,000 to express the indicator score in terms of basis points. For example, if a bank’s size divided by the total size of all banks in the sample is 0.03 (i.e., the bank makes up 3% of the sample total) its score will be expressed as 300 basis points. Each category score for each bank is determined by taking a simple average of the indicator scores in that category. The overall score for each bank is then calculated by taking a simple average of its five category scores and then rounding to the nearest whole basis point. The maximum total score, the score that a bank would have if it were the only bank in sample, is 10,000 basis points (i.e., 100%).

 

Banks that have a score produced by the indicator-based measurement approach that exceeds a cutoff level (currently at 130 basis points) set by BCBS are classified as G-SIBs. Supervisory judgment may also be used to add banks with scores below the cutoff to the list of G-SIBs. This judgment is exercised according to the principles set out by BCBS. Each year, BCBS runs the assessment and, if necessary, reallocates G-SIBs into different categories of systemic importance based on their scores.

 

G-SIBs are allocated into equally sized buckets based on their scores of systemic importance, with varying levels of higher loss absorbency (“HLA”) requirements applied to the different buckets. There are currently five different buckets (1-5), with the top bucket (5) initially being empty. As banks move into the top bucket (5), a new bucket will be added to maintain incentives for banks to avoid becoming more systemically important. It should be noted that the number of G-SIBs, and their bucket allocation, evolves over time as banks change their behavior in response to the incentives of the G-SIB framework as well as other aspects of Basel III and country-specific regulations.

 

Additional Information About Each Index

 

Index Calculation and Trademark Ownership

 

Each Index is calculated by a third party calculation agent that is not affiliated with the Funds, the Adviser, or the Funds’ distributor. Each such calculation agent shall have no liability for any errors or omissions in calculating any Index.

 

Solactive AG (“Solactive” or the “Index Provider”) is the licensor of the Solactive Global Cloud Computing Index, Solactive China Technology Index, Solactive Global Cyber Security Index, Solactive European Luxury Index, Solactive Smart Farming and Agriscience Index, Solactive Airlines Index, Solactive Global Pure Gold Miners Index, Solactive Natural Monopoly Index, Solactive Renewable Energy Index, Solactive Industrial Robotics & Automation Index, Solactive Semiconductor Index, Solactive US Cash Flow Champions Index, Solactive US Internet Index, Solactive US R&D Champions Index and Solactive US Cash Flow Champions Index (the “Indexes”). The Funds that are based on the Indexes are not sponsored, endorsed, promoted or sold by Solactive in any way and Solactive makes no express or implied representation, guarantee or assurance with regard to: (a) the advisability in investing in the Funds; (b) the quality, accuracy and/or completeness of the Indexes; and/or (c) the results obtained or to be obtained by any person or entity from the use of the Indexes. Solactive does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Indexes and shall not have any liability for any errors or omissions with respect thereto. Notwithstanding Solactive’s obligations to its licensees, Solactive reserves the right to change the methods of calculation or publication with respect to the Indexes and Solactive shall not be liable for any miscalculation of or any incorrect, delayed or interrupted publication with respect to the Indexes. Solactive shall not be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, any loss of profits or business, or any special, incidental, punitive, indirect or consequential damages suffered or incurred as a result of the use (or inability to use) of the Indexes.

 

186

 

 

STOXX Limited, Zurich, Switzerland (“STOXX”), Qontigo Index GMbH and their licensors, are leaders in the structuring and indexing business for institutional clients. None of the Funds that track a STOXX index are sponsored, promoted, distributed or in any other manner supported by STOXX, Qontigo Index GMbH and their licensors, research partners or data providers and STOXX, Qontigo Index GMbH and their licensors, research partners or data providers do not give any warranty, and exclude any liability (whether in negligence or otherwise) with respect thereto generally or specifically in relation to any errors, omissions or interruptions in the STOXX indices or such indices data.

 

Shares of each Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”). The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds (excluding Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF) to track the total return performance of the Indexes or the ability of the Indexes identified herein to track stock market performance. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Indexes, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of each Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of each Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of each Fund.

 

The Exchange does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Indexes or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of each Fund, owners of the Shares, or any other person or entity from the use of the Index or the data included therein. The Exchange makes no express or implied warranties, and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Indexes or the data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

 

The Adviser and each Fund make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of Shares of each Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in each Fund particularly. The Adviser has no obligation to take the needs of each Fund or the owners of Shares of each Fund into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating each Index.

 

Additional Information about the Principal Risks of Investing in the Funds

 

This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in each of the Fund Summaries. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a ‘principal risk’ of investing in the Funds as noted in the respective Fund Summaries, regardless of the order in which they appear. The factors below apply to each Fund as indicated in the following table; additional information about each such risk and how it impacts each Fund that is subject thereto is set forth below the chart. Each of the factors below could have a negative impact on the applicable Fund’s performance and trading prices.

 

187

 

 

   

Airlines

AIRL

 

China
Technology

DENG

 

Cloud
Computing

CLOD

 

Cyber-
security

SPAM

 

Euro
Luxury

FINE

 

Future of
Farming

CROP

 

Gen AI

WISE

 

GSIBS

GSIB

 

Gold
Miners

AUMI

 

Industry 4.0

NEWW

 

Junior Gold
Miners

JRMI

Active Management Risk                               X            
Calculation Methodology Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X       X   X   X
Calculation Methodology Risk Related to Certain Chinese Companies       X                                    
Commodity Risk                       X           X       X
Commodity Price Relationship Risk                                   X       X
Concentration Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Agricultural Production Industry Risk                       X                    
— Airline Industry Risk   X                                        
— Artificial Intelligence and Data Services Industry Risk                           X                
— Banking Industry Risk                               X            
— Bank Crisis Risk                               X            
— Cloud Computing Industry Risk           X                                
— Gold and Silver Mining Industry Risk                                   X       X
— Internet Industry Risk       X                   X           X    
— Luxury Industry Risk                   X                        
— Semiconductor Industry Risk                           X           X    
— Software Industry Risk           X   X           X           X    
Currency Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Cybersecurity Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Depositary Receipts Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Emerging Markets Risk       X                       X   X   X   X
Equity Market Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
ESG Investment Risk                                       X    
ETF Risks   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Foreign Securities Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Geographic Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Risks Related to Investing in Canada                                   X       X
— Risks Related to Investing in China       X                       X            
— Risks of Investing in Europe           X       X                   X   X
— Risks of Investing in Developed Markets   X       X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Risks of Investing in North America           X   X           X   X   X   X   X
— Risks of Investing in Asia               X               X       X    
— Risks of Investing in Hong Kong       X                       X            
— Risk of Investing in Australia                                   X       X
— Risk of Investing in Africa and the Middle East                                   X        

 

188

 

 

   

Airlines

AIRL

 

China
Technology

DENG

 

Cloud
Computing

CLOD

 

Cyber-
security

SPAM

 

Euro
Luxury

FINE

 

Future of
Farming

CROP

 

Gen AI

WISE

 

GSIBS

GSIB

 

Gold
Miners

AUMI

 

Industry 4.0

NEWW

 

Junior Gold
Miners

JRMI

International Closed Market Trading Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X    
Liquidity Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Natural Language Processing Risk                   X   X   X                
Management Risk                                       X    
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
New Adviser Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
New Fund Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Non-Diversification Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Operational Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Passive Investment Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Risks Related to Investing in Cybersecurity Companies               X                            
Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry                                   X       X
Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry                                   X       X
Sector Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Agriculture and Livestock Sector Risk                       X                    
— Communication Sector Risk       X   X   X                            
— Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk                   X                        
— Financials Sector Risk                               X            
— Industrials Sector Risk                       X                    
— Information Technology Sector Risk       X   X   X           X           X    
— Materials Sector Risk                       X           X       X
— Transportation Sector Risk   X                                        
Securities Lending Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Thematic Investing Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X       X   X   X
Tax Status Risk                                   X       X
Tracking Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X       X   X   X
Valuation Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X

 

189

 

 

   

Natural
Monopoly

CZAR

 

Renewable

Energy

KAMI

 

Robotics &
Automation

BOTT

 

Semi-
conductors

NODE

 

Silver
Miners

AGMI

 

Solar
Energy

SOLP

 

US Cash
Flow Champs

USCF

 

US
Internet

AWEB

 

US R&D
Champs

USRD

 

US Small Cap Cash Flow Champs

SMCF

 

Wind
Energy

KAZE

Calculation Methodology Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Clean Energy Industry Risk       X                                   X
Commodity Risk                   X                        
Commodity Price Relationship Risk                   X                        
Concentration Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Gold and Silver Mining Industry Risk                   X                        
— Internet Industry Risk                               X            
— Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Industry Risk           X                                
— Semiconductor Industry Risk           X   X                            
Currency Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Cybersecurity Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Depositary Receipts Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Emerging Markets Risk                   X   X                   X
Equity Market Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
ETF Risks   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Foreign Securities Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Geographic Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
— Risks of Investing in Canada                   X                        
— Risks Related to Investing in China       X           X                       X
— Risks of Investing in Europe       X   X   X                           X
— Risks of Investing in Developed Markets   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
— Risks of Investing in North America       X   X   X   X   X                    
— Risks of Investing in Asia           X   X                            
— Risks of Investing in Hong Kong           X   X   X                       X
— Risks of Investing in South Korea               X                            
— Risks of Investing in Taiwan               X                            

 

190

 

 

   

Natural
Monopoly
CZAR

 

Renewable

Energy

KAMI

 

Robotics &
Automation
BOTT

 

Semi-
conductors

NODE

 

Silver
Miners

AGMI

 

Solar
Energy

SOLP

 

US Cash
Flow Champs

USCF

 

US
Internet

AWEB

 

US R&D
Champs

USRD

 

US Small Cap Cash Flow Champs

SMCF

 

Wind
Energy

KAZE

International Closed Market Trading Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Large-Capitalization Investing Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Liquidity Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk   X   X   X       X   X   X   X   X   X   X
New Adviser Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
New Fund Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Non-Diversification Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Operational Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Passive Investment Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Risks Related to Investing in Solar Energy Companies                       X                    
Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry                   X                        
Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry                   X                        
Sector Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
— Communication Sector Risk                               X            
— Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk                                       X    
— Consumer Staples Sector Risk                           X                
— Energy Sector Risk       X               X                   X
— Financials Sector Risk                           X           X    
— Industrials Sector Risk           X                                
— Information Technology Sector Risk           X   X               X   X        
— Materials Sector Risk                   X                        
— Utilities Sector Risk       X               X                   X
Securities Lending Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk   X   X   X       X   X               X   X
Tax Status Risk                   X                        
Thematic Investing Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Tracking Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X   X
Valuation Risk   X   X   X   X   X   X                   X
Wind Energy Industry Risk                                           X

 

191

 

 

Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the Adviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Fund. The success of the Fund’s investment program depends largely on the investment techniques applied by the Adviser. It is possible the investment techniques employed on behalf of the Fund will not produce the desired results.

 

Bank Crisis Risk. Economic downturns and changes in monetary policies could potentially impact G-SIBs or the banking industry negatively. Until 2022, most U.S. banks allocated their reserves to low-yielding government securities, encompassing Agency Mortgage-Backed and U.S. Treasury Securities. However, the Federal Reserve’s decision to increase interest rates in 2022 led to a large decrease in bond prices. This development eroded the value of bank capital reserves, driving some banks into the sphere of unrealized losses.

 

Further stress was added to the industry when Silvergate Bank announced its plan to liquidate in March 2023. This triggered widespread panic leading to a series of bank runs, beginning with Silicon Valley Bank, progressing to Signature Bank, and then at First Republic Bank. In response to this potential systemic threat, global industry regulators intervened, providing liquidity to government securities and facilitating acquisitions within the banking industry to restore confidence.

 

The regional banking crisis in the U.S. triggered unease among international investors, leading to apprehension regarding other potentially unstable banks. Consequently, Credit Suisse’s share price saw a significant decline. In an effort to reinforce investor confidence and bring stability, the Swiss government, in collaboration with the Financial Market Supervisory Authority, oversaw Credit Suisse’s acquisition by UBS. Despite the status of G-SIBs, there is no guarantee that G-SIBs can withstand a banking crisis better than other banking institutions.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk. The Fund’s Index Provider relies directly or indirectly on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Index Provider, or the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or a correct valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the Index.

 

Calculation Methodology Risk Related to Certain Chinese Companies. In the Chinese equity market, free float market capitalization is significantly lower than total market capitalization. This lower float ratio is primarily due to widespread government ownership. As a result, certain well-known Chinese companies may be excluded from or have lower weights in an Index as a result of the inclusion of securities ranked by their free float market capitalization in an Index.

 

Commodity Risk. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio or the Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, war, catastrophic events, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction, including price changes due to trade relations. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.

 

Commodity Price Relationship Risk. The Index measures the performance of companies engaged in a particular industry and not the performance of commodities prices themselves. Companies may under- or over-perform commodities prices over the short-term or the long-term.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in investments related to a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund is expected to also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. In such event, the Fund’s performance will be particularly susceptible to adverse events impacting such industry, which may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand; competition for resources; adverse labor relations; political or world events; obsolescence of technologies; and increased competition or new product introductions that may affect the profitability or viability of companies in a particular industry or sector. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition, at times, an industry or group of industries in which the Fund is concentrated may be out of favor and underperform other industries or groups of industries.

 

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Agricultural Production Industry Risk. Companies engaged in agricultural production may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices and labor costs, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Many companies in the agricultural production industry are subject to government subsidy policies and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Any changes to these policies and regulations, or the imposition of tariffs or other trade restraints, may have a material adverse effect on companies operating in this industry. Adverse weather conditions (such as floods or droughts), natural disasters and other factors, such as disease outbreaks, war or other conflict, also may adversely affect companies operating in this industry.

 

Airline Industry Risk. Airline Companies may be adversely affected by a downturn in economic conditions that can result in decreased demand for air travel. Due to the discretionary nature of business and leisure travel spending, airline industry revenues are heavily influenced by the condition of the U.S. economy and economies in other regions of the world. Airline Companies may also be significantly affected by changes in fuel prices, which may be very volatile. Due to the competitive nature of the airline industry, Airline Companies may not be able to pass on increased fuel prices to customers by increasing fares. Airline Companies may also be significantly affected by the imposition of tariffs and/or changes in labor relations, insurance costs, and the imposition by the United States or other countries of taxes or tariffs applicable to airline travel, aircraft manufacturing, or aircraft sales. The trend in the United States has been to deregulate transportation companies, which could have a favorable long-term effect, but future government decisions could adversely affect Airline Companies. Airline Companies may also be highly dependent on aircraft or related equipment from a small number of suppliers, and consequently, issues affecting the availability, reliability, safety, or longevity of such aircraft or equipment (e.g., the inability of a supplier to meet aircraft demand or the grounding of an aircraft due to safety concerns) may have a significant effect on the operations and profitability of Airline Companies.

 

Beginning in the first quarter of 2020, financial markets in the United States and around the world experienced extreme and in many cases unprecedented volatility and severe losses due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, a novel coronavirus. The pandemic has resulted in a wide range of social and economic disruptions, including closed borders and reduced or prohibited domestic or international travel. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, including Airline Companies, have experienced particularly large losses. Travel restrictions imposed in the United States and other countries have resulted in Airline Companies seeing dramatically reduced passenger demand and, consequently, reducing flight schedules at unprecedented rates. In particular, certain U.S. passenger airlines have eliminated nearly all international flights for an undetermined length of time. The U.S. airline industry requested and received financial assistance from the U.S. government due to the impact of the pandemic; however, there can be no guarantee as to whether such assistance will be successful in supporting U.S. Airline Companies until the impact of the pandemic subsides.

 

In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting Russian sanctions by Western countries, including the United States, Canada, European Union, Japan, United Kingdom, and others, as well as retaliatory measures by Russia, may have a significant impact on Airline Companies. Bans on oil and energy imports from Russia, as well as commitments to phase out such imports in the near future, by certain Western countries may increase the costs of jet fuel. In addition, certain Western nations have closed their airspace to all Russian airlines, as well as Russian-owned and Russian-operated aircraft. Also, Western companies have issued a recall of aircraft leased to Russian airlines and, in certain cases, have seized such aircraft located in Western airports. In response, Russia has closed its airspace to certain Western aircraft, and Russia has seized certain leased aircraft and equipment located in Russia. These actions may lead to higher ticket prices, flight cancellations, longer routes, fewer diversion airports (i.e., airports along a route where a plane can land safely if it is diverted), a decreased demand for travel, and the permanent loss of property for Western companies that leased aircraft to Russian airlines. Increased costs and reduced supply of certain metals exported from Russia, such as titanium, may also slow the production of aircraft and engines, making it more difficult for Airline Companies to increase passenger capacity and repair or upgrade their aircraft. These and any related events could significantly and adversely affect the Fund’s performance and the value of an investment in the Fund.

 

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Artificial Intelligence and Data Services Industry Risk. Companies involved in, or exposed to, data services and artificial intelligence-related businesses may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence, and many depend significantly on retaining and growing the consumer base of their respective products and services. Many of these companies are also reliant on the end user demand of products and services in various industries that may in part utilize artificial intelligence and/or data services. Further, many companies involved in, or exposed to, artificial intelligence-related businesses and data services (as determined by the Index Provider) may be substantially exposed to the market and business risks of other industries or sectors, and the Fund may be adversely affected by negative developments impacting those companies, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. There can be no assurance that companies involved in artificial intelligence and data services will be able to successfully protect their intellectual property to prevent the misappropriation of their technology, or that competitors will not develop technology that is substantially similar or superior to such companies’ technology. Artificial intelligence and data services companies are potential targets for cyberattacks, which can have a materially adverse impact on the performance of these companies. In addition, the collection of data from consumers and other sources could face increased scrutiny as regulators consider how the data is collected, stored, safeguarded and used. Artificial intelligence and data services companies may face regulatory fines and penalties, including potential forced break-ups, that could hinder the ability of the companies to operate on an ongoing basis. Artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that the products or services produced by these companies will be successful. Artificial intelligence and data services companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology.

 

Banking Industry Risk. Companies in the banking sector of an economy are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. Extensive governmental regulation may limit the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments companies in the banking sector can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Such governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the banking sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has relaxed capital requirements and other regulatory burdens on certain U.S. banks. While the effect of the legislation may benefit certain companies in the financials sector, increased risk taking by affected banks may also result in greater overall risk in the U.S. and global financials sector. The impact of changes in capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Banking companies may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Their profitability is heavily dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact banking companies. The banking sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. The banking sector is also a target for cyberattacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

Clean Energy Companies Risk. Renewable and alternative energy companies can be significantly affected by the following factors: obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, the supply of and demand for oil and gas, world events and economic conditions. In addition, shares of clean energy companies have been significantly more volatile than shares of companies operating in other more established industries and the securities included in the Fund may be subject to sharp price declines. This industry is relatively nascent and under-researched in comparison to more established and mature sectors, and should therefore be regarded as having greater investment risk.

 

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Cloud Computing Industry Risk. Cloud Computing companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. In addition, many Cloud Computing companies store sensitive consumer information and could be the target of cybersecurity attacks and other types of theft, which could have a negative impact on these companies. As a result, Cloud Computing companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations, and may be subject to additional regulatory oversight with regard to privacy concerns and cybersecurity risk. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Cloud Computing companies could be negatively impacted by disruptions in service caused by hardware or software failure, or by interruptions or delays in service by third-party data center hosting facilities and maintenance providers. Cloud Computing companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of Cloud Computing companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on Cloud Computing companies. Cloud Computing companies may participate in monopolistic practices that could make them subject to higher levels of regulatory scrutiny and/or potential break ups in the future, which could severely impact the viability of these companies.

 

Gold and Silver Mining Industry Risk. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of gold and/or silver mining companies. Because the Fund invests in stocks and depositary receipts of U.S. and foreign companies that are involved in the gold and/or silver mining industry, it is subject to certain risks associated with such companies. Investments related to gold and silver are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of gold and silver mining companies. Also, gold and silver mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold or silver bullion but may also be adversely affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. Therefore, the securities of gold and silver mining companies may under- or over-perform commodities themselves over the short-term or long-term. Gold and silver bullion prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, even during periods of rising prices, so the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. To the extent the Fund invests in gold and/or silver bullion, such investments may incur higher storage and custody costs as compared to purchasing, holding and selling more traditional investments.

 

A drop in the price of gold and silver bullion would particularly adversely affect the profitability of small- and medium- capitalization mining companies and their ability to secure financing. Mining operations have varying expected life spans, and companies that have mines with short expected life spans may experience more stock price volatility. Furthermore, companies that are only in the exploration stage are typically unable to adopt specific strategies for controlling the impact of the price of gold and/or silver. The price of gold and silver may fluctuate. These prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the prices of gold and silver may be due to a number of factors, including the changes in inflation, changes in currency exchange rates and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals (including fabricator demand). Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metal investments.

 

The prices of gold, silver and precious metals operation companies are affected by the price of gold, silver or other precious metals such as platinum and palladium, as well as other prevailing market conditions. These prices may be volatile, fluctuating substantially over short periods of time. The prices of precious metals may also be influenced by macroeconomic conditions, including confidence in the global monetary system and the relative strength of various currencies, as well as demand in the industrial and jewelry sectors. In times of significant inflation or great economic uncertainty, gold, silver and other precious metals may outperform traditional investments such as bonds and stocks. However, in times of stable economic growth, traditional equity and debt investments could offer greater appreciation potential and the value of gold, silver and other precious metals may be adversely affected, which could in turn affect the Fund’s returns. Gold- and silver- related investments as a group have not performed as well as the stock market in general during periods when the U.S. dollar is strong, inflation is low and general economic conditions are stable. Additionally, returns on gold- and silver- related investments have traditionally been more volatile than investments in broader equity or debt markets. In addition, some gold, silver and precious metals mining companies have hedged, to varying degrees, their exposure to decreases in the prices of gold, silver or precious metals by selling forward future production, which could limit the company’s benefit from future rises in the prices of gold, silver or precious metals or increase the risk that the company could fail to meet its contractual obligations.

 

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A significant portion of the world’s gold reserves are held by governments, central banks and related institutions. The production, purchase and sale of precious metals by governments or central banks or other larger holders can be negatively affected by various economic, financial, social and political factors, which may be unpredictable and may have a significant adverse impact on the supply and prices of precious metals.

 

The principal supplies of metal industries also may be concentrated in a small number of countries and regions, the governments of which may pass laws or regulations limiting metal investments for strategic or other policy reasons. Economic, social and political conditions in those countries that are the largest producers of gold and silver may have a direct negative effect on the production and marketing of gold and silver and on sales of central bank gold holdings. Some gold, silver and precious metals mining operation companies may hedge their exposure to declines in gold, silver and precious metals prices by selling forward future production, which may result in lower returns during periods when the prices of gold, silver and precious metals increase.

 

The gold, silver and precious metals industries can be significantly adversely affected by events relating to international political developments, the success of exploration projects, commodity prices, tax and government regulations and intervention (including government restrictions on private ownership of gold and mining land), changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries and investment speculation. If a natural disaster or other event with a significant economic impact occurs in a region where the companies in which the Fund invests operate, such disaster or event could negatively affect the profitability of such companies and, in turn, the Fund’s investment in them. Gold and silver mining companies may also be significantly adversely affected by import controls, worldwide competition, environmental hazards, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, industrial accidents, underground fires, seismic activity, labor disputes, unexpected geological formations, availability of appropriately skilled persons, unanticipated ground and water conditions and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices.

 

Internet Industry Risk. Internet companies are subject to rapid changes in technology, worldwide competition, rapid obsolescence of products and services, loss of patent protections, cyclical market patterns, evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Competitive pressures, such as technological developments, fixed-rate pricing and the ability to attract and retain skilled employees, can significantly affect internet companies, and changing domestic and international demand, research and development costs, availability and price components and product obsolescence also can affect their profitability. Certain companies in the internet-related services industry provide retail services primarily on the internet, through mail order and TV home shopping retailers, and rely heavily on consumer spending. Prices of securities of companies in this industry may fluctuate widely due to general economic conditions, consumer spending and the availability of disposable income, changing consumer tastes and preferences and consumer demographics. Legislative or regulatory changes and increased government supervision also may affect companies in this industry.

 

Luxury Industry Risk. Companies in the luxury goods industry may face intense competition and may be dependent on their ability to maintain brand image. Companies may be subject to changes in consumer preferences, and technologies employed by luxury goods companies may become obsolete. Companies in this industry are dependent on consumer spending and, as such, are likely to be sensitive to any downturns in the broader economy. Demand for products may be seasonal, and incorrect assessment of future demand can lead to overproduction or underproduction, which can impact company profitability.

 

Risks Related to Investing in Cybersecurity Companies. Cybersecurity companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. Cybersecurity companies may be adversely impacted by government regulations and actions, and may be subject to additional regulatory oversight with regard to privacy concerns and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity companies may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. Cybersecurity companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology. The customers and/or suppliers of Cybersecurity companies may be concentrated in a particular country, region or industry. Any adverse event affecting one of these countries, regions or industries could have a negative impact on Cybersecurity companies. Confronting cyberthreats amid increasing remote work environments could result in challenges for Cybersecurity companies.

 

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Risks Related to Investing in the Exploration Industry. The exploration and development of mineral deposits involve significant financial risks over a significant period of time, which even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge may not eliminate. Few properties which are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. Major expenditures may be required to establish reserves by drilling and to construct mining and processing facilities at a site. In addition, mineral exploration companies typically operate at a loss and are dependent on securing equity and/or debt financing, which might be more difficult to secure for an exploration company than for a more established counterpart.

 

Risks Related to Investing in the Metals and Mining Industry. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may be significantly subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the gold mining industry and the price of gold bullion. The price of gold may be affected by changes in inflation rates, interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions, and political stability. Commodity prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time; therefore, the Fund’s Share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies may also be significantly affected by import controls, worldwide competition, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices. Metals and mining companies may have significant operations in areas at risk for social and political unrest, security concerns and environmental damage. These companies may also be at risk for increased government regulation and intervention. Such risks may adversely affect the issuers to which the Fund has exposure.

 

Risk of Investing in Solar Energy Companies/Industry. The value of stocks that comprise the energy sector and the prices of energy may decline. The alternative energy industry can be significantly affected by obsolescence of existing technology, short product lifecycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions. This industry can also be significantly affected by fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects, tax incentives, subsidies and other government regulations and policies. Companies in this industry may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, availability of certain inputs and materials required for production, depletion of resources, technological developments and labor relations.

 

Solar energy companies are particularly affected by government subsidies and regulation. If government subsidies and economic incentives for solar power are reduced or eliminated, the demand for solar energy may decline and cause corresponding declines in the revenues and profits of solar energy companies. Existing regulations and policies, and changes to such regulations and policies, may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar power products, thus reducing demand for such products. If solar power technology is not suitable for widespread adoption, or sufficient demand for solar power products does not develop or takes long periods of time to develop, the revenues of solar power companies may decline.

 

Recently, the price of oil has declined significantly and experienced significant volatility, which may materially impact companies operating in the solar energy sector. Shares of companies involved in the solar energy sector have historically been more volatile than shares of companies operating in more established industries. Certain valuation methods currently used to value companies involved in the solar energy sector have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time. As a result, the use of these valuation methods may serve to further increase the volatility of certain solar energy company share prices.

 

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Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Industry Risk. Companies involved in, or exposed to, robotics and artificial intelligence-related businesses may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. These companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence, and many depend significantly on retaining and growing the consumer base of their respective products and services. Many of these companies are also reliant on the end user demand of products and services in various industries that may in part utilize robotics and artificial intelligence. Further, many companies involved in, or exposed to, robotics and artificial intelligence-related businesses (as determined by the Index Provider) may be substantially exposed to the market and business risks of other regions, industries or sectors, and the Fund may be adversely affected by negative developments impacting those companies, regions, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. There can be no assurance that companies involved in robotics and artificial intelligence will be able to successfully protect their intellectual property to prevent the misappropriation of their technology, or that competitors will not develop technology that is substantially similar or superior to such companies’ technology. Legal and regulatory changes, particularly related information privacy and data protection, may have an impact on a company’s products or services. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and there is no guarantee that the products or services produced by these companies will be successful. Such companies are potential targets for cyberattacks, which can have a materially adverse impact on their performance. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies, especially smaller companies, tend to be more volatile than companies that do not rely heavily on technology.

 

Semiconductor Industry Risk. Semiconductor companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, and such competition may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Semiconductor companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Semiconductor companies’ supply chain and operations are dependent on the availability of materials that meet exacting standards and the use of third parties to provide components and services. Semiconductor companies may rely on a limited number of suppliers, or upon suppliers in a single location, for certain materials, equipment or tools. Finding and qualifying alternate or additional suppliers can be a lengthy process that can cause production delays or impose unforeseen costs, and such alternatives may not be available at all. Production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, silicon, electricity, gases and other materials. Suppliers may also increase prices or encounter cybersecurity or other issues that can disrupt production or increase production costs. The products of semiconductor companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Capital equipment expenditures could be substantial, and equipment generally suffers from rapid obsolescence. Companies in the semiconductor industry are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights, would adversely affect the profitability of these companies.

 

Software Industry Risk. The software industry can be significantly affected by intense competition, aggressive pricing, technological innovations, and product obsolescence. Companies in the application software industry, in particular, may also be negatively affected by the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the systems software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in their products and services, which may result in individual or class action lawsuits, state or federal enforcement actions and other remediation costs.

 

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Wind Energy Companies Risk. Wind energy companies can be significantly affected by the obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions. Such companies may also be highly dependent on government subsidies and contracts with government entities and may be negatively affected if such subsidies and contracts become unavailable. They are also susceptible to fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects and tax and other government regulations. Wind energy companies could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technological developments and labor relations.

 

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investments and the value of your Shares. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in the Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include, among others: national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, public health, cyber, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, epidemics, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning, and you may lose money.

 

Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the internet to conduct business, the Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related “cyber” risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investment in such issuers to lose value. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyberattacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing.

 

Cybersecurity failures by, or breaches of, the systems of the Fund’s investment adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index and benchmark providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyberattacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. Substantial costs may be incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified, that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that cyberattacks will go undetected. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, the Index Provider, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

 

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Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts (including ADRs and GDRs), which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. The issuers of certain depositary receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through to them any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of its Index. In addition, investments in depositary receipts that are not included in a Fund’s Index may increase tracking error. The issuers of depositary receipts may discontinue issuing new depositary receipts and withdraw existing depositary receipts at any time, which may result in costs and delays in the distribution of the underlying assets to the Fund and may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to replicate/track the performance of its Index.

 

Emerging Markets Risk Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments. For example, a Fund that invests in developing and emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property rights, (vii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency, and (viii) settlement and trading practices that differ from those in U.S. markets. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Each of these factors may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign entities (such as the Fund). Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war or threats of war and aggression, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally. Such geopolitical and other events may also disrupt securities markets and, during such market disruptions, the Fund’s exposure to the other risks described herein will likely increase. Each of the foregoing may negatively impact the Fund’s investments.

 

Equity Market Risk. Equity securities may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, sectors or companies. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors including, among others: expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies; inflation and interest rates; economic expansion or contraction; and global or regional political, public health (pandemics, epidemics, or other similar circumstances in one or more countries or regions), cyber, economic and banking crises.

 

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In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its equity investments. U.S. and international markets have experienced volatility in recent months and years due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors, including rising inflation, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. While U.S. and global economies are recovering from the effects of the pandemic, the recovery is proceeding at slower than expected rates and may last for a prolonged period of time. Uncertainties regarding interest rates, political events, the Russia-Ukraine war, rising government debt in the U.S., and trade tensions have also contributed to market volatility. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Such events could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

ESG Investment Risk. This is the risk that because the Index Provider includes and excludes issuers and assigns weights to issuers in the Index by applying nonfinancial factors, the Fund may underperform the broader equity market or other funds that do or do not use ESG investment criteria. The ESG methodology of the Index will affect the Fund’s exposure to certain companies and sectors and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance depending on whether such companies and sectors are in or out of favor. Although the Index is designed to exclude certain companies that do not meet certain ESG characteristics, there is no assurance that the Index or Fund will be comprised of such securities.

 

Currently, there is a lack of common industry standards relating to the development and application of ESG criteria, which may make it difficult to compare the Fund’s principal investment strategies with the investment strategies of other funds that integrate certain ESG criteria. The subjective value that investors may assign to certain types of ESG characteristics may differ substantially from that of the assessment by the Index Provider or a data provider. Investors can differ in their views of what constitutes positive or negative ESG characteristics. As a result, the Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor. A company included in the Index may not exhibit positive or favorable ESG characteristics. The companies selected by the Index Provider as demonstrating certain ESG characteristics may not be the same companies selected by other index providers or investment managers as exhibiting those characteristics.

 

The Index Provider relies on various sources of information regarding an issuer, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. ESG information from third-party data providers may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. Neither the Fund nor the Adviser can offer assurances that the Index’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of the issuers of the securities included in the Fund’s Index. The Index Provider uses third-party data that it believes to be reliable, but it does not guarantee the accuracy of such third-party data. Data can vary across providers or within industries. ESG standards differ by region and industry, and a company’s ESG practices or the Index Provider’s or data providers’ assessment of a company’s ESG practices may change over time. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG criteria could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective.

 

ETF Risks. The Fund is an ETF and, as a result of an ETF’s structure, is exposed to the following risks:

 

APs, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares of a Fund may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.

 

Cash Redemption Risk. To the extent the Fund’s investment strategy requires it to redeem Shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds, the Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in- kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

 

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Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy Shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in the Fund, asset swings in the Fund and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.

 

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Certain securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, and the Fund may experience premiums and discounts greater than those of ETFs that hold securities that are traded only in the United States.

 

Trading. Although Shares are listed for trading on its applicable exchange and may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than its applicable exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of its applicable exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on its applicable exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to each exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on such Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to each exchange may halt trading in Shares when extraordinary volatility causes sudden, significant swings in the market price of Shares. There can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, a Fund that invests in foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. Foreign issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its Shares, the value of foreign securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s Shares. Conversely, Fund Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are closed. Each of these factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.

Geographic Risk. The Fund is subject to geographic risk, which is the chance that world events—such as political upheaval, financial troubles, or natural disasters—will adversely affect the value of securities issued by companies in certain countries or regions. Because the Fund may invest a large portion of its assets in securities of companies located in any one country or region, the Fund’s performance may be hurt disproportionately by the poor performance of its investments in that area.

 

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Risk of Investing in Asia. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, as well as economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions.

 

Risk of Investing in Australia. Securities of issuers located in Australia may be subject to regulatory, political, currency, security, environmental, and economic risk specific to Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. As a result, the Australian economy is susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. The Australian economy is also becoming increasingly dependent on its growing services industry. The Australian economy is dependent on trading with key trading partners, including the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and certain European countries. Reduction in spending on Australian products and services, or changes in any of the economies, may cause an adverse impact on the Australian economy. Additionally, Australia is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and droughts, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the Australian economy, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in Taiwan. Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market. Taiwan’s economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. Rising labor costs and increasing environmental consciousness have led some labor-intensive industries to relocate to countries with cheaper work forces, and continued labor outsourcing may adversely affect the Taiwanese economy.

 

Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea and South Korea. Escalated tensions involving the two nations and the outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy. In addition, South Korea’s economic growth potential has recently been on a decline because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems, among other factors. The South Korean economy is heavily reliant on trading exports and disruptions or decreases in trade activity could lead to further declines.

 

Risks Related to Investing in Canada. The Canadian economy is reliant on the sale of natural resources and commodities, which can pose risks such as the fluctuation of prices and the variability of demand for exportation of such products. Changes in spending on Canadian products by the economies of other countries or changes in any of these economies may cause a significant impact on the Canadian economy.

 

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Risk of Investing in Developed Markets. Investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to developed countries. Developed countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (e.g., the financial services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown in, among others, services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past, certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. Heavy regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement expenses and may be underprepared for global health crises. For example, the rapid and global spread of a highly contagious novel coronavirus respiratory disease, designated COVID-19, has resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets and severe losses; reduced liquidity of many instruments; restrictions on international and, in some cases, local travel; significant disruptions to business operations (including business closures); strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability; and widespread uncertainty regarding the duration and long-term effects of this pandemic. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect developed country economies.

 

Risks Related to Investing in Europe. Adverse economic and political events in Europe may cause the Fund’s investments to decline in value. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The EU requires compliance by member countries with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates and debt levels, as well as fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the EU. Changes in imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, including, without limitation, the pending threat of default by Greece, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners.

 

The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far- reaching. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe also could impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and adversely affect the value of the Fund. The Fund’s investments could be negatively impacted by any economic or political instability in any European country.

 

Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries to which the Fund has economic exposure. The U.S. is Canada’s and Mexico’s largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments in the U.S., including the renegotiation of NAFTA and imposition of tariffs by the U.S., may have implications for the trade arrangements among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, which could negatively affect the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in any of the three countries may have a significant effect on North American economies generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

 

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Hong Kong Risk. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government. China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio.

Investing in Africa and the Middle East. Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, social instability, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared with those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on exporting oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities.

 

International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying investments held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s Shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market). These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

 

Large-Capitalization Investing Risk. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore the Fund’s investment may be subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

 

Liquidity Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to liquidity risk, which exists when an investment is or becomes difficult to purchase or sell at a reasonable time and price. If a transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is or becomes illiquid, it may reduce the potential returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, which may cause the Fund to suffer significant losses and difficulties in meeting redemptions. This is especially true given the limited number of market participants in certain markets in which the Fund may invest.

 

Certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to extended settlement delays and/or foreign holidays, during which the Fund will unlikely be able to convert such holdings to cash and may make it additionally difficult for the Fund to meet redemptions in a timely fashion.

 

Market developments may cause the Fund’s investments to become less liquid and subject to erratic price movements, and may also cause the Fund to encounter difficulties in timely honoring redemptions, especially if market events cause an increased incidence of shareholder redemptions. If a number of securities held by the Fund stop trading or become illiquid, it may have a cascading effect and cause the Fund to halt trading. Volatility in market prices will increase the risk of the Fund being subject to a trading halt.

 

To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, the Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.

 

Management Risk. To the extent the Fund uses a representative sampling strategy to obtain exposure to the Index, the Fund’s ability to track the performance of the Index will be contingent on the ability of the Fund’s sub-adviser to identify a subset of Index components whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole.

 

Mid-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s investment in securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some medium capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, and management personnel and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to large-capitalization companies.

 

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Natural Language Processing (NLP) Model Risk. The Index Provider uses NLP models to assist in the development of certain of its thematic indexes. Each applicable Index’s investment theme is created by the Index Provider and the Index Provider’s description of the theme is used by the NLP screening models to identify relevant companies for index consideration. The investment theme must be accurately described in order for the NLP models to identify companies that reflect the themes and sub-themes of the Index. If the description of the theme is incorrect or incomplete, the NLP model may identify companies that are not relevant to the Fund’s investment theme or fail to identify companies that are relevant. As a result, securities may be included in or excluded from the applicable Index that would have been excluded or included had the description of the theme been correct and complete. If the composition of the Index reflects such errors, the Fund’s portfolio can be expected to also reflect the errors.There is no guarantee that the respective index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended. The Index Provider relies on the integrity of the data being analyzed and its review processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized.

 

New Adviser Risk. Although the Adviser’s principals and the Fund’s portfolio managers have experience managing investments in the past, the Adviser is a newly-formed entity and has no experience managing investments for an ETF, which may limit the Adviser’s effectiveness.

 

New Fund Risk – None of the Funds have commenced investment operations. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decisions. An investment in a Fund may therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with an established record of performance. In addition, there can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it may experience greater tracking error to its Index than it otherwise would at higher asset levels, or it could ultimately liquidate. The Fund’s distributor does not maintain an active market in Fund Shares.

 

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund is considered to be non- diversified. This means that the Fund may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

 

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and the Adviser seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and the Adviser would not sell a security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology. The Fund invests in securities included in the Index regardless of their investment merits. Other than in response to one of the triggers set forth the discussion of the Index methodology, the Fund does not take defensive positions under any market conditions, including conditions that are adverse to the performance of the Fund.

 

Risk of Investing in China

 

General. The Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking. Investing in China (“China” or the “PRC”) involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested. The Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of government regulation and intervention, political and social risk and other risk factors, as described in more detail below:

 

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Political and Social Risk. The Chinese government is authoritarian, and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and elsewhere. There is also a greater risk involved in currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest and conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China’s growing income inequality and worsening environmental conditions are also factors that may affect the Chinese economy. China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

 

Government Control and Regulation. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive, and the Chinese government may restrict foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and repatriation of assets without warning. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information, and political and social instability.

 

Economic Risk. The Chinese economy has grown rapidly during the past several years, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained or that the economy will not experience recession. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by the Chinese consumer. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on the economy and securities market. Slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates and better protect intellectual property rights.

 

Nationalization and Expropriation Risk. Expropriation, including nationalization, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or other developments could adversely affect and significantly diminish the values of the Chinese companies in which the Fund invests. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not nationalize or expropriate assets in its territory or over which it otherwise has control. An investment in the Fund involves a risk of a total loss. Moreover, the Chinese government limits foreign investment in the securities of Chinese issuers entirely. These restrictions or limitations may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of the Fund holdings as compared to the performance of the Index. This may increase the risk of tracking error and the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.

 

Currency Risk. The government of China has historically maintained strict currency controls in order to achieve economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervened in the currency market. In this regard, the Chinese government has placed strict regulation on the yuan and Hong Kong dollar and manages the yuan and Hong Kong dollar so that they have historically traded in a tight range relative to the U.S. dollar. The Chinese government has been under pressure to manage the currency in a less restrictive fashion so that it is less correlated to the U.S. dollar.

 

Since 2005, the exchange rate of the RMB is no longer strictly pegged to the U.S. dollar. The RMB has now moved to a managed floating exchange rate based on market supply and demand with reference to a basket of foreign currencies. The daily trading price of the RMB against other major currencies in the inter-bank foreign exchange market is allowed to float within a narrow band around the central parity published by the People’s Bank of China. As the exchange rates may be based on market forces, the exchange rates for RMB against other currencies, including the U.S. dollar, are susceptible to movements based on external factors. Of course, there can be no guarantee that this will continue, or that the yuan or the Hong Kong dollar will move in relation to the U.S. dollar as expected. There can be no assurance that the RMB will not be subject to devaluation. Any devaluation of the RMB is expected to adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.

 

The Fund may also be subject to delays in converting or transferring U.S. dollars to RMB or Hong Kong dollars (as applicable) for the purpose of purchasing A-Shares or H-Shares, respectively, or converting RMB or Hong Kong dollars (as applicable) to U.S. dollars to pay cash redemptions, distributions or expenses. This may lower the Fund’s performance, because any delay could result in the Fund missing an investment opportunity, purchasing securities at a higher price than originally intended or incurring cash drag.

 

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Geographic Risk. China historically has experienced natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts and floods, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event could cause a significant impact on the Chinese economy.

 

Hong Kong Political Risk. As part of Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy with regard to its political, legal and economic systems for a period of at least 50 years. China controls matters that relate to defense and foreign affairs. Under the agreement, China does not tax Hong Kong, does not limit the exchange of the Hong Kong dollar for foreign currencies and does not place restrictions on free trade in Hong Kong. However, there is no guarantee that China will continue to honor the agreement and China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change may adversely affect market conditions and the performance of Chinese and Hong Kong issuers and, thus, the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. The economy of Hong Kong has few natural resources and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a significant adverse effect on the Hong Kong economy. Hong Kong is also heavily dependent on international trade and finance. Additionally, the continuation and success of the current political, economic, legal and social policies of Hong Kong is dependent on and subject to the control of the Chinese government.

 

Available Disclosure About Chinese Companies. Disclosure and regulatory standards in China are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. Chinese issuers are required to follow PRC accounting standards and practices, which follow international accounting standards to a certain extent. However, the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices applicable to PRC companies may be less rigorous, and there may be significant differences between financial statements prepared in accordance with the PRC accounting standards and practices and those prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a Chinese issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with GAAP. As the disclosure and regulatory standards in the PRC are less stringent than in more developed markets, there might be substantially less publicly available information about issuers in the PRC on which the Adviser can base investment decisions, and such information may not be as reliable as information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, there is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers. Therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made, and less information may be available to the Fund and other investors than would be the case if the Fund’s investments were restricted to securities of U.S. issuers. Such conditions may lead to potential errors in index data, index computation and/or index construction and may limit the ability to oversee the index provider’s due diligence process over index data, which may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and its ability to track the performance of the Index.

 

Chinese Securities Markets. China’s securities markets, including the debt markets, have a limited operating history and are not as developed as those in the United States. These markets, historically, have had greater volatility than markets in the United States and some other countries, and experienced inefficiency and pricing anomalies. There is relatively less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and of the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the United States, including with respect to insider trading, tender offers, stockholder proxies and disclosure of information. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to additional volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations.

 

Chinese Corporate and Securities Law. China operates under a civil law system, in which court precedent is not binding. Because there is no binding precedent to interpret existing statutes, there is uncertainty regarding the implementation of existing law. China also lacks a national set of laws which address all issues that may arise with regard to a foreign investor such as the Fund. It may therefore be difficult, or impossible, for the Fund to enforce its rights as an investor under Chinese corporate and securities laws, and it may be difficult or impossible for the Fund to obtain or enforce a judgment in court. Moreover, as Chinese corporate and securities laws continue to develop; these developments may adversely affect foreign investors such as the Fund.

 

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Additionally, legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities, and stockholders’ rights often differ from those that may apply in the United States and other countries. Chinese laws providing protection to investors, such as laws regarding the fiduciary duties of officers and directors, are undeveloped and will not provide investors such as the Fund with protection in all situations where protection would be provided by comparable laws in the United States. In addition, laws pertaining to bankruptcy proceedings are generally less developed and may be different than such laws in the United States and lead to unpredictable results.

 

Special Risk Considerations of Investing in China. For purposes of raising capital offshore on exchanges outside of China, including on U.S. exchanges, many Chinese-based operating companies are structured as Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). In this structure, the Chinese-based operating company is the VIE and establishes an entity, which is typically offshore in a foreign jurisdiction, such as the Cayman Islands. The offshore entity lists on a foreign exchange and enters into contractual arrangements with the VIE. This structure allows Chinese companies in which the government restricts foreign ownership to raise capital from foreign investors. While the offshore entity has no equity ownership of the VIE, these contractual arrangements permit the offshore entity to consolidate the VIE’s financial statements with its own for accounting purposes and provide for economic exposure to the performance of the underlying Chinese operating company. Therefore, an investor in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, will have exposure to the Chinese-based operating company only through contractual arrangements and has no ownership in the Chinese-based operating company. Furthermore, because the offshore entity only has specific rights provided for in these service agreements with the VIE, its abilities to control the activities at the Chinese-based operating company are limited and the operating company may engage in activities that negatively impact investment value.

 

While the VIE structure has been widely adopted, it is not formally recognized under Chinese law and therefore there is a risk that the Chinese government could prohibit the existence of such structures or negatively impact the VIE’s contractual arrangements with the listed offshore entity by making them invalid. If these contracts were found to be unenforceable under Chinese law, investors in the listed offshore entity, such as the Fund, may suffer significant losses with little or no recourse available. If the Chinese government determines that the agreements establishing the VIE structures do not comply with Chinese law and regulations, including those related to restrictions on foreign ownership, it could subject a Chinese-based issuer to penalties, revocation of business and operating licenses, or forfeiture of ownership interest. In addition, the listed offshore entity’s control over a VIE may also be jeopardized if a natural person who holds the equity interest in the VIE breaches the terms of the agreement, is subject to legal proceedings or if any physical instruments for authenticating documentation, such as chops and seals, are used without the Chinese-based issuer’s authorization to enter into contractual arrangements in China. Chops and seals, which are carved stamps used to sign documents, represent a legally binding commitment by the company. Moreover, any future regulatory action may prohibit the ability of the offshore entity to receive the economic benefits of the Chinese-based operating company, which may cause the value of the Fund’s investment in the listed offshore entity to suffer a significant loss. For example, in 2021, the Chinese government prohibited use of the VIE structure for investment in after-school tutoring companies. There is no guarantee that the government will not place similar restrictions on other industries.

 

Tax Risk. In order to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to regulated investment companies, a Fund must satisfy certain income, distribution and asset diversification requirements. With respect to the latter, a Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of the Fund’s assets and (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income, which would adversely affect its performance. Because there is limited transparency into state ownership of Chinese issuers, there is a risk of such issuers being deemed to be a single issuer, which could result in the Fund falling out of compliance with the asset diversification requirements.

 

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Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund may vary from the performance of the Index as a result of Fund fees and expenses, the use of representative sampling, brokerage and transaction costs, the effect of Chinese taxes, and other factors. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Index or invest in them in the exact proportions represented in the Index due to market disruptions, legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the Chinese government, certain exchange listing standards, or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade. In addition, foreign exchange fluctuations and any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking error risk.

 

China Risk – Onshore Investing Risks. Because the Fund may invest in the local China markets directly (also referred to herein as domestic Chinese markets or securities or onshore Chinese markets or securities), it will be subject to the following special risks:

 

Capital Controls Risk. RMB can be categorized into “CNY” (onshore RMB) traded and circulated in China and “CNH” (offshore RMB) traded and circulated outside China. CNY and CNH are traded at different exchange rates and their exchange rates may not move in the same direction. Although there has been a growing amount of RMB held offshore, CNH cannot be freely remitted into the PRC and is subject to certain restrictions, and vice versa. The Fund may be adversely affected by the exchange rates between CNY and CNH.

 

CNY is currently not a freely convertible currency as it is subject to foreign exchange control, fiscal policies and repatriation restrictions imposed by the Chinese government. The PRC government imposes restrictions on the remittance of RMB out of and into China. In the event a remittance by the Fund is disrupted, the Fund could be adversely affected and, among other matters, may not be able to invest those funds, which may increase the tracking error of the Fund. In addition, any delay in repatriation of RMB out of China may result in delay in payment of redemption proceeds to redeeming investors. The Chinese government’s policies on exchange control and repatriation restrictions are subject to change, and such control of currency conversions and movements in the RMB exchange rates may adversely affect the operations and financial results of PRC companies and the Fund. If such control policies change in the future, the Fund may be adversely affected.

 

Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to intervention by Chinese government authorities and the imposition of “capital controls.” Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets into, out of or into the country. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign entities (such as the Fund). Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

The Chinese government also heavily regulates the domestic exchange of foreign currencies within China. Chinese law requires that all domestic transactions must be settled in RMB, places significant restrictions on the remittance of foreign currency and strictly regulates currency exchange from RMB. Under State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) regulations, Chinese corporations may only purchase foreign currencies through government approved banks. In general, Chinese companies must receive approval from or register with the Chinese government before investing in certain capital account items, including direct investments and loans, and must thereafter maintain separate foreign exchange accounts for the capital items. Foreign investors may only exchange foreign currencies at specially authorized banks after complying with documentation requirements. These restrictions may adversely affect the Fund and its investments. The PRC government may impose additional or other currency capital controls that could significantly harm the Fund.

 

Custody Risk. Less developed markets such as China are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets, and in general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody and settlement problems.

 

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The Fund is required by Chinese regulation to have a local custodian in China (“PRC Custodian”) for its investments in domestic, onshore Chinese securities, including A-Shares. The PRC Custodian maintains the Fund’s investments in China to ensure their compliance with the rules and regulations of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and the People’s Bank of China. Such investments, when purchased by the Adviser in its capacity as the Fund’s RQFII or QFII, as applicable, will normally be received in a securities account maintained by the PRC Custodian in the joint names of the Fund and the Adviser. The account may not be used for any other purpose than for maintaining the Fund’s assets. However, given that the securities trading account will be maintained in the joint names of the Adviser and the Fund, the Fund’s assets may not be as well protected, as they would be if it were possible for them to be registered and held solely in the name of the Fund. In particular, there is a risk that creditors of the Adviser may assert that the securities are owned by the Adviser and not the Fund, and that a court would uphold such an assertion, in which case such creditors could seize assets. Because the Fund’s PRC securities quota may be in the name of both the Adviser and the Fund, there is also a risk that regulatory actions taken against the Adviser by PRC government authorities may affect the Fund. This is particularly acute in the case of cash deposited with the PRC Custodian because it may not be segregated, and it may be treated as a debt owing from the PRC Custodian to the Fund as a depositor. Thus, in the event of a PRC Custodian bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar event, the Fund may face difficulties and/or encounter delays in recovering its cash.

 

RQFII and QFII Risk. A RQFII or QFII license may be acquired to invest directly in domestic, onshore Chinese securities. To qualify for a QFII license, an applicant must meet strict requirements on asset management experience, assets under management, and firm capital. In 2020, the PRC government eliminated QFII and RQFII quotas, meaning that entities registered with the appropriate Chinese regulator will no longer be subject to quotas when investing in PRC securities (but will remain subject to foreign shareholder limits).

 

The RQFII rules continue to evolve. The RQFII program is substantially similar to the QFII program, but provides for greater flexibility in repatriating assets, as discussed below. Chinese regulators may revise or discontinue the RQFII program at any time.

 

Repatriations by RQFIIs are currently permitted daily and are not subject to repatriation restrictions or prior regulatory approval. However, there is no assurance that PRC rules and regulations will not change or that repatriation restrictions will not be imposed in the future. Further, such changes to the PRC rules and regulations may be applied retroactively. If a QFII license is obtained and used, all repatriations of gains and income would require the approval of SAFE. These limitations may also prevent the Fund from making certain distributions to shareholders. Further, no single underlying foreign investor investing through a QFII may hold more than 10% of the total outstanding shares in one listed company and all foreign investors investing through QFIIs may not hold, in aggregate, more than 30% of the total outstanding shares in one listed company. Such limits may not apply where foreign investors make strategic investment in listed companies in accordance with the Measures for the Administration of Strategic Investments in Listed Companies by Foreign Investors.

 

If the Fund invests directly in domestic Chinese securities with a QFII license, the Adviser will be required to transfer the entire investment principal into a local sub-custodian account within such time period as specified by SAFE (up to six months). Following this, investment capital will be subject to an initial lock-up period (currently three months if the Fund is deemed to be an “open end fund” under Chinese regulations), during which the assets may not be repatriated to the United States, even if they are never invested. Following that time, investment principal and earnings may generally only be repatriated with the approval of SAFE, although up to $50 million may be repatriated each week without SAFE approval if the Fund is deemed to be an “open end fund” under Chinese regulations.

 

China Equity Investing Risks.

 

A-Shares Risk. The ability of the Fund to invest in China A-Shares is dependent, in part, on the availability of A-Shares either through the trading and clearing facilities of a participating exchange located outside of mainland China (“Stock Connect Programs”) which currently include the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, Shanghai-London Stock Connect, and China-Japan Stock Connect, and/or through a QFII or RQFII license from the Chinese regulator. Thus, the Fund’s investment in A-Shares will be limited by the amount of A-Shares available through the Stock Connect Programs. Investments in A-Shares are heavily regulated and the recoupment and repatriation of assets invested in A-Shares is subject to restrictions by the Chinese government.

 

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Currently, there are two stock exchanges in mainland China, the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. The Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges are supervised by the CSRC and are highly automated with trading and settlement executed electronically. The Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets in the United States.

 

The Shanghai Stock Exchange commenced trading on December 19, 1990, and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange commenced trading on July 3, 1991. The Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges divide listed shares into two classes: A-Shares and B-shares. Companies whose shares are traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges that are incorporated in mainland China may issue both A-Shares and B-Shares. In China, the A-Shares and B-Shares of an issuer may only trade on one exchange. A-Shares and B-Shares may both be listed on either the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. Both classes represent an ownership interest comparable to a share of common stock. A-Shares are traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges in RMB. A-Shares may be subject to more frequent and/or extended trading halts than other exchange-traded securities and may become illiquid. The A-Shares market may behave very differently from other Chinese equity markets, and there may be little to no correlation between them.

 

Restrictions continue to exist on investments in A-Shares and capital therefore cannot flow freely into the A-Share market, making it possible that, in the event of a market disruption, the liquidity of the A-Share market and trading prices of A-Shares could be more severely affected than the liquidity and trading prices of markets where securities are freely tradable and capital therefore flows more freely. The Fund cannot predict the nature or duration of such a market disruption or the impact that it may have on the A-Share market and the short-term and long-term prospects of its investments in the A-Share market.

 

The Chinese government has in the past taken actions that benefitted holders of A-Shares. As A-Shares become more available to foreign investors, such as the Fund, the Chinese government may be less likely to take action that would benefit holders of A-Shares.

 

Repatriations by RQFIIs for investors such as registered funds are permitted daily and are not subject to lockup periods. There is no assurance, however, that PRC rules and regulations will not change or that repatriation restrictions will not be imposed in the future. Any restrictions on repatriation of the Fund’s assets may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests and/or may cause the Fund to borrow money in order to meet its obligations. These limitations may also prevent a Fund from making certain distributions to shareholders.

 

If the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient exposure to the components of its Index, the Fund could seek exposure to the component securities of the Index in other ways, such as by investing in depositary receipts of the component securities and Hong Kong listed versions of the component securities. The Fund may also invest in B-Shares issued by the same companies that issue A-Shares that are in the Index. The A-Shares market may behave very differently from the B-Shares market, and there may be little to no correlation between the performances of the two. The Fund may also use derivatives or invest in ETFs that can obtain comparable exposures. If necessary, the Fund may limit or suspend purchases of Creation Units of the Fund until the Fund determines that the requisite exposure to the Index is obtainable. During the period that creations are limited or suspended, the Fund could trade at a significant premium or discount to the NAV and could experience substantial redemptions. Alternatively, the Fund could change its investment objective by, for example, seeking to track an alternative index that does not include A-Shares as component securities, or decide to liquidate the Fund. In circumstances beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund may incur significant losses due to limited investment capabilities, including based on investment objectives or strategies, due to investment restrictions on RQFIIs and QFIIs licenses, illiquidity of the securities markets, or delay or disruption in execution or settlement of trades.

 

The Chinese government limits foreign investment in the securities of Chinese issuers entirely. China may also impose higher local tax rates on transactions involving certain companies. These restrictions or limitations may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of the Fund holdings as compared to the performance of the Index. This may increase the risk of tracking error and the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.

 

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Per a circular (Caishui [2014] 79), the Fund is temporarily exempt from the Chinese tax on capital gains (“CGT”) on trading in A-Shares as a QFII or RQFII on the Shanghai Stock Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect as of November 17, 2014, and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect as of December 5, 2016. There is no indication as to how long the temporary exemption will remain in effect. Accordingly, the Fund may be subject to such taxes in the future. In addition, there is uncertainty as to the application and implementation of China’s value added tax to the Fund’s activities. As a result, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on the final rules of the relevant tax authorities.

 

Investors should note that such provision may be excessive or inadequate to meet actual CGT tax liabilities (which could include interest and penalties) on the Fund’s investments. As a result, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on the final rules of the relevant tax authorities. It is also unclear how China’s value added tax may apply to the activities of a participant in the Stock Connect Programs or QFII or RQFII licensee and how such application may be affected by tax treaty provisions. If such a tax is collected, the expense will be passed on and borne by the Fund. The imposition of such taxes, as well as future changes in applicable PRC tax law, may adversely affect the Fund.

 

The Fund reserves the right to establish a reserve for any taxes as to which it is uncertain whether they will be assessed, although it has not currently done so. If the Fund establishes such a reserve but is not ultimately subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares while the reserve was in place will effectively bear the tax and may not benefit from the later release, if any, of the reserve. Conversely, if the Fund does not establish such a reserve but ultimately is subject to the tax, shareholders who redeemed or sold their shares prior to the tax being withheld, reserved or paid will have effectively avoided the tax, even if they benefited from the trading that precipitated the Fund’s payment of it. The Fund is responsible for any taxes on its operations or investments, including if they are applied retroactively.

 

Disclosure of Interests and Short Swing Profit Rule. The Fund may be subject to regulations promulgated by the CSRC which currently require the Fund to make certain public disclosures, when the Fund and parties acting in concert with the Fund acquire 5% or more of the issued securities of a listed company (which include A-Shares of the listed company). The relevant PRC regulations presumptively treat all affiliated investors and investors under common control as parties acting in concert. As such, the Fund may be deemed as a “concerted party” of other funds managed by the Adviser and therefore may be subject to the risk that the Fund’s holdings may be required to be reported in the aggregate with the holdings of such other funds, should the aggregate holdings trigger the reporting threshold under the PRC law. If the 5% shareholding threshold is triggered, the Fund would be required to file its report within three days. During the time limit for filing the report, a trading freeze applies, and the Fund would not be permitted to make subsequent trades in the invested company’s securities. Any such trading freeze may impair the ability of the Fund to track its Index, and may have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance. Further, subject to the interpretation of PRC courts and PRC regulators, the operation of the short swing profit rule may prevent the Fund from reducing its holdings in a company, 5% or more of whose shares are deemed to be held by the Fund and its affiliates, within six months of the last purchase of shares of the company. The Fund could be subject to these restrictions; even though an entity deemed to be an affiliate (and not the Fund) may have triggered the restrictions. Nonetheless, if the Fund violates the rule, it may be required by the listed company to return any profits realized from such trading to the company. In addition, the Fund could not repurchase securities of the listed company within six months of such sale. Finally, under PRC civil procedures, the Fund’s assets may be frozen to the extent of the claims made by the company in question.

 

Use of Brokers. Currently, only a limited number of brokers are available to trade A-Shares with the Fund. As a result, the Adviser may have less flexibility to choose among brokers on behalf of the Fund than is typically the case for U.S. investment managers. This may cause the Fund to incur higher brokerage expenses and achieve less favorable execution, which could have a negative impact on Fund returns. In addition, in the event of any default of a PRC broker in the execution or settlement of any transaction or in the transfer of any funds or securities in the PRC, the Fund may encounter delays in recovering its assets, or may not be able to recover its assets, which could cause the Fund to lose money. Further, the operation of the Fund may be adversely affected in case of any acts or omissions of a PRC broker, which may result in, among other things, losses to the Fund and higher tracking error. There is also a risk that the Fund may suffer losses from the default, bankruptcy or disqualification of a PRC broker. However, the Adviser, in its selection of PRC brokers, will consider such factors as the competitiveness of PRC brokers’ commission rates, size of the relevant orders, and execution standards.

 

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B-Shares Risk. The B-Share market is generally smaller, less liquid and has a smaller issuer base than the A Share market. The issuers that compose the B-Share market include a broad range of companies, including companies with large, medium and small capitalizations. The B-Shares market may behave very differently from other portions of the Chinese equity markets, and there may be little to no correlation between their performance.

 

H-Shares Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of companies incorporated in mainland China and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“H-Shares”). H-Shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and must meet Hong Kong’s listing and disclosure requirements. H-Shares may be traded by foreigners and can be used to gain exposure to Chinese securities. Because they are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, H-Shares involve a number of risks not typically associated with investing in countries with more democratic governments or more established economies or securities markets. Such risks may include the risk of nationalization or expropriation; greater social, economic and political uncertainty; increased competition from Asia’s low-cost emerging economies; currency exchange rate fluctuations; higher rates of inflation; controls on foreign investment and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; and greater governmental involvement in and control over the economy. Fluctuations in the value of the Hong Kong dollar will affect the Fund’s holdings of H-Shares. The Hong Kong stock market may behave very differently from the domestic Chinese stock market and there may be little to no correlation between the performance of the Hong Kong stock market and the domestic Chinese stock market.

 

N-Shares Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of companies with business operations in mainland China and listed on an American stock exchange, such as the NYSE or NASDAQ (“N-Shares”). N-Shares are traded in U.S. dollars. N-Shares are issued by companies incorporated anywhere, but many are registered in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, or the United States. Because companies issuing N-Shares have business operations in China, they are subject to certain political and economic risks in China.

 

P-Chip Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of companies with controlling private Chinese shareholders that are incorporated outside mainland China and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“P-Chips”). These businesses are largely run by the private sector and have a majority of their business operations in mainland China. P-Chip shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and may also be traded by foreigners. Because they are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, P-Chips are also subject to risks similar to those associated with investments in H-Shares. They are also subject to risks affecting their jurisdiction of incorporation, including any legal or tax changes. Private Chinese companies may be more indebted, more susceptible to adverse changes in the economy, subject to asset seizures and nationalization, and negative political or legal developments.

 

Red Chip Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of companies with controlling Chinese government shareholders that are incorporated outside mainland China, have a majority of their business operations in mainland China, and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (“Red Chips”). These businesses are controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the central, provincial or municipal governments of the PRC. Red Chip shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, may also be traded by foreigners and are subject to risks similar to those of H-Shares. Because Red Chip companies are controlled by various PRC governmental authorities, investing in Red Chips involves risks that political changes, social instability, regulatory uncertainty, adverse diplomatic developments, asset expropriation or nationalization, or confiscatory taxation could adversely affect the performance of Red Chip companies. Red Chip companies may be less efficiently run and less profitable than other companies. They are also subject to risks affecting their jurisdiction of incorporation, including any legal or tax changes.

 

S-Chip Companies Risk. The Fund may invest in shares of companies with business operations in mainland China and listed on the Singapore Exchange (“S-Chips”). S-Chip shares are issued by companies incorporated anywhere, but many are registered in Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, or Bermuda. They are subject to risks affecting their jurisdiction of incorporation, including any legal or tax changes. S-Chip companies may or may not be owned at least in part by a Chinese central, provincial or municipal government and be subject to the types of risks that come with such ownership described herein. There may be little or no correlation between the performance of the Singapore stock market and the mainland Chinese stock market.

 

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Stock Connect Program Risk. The Stock Connect Programs are subject to daily quota limitations, and an investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day, which may restrict the Fund’s ability to invest in A-Shares through the Stock Connect Programs and to enter into or exit trades on a timely basis. The Shanghai and Shenzhen markets may be open at a time when the participating exchanges located outside of mainland China are not active, with the result that prices of A-Shares may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to or exit its position. Only certain A-Shares are eligible to be accessed through the Stock Connect Programs. Such securities may lose their eligibility at any time, in which case they may no longer be able to be purchased or sold through the Stock Connect Programs. Because the Stock Connect Programs are still evolving, the actual effect on the market for trading A-Shares with the introduction of large numbers of foreign investors is still relatively unknown. In addition, there is no assurance that the necessary systems required to operate the Stock Connect Programs will function properly or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in both markets. In the event that the relevant systems do not function properly, trading through the Stock Connect Programs could be disrupted. The Stock Connect Programs are subject to regulations promulgated by regulatory authorities for both exchanges and further regulations or restrictions, such as limitations on redemptions or suspension of trading, may adversely impact the Stock Connect Programs, if the authorities believe it necessary to assure orderly markets or for other reasons. There is no guarantee that the participating exchanges will continue to support the Stock Connect Programs in the future. Each of the foregoing could restrict the Fund from selling its investments, adversely affect the value of its holdings and negatively affect the Fund’s ability to meet shareholder redemptions.

 

Sanctions and Embargoes. Certain of the companies in which the Fund expects to invest may occasionally operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. As investors in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks.

 

Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

 

Agriculture and Livestock Sectors Risk. The agricultural and livestock sectors are subject to government subsidy policies and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Specific governmental policies, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies and import and export restrictions on agricultural commodities, commodity products and livestock, can influence the profitability of investing in agriculture and livestock. These industries may also be adversely affected by changes in commercial and consumer demand for their products. A growing competitive landscape and increased availability of such commodities can influence: (i) the planting and raising of certain crops/livestock versus other uses of resources; (ii) the location and size of crop and livestock production; (iii) whether unprocessed or processed commodity products are traded; and (iv) the volume and types of imports and exports. Economic recession or labor difficulties may also lead to a decrease in demand for the products and services involved in agriculture. As a result, the price of agricultural or livestock commodities could decline, which would affect the performance of the Fund. The agricultural and livestock sectors also are particularly sensitive to changing weather conditions, such as floods or droughts, natural disasters and other factors, such as disease outbreaks and pollution.

 

Communications Services Sector Risk. Communications services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new adverse regulatory requirements may adversely affect the business of the such companies. Companies in the communications services sector can also be significantly affected by intense competition, including competition with alternative technologies such as wireless communications (including with 5G and other technologies), product compatibility, consumer preferences, rapid product obsolescence, and research and development of new products. Technological innovations may make the products and services of such companies obsolete.

 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.

 

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Consumer Staples Sector Risk. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be affected by the regulation of various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and changes in the global economy, consumer spending and consumer demand. Companies in the consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Fads, marketing campaigns, and other factors affecting consumer demand are tied closely to the performance of companies in this sector.

 

Energy Sector Risk. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. Such companies also are subject to risks of changes in exchange rates, government regulation, world events, depletion of resources and economic conditions, as well as market, economic and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business. Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters. Oil exploration and production companies may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events, and economic conditions. Oil exploration and production companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.

 

The energy sector is comprised of energy, energy industrial, energy infrastructure and energy logistics companies, and will therefore be susceptible to adverse economic, environmental, business, regulatory or other occurrences affecting that sector. The energy sector has historically experienced substantial price volatility. At times, the performance of these investments may lag the performance of other sectors or the market as a whole. Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and other companies operating in the energy sector are subject to specific risks, including, among others, fluctuations in commodity prices; reduced consumer demand for commodities such as oil, natural gas or petroleum products; reduced availability of natural gas or other commodities for transporting, processing, storing or delivering; slowdowns in new construction; extreme weather or other natural disasters; and threats of attack by terrorists on energy assets. Additionally, energy sector companies are subject to substantial government regulation and changes in the regulatory environment for energy companies may adversely impact their profitability. MLPs may incur environmental costs and liabilities due to the nature of their businesses and the substances they handle. Changes in existing laws, regulations or enforcement policies governing the energy sector could significantly increase the compliance costs of MLPs. Certain MLPs could, from time to time, be held responsible for implementing remediation measures, the cost of which may not be recoverable from insurance. Over time, depletion of natural gas reserves and other energy reserves may also affect the profitability of energy companies.

 

Financials Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector of an economy are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. The extent to which the Fund may invest in a company that engages in securities-related activities or banking is limited by applicable law. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has relaxed capital requirements and other regulatory burdens on certain U.S. banks. While the effect of the legislation may benefit certain companies in the financials sector, increased risk taking by affected banks may also result in greater overall risk in the U.S. and global financials sector. The impact of changes in capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries, on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector are exposed directly to the credit risk of their borrowers and counterparties, who may be leveraged to an unknown degree, including through swaps and other derivatives products. Financial services companies may have significant exposure to the same borrowers and counterparties, with the result that a borrower’s or counterparty’s inability to meet its obligations to one company may affect other companies with exposure to the same borrower or counterparty. This interconnectedness of risk may result in significant negative impacts to companies with direct exposure to the defaulting counterparty as well as adverse cascading effects in the markets and the financials sector generally. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. The financials sector is also a target for cyberattacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyberattacks and technology malfunctions and failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact the Fund.

 

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Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, exchange rates, commodity prices, import controls, excess capacity, consumer demand, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. As the demand for, or prices of, industrials increase, the value of the Fund’s investments generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

Information Technology Sector Risk. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability. Additionally, companies in the information technology sector may face dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.

 

Materials Sector Risk. Many companies in this sector are significantly affected by the level and volatility of commodity prices, the exchange value of the dollar, import controls, and worldwide competition. At times, worldwide production of industrial materials has exceeded demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns or losses. This sector may also be affected by economic cycles, interest rates, resource availability, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.

 

Transportation Sector Risk. Companies in the transportation sector may be adversely affected by changes in the economy, increases in fuel and operating costs, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, insurance costs, industry competition and government regulation. Companies in the transportation sector are also affected by severe weather events, mass casualty accidents or environmental catastrophes, acts of terrorism and other similar events that target or damage transportation infrastructure or vessels, war or risk of war, widespread disruption of technology systems and increasing equipment and operational costs. Such global or regional events and conditions may adversely affect the operations, financial condition and liquidity of companies in the transportation sector and cause insurance premiums to increase dramatically or result in insurance coverage becoming unavailable for certain business lines or assets. Securities of companies in the transportation sector are generally cyclical and occasionally subject to sharp price movements.

 

Utilities Sector Risk. The risks inherent in the utilities sector include a variety of factors that may adversely affect the business or operations of utility companies, including: high interest costs associated with capital construction and improvement programs; difficulty in raising adequate capital on reasonable terms in periods of high inflation and unsettled capital markets; governmental regulation of rates that the issuer can charge to customers; costs associated with compliance with, and adjusting to changes to, environmental and other regulations; effects of economic slowdowns and surplus capacity; increased competition from other providers of utilities services; costs associated with the reduced availability of certain types of fuel, occasionally reduced availability and high costs of natural gas for resale, and the effects of energy conservation policies. Some utility companies also face risks associated with the effects of a national energy policy and lengthy delays, and greatly increased costs and other problems, associated with the design, construction, licensing, regulation and operation of nuclear facilities for electric generation, including, among other considerations: the problems associated with the use of radioactive materials and the disposal of radioactive wastes; technological innovations that may render existing plants, equipment or products obsolete; difficulty in obtaining regulatory approval of new technologies; lack of compatibility of telecommunications equipment; potential impacts of terrorist activities on the utilities industry and its customers; and the impact of natural or man-made disasters. Utility companies may also be subject to regulation by various governmental authorities and may be affected by the imposition of special tariffs and changes in tax laws, regulatory policies and accounting standards. Deregulation is subjecting utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect profitability. As deregulation allows utilities to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases, or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on stocks issued by a utility company. In addition, utility stock prices tend not to fluctuate, which reduces the potential for capital gain. Utility stocks are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or protected by the government in any way. A foreseeable risk to investing in utilities is the rising market of renewable energy. The downside of the rising energy market is that it may threaten the futures of traditional utility companies.

 

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Small-Capitalization Investing Risk. The Fund’s investment in securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, public health, cyber or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small- capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.

 

Tax Status Risk. The Fund intends to pay dividends each taxable year to enable it to continue to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If the Fund were to distribute to its shareholders less than the minimum amount required for any year, the Fund would become subject to federal income tax for that year on all of its taxable income and recognized gains, even those distributed to its shareholders. In addition, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Fund may not earn more than 10% of its annual gross income from gains resulting from the sale of commodities and precious metals. This could make it more difficult for the Fund to pursue its investment strategy and maintain qualification as a RIC. In lieu of potential disqualification as a RIC, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy this income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

 

In addition, to qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to RICs, the Fund must satisfy certain diversification requirements. In particular, the Fund generally may not acquire a security if, as a result of the acquisition, more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets would be invested in (a) issuers in which the Fund has, in each case, invested more than 5% of its assets or (b) issuers more than 10% of whose outstanding voting securities are owned by the Fund. While the weighting of the Index is not inconsistent with these rules, if the Index is concentrated in a relatively small number of securities, it may not always be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund’s efforts to satisfy the diversification requirements may affect the Fund’s execution of its investment strategy and may cause the Fund’s return to deviate from that of the Index, and the Fund’s efforts to replicate or represent the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If the Fund were to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements, it could incur penalty taxes and be forced to dispose of certain assets, or it could fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.

 

Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme relevant exposures in the Index. There is no guarantee that the Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.

 

Tracking Risk. The Fund seeks to track the performance of its underlying index and is subject to the risk of tracking variance. Tracking variance may result from share purchases and redemptions, transaction costs, expenses and other factors. Tracking variance may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective. Additionally, the Fund’s return may not track the return of the Index if the Fund is not able to replicate the holdings of the Index due to the diversification requirements described above under “Tax Status Risk,” which apply to the Fund but not the Index. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with its Index. The Fund may use a representative sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, if the Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund, which generally can be expected to produce a greater non-correlation risk.

 

Valuation Risk. Financial information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings may not always be reliable, which may make it difficult to obtain a current price for the investments held by the Fund. Independent market quotations for such investments may not be readily available, such as on days during which a security does not trade or a foreign holiday, and securities may be fair valued or valued by a pricing service at an evaluated price. These valuations are subjective and different funds may assign different fair values to the same investment. Such valuations also may be different from what would be produced if the security had been valued using market quotations. As a result, there is a risk that the Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price assigned to the investment by the Fund. Additionally, Fund securities that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuations in their value from one day to the next. Because securities in which the Fund invests may trade on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares.

 

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ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY INFORMATION

 

Each Fund, except for Themes Industry 4.0 ETF and Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF, will generally use a “replication” strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it will invest in all of the component securities of the applicable Index in the same approximate proportion as in such Index, but may, when the Adviser believes it is in the best interests of such Fund, use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the applicable Index whose risk, return, and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the applicable Index as a whole (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index). Themes Industry 4.0 ETF will generally use representative sampling to achieve its investment objective. Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF is an actively managed fund that will concentrate its investments in the banking industry.

 

ADDITIONAL NON-PRINCIPAL RISK INFORMATION

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments. Normally, a Fund invests substantially all of its assets to meet its investment objective. A Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or each may hold cash. For more information on eligible short-term investments, see the SAI.

 

PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION

 

Information about each Fund’s daily portfolio holdings is available at www.ThemesETFs.com. A summarized description of each Fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in each Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

The Funds are series of Themes ETF Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust, which is overseen by a board of trustees (the “Board”).

 

Investment Adviser

 

The Adviser has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust and each of its separate investment portfolios. The Adviser is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 34 East Putnam Avenue, Suite 112, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830. The Adviser has managed ETFs since 2023. The Adviser also arranges for transfer agency, custody, fund administration, securities lending and all other related services necessary for each Fund to operate. For its services, the Adviser receives a fee from each Fund, calculated daily and paid monthly, based on a percentage of each Fund’s average daily net assets, as shown in the following table:

 

Name of Fund Management Fee
Themes Airlines ETF 0.35%
Themes China Technology ETF 0.45%
Themes Cloud Computing ETF 0.35%
Themes Cybersecurity ETF 0.35%
Themes European Luxury ETF 0.35%
Themes Future of Farming ETF 0.35%
Themes Generative Artificial Intelligence ETF 0.35%
Themes Global Systemically Important Banks ETF 0.35%
Themes Gold Miners ETF 0.35%
Themes Industry 4.0 ETF 0.35%
Themes Junior Gold Miners ETF 0.35%
Themes Natural Monopoly ETF 0.35%
Themes Renewable Energy ETF 0.35%
Themes Robotics & Automation ETF 0.35%
Themes Semiconductors ETF 0.35%
Themes Silver Miners ETF 0.35%
Themes Solar Energy ETF 0.35%
Themes US Cash Flow Champions ETF 0.29%
Themes US Internet ETF 0.29%
Themes US R&D Champions ETF 0.29%
Themes US Small Cap Cash Flow Champions ETF 0.29%
Themes Wind Energy ETF 0.35%

 

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses of each Fund, except for the fee paid to the Adviser pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest charges on any borrowings, taxes, brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments, acquired fund fees and expenses, accrued deferred tax liability, extraordinary expenses, and distribution (12b-1) fees and expenses.

 

The basis for the Board’s approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund will be available in such Fund’s first Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal period ended March 31 2024.

 

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Portfolio Managers

The Funds’ portfolio management team consists of Dingxun (Kevin) Shao and Calvin Tsang, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the day- to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio.

Mr. Shao joined Themes Management Company LLC in July 2023 and serves as Vice President, Product Management & Development. Dingxun (Kevin) possesses over nine years of experience in the financial services industry, including more than seven years dedicated to portfolio management. Prior to joining Themes Management Company LLC, Dingxun (Kevin) gained most of his portfolio management experience at ProShares, where he started in July 2016 as an Analyst and concluded his tenure as an Associate Portfolio Manager in June 2023. Dingxun (Kevin) earned his Bachelor’s Degree with a dual major in Finance and Information Systems from the University of Maryland, College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Mr. Tsang joined Leverage Shares in January 2023 and Themes Management Company LLC in March 2023 and serves as Head of Product Management & Development. Calvin has over eight years of experience as a portfolio manager. Prior to joining Leverage Shares and Themes Management Company LLC, Calvin was a Portfolio Manager at Cboe Vest from January 2021 to December 2022, Multi-Asset Portfolio Manager at QS Investors from May 2019 to December 2020, and Senior Portfolio Analyst at ProShares from August 2014 to May 2019. Calvin is a CFA charterholder and a certified FRM. He holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Economics from Binghamton University.

 

The SAI provides additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation structure, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of Shares of each Fund for which they are a portfolio manager.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES

 

Most investors will buy and sell Shares of the Funds through brokers. Shares of each Fund trade on the applicable exchange as listed on the cover of this Prospectus and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of each Fund trade under the trading symbol listed on the cover of this Prospectus. Only authorized participants (“Authorized Participants” or “APs”) who have entered into agreements with the Funds’ distributor may acquire Shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, at NAV in Creation Units. Once created, Shares trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

 

Share Trading Prices

 

Transactions in each Fund’s Shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase Shares directly from each Fund in Creation Units. As with other types of securities, the trading prices of Shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your Shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such Shares.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The NAV of each Fund’s Shares is calculated each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (the “NAV Calculation Time”). If the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as it occasionally does, the NAV Calculation Time will be the time the NYSE closes. In addition, any U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time of trading in fixed income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time. Each Fund’s NAV per share is calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund Shares outstanding.

 

In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost.

 

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Fair Value Pricing

 

The Board has adopted procedures and methodologies to fair value Fund investments whose market prices are not “readily available” or are deemed to be unreliable. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has been delisted or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv) a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of the security’s primary trading market. Generally, when fair valuing an investment, the Adviser or sub-adviser, as applicable, will take into account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions and the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. The Adviser makes fair value determinations in good faith and in accordance with the fair value methodologies included in the Board-adopted valuation procedures. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the investment upon the sale of such investment.

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

Each Fund expects to pay out dividends, if any, on an annual basis. Nonetheless, each Fund may make more frequent dividend payments. Each Fund expects to distribute its net realized capital gains to investors annually. Each Fund occasionally may be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares of each Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding Shares of each Fund.

 

Investors owning Shares of each Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares of each Fund. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.

 

Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding

 

Householding is an option available to certain investors of each Fund. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for each Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

 

Each Fund imposes no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund Shares. In determining not to impose such restrictions, the Board evaluated the risks of market timing activities by Fund shareholders. Purchases and redemptions by APs, who are the only parties that may purchase or redeem Shares directly with a Fund, are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep Fund share trading prices in line with NAV. As such, each Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions by APs. However, the Board has also determined that frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase tracking error and portfolio transaction costs and may lead to the realization of capital gains. To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions, each Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Fund in effective trades. In addition, each Fund and the Adviser reserve the right to reject any purchase order at any time.

 

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Investments by 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. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.

 

Provisions in the Trust’s Governing Documents Regarding Shareholder Derivative Claims

 

As described further in the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, no person, other than a Trustee, who is not a Shareholder of a particular Series (or class) shall be entitled to bring any derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of the Trust with respect to such Series (or class). No Shareholder of a Series or (or class) may maintain a derivative action on behalf of the Trust with respect to such Series (or class) unless holders of a least ten percent (10%) of the outstanding Shares of such Series (or class) join in the bringing of such action; except that this provision will not apply to claims brought under the U.S. federal securities laws. In addition to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the Delaware Act, a Shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Trust with respect to a Series (or class) only if the following conditions are met: (i) the Shareholder or Shareholders must make a pre-suit demand upon the Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Trustees to bring such an action is not likely to succeed; and a demand on the Trustees shall only be deemed not likely to succeed and therefore excused if a majority of the Trustees, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action, has a personal financial interest in the transaction at issue, and a Trustee shall not be deemed interested in a transaction or otherwise disqualified from ruling on the merits of a Shareholder demand by virtue of the fact that such Trustee receives remuneration for his service as a Trustee of the Trust or as a trustee or director of one or more investment companies that are under common management with or otherwise affiliated with the Trust; and (ii) unless a demand is not required under clause (i) of this paragraph, the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such Shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim; and the Trustees shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the Shareholders making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisors in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action (except that the provision allowing the Trustees to require an undertaking by the Shareholders to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisors will not apply to claims brought under the U.S. federal securities laws).

 

ADDITIONAL TAX INFORMATION

 

The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in each Fund. Your investment in each Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund Shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.

 

Each Fund intends to qualify each year for treatment as a regulated investment company (“RIC”). If it meets certain minimum distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders. However, each Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

 

Unless you are a tax-exempt entity or your investment in Fund Shares is made through a tax advantaged retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

A Fund makes distributions;

 

You sell Fund Shares; and

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units (institutional investors only).

 

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Taxes on Distributions

 

Tax reform legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Tax Act made significant changes to the U.S. federal income tax rules for individuals and corporations, generally effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. The application of certain provisions of the Tax Act is uncertain, and the changes in the act may have indirect effects on the Funds, its investments and its shareholders that cannot be predicted. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or “qualified dividend income.” Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) depend on how long a Fund owned the assets that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund Shares. Sales of assets held by a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) are taxable as long-term capital gains. For noncorporate shareholders, long-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at reduced rates and currently set at a maximum rate of 20%. Distributions of short-term capital gain are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of investment income reported by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” will be taxed at long term capital gain rates for non- corporate shareholders.

 

U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale or exchange of Fund Shares).

 

In general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the Fund Shares’ NAV when you purchased your Fund Shares).

 

A Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. The Fund may sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may be less tax efficient if it includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of Creation Units.

 

Nonresident aliens, foreign corporations and other foreign shareholders in a Fund will generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax on Capital Gain Dividends. The exemption may not apply, however, if the investment in the Fund is connected to a trade or business for the foreign shareholder in the United States or if the foreign shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met.

 

Distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to individual shareholders that are neither citizens nor residents of the U.S. or to foreign entities will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S. withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Short-term capital gain dividends received by a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the taxable year are not exempt from this 30% withholding tax. Gains realized by foreign shareholders from the sale or other disposition of Shares of a Fund generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless the recipient is an individual who is physically present in the U.S. for 183 days or more per year.

 

A Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which shareholders own Fund Shares) generally is required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

 

A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends effective July 1, 2014 (and proceeds of sales in respect of Fund Shares (including certain capital gain dividends) received by Fund shareholders beginning after December 31, 2018) for shareholders who own their Shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. A Fund will not pay any additional amounts in respect to any amounts withheld.

 

To the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consists of foreign securities, such Fund will be eligible to elect to treat some of those taxes as a distribution to shareholders, which would allow shareholders to offset some of their U.S. federal income tax. A Fund (or its administrative agent) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

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Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund Shares held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of Shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that Capital Gain Dividends were paid with respect to such Shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

 

A foreign shareholder will generally not be subject to U.S. tax on gains realized on sales or exchange of Fund Shares unless the investment in the Fund is connected to a trade or business of the investor in the United States or if the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more in a year and certain other conditions are met. All foreign shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences in their country of residence of an investment in the Fund.

 

Creation and Redemption Units

 

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Any capital gain or loss realized upon the creation of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the securities exchanged for such Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of Creation Units will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares comprising the Creation Units have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses will be treated as short-term capital gains or losses. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

 

A Fund has the right to reject an ‘order’ for Creation Units If the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, the respective Fund would have a basis in the deposit securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. A Fund also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

 

Foreign Investments by the Funds

 

Interest and other income received by the Funds with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the value of a Fund’s assets consists of certain foreign stock or securities, each such Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by such Fund during that taxable year. This means that investors would be considered to have received as additional income their respective Shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax. If a Fund does not so elect, each such Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes incurred by such Fund. A Fund (or your broker) will notify you if it makes such an election and provide you with the information necessary to reflect foreign taxes paid on your income tax return.

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions and sales of Shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Shares under all applicable tax laws. For more information, please see the section entitled “Federal Income Taxes” in the SAI.

 

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State and Local Taxes

 

Shareholders may also be subject to state and local taxes on income and gain attributable to your ownership of Fund Shares. State income taxes may not apply, however, to the portions of a Fund’s distributions, if any, that are attributable to interest earned by the Fund on U.S. government securities. You should consult your tax professional regarding the tax status of distributions in your state and locality.

 

Foreign Taxes

 

To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from sources in foreign countries.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

The Distributor, Alps Distributors, Inc. is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis and does not maintain a secondary market in Shares. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of each Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by each Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203.

 

For all Funds, the Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with the Plan, each Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year for certain distribution-related activities and shareholder services.

 

No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because the fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.

 

PREMIUM/DISCOUNT INFORMATION

 

Information regarding how often Shares of the Funds traded on the Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the applicable Fund is available on the Funds’ website at www.ThemesETFs.com.

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The Funds are newly organized and therefore have not yet had any operations as of the date of this Prospectus and do not have financial highlights to present at this time.

 

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The Trust’s current SAI provides additional detailed information about each Fund. A current SAI dated ________, 2023, as supplemented from time to time, is on file with the SEC and is herein incorporated by reference into this Prospectus.

 

Additional information about each Fund’s investments is available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders (when available). In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected each Fund’s performance.

 

To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on each Fund, or to request the SAI or annual or semi- annual shareholder reports (once available) free of charge, please:

 

Call:     Write:
 

Monday through Friday

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Central time)

 

Themes ETF Trust

c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, LLC

      P.O. Box 701
Visit: www.ThemesETFs.com   Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

 

Shareholder reports and other information about the Fund are also available:

 

Free of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov; or

 

For a fee, by e-mail request to [email protected].

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about each Fund and its Shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

 

The Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act file number is 811-23872.

 

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