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Form 485APOS Amplify ETF Trust

August 17, 2018 3:05 PM EDT

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 17, 2018.

No. 333-207937

No. 811-23108

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [ ]
Pre-Effective Amendment No. [ ]
Post-Effective Amendment No. 69 [x]
  and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 [ ]
Amendment No. 74 [x]

 

Amplify ETF Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

310 South Hale Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

(Address of Principal Executive Office)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (630) 464-7600

 

Christian Magoon

Amplify ETF Trust

310 South Hale Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

Copy to:

Morrison C. Warren, Esq.

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, IL 60603

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

[   ]Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.
[   ] On (date) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485.
[   ]60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485.
[   ]On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485.
[X]75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.
[   ]On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 485.

 

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

[   ]This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
 

 

 

 

Contents of Post-Effective Amendment No. 69

 

This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and contents:

 

The Facing Sheet

 

Part A - Prospectus for Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF (the “Fund”)

 

Part B - Statement of Additional Information for Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF

 

Part C - Other Information

 

Signatures

 

 

 

The information in this Prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We 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 it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer of sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion

Dated August 17, 2018

 

Amplify ETF Trust

 

Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF

 

(NYSE Arca — _____)

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

_________, 2018

 

Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF (the “Fund”) is a series of Amplify ETF Trust and an exchange-traded index fund. The Fund lists and principally trades its shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or the “Exchange”)

 

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NO BANK GUARANTEE.

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Summary Information 1
Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks 11
Fund Investments 11
Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund 12
Management of the Fund 18
How to Buy and Sell Shares 19
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes 21
Distributor 25
Net Asset Value 25
Index Information 26
Fund Service Providers 29
Premium/Discount Information 29
Other Information 30

 

ii

 

 

Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF

 

Investment Objective

 

The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index (the “Index”).

 

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares, which are not reflected in the table or the example below.

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fees

[___]%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees [___]%
Other Expenses(1) [___]%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses [___]%

 

(1)Estimate based on the expenses the Fund expects to incur for the current fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.

 

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that investors may pay to buy and sell Shares. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Shares which are not reflected in the example.

 

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, your costs, based on these assumptions, would be: 1 Year 3 Years
$[__] $[__]

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations, no portfolio turnover information is available at this time.

 

 

Principal Investment Strategies

 

The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in the securities that comprise the Index. The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. Penserra Capital Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-adviser, seeks a correlation of 0.95 or better (before fees and expenses) between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation.

 

The Index is a rules-based stock index owned, developed and maintained by CrowdBureau Corporation (“CrowdBureau” or the “Index Provider”) designed to provide exposure to the U.S.-listed equity securities of companies comprising the “crowdfunding ecosystem.” “Crowdfunding” is an umbrella term generally referring to the financing method, typically internet-based, by which capital is raised through the solicitation of small individual investments or contributions from a large number of persons, entities or institutions that lend money directly or indirectly to businesses or consumers. This may be done through loan-based crowdfunding, more commonly referred to as “peer-to-peer lending,” whereby investors generally purchase nonrecourse notes representing fractional interests in specific underlying loans. It may also be done through investment-based crowdfunding. Also known as “equity crowdfunding” or “securities-based crowdfunding,” this method of crowdfunding allows investors to provide financing to privately-held companies through the purchase of such company’s debt or equity securities. Companies in this segment may also provide various ancillary and financial services.

 

In seeking to provide broad exposure to this emerging portion of the economy, the Index is devised to provide exposure to not only those companies that operate the platforms that facilitate peer-to-peer lending and investment-based crowdfunding, but also the providers of the technology and software that enable and facilitate the operation of these crowdfunding platforms. As such, the Index includes those companies with business operations that fall into one of the following four categories:

 

Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms. Companies that operate as loan-based crowdfunding platforms or peer-to-peer lending platforms on which individuals and institutions lend money to individuals or new/existing businesses seeking loans and other credit-based offerings for purposes ranging from consumer loans, debt consolidation, student loans, car loans, agriculture loans, renewable energy loans, mortgage loans, and business loans as well as business financings, or, investment-based crowdfunding platforms, on which people invest in unlisted shares or debt securities by businesses and that derive more than fifty percent (50%) of their revenue from such operations. Peer-to-peer lending platforms and financial institutions with a dedicated peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platform operate under specific federal, state, or local governmental regulations in their country of domicile and are identified by their publicly disclosed oversight or charter referencing specific regulations. Outside the United States, companies are governed by specifically defined crowdfunding laws, regulations, rules and policies of their countries of domicile.

 

 

Financial Institutions with Dedicated Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platform. Institutions that offer dedicated peer-to-peer lending and/or equity crowdfunding in the form of a separate business line or cost unit within a larger financial services franchise.

 

Social Networking Platforms. Social network platforms that enable communities, sharing of content, adding friends, setting privacy and allowing people to lend/borrow to each other without the intermediary of a bank. Includes mobile banking, cash advances, remittances, and/or other forms of credit as part of a commerce ecosystem to support buyers, sellers or other customer groups.

 

Providers of Technology and Software Solutions to the Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Industry. Companies in this segment derive their annual revenues from technologies, software solutions or data analytics intended to evaluate, underwrite, fund, provide financing and payment services that facilitate access to and extension of credit so as to enable and facilitate the operations of peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platforms.

 

The Index is composed of common stocks and depositary receipts issued by small, mid or large capitalization issuers operating in developed or emerging markets. The security selection process relies on publicly available information and data to identify those companies with business operations that fall into one of the four segments of the crowdfunding ecosystem enumerated above. Eligible companies must satisfy the following requirements:

 

A security must be listed and traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange located in the United States;

 

A security must be listed for trading at the end of each calendar quarter;

 

A security must have a market capitalization of at least $75 million; and

 

A security must have monthly trading volume of at least 250,000 or average notional value of monthly trades of at least $25 million over the prior six months; or lower volumes provided that any such securities are limited to no greater than 30% by market value.

 

Each of the four enumerated segments is assigned a fixed weight within the Index, subject to a weighting cap set forth in the table below. The segment weight is distributed amongst the segment’s constituent securities based upon the segment’s weighting methodology. The securities comprising the Financial Institutions with Dedicated P2P Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms segment and Social Networking Platforms segments are equally weighted. The securities comprising the Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms segment and Providers of Technology and Software Solutions segment utilize a modified market cap-weighting methodology described in detail in the section entitled “Index Information.”

 

 

There is no limit as to the number of securities that can comprise the Index and it is expected that the number of securities will increase over time based on new entrants into the crowdfunding ecosystem. The Index is rebalanced and reconstituted on a quarterly basis. As of June 29, 2018, the Index was composed of 33 securities.

 

The Fund is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. As of ________, 2018, the Index was concentrated in the __________ sector.

 

Principal Risks

 

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved.

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”). Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem “Creation Units” (as defined in “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares,”) Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. The Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in a particular issuer or issuers, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class.

 

Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. 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.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts may be subject to some of the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies, which includes international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. Under an unsponsored depositary receipt arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the depositary receipt holders. Because unsponsored depositary receipt arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipt and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. Depositary receipts can involve currency risk since, unlike depositary receipts, they may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.

 

Electronic Information Risk. Peer-to-peer loans are originated and documented in electronic form and there are generally no tangible written documents evidencing such loans or any payments owed thereon. As such, the crowdfunding ecosystem is susceptible to risks associated with such electronic systems. These risks include, among others: power loss, computer systems failures and Internet, telecommunications or data network failures; operator negligence or improper operation by, or supervision of, employees; physical and electronic loss of data or security breaches, misappropriation and similar events; computer viruses; cyber attacks, intentional acts of vandalism and similar events; and hurricanes, fires, floods and other natural disasters.

 

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. Th is is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuations and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.

 

Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities may decline in value because of declines in the price of a particular holding or the broad stock market. Such declines may relate directly to the issuer of a security or broader economic or market events, including changes in interest rates.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of foreign companies can be more volatile than investments in U.S. companies. Diplomatic, political, or economic developments, including nationalization or appropriation, could affect investments in foreign companies. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies, and of dividends from such securities, can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. Shares trade on the Exchange at their market price rather than their NAV. The market price may be at, above or below the Fund’s NAV. Differences in market price and NAV may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. These differences can be especially pronounced during times of market volatility or stress. During these periods, the demand for Shares may decrease considerably and cause the market price of Shares may deviate significantly from NAV.

 

Index Provider Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve returns that generally correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of their Index, as published by their Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile its Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider gives descriptions of what the Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in its indices, and it does not guarantee that its Index will be in line with its methodology. Additionally, the Index Provider has a limited history of experience as an index provider or investment adviser for a registered fund, which may create additional risks for investing in the Fund.

 

Investments in Platforms Risk. The platforms in which the Fund may invest may have a higher risk profile and be more volatile than companies engaged in lines of business with a longer, established history and such investments should be viewed as longer term investments. The success of a platform is dependent upon their specific business model and market conditions. Any increase in default rates on a platform’s peer-to-peer loans could adversely affect the platform’s profitability and, therefore, the Fund’s investments in the platform.

 

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser and Sub-Adviser are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

Limited Operating History of Platforms Risk. Many of the peer-to-peer lending platforms, and investment crowdfunding in general, are in the early stages of development and have a limited operating history. As a result, there is limited historical data regarding the performance of peer-to-peer lending and the long term outlook of the industry is uncertain.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s net asset value and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to net asset value and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund or Fund Shares in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time.

 

Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs 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, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary due to asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Index resulting from legal restrictions, cost or liquidity constraints.

 

 

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund invests in the securities included in the Index regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform the Index or take defensive positions in declining markets, except in connection with the Index’s risk reduction mechanism. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the market segments relating to the Index.

 

Regulatory Risk. The platforms in which the Fund invests are subject to various statutes, rules and regulations issued by federal, state and local government authorities. A failure to comply with the applicable rules and regulations may, among other things, subject the platform or its related entities to certain registration requirements with government authorities and the payment of any penalties and fines; result in the revocation of their licenses; cause the loan contracts originated by the platform to be voided or otherwise impair the enforcement of such loans; and subject them to potential civil and criminal liability, class action lawsuits and/or administrative or regulatory enforcement actions. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on a platform’s financial condition, results of operations or ability to perform its obligations with respect to its lending business or could otherwise result in modifications in the platform’s methods of doing business.

 

Risk of Regulation as an Investment Company or an Investment Adviser. If platforms or any related entities are required to register as investment companies under the 1940 Act or as investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, their ability to conduct business may be materially adversely affected, which may result in such entities being unable to perform their obligations with respect to their peer-to-peer loans, including applicable indemnity, guaranty, repurchasing and servicing obligations, and any contracts entered into by a platform or related entity while in violation of the registration requirements may be voidable.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

Small- and Mid- Capitalization Company Risk. Generally, small- or mid- capitalization companies, which are often less seasoned, have more potential for rapid growth. However, they often involve greater risk than large cap companies and these risks are passed on to funds that invest in them. These companies may not have the management experience, financial resources, product diversification and competitive strengths of larger companies.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

 

The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Performance

 

As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore does not have a performance history. Once available, the Fund’s performance information will be accessible on the Fund’s website at www.amplifyetfs.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.

 

Management

 

Investment Adviser

 

Amplify Investments LLC (“Amplify” or the “Adviser”)

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Sub-Adviser. Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserra” or the “Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Managers

 

Portfolio Managers. The following individuals serve as portfolios managers to the Fund.

 

Dustin Lewellyn

 

Ernesto Tong

 

Anand Desai

 

The portfolio managers are primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager has served as part of the portfolio management team of the Fund since its inception in 2018.

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF SHARES

 

The Fund issues and redeems Shares at net asset value (“NAV”) only with authorized participants (“APs”) that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor and only in Creation Units (large blocks of 50,000 Shares) or multiples thereof (“Creation Unit Aggregations”), in exchange for the deposit or delivery of a basket of securities in which the Fund invests and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

 

Individual Shares may be purchased and sold only on a national securities exchange through brokers. Shares are expected to be listed for trading on the Exchange and because the Shares will trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at prices greater than NAV (at a premium), at NAV, or less than NAV (at a discount).

 

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable as ordinary income, returns of capital or capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser and Quasar Distributors LLC, the Fund’s distributor, may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares and related services. 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.

 

10 

 

Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks

 

The Fund’s investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ written notice to shareholders. Additionally, the Fund may liquidate and terminate at any time without shareholder approval.

 

The Fund uses an “indexing” investment approach to attempt to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Adviser seeks correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation. Another means of evaluating the relationship between the returns of the Fund and its Index is to assess the “tracking error” between the two. Tracking error means the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index, expressed in terms of standard deviation. The Fund seeks to have a tracking error of less than 5%, measured on a monthly basis over a one-year period by taking the standard deviation of the difference in the Fund’s returns versus the Index’s returns. There is no guarantee that the tracking error will not exceed 5%. The Fund generally invests in all of the securities comprising the Index in proportion to the weightings of the securities in the Index.

 

Additional Information About Peer-to-Peer Lending

 

Peer-to-peer lending is a crowdsourcing approach to lending money to consumers and businesses through online intermediary platforms that match lenders with borrowers. An estimated 500+ platforms exist worldwide with high concentrations operating in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Peer-to-peer lending has experienced significant growth in the past five years. The availability of capital, a low interest rate environment with demand for yield, technological advances and the use of “big data” are enabling and contributing to a change in the way consumers and small-to-medium-sized businesses secure financing. According to CrowdBureau’s direct data collection from peer-to-peer lending platforms and estimates from the US Treasury Department, the peer-to-peer lending market originated an estimated $98 billion in loans by year-end 2017 across the United States, Europe and Asia.

 

Fund Investments

 

Principal Investments

 

Equity Securities

 

The Fund invests in equity securities, which primarily includes common stocks and depositary receipts. Depositary receipts may be “sponsored” or “unsponsored.” Sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depositary and the underlying issuer, whereas unsponsored depositary receipts may be established by a depositary without participation by the underlying issuer.

 

11 

 

Non-Principal Investments

 

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

 

The Fund may invest in securities with maturities of less than one year or cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings varies and depends on several factors, including market conditions. During the initial invest-up period and during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, if market conditions are not favorable, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its assets in these securities or it may hold cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objectives. For more information on eligible short-term investments, see the statement of additional information.

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

 

A description of the Trust’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is available in the Fund’s SAI, which is available at www.amplifyetfs.com.

 

Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in the Fund involves risk, including the risk that you may lose all or part of your investment. There can be no assurance that the Fund will meet its stated objective. Before you invest, you should consider the following supplemental disclosure pertaining to the Principal Risks set forth above as well as additional Non-Principal Risks set forth below in this prospectus.

 

Principal Risks

 

Active Markets Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will develop or be maintained. Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above the Fund’s NAV. Securities, including the Shares, are subject to market fluctuations and liquidity constraints that may be caused by such factors as economic, political, or regulatory developments, changes in interest rates, and/or perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

 

Authorized Participation Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as authorized participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that authorized participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

 

Concentration Risk. In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or a sector. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or sector, the Fund will also concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in an industry or sector, the Fund faces more risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or sectors. Such industry-based risks, any of which may adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, may include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions or cyclical market patterns that could negatively affect supply and demand in a particular industry; 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 an industry. In addition, at times, such industry or sector may be out of favor and underperform other industries or the market as a whole.

 

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Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. 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.

 

Cyber Security Risk. As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the investment industry has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third-party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third-party service providers.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk. Depositary receipts may be subject to some of the same risks as direct investment in foreign companies, which includes international trade, currency, political, regulatory and diplomatic risks. Under an unsponsored depositary receipt arrangement, the foreign issuer assumes no obligations and the depositary’s transaction fees are paid directly by the depositary receipt holders. Because unsponsored depositary receipt arrangements are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities, available information concerning the foreign issuer may not be as current as for sponsored depositary receipt and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. Depositary receipts can involve currency risk since, unlike depositary receipts, they may not be U.S. dollar-denominated.

 

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Electronic Information Risk. Peer-to-peer loans are originated and documented in electronic form and there are generally no tangible written documents evidencing such loans or any payments owed thereon. As such, the crowdfunding ecosystem is susceptible to risks associated with such electronic systems. These risks include, among others: power loss, computer systems failures and Internet, telecommunications or data network failures; operator negligence or improper operation by, or supervision of, employees; physical and electronic loss of data or security breaches, misappropriation and similar events; computer viruses; cyber attacks, intentional acts of vandalism and similar events; and hurricanes, fires, floods and other natural disasters. In addition, platforms rely on software that is highly technical and complex and depend on the ability of such software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data. Such software may contain errors or bugs. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which a platform relies could negatively impact operations of the platform and the ability of the platform to perform its obligations with respect to the peer-to-peer loans originated by the platform.

 

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. Th is is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuations and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.

 

Equity Securities Risk. Investments in equity securities are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the market prices of the securities to which the Fund has exposure. These prices change daily due to economic and other events that affect particular companies and other issuers or the market as a whole. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles so that the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate from day-to-day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments and the prices of their securities may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility which is the principal risk of investing in the Fund.

 

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in securities of foreign companies (particularly in emerging markets) can be more volatile than investments in U.S. companies. Diplomatic, political, or economic developments, including nationalization or appropriation, could affect investments in foreign companies. Foreign securities markets generally have less trading volume and less liquidity than U.S. markets. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies, and of dividends from such securities, can change significantly when foreign currencies strengthen or weaken relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign companies or governments generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to domestic U.S. companies or governments. Transaction costs are generally higher than those in the U.S. and expenses for custodial arrangements of foreign securities may be somewhat greater than typical expenses for custodial arrangements of similar U.S. securities.

 

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Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The NAV of Fund Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. The Fund’s investment adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV because the Shares trade on the Exchange at market prices and not at NAV. Price differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the holdings of the Fund trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. However, given that Shares can only be purchased and redeemed either in-kind or for cash in Creation Units, and only to and from broker-dealers and large institutional investors that have entered into participation agreements (unlike shares of closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAV), the investment adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of Shares should not be sustained.

 

Index Provider Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve returns that generally correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of their Index, as published by their Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile its Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider gives descriptions of what the Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in its indices, and it does not guarantee that its Index will be in line with its methodology. Errors made by the Index Provider with respect to the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data within the Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, if at all. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

 

Investment Platforms Risk. The platforms in which the Fund may invest may have a higher risk profile and be more volatile than companies engaged in lines of business with a longer, established history and such investments should be viewed as longer term investments. The success of a platform is dependent upon their specific business model and market conditions. Any increase in default rates on a platform’s peer-to-peer loans could adversely affect the platform’s profitability and, therefore, the Fund’s investments in the platform.

 

Limitations of Intraday Indicative Value Risk. The Exchange intends to disseminate the approximate per share value of the Fund’s published basket of portfolio securities every 15 seconds (the ‘‘intraday indicative value’’ or ‘‘IIV’’). The IIV should not be viewed as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of the NAV per Share because (i) the IIV may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day, (ii) the calculation of NAV may be subject to fair valuation at different prices than those used in the calculations of the IIV, (iii) unlike the calculation of NAV, the IIV does not take into account Fund expenses, and (iv) the IIV is based on the published basket of portfolio securities and not on the Fund’s actual holdings. The IIV calculations are based on local market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close, which could affect premiums and discounts between the IIV and the market price of the Shares. The Fund, Adviser and Sub-Adviser are not involved in, or responsible for, any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IIV and do not make any warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations.

 

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Limited Operating History of Platforms Risk. Many of the peer-to-peer lending platforms, and investment crowdfunding in general, are in the early stages of development and have a limited operating history. As a result, there is limited historical data regarding the performance of peer-to-peer lending and the long term outlook of the industry is uncertain.

 

Market Maker Risk. If the Fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of Shares. Any trading halt or other problem relating to the trading activity of these market makers could result in a dramatic change in the spread between the Fund’s NAV and the price at which the Shares are trading on the Exchange, which could result in a decrease in value of the Shares. In addition, decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of the Fund’s portfolio securities and the Fund’s market price. This reduced effectiveness could result in Shares trading at a discount to NAV and also in greater than normal intra-day bid-ask spreads for Shares.

 

Market Risk. The securities in the Index are subject to market fluctuations, and the Fund could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. You should anticipate that the value of the Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Index. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.

 

New Fund Risk. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time.

 

Non-Correlation Risk. As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and the Index may vary somewhat for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs, while also managing cash flows and potential operational inefficiencies, not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index or may be subject to pricing differences, differences in the timing of dividend accruals, operational inefficiencies and the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. For example, it may take several business days for additions and deletions to the Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the Fund. The use of sampling techniques may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve close correlation with the Index. The Fund using a representative sampling strategy generally can be expected to have a greater non-correlation risk and this risk may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

 

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Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed. The Fund invests in securities included in its Index regardless of their investment merit. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not utilize an investing strategy that seeks returns in excess of the Index. Therefore, it would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.

 

Regulator Risk. The platforms in which the Fund invests are subject to various statutes, rules and regulations issued by federal, state and local government authorities. A failure to comply with the applicable rules and regulations may, among other things, subject the platform or its related entities to certain registration requirements with government authorities and the payment of any penalties and fines; result in the revocation of their licenses; cause the loan contracts originated by the platform to be voided or otherwise impair the enforcement of such loans; and subject them to potential civil and criminal liability, class action lawsuits and/or administrative or regulatory enforcement actions. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on a platform’s financial condition, results of operations or ability to perform its obligations with respect to its lending business or could otherwise result in modifications in the platform’s methods of doing business.

 

Risk of Regulation as an Investment Company or an Investment Adviser. If platforms or any related entities are required to register as investment companies under the 1940 Act or as investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, their ability to conduct business may be materially adversely affected, which may result in such entities being unable to perform their obligations with respect to their peer-to-peer loans, including applicable indemnity, guaranty, repurchasing and servicing obligations, and any contracts entered into by a platform or related entity while in violation of the registration requirements may be voidable.

 

Security Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause a security held by the Fund to be more volatile than the market generally. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

 

Small- and Mid- Capitalization Company Risk. Generally, small- or mid- capitalization companies, which are often less seasoned, have more potential for rapid growth. However, they often involve greater risk than large cap companies and these risks are passed on to funds that invest in them. These companies may not have the management experience, financial resources, product diversification and competitive strengths of larger companies. Therefore, the securities of small-cap and mid-cap companies are generally more volatile than the securities of larger, more established companies.

 

Trading Issues Risk. Although the Shares are listed for trading on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such Shares will develop or be maintained. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange “circuit breaker” rules. Market makers are under no obligation to make a market in the Shares, and authorized participants are not obligated to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. Initially, due to the small asset size of the Fund, it may have difficulty maintaining its listings on the Exchange.

 

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Non-Principal Risks

 

Cash Management and Defensive Investing Risk. The value of the investments held by the Fund for cash management or defensive investing purposes can fluctuate. Like other fixed income securities, they are subject to risk, including market, interest rate and credit risk. If the Fund holds cash uninvested it will be subject to the credit risk of the depository institution holding the cash. If the Fund holds cash uninvested, the Fund will not earn income on the cash.

 

Inflation Risk. Inflation may reduce the intrinsic value of increases in the value of the Fund. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions.

 

Legislation and Litigation Risk. Legislation or litigation that affects the value of securities held by the Fund may reduce the value of the Fund. From time to time, various legislative initiatives are proposed that may have a negative impact on certain securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, litigation regarding any of the securities owned by the Fund may negatively impact the value of the Shares. Such legislation or litigation may cause the Fund to lose value or may result in higher portfolio turnover if the Adviser determines to sell such a holding.

 

Management of the Fund

 

The Fund is a series of Amplify ETF Trust, an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund is treated as a separate fund with its own investment objectives and policies. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business trust. The Board is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Trust. The Board elects the Trust’s officers and approves all significant agreements, including those with the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, custodian and fund administrative and accounting agent.

 

Investment Adviser

 

Amplify Investments LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is a registered investment adviser with its offices at 310 South Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. As of August 1, 2018, Amplify served as the investment adviser or sub-adviser to seven registered investment companies, with assets under management of over $900 million. In its capacity as Adviser to the Fund, Amplify has overall responsibility for selecting and monitoring the Fund’s investments and managing the Fund’s business affairs.

 

Investment Sub-Adviser

 

Penserra Capital Management LLC, 4 Orinda Way, Suite 100-A, Orinda, California 94563, serves as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser. Penserra is a registered investment adviser and has responsibility for managing the Fund’s investment program in pursuit of its investment objective.

 

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Portfolio Managers

 

The members of the portfolio management team for the Fund are Dustin Lewellyn, Ernesto Tong and Anand Desai.

 

Dustin Lewellyn, CFA. Mr. Lewellyn has extensive background in institutional investment process with a specific focus on ETF, such as the Fund. Mr. Lewellyn was a portfolio manager at BGI (now part of Blackrock) and he managed a number of international equity funds. Dustin also was head of ETF product management and product development at Northern Trust where he oversaw the build out and management of all areas of a new ETF business, including primary responsibility for the portfolio management process surrounding the ETFs. Mr. Lewellyn also built and ran a new ETF business for Charles Schwab, including having primary responsibility for the technology and investment process to support portfolio management for the ETFs. Mr. Lewellyn started a consulting business with a focus on ETFs and helped numerous new ETF sponsors, as well as service providers, understand the resource requirements to participate in the industry utilizing current best practices. Mr. Lewellyn holds a B.A. from University of Iowa and is a CFA Charterholder. He also holds security licenses 7, 63, 66 and 24.

 

Ernesto Tong, CFA. Mr. Tong worked for Barclays Global Investors and Blackrock prior to joining the Sub-Adviser. During his time at Blackrock, Mr. Tong spent two years as an Index Research Analyst and seven years as a portfolio manager for a number of funds. As an Index Research Analyst, he was responsible for performing independent research and analysis to incorporate into Portfolio Management and Trading strategies and also developing and launching new indices and investment products, particularly in Latin America. As a portfolio manager, Ernesto managed $40 billion in global ETF assets and was responsible for all aspects of portfolio management across domestic and international portfolios. Ernesto was also responsible for launching, managing, and driving the local Latin American ETF products for the portfolio management group, focusing on Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Ernesto holds a B.A. from the University of California, Davis and is a CFA Charterholder. He holds security licenses 7 and 63.

 

Anand Desai. Prior to joining the Sub-Adviser in 2015, Mr. Desai was an officer at State Street, where he had roles in portfolio accounting and client operations.

 

For additional information concerning Amplify and Penserra, including a description of the services provided to the Fund, please see the Fund’s statement of additional information. Additional information regarding the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers’ ownership of Shares may also be found in the statement of additional information.

 

Management Fee

 

Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between Amplify and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual unitary management fee to Amplify in an amount equal to _______% of its average daily net assets. This unitary management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate Amplify for the services it provides to the Fund.

 

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Out of this unitary management fee, Amplify pays substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other service and license fees. However, the Adviser is not responsible for distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, taxes, interest, and extraordinary expenses. The Adviser’s management fee is designed to pay the Fund’s expenses and to compensate the Adviser for providing services to the Fund.

 

Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement between Amplify, Penserra and the Trust (the “Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Penserra receives an annual fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund. Amplify is responsible for paying the entire amount of the Penserra’s fee for the Fund. The Fund does not directly pay Penserra.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Trust’s Board of Director’s approval of the Investment Management Agreement and Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement on behalf of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s [Semi-]Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended __________, 2018.

 

Manager of Managers Structure. The Fund and the Adviser have received an exemptive order from the SEC to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits the Adviser, with the approval of the Board, to appoint and replace sub-advisers, enter into sub-advisory agreements, and materially amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (“Manager of Managers Structure”). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund’s sub-advisers and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement. The SEC order does not apply to any sub-adviser that is affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.

 

The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to sub-advisers or sub-advisory agreements. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of any changes made to the sub-advisers or sub-advisory agreements within 90 days of the changes.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The Fund issues or redeems its Shares at NAV per Share only in Creation Units. Most investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares will be listed for trading on the secondary market on the Exchange. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share. There is no minimum investment. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. Because Shares trade at market price rather than NAV, an investor may pay more than NAV when purchasing Shares and receive less than NAV when selling Shares.

 

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APs may acquire Shares directly from the Fund, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV per Share only in Creation Units or Creation Unit Aggregations, and in accordance with the procedures described in the SAI.

 

Book Entry

 

Shares 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 and is recognized as the owner of all Shares for all purposes.

 

Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all Shares. Participants in DTC include 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 other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.

 

Fund Share Trading Prices

 

The trading prices of Shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund’s daily NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of Shares.

 

The approximate value of Shares, an amount representing on a per Share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares and an estimated cash component, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

 

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

 

Shares may be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units by APs that have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor. The vast majority of trading in Shares occurs on the secondary market and does not involve the Fund directly. In-kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs and cash trades on the secondary market are unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent purchases and/or redemptions of Shares. Cash purchases and/or redemptions of Creation Units, however, can result in increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives, and may lead to the realization of capital gains. These consequences may increase as the frequency of cash purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by APs increases. However, direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade at or close to NAV.

 

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To minimize these potential consequences of frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares, the Fund imposes transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units to cover the custodial and other costs the Fund incurs in effecting trades. In addition, the Fund reserves the right to not accept orders from APs that Amplify has determined may be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise are not in the best interests of the Fund. For these reasons, the Board has not adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Shares.

 

Dividends, Distributions and Taxes

 

The Fund expects to declare and distribute all of its net investment income and its net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. The Fund may distribute such income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either an income dividend or a capital gains distribution. Distributions may be reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.

 

Taxes

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning Shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of this prospectus. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences.

 

This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, counsel to the Fund was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to, the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be included in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for you to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, you should seek advice based on your individual circumstances from your own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to continue qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by the tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes.

 

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Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

Your Fund makes distributions,

 

You sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and

 

You purchase or redeem Creation Units.

 

Taxes on Distributions

 

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable. After the end of each year, you will receive a tax statement that separates the distributions of the Fund into two categories, ordinary income distributions and capital gain dividends. Ordinary income distributions are generally taxed at your ordinary tax rate; however, as further discussed below, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at the capital gains tax rates. Generally, you will treat all capital gain dividends as long-term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned your Shares. To determine your actual tax liability for your capital gain dividends, you must calculate your total net capital gain or loss for the tax year after considering all of your other taxable transactions, as described below. In addition, the Fund may make distributions that represent a return of capital for tax purposes and thus will generally not be taxable to you; however, such distributions may reduce your tax basis in your Shares, which could result in you having to pay higher taxes in the future when Shares are sold, even if you sell the Shares at a loss from your original investment. The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Shares or receive them in cash. The income from the Fund that you must take into account for federal income tax purposes is not reduced by amounts used to pay a deferred sales fee, if any. The tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns Shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on Shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

If you are an individual, the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate for net capital gain is generally 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). Some portion of your capital gain dividends may be taxed at a higher maximum stated tax rate. Capital gains may also be subject to the Medicare tax described above.

 

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Net capital gain equals net long-term capital gain minus net short-term capital loss for the taxable year. Capital gain or loss is long-term if the holding period for the asset is more than one year and is short-term if the holding period for the asset is one year or less. You must exclude the date you purchase your Shares to determine your holding period. However, if you receive a capital gain dividend from the Fund and sell your Share at a loss after holding it for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain dividend received. The tax rates for capital gains realized from assets held for one year or less are generally the same as for ordinary income. The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, treats certain capital gains as ordinary income in special situations.

 

Ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain (as discussed above), provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distribution which may be taken into account as a dividend which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates.

 

Taxes on Exchange Listed Shares

 

If you sell or redeem your Shares, you will generally recognize a taxable gain or loss. To determine the amount of this gain or loss, you must subtract your tax basis in your Shares from the amount you receive in the transaction. Your tax basis in your Shares is generally equal to the cost of your Shares, generally including sales charges. In some cases, however, you may have to adjust your tax basis after you purchase your Shares.

 

Taxes on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units

 

If you exchange securities for Creation Units you will generally 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 your aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash component paid. If you exchange Creation Units for securities, you will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between your basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and any cash redemption amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you.

 

Non-U.S. Tax Credit

 

If the Fund invests in non-U.S. securities, the tax statement that you receive may include an item showing non-U.S. taxes the Fund paid to other countries. In this case, dividends taxed to you will include your share of the taxes the Fund paid to other countries. You may be able to deduct or receive a tax credit for your share of these taxes.

 

24 

 

Non-U.S. Investors

 

If you are a non-U.S. investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), you should be aware that, generally, subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will be characterized as dividends for federal income tax purposes (other than dividends which the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends) and will be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, subject to certain exceptions described below. However, distributions received by a non-U.S. investor from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met. Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain non-U.S. investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

Distributions may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30% in the case of distributions to (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not entered into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose certain information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners. Dispositions of Shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Investments in Certain Non-U.S. Corporations

 

If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), which are generally certain non-U.S. corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax. Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

 

25 

 

The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. 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. See “Distributions and Taxes” in the statement of additional information for more information.

 

Distributor

 

Quasar Distributors LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares.

 

The Board has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. In accordance with its Rule 12b-1 plan, the Fund is authorized to pay an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to reimburse the Distributor for amounts expended to finance activities primarily intended to result in the sale of Creation Units or the provision of investor services. The Distributor may also use this amount to compensate securities dealers or other persons that are APs for providing distribution assistance, including broker-dealer and shareholder support and educational and promotional services.

 

The Fund does not and has no current intention of paying 12b-1 fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the 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.

 

Net Asset Value

 

The Fund’s administrator calculates the Fund’s NAV at the close of regular trading (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. E.S.T.) every day the New York Stock Exchange is open. The NAV for one Share is the value of that Share’s portion of all of the net assets of the Fund. In calculating NAV, the Fund generally values its investment portfolio at market price. If market prices are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, such as in the case of a security value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the relevant market closes, the Fund is required to price those securities at fair value as determined in good faith using methods approved by the Board. The Fund’s determination of a security’s fair value price often involves the consideration of a number of subjective factors, and is therefore subject to the unavoidable risk that the value that the Fund assigns to a security may be higher or lower than the security’s value would be if a reliable market quotation for the security was readily available.

 

There may be circumstances in which the Fund would price securities at fair value. For example, if the exchange on which a portfolio security is principally-traded closed early or if trading in a particular security was halted during the day and did not resume prior to the time the Fund calculated its NAV the Fund may price the security at fair value.

 

With respect to any non-U.S. securities held by the Fund, the Fund may take factors influencing specific markets or issuers into consideration in determining the fair value of a non-U.S. security. International securities markets may be open on days when the U.S. markets are closed. In such cases, the value of any international securities owned by the Fund may be significantly affected on days when investors cannot buy or sell Shares. In addition, due to the difference in times between the close of the international markets and the time the Fund prices its Shares, the value the Fund assigns to securities generally will not be the same as the quoted or published prices of those securities on their primary markets or exchanges. In determining fair value prices, the Fund may consider the performance of securities on their primary exchanges, foreign currency appreciation/depreciation, securities market movements in the U.S., or other relevant information as related to the securities.

 

26 

 

Index Information

 

The Index is owned and operated by CrowdBureau Corporation. CrowdBureau is not affiliated with the Fund, Amplify, Penserra or the Distributor. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sublicensing arrangement with Amplify, which in turn has a licensing agreement with the Index Provider. _________ serves as calculation agent for the Index (the “Index Calculation Agent”). The Index Calculation Agent is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the Index, including calculating the value of the Index every 15 seconds, widely disseminating the Index values every 15 seconds and tracking corporate actions, some of which result in Index adjustments.

 

Index composition

 

Investible Universe. To be included in the Index, a company or its issued securities must meet the following requirements:

 

Be an equity security, an ADR, ADS or GDR representing an equity security, issued by a company in the peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding ecosystem;

 

A security must be listed and traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange in the United States;

 

A security must be listed for trading at the end of each calendar quarter;

 

A security must have a market capitalization of at least $75 million; and

 

A security must have monthly trading volume of at least 250,000 or average notional value of monthly trades of at least $25 million over the prior six months, or lower volumes provided that any such securities are limited to no greater than 30% by market value.

 

Selection Universe. Index eligibility is restricted to companies that make up the peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding ecosystem. On a quarterly basis, CrowdBureau evaluates the business operations of companies that have equity securities listed and traded on a nationally recognized securities exchange in the United States to determine whether such business operations fall into one of the four segments that make up the peer-to-peer lending ecosystem based upon data available from public sources. Companies are assigned to one of the four segments that make up the peer-to-peer lending ecosystem set forth below.

 

27 

 

Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms. Companies that operate as loan-based crowdfunding platforms or peer-to-peer lending platforms on which individuals and institutions lend money to individuals or new/existing businesses seeking loans and other credit-based offerings for purposes ranging from consumer loans, debt consolidation, student loans, car loans, agriculture loans, renewable energy loans, mortgage loans, and business loans as well as business financings, or, investment-based crowdfunding platforms, on which people invest in unlisted shares or debt securities by businesses and that derive more than fifty percent (50%) of their revenue from such operations. Peer-to-peer lending platforms and financial institutions with a dedicated peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platform operate under specific federal, state, or local governmental regulations in their country of domicile and are identified by their publicly disclosed oversight or charter referencing specific regulations. Outside the United States, companies are governed by specifically defined crowdfunding laws, regulations, rules and policies of their countries of domicile.

 

Financial Institutions with Dedicated Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platform. Institutions that offer dedicated peer-to-peer lending and/or equity crowdfunding in the form of a separate business line or cost unit within a larger financial services franchise.

 

Social Networking Platforms. Social network platforms that enable communities, sharing of content, adding friends, setting privacy and allowing people to lend/borrow to each other without the intermediary of a bank. Includes mobile banking, cash advances, remittances, and/or other forms of credit as part of a commerce ecosystem to support buyers, sellers or other customer groups.

 

Providers of Technology and Software Solutions to the Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Industry. Companies in this segment derive their annual revenues from technologies, software solutions or data analytics intended to evaluate, underwrite, fund, provide financing and payment services that facilitate access to and extension of credit so as to enable and facilitate the operations of peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platforms.

 

Weighting. The Index relies on a modified weighting methodology that combines two cap-weighted segments and two equal-weight segments to establish an Index in which the weight of a single security and/or the sum of the weights of the securities representing a defined group are constrained to a maximum weight. The securities comprising the Financial Institutions with Dedicated P2P Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms segment and Social Networking Platforms segment are equally weighted. The securities comprising the Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms segment and Providers of Technology and Software Solutions segment utilize a modifieadditd market cap-weighting methodology described below.

 

28 

 

Segment Fixed Segment
Weight
Maximum
Overall
Weight per
Constituent
Number of
Constituents
(June 29, 2018)
Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms 80% 25% 13
Financial Institutions with Dedicated P2P Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms 1% 1% 1
Social Networking Platforms 5% 1% 5
Providers of Technology and Software Solutions 14% 5% 14

 

Modified Market-Cap Weighting. The securities comprising the Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Platforms segment and Providers of Technology and Software Solutions segment are weighted as follows:

 

Peer-to-Peer Lending Equity Crowding Platforms. The segment’s fixed 80% Index weight allocation is distributed among the securities comprising the segment on a market cap-weighted basis. Once the initial security weights have been derived, all securities with a weight greater than 5% have their weights reduced to 4.8%. The weight resulting from this diminution is then reallocated to the security in the segment with the highest weight until the security reaches a weight of 25%. Any remaining weight is then assigned to the security with the second-largest market capitalization until that security reaches a weight of 25%. In the event there is still security weight that has not been reallocated, the remaining weight is allocated proportionately among the securities with weights of less than 4.8% until such securities reach a weight of 4.8%. No security that did not have an initial security weight of 4.8%, could, as a result of the reallocation, have its weight increased above 4.8%.

 

Providers of Technology and Software Solutions. a. The segment’s fixed 14% Index weight allocation is distributed among the securities comprising the segment on a market cap-weighted basis. Once the initial security weights have been derived, all securities with a weight greater than __% have their weights reduced to __%. The weight resulting from this diminution is then reallocated to the security in the segment with the highest weight until the security reaches a weight of 5%. Any remaining weight is then assigned to the security with the second-largest market capitalization until that security reaches a weight of 5%. In the event there is still security weight that has not been reallocated, the remaining weight is allocated proportionately among the securities with weights of less than __% until such securities reach a weight of __%. No security that did not have an initial security weight of __%, could, as a result of the reallocation, have its weight increased above __%.

 

Rebalance and Reconstitution. The Index is rebalanced and may be reconstituted on a quarterly basis to reflect additions to as well as any deletions of securities classified as peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platforms, financial institutions with dedicated peer-to-peer lending and equity crowdfunding platforms, social network(ing) platforms and providers of technology and software solutions.

 

Disclaimers

 

The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by CrowdBureau Corporation (“Licensor”). Licensor makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of trading in the Fund. Licensor’s only relationship to Amplify is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Licensor and of the CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Licensor without regard to Amplify or the Fund, Licensor has no obligation to take the needs of Amplify or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index. Licensor is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be listed or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund are to be converted into cash. Licensor has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

 

29 

 

LICENSOR DOES NOT GUARANTEE OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND LICENSOR SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. THE INDEX, ANY DATA CONTAINED THEREIN AND ANY OTHER DATA OR INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY LICENSOR IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. LICENSOR MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY AMPLIFY, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. LICENSOR MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE Loup Frontier Tech Index OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN, OR ANY WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE TIMELINESS, SEQUENCE, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, OR QUALITY OF THE INDEX, ANY DATA CONTAINED THEREIN OR ANY DATA OR INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY LICENSOR. LICENSOR SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISDELIVERY OF ANY DATA RELATED TO OR ASSOCIATED WITH THE INDEX OR ANY DATA CONTAINED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL LICENSOR HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. LICENSOR AND ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES AND EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS AND SOURCES (THE “LICENSOR PARTIES”) SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO AMPLIFY OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE, DIRECT, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, ARISING FROM (A) ANY INACCURACY OR INCOMPLETENESS IN, OR DELAYS, INTERRUPTIONS, ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA CONTAINED THEREIN, OR (B) ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN BY AMPLIFY OR ANY THIRD PARTY IN RELIANCE UPON THE PRODUCTS, INDEX OR ANY DATA CONTAINED THEREIN. THERE ARE NO THIRD-PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN LICENSOR AND AMPLIFY.

 

30 

 

Fund Service Providers

 

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for the Fund.

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, serves as legal counsel to the Trust.

 

Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm and is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Fund.

 

Premium/Discount Information

 

The market prices of the Shares generally will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV, as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Exchange. Amplify cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. The approximate value of the Shares, which is an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current market price of the securities (and an estimated cash component) accepted by the Fund in exchange for Shares, will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day. The Fund is not involved with, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any warranty as to its accuracy.

Information regarding how often the Shares traded on the Exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past four calendar quarters, when available, will be found at www.amplifyetfs.com.

 

Other Information

 

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including Shares. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund prior to exceeding the limits imposed by Section 12(d)(1).

 

DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS—HOUSEHOLDING

 

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the 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 the Fund is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of the prospectus and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you currently are enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

 

31 

 

Contents

 

Summary Information 1
Additional Information About the Fund’s Strategies and Risks 11
Fund Investments 11
Additional Risks of Investing in the Fund 12
Management of the Fund 18
How to Buy and Sell Shares 19
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes 21
Distributor 25
Net Asset Value 25
Index Information 26
Fund Service Providers 29
Premium/Discount Information 29
Other Information 30

 

For more detailed information on the Trust, Fund and Shares, you may request a copy of the Fund’s SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This means that the SAI legally is a part of this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments also will be available in the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders, when available. In the Fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during the last fiscal year. If you have questions about the Fund or Shares or you wish to obtain the SAI, Annual Report and/or Semi-Annual Report, when available, free of charge, or to make shareholder inquiries, please:

 

Call:Amplify ETF Trust at 1-855-267-3837
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time

 

Write:Amplify ETF Trust c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

 

Visit:www.amplifyetfs.com

 

Information about the Fund (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected], or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund or the Shares not contained in this prospectus, and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this prospectus for future reference.

 

Dealers effecting transactions in the Shares, whether or not participating in this distribution, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to any obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters.

 

The Trust’s registration number under the 1940 Act is 811-23108.

 

 

PROSPECTUS
ETF


Amplify CrowdBureau®
Peer-to-Peer Lending &
Crowdfunding ETF

 

  DATED [______], 2018,

  


Amplify ETF Trust
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187


Phone: 1-855-267-3837
E-mail: [email protected]

 

 

 

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

 

Preliminary Statement of Additional Information

Dated August 17, 2018

Subject to Completion

 

Statement of Additional Information

 

Investment Company Act File No. 811-23108
AMPLIFY ETF trust

 

Fund Name Ticker Symbol Exchange
     
Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending
& Crowdfunding ETF
_____ NYSE Arca

 

Dated ______________, 2018

 

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the prospectus dated _______, 2018, as it may be revised from time to time (the “Prospectus”), for the Amplify CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending & Crowdfunding ETF (the “Fund”), a series of the Amplify ETF Trust (the “Trust”). Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meanings as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust’s distributor, Quasar Distributors LLC, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, or by calling toll free at 1-855-267-3837.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

General Description of the Trust and the Fund 1
Exchange Listing and Trading 4
Investment Objective and Policies 5
Investment Strategies 6
Investment Risks 11
Management of the Fund 16
Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers 25
Brokerage Allocations 26
Administrator, Custodian, Transfer Agent, Fund Accounting Agent, Distributor and Exchange 27
Additional Information 29
Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures 31
Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations 32
Regular Holidays 39
Federal Tax Matters 41
Determination of Net Asset Value 48
Dividends and Distributions 49
Miscellaneous Information 50
Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines A-1

 

- ii - 

 

 

General Description of the Trust and the Fund

 

The Trust was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 6, 2015 and is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one or more series. The Trust is an open-end management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Trust currently offers shares in [eight] series, including the Fund, a non-diversified series.

 

This SAI relates to the Fund. The Fund, as a series of the Trust, represents a beneficial interest in a separate portfolio of securities and other assets, with its own objective and policies.

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board of Trustees” or the “Trustees”) has the right to establish additional series in the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges without shareholder approval. Shares of any series may also be divided into one or more classes at the discretion of the Trustees.

 

The Trust or any series or class thereof may be terminated at any time by the Board of Trustees upon written notice to the shareholders.

 

Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all series of the Trust vote together as a single class except as otherwise required by the 1940 Act, or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular series; and, if a matter affects a particular series differently from other series, the shares of that series will vote separately on such matter. The Trust’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) requires a shareholder vote only on those matters where the 1940 Act requires a vote of shareholders and otherwise permits the Trustees to take actions without seeking the consent of shareholders. For example, the Declaration gives the Trustees broad authority to approve reorganizations between the Fund and another entity, such as another exchange-traded fund, or the sale of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets, or the termination of the Trust or the Fund without shareholder approval if the 1940 Act would not require such approval.

 

The Declaration provides that by becoming a shareholder of the Fund, each shareholder shall be expressly held to have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Declaration and to any By-laws adopted by the Fund. The provisions of the Declaration state that shareholders have no rights, privileges, claims or remedies under any contract or agreement entered into by the Trust or the Fund with any service provider or other agent to or contractor with the Trust or the Fund including, without limitation, any third party beneficiary rights. In addition, under the Declaration, shareholders do not have appraisal rights with respect to their shares and, except as the Trustees may determine from time to time, shall have no right to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any shares or securities of the Fund that it may issue or sell, or have any preference, preemptive, conversion or exchange rights. The provisions of the Declaration, any By-laws of the Fund and any contract or agreement entered into by the Trust or the Fund governed by applicable state law do not effect the rights of any shareholder under any provision of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), or the 1940 Act, or any rule, regulation or order of the Securities Exchange Commission thereunder.

 

 

 

The Declaration may, except in limited circumstances, be amended by the Trustees in any respect without a shareholder vote. The Declaration provides that the Trustees may establish the number of Trustees and that vacancies on the Board of Trustees may be filled by the remaining Trustees, except when election of Trustees by the shareholders is required under the 1940 Act. Trustees are then elected by a plurality of votes cast by shareholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The Declaration also provides that Trustees may be removed, with or without cause, by a vote of shareholders holding at least two-thirds of the voting power of the Trust, or by a vote of two-thirds of the remaining Trustees. The provisions of the Declaration relating to the election and removal of Trustees may not be amended without the approval of two-thirds of the Trustees.

 

The holders of Fund shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership of Fund shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the Fund or as the Trustees may determine, and ownership of Fund shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required by law or regulation. In addition, pursuant to the Declaration, the Trustees may, in their discretion, require the Trust to redeem shares held by any shareholder for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.

 

The Declaration provides a detailed process for the bringing of derivative actions by shareholders, and provides that actions that are derivative in nature may not be brought directly, in order to permit legitimate inquiries and claims while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Fund or its shareholders as a result of spurious shareholder claims, demands and derivative actions. Prior to bringing a derivative action, a demand must first be made on the Trustees. The Declaration details various information, certifications, undertakings and acknowledgements that must be included in the demand. Following receipt of the demand, the Trustees have a period of 90 days, which may be extended by an additional 60 days, to consider the demand. If a majority of the Trustees who are considered independent for the purposes of considering the demand determine that maintaining the suit would not be in the best interests of the Fund, the Trustees are required to reject the demand and the complaining shareholder may not proceed with the derivative action unless the shareholder is able to sustain the burden of proof to a court that the decision of the Trustees not to pursue the requested action was not a good faith exercise of their business judgment on behalf of the Fund. In making such a determination, a Trustee is not considered to have a personal financial interest by virtue of being compensated for his or her services as a Trustee.

 

If a demand is rejected as set forth above, the complaining shareholder will be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Fund in connection with the consideration of the demand under a number of circumstances. In addition, if a court determines that a derivative action was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, or if a derivative or direct action is dismissed on the basis of a failure to comply with the procedural provisions relating to shareholder actions as set forth in the Declaration, or if a direct action is dismissed by a court for failure to state a claim, the shareholder bringing the action may be responsible for the Fund’s costs, including attorneys’ fees.

 

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The provisions of the Declaration provide that any direct or derivative action commenced by a shareholder must be brought only in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Boston Division) or if any such action may not be brought in that court, then in the Business Litigation Session of Suffolk Superior Court in Massachusetts (the “Chosen Courts”). Except as prohibited by applicable law, if a shareholder commences an applicable action in a court other than a Chosen Court, then such shareholder may be obligated to reimburse the Fund and any applicable Trustee or officer of the Fund made party to such proceeding for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with any successful motion to dismiss, stay or transfer of the action. The Declaration also provides that any shareholder bringing an action against the Fund waives the right to trial by jury to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

The Declaration provides that no provision of the Declaration may require a waiver of compliance with any provision of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or the 1940 Act, or any rule, regulation or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder. The provisions of the Declaration are severable, and if the Trustees determine, with the advice of counsel, that any such provision, in whole or in part, conflict with applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provisions, or part or parts thereof, will be deemed to be not part of the Declaration (provided, that any such determination will not render any of the remaining provisions invalid or improper).

 

The Trust is not required to and does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders.

 

Under Massachusetts law applicable to Massachusetts business trusts, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations. However, the Declaration contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of this disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Trust or the Trustees. The Declaration further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Trust for all losses and expenses of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Trust or the Fund itself was unable to meet its obligations.

 

The Declaration further provides that a Trustee acting in his or her capacity as Trustee is not personally liable to any person other than the Trust or its series in connection with the affairs of the Trust or for any act, omission, or obligation of the Trust. The Declaration requires the Trust to indemnify any persons who are or who have been Trustees, officers or employees of the Trust for any liability for actions or failure to act except to the extent prohibited by applicable federal law. In making any determination as to whether any person is entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with a claim for which indemnification is sought, such person is entitled to a rebuttable presumption that he or she did not engage in conduct for which indemnification is not available. The Declaration provides that any Trustee who serves as chair of the Board of Trustees or of a committee of the Board of Trustees, lead independent Trustee, or audit committee financial expert, or in any other similar capacity will not be subject to any greater standard of care or liability because of such position.

 

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The Fund is advised by Amplify Investments LLC (the “Adviser” or “Amplify Investments”). Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserra” or the “Sub-Adviser”) serves as investment sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

The shares of the Fund list and principally trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or the “Index”). The shares will trade on the Exchange at market prices that may be below, at or above net asset value. The Fund offers and issues shares at net asset value only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each a “Creation Unit” or a “Creation Unit Aggregation”), generally in exchange for a basket of securities (the “Deposit Securities”) included in the index the Fund seeks to track, the CrowdBureau® Peer-to-Peer Lending and Equity Crowdfunding Index (the “Index”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares are redeemable only in Creation Unit Aggregations and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a specified cash payment. Creation Units are aggregations of 50,000 shares of the Fund.

 

The Trust reserves the right to permit creations and redemptions of Fund shares to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis under certain circumstances. Fund shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Securities. See the “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations” section. In each instance of such cash creations or redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

 

Exchange Listing and Trading

 

There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from listing if: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading of the Fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days or (ii) such other event shall occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will remove the shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

 

As in the case of other stocks traded on the Exchange, brokers’ commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

 

The Fund reserves the right to adjust the price levels of shares in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.

 

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The Fund is required by the Exchange to comply with certain listing standards (which includes certain investment parameters) in order to maintain its listing on the Exchange. Compliance with these listing standards may compel the Fund to sell securities at an inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s then-current market value. The sale of securities in such circumstances could limit the Fund’s profit or require the Fund to incur a loss, and as a result, the Fund’s performance could be impacted.

 

Investment Objective and Policies

 

The Prospectus describes the investment objective and certain policies of the Fund. The following supplements the information contained in the Prospectus concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund.

 

The Fund is subject to the following fundamental policies, which may not be changed without approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund:

 

(1) The Fund may not issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

(2) The Fund may not borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.

 

(3) The Fund will not underwrite the securities of other issuers except to the extent the Fund may be considered an underwriter under the 1933 Act in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.

 

(4) The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).

 

(5) The Fund may not make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted thereunder.

 

(6) The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, forward contracts or other derivative instruments, or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).

 

(7) The Fund will not concentrate its investments in securities of issuers in any industry or group of industries, as the term “concentrate” is used in the 1940 Act, except to the extent the Index upon which the Fund is based concentrates in an industry or a group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies.

 

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For purposes of applying restriction (1) above, under the 1940 Act as currently in effect, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities, except that the Fund may borrow from any bank if immediately after such borrowing the value of the Fund’s total assets is at least 300% of the principal amount of all of the Fund’s borrowings (i.e., the principal amount of the borrowings may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s total assets). In the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300% the Fund shall, within three days thereafter (not including Sundays and holidays), reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%. The fundamental investment limitations set forth above limit the Fund’s ability to engage in certain investment practices and purchase securities or other instruments to the extent permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law. As such, these limitations will change as the statute, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) change, and no shareholder vote will be required or sought.

 

For purposes of applying restriction (5) above, the Fund may not make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase of debt securities permissible under the Fund’s investment policies, (ii) repurchase agreements, or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33-1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.

 

Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a change in market value of the investment or the total assets will not constitute a violation of that restriction. With respect to restriction (2), if the limitations are exceeded as a result of a change in market value then the Fund will reduce the amount of borrowings within three days thereafter to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations (not including Sundays and holidays).

 

The foregoing fundamental policies of the Fund may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The 1940 Act defines a majority vote as the vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding securities are represented; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities. With respect to the submission of a change in an investment policy to the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Fund, such matter shall be deemed to have been effectively acted upon with respect to the Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund vote for the approval of such matter, notwithstanding that such matter has not been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of any other series of the Trust affected by such matter.

 

In addition to the foregoing fundamental policies, the Fund is also subject to strategies and policies discussed herein which, unless otherwise noted, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees.

 

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Investment Strategies

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in the securities that comprise the Index, which will primarily include common stocks and depositary receipts. Fund shareholders are entitled to 60 days’ notice prior to any change in this non-fundamental investment policy.

 

Peer-to-Peer Lending

 

In peer-to-peer lending, loans are originated through online platforms that provide a marketplace that matches consumers, small- and mid-sized companies and other borrowers seeking loans with investors willing to provide the funding for such loans. Since its inception, the industry has grown to include substantial involvement of institutional investors. The procedures through which borrowers obtain loans can vary between platforms, and between the types of loans (e.g., consumer versus small- and mid-sized companies). In the case of consumer platforms, prospective borrowers must disclose or otherwise make available to the platform operator certain financial and other information including, for example, the borrower’s credit score (as determined by a credit reporting agency), income, debt-to-income ratio, credit utilization, employment status, homeownership status, number of existing credit lines, intended use of funds and the number and/or amount of recent payment defaults and delinquencies, certain of which information is then made available to prospective lenders. The borrower must satisfy the minimum eligibility requirements set by the operator. The operator uses the information provided by the borrower (along with other relevant data such as the characteristics of the loan) to assign its own credit rating (in the case of most consumer platforms) and the interest rate for the requested loan. Lenders may select which loans to fund based on such borrower-provided information and platform-assigned credit rating (to the extent available) and the yield to the lender, which is the fixed interest rate assigned by the platform to the loan net of any fees charged by the platform, including servicing fees for screening borrowers for their eligibility, managing the supply and demand of the marketplace, and facilitating payments and debt collection, among other things. A typical servicing fee charged to the lender is 1% of the outstanding loan balance. Operators may also charge borrowers an origination fee, which is typically 1% to 5% of the loan balance. The platforms may set limits as to the maximum dollar amount that may be requested by a borrower (whether through one or multiple loans) and the minimum dollar amount that a lender must provide under each loan. The loans originated through the online consumer lending platforms typically have a fixed term ranging between six months and five years in principal amounts with a minimum (e.g., $1,000) and maximum (e.g., $100,000), and typically amortize through equal monthly payments to their maturity dates.

 

The underlying peer-to-peer loan origination processes employed by each platform may vary significantly. Under one model employed by certain platforms in the United States, the operator of the platform maintains a contractual relationship with a bank and operates a website to help the bank originate loans. The principal amount of each loan is advanced to the borrower by a bank (the “funding bank”). The platform operator sometimes purchases the loan from the funding bank at par shortly after its origination and may resell it directly to an investor under a whole loan purchase program. The bank may also sell loans directly to investors and in some cases, retains some of the loans on its balance sheet. Institutional investors typically invest in whole loans, and therefore acquire the entire beneficial interest in the loans in which they invest, rather than fractional portions of or participations in such loans. Alternatively, the operator of the platform may purchase the loan from the funding bank at par using the funds of multiple lenders and then issues to each such lender at par a pass-through note of the operator (or an affiliate of the operator) representing the right to receive the lender’s proportionate share of all principal and interest payments received by the operator from the borrower on the loan funded by such lender (net of the platform servicing fees). As a further alternative, certain operators (including most small- and mid-sized company lenders) do not engage funding banks but instead extend their loans directly to the borrowers. These lenders similarly may sell the funded loans as whole loans to institutional investors or sell pass-through notes backed by individual loans or engage in other capital market transactions.

 

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The platform operator typically will service the loans it originates and will maintain a separate segregated deposit account into which it will deposit all payments received from the obligors on the loans. Upon identification of the proceeds received with respect to a loan and deduction of applicable fees, the platform operator forwards the amounts owed to the lenders or the holders of any related pass-through notes, as applicable.

 

A platform operator is not obligated to make any payments due on a peer-to-peer loan or pass-through note (except to the extent that the operator actually receives payments from the borrower on the related loan). Accordingly, lenders and investors assume all of the credit risk on the loans they fund through a pass-through note or whole loan purchased from a platform operator and are not entitled to recover any deficiency of principal or interest from the platform operator if the underlying borrower defaults on its payments due with respect to a loan. In addition, a platform operator is generally not required to repurchase peer-to-peer loans from a lender or purchaser except under very narrow circumstances, such as in cases of verifiable identity fraud by the borrower or as may otherwise be negotiated by a purchaser of whole loans. As loan servicer, the platform operator or an affiliated entity typically has the ability to refer any delinquent peer-to-peer loan to a collection agency (which may impose additional fees and costs that are often as high, or higher in some cases, as 35% of any recovered amounts). At the same time, the relatively low principal amounts of peer-to-peer loans often make it impracticable for the platform operator to commence legal proceedings against defaulting borrowers. Peer-to-peer loans may be secured (generally in the case of small- and mid-sized company loans and real estate-related loans) or unsecured (generally in the case of consumer loans). For example, real estate peer-to-peer loans may be secured by a deed of trust, mortgage, security agreement or legal title to real estate. There can be no assurance that any collateral pledged to secure a peer-to-peer loan can be liquidated quickly or at all or will generate proceeds sufficient to offset any defaults on such loan.

 

The documentation for peer-to-peer loans is executed electronically. Accordingly, the borrower does not execute a physical loan note and no such note is available for delivery to investors. No peer-to-peer loans currently being offered have been registered with the SEC and the only pass-through notes that have been registered with the SEC are those issued by LendingClub and Prosper.

 

In the United States, a platform may be subject to extensive regulation, oversight and examination at both the federal and state level, and across multiple jurisdictions if it operates its business nationwide. Accordingly, platforms are generally subject to various securities, lending, licensing and consumer protection laws. In addition, courts have recently considered the regulatory environment applicable to peer-to-peer lending platforms and purchasers of peer-to-peer loans. In light of recent decisions, if upheld and widely applied, certain peer-to-peer lending platforms could be required to restructure their operations and certain loans previously made by them through funding banks may not be enforceable, whether in whole or in part, by investors holding such loans or such loans would be subject to diminished returns and/or the platform subject to fines and penalties.

 

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Types of Investments

 

Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”),Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”). ADRs are Depositary Receipts normally issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs and GDRs are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies, although they also may be issued by U.S. banks or trust companies, and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or a U.S. corporation. Generally, Depositary Receipts in registered form are designed for use in the U.S. securities market. Depositary Receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. Ownership of unsponsored Depositary Receipts may not entitle a Fund to financial or other reports from the issuer of the underlying security, to which it would be entitled as the owner of sponsored Depositary Receipts. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States; therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.

 

Equities. The Fund invests in equity securities. Equity securities represent an ownership position in a company. The prices of equity securities fluctuate based on, among other things, events specific to their issuers and market, economic, and other conditions. Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common stocks. Common stocks include the common stock of any class or series of a domestic or foreign corporation or any similar equity interest, such as a trust or partnership interest. These investments may or may not pay dividends and may or may not carry voting rights. Common stock occupies the most junior position in a company’s capital structure. Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the issuer, generally have inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.

 

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Non-U.S. Securities. The Fund may have exposure to non-U.S. securities. Non-U.S. securities include securities issued or guaranteed by companies organized under the laws of countries other than the United States (including emerging markets), securities issued or guaranteed by foreign, national, provincial, state, municipal or other governments with taxing authority or by their agencies or instrumentalities and debt obligations of supranational governmental entities such as the World Bank or European Union. Non-U.S. securities may also include U.S. dollar-denominated debt obligations, such as “Yankee Dollar” obligations, of foreign issuers and of supra-national government entities. Yankee Dollar obligations are U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued in the U.S. capital markets by foreign corporations, banks and governments. Foreign securities also may be traded on foreign securities exchanges or in over-the-counter (“OTC”) capital markets.

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment in foreign securities may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. To the extent the Fund invests in such instruments, the value of the assets of the Fund as measured in U.S. dollars will be affected by changes in exchange rates. Generally, the Fund’s currency exchange transactions will be conducted on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market. The cost of the Fund’s currency exchange transactions will generally be the difference between the bid and offer spot rate of the currency being purchased or sold. In order to protect against uncertainty in the level of future currency exchange rates, the Fund is authorized to enter into various currency exchange transactions.

 

Securities Lending. The Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to one-third of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In a portfolio securities lending transaction, the Fund receives from the borrower an amount equal to the interest paid or the dividends declared on the loaned securities during the term of the loan as well as the interest on the collateral securities, less any fees (such as finders or administrative fees) the Fund pays in arranging the loan. The Fund may share the interest it receives on the collateral securities with the borrower. The terms of the Fund’s loans permit the Fund to reacquire loaned securities on five business days’ notice or in time to vote on any important matter. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or borrower at any time, and the borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. The Fund may pay fees to arrange for securities loans.

 

The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever the Fund’s portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, and (7) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified notice. The Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, the Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, the Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. As part of participating in a lending program, the Fund may be required to invest in collateralized debt or other securities that bear the risk of loss of principal. In addition, all investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.

 

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Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Fund’s investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered cash-equivalent collateral.

 

Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds; (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody’s® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor’s® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc., or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund buys and sells portfolio securities in the normal course of its investment activities. The proportion of the Fund’s investment portfolio that is bought and sold during a year is known as the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate. A turnover rate of 100% would occur, for example, if the Fund bought and sold securities valued at 100% of its net assets within one year. A high portfolio turnover rate could result in the payment by the Fund of increased brokerage costs, expenses and taxes.

 

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Investment Risks

 

Overview

 

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks that an investment in the Fund shares entails, including the risk that the financial condition of the issuers of the equity securities or the general condition of the securities market may worsen and the value of the securities and therefore the value of the Fund may decline. The Fund may not be an appropriate investment for those who are unable or unwilling to assume the risks involved generally with such an investment. The past market and earnings performance of any of the securities included in the Fund is not predictive of their future performance.

 

Borrowing and Leverage Risk

 

When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, including periods of low demand or decreased liquidity, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time. As prescribed by the 1940 Act, the Fund will be required to maintain specified asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to any bank borrowing immediately following such borrowing. The Fund may be required to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms if market fluctuations or other factors reduce the Fund’s asset coverage to less than the prescribed amount.

 

Common Stocks Risk

 

Common stocks are especially susceptible to general market movements and to volatile increases and decreases of value as market confidence in and perceptions of the issuers change. These perceptions are based on unpredictable factors including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Amplify Investments cannot predict the direction or scope of any of these factors. Shareholders of common stocks have rights to receive payments from the issuers of those common stocks that are generally subordinate to those of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks of, such issuers.

 

Shareholders of common stocks of the type held by the Fund have a right to receive dividends only when and if, and in the amounts, declared by the issuer’s board of directors and have a right to participate in amounts available for distribution by the issuer only after all other claims on the issuer have been paid. Common stocks do not represent an obligation of the issuer and, therefore, do not offer any assurance of income or provide the same degree of protection of capital as do debt securities. The issuance of additional debt securities or preferred stock will create prior claims for payment of principal, interest and dividends which could adversely affect the ability and inclination of the issuer to declare or pay dividends on its common stock or the rights of holders of common stock with respect to assets of the issuer upon liquidation or bankruptcy. The value of common stocks is subject to market fluctuations for as long as the common stocks remain outstanding, and thus the value of the equity securities in the Fund will fluctuate over the life of the Fund and may be more or less than the price at which they were purchased by the Fund. The equity securities held in the Fund may appreciate or depreciate in value (or pay dividends) depending on the full range of economic and market influences affecting these securities, including the impact of the Fund’s purchase and sale of the equity securities and other factors.

 

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Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the entity, have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in comparison with the rights of creditors of, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks issued by, the issuer. Cumulative preferred stock dividends must be paid before common stock dividends and any cumulative preferred stock dividend omitted is added to future dividends payable to the holders of cumulative preferred stock. Preferred stockholders are also generally entitled to rights on liquidation, which are senior to those of common stockholders.

 

Cyber Security Risk

 

As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Fund has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security. A breach in cyber security refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption or lose operational capacity. Such events could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss. Cyber security breaches may involve unauthorized access to the Fund’s digital information systems through “hacking” or malicious software coding, but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks through efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users. In addition, cyber security breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers, such as its administrator, transfer agent, custodian, or sub-advisor, as applicable, or issuers in which the Fund invests, can also subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. The Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially because the Fund does not directly control the cyber security systems of issuers or third party service providers.

 

Depositary Receipts Risk

 

Investing in Depositary Receipts involves the same risks as direct investments in foreign securities. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain Depositary Receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications or pass through any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities to the holders of such receipts. The Fund may therefore receive less timely information or have less control than if it invested directly in the foreign issuer.

 

-13- 

 

Equity Securities Risk

 

The value of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of its investments in equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.

 

Failure to Qualify as a Regulated Investment Company Risk

 

If, in any year, the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company under the applicable tax laws, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation. In such circumstances, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment. If the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company, distributions to the Fund’s shareholders generally would be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders.

 

Investment Platforms Risk

 

The platforms in which the Fund may invest may have a higher risk profile and be more volatile than companies engaged in lines of business with a longer, established history and such investments should be viewed as longer term investments. The success of a platform is dependent upon their specific business model and market conditions. Any increase in default rates on a platform’s peer-to-peer loans could adversely affect the platform’s profitability and, therefore, the Fund’s investments in the platform.

 

Issuer Risk

 

The value of an investment may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets.

 

Legal and Litigation Risk

 

In certain frontier and emerging markets, fraud and corruption may be more prevalent than in developed market countries. Securities and issuers that the Fund may invest in are exposed to these risks, which could have a negative impact on a security’s value. It may be difficult for the Fund to obtain or enforce judgments against parties located outside of the U.S. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce remedies against non-U.S. governments, their agencies, quasi-sovereign entities, other foreign issuers or counterparties.

 

-14- 

 

Limited Operating History of Platforms Risk

 

Many of the companies engaged in crowdfunding are in the early stages of development and have a limited operating history. As a result, there is limited historical data regarding the performance of peer-to-peer lending and the long term outlook of the industry is uncertain.

 

Listing Standards Risk

 

The Fund is required by the Exchange to comply with certain listing standards (which includes certain investment parameters) in order to maintain its listing on the Exchange. Compliance with these listing standards may compel the Fund to sell securities at an inopportune time or for a price other than the security’s then-current market value. The sale of securities in such circumstances could limit the Fund’s profit or require the Fund to incur a loss, and as a result, the Fund’s performance could be impacted.

 

Market Events Risk

 

Turbulence in the economic, political and financial system has historically resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the capital markets. Both domestic and foreign capital markets have been experiencing increased volatility and turmoil, with issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets particularly affected, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions could continue. Reduced liquidity in equity, credit and fixed-income markets may adversely affect many issuers worldwide. This reduced liquidity may result in less money being available to purchase raw materials, goods and services from emerging markets, which may, in turn, bring down the prices of these economic staples. It may also result in small or emerging market issuers having more difficulty obtaining financing, which may, in turn, cause a decline in their security prices. These events and possible continued market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

Non-U.S. Securities Risk

 

The Fund’s foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulty in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased volatility. Foreign investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or foreign deposits (in which an underlying fund could lose its entire investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Unless the Fund has hedged its foreign securities risk, foreign securities risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which an underlying fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging strategies, if used, are not always successful.

 

Regulator Risk

 

The platforms in which the Fund invests are subject to various statutes, rules and regulations issued by federal, state and local government authorities. A failure to comply with the applicable rules and regulations may, among other things, subject the platform or its related entities to certain registration requirements with government authorities and the payment of any penalties and fines; result in the revocation of their licenses; cause the loan contracts originated by the platform to be voided or otherwise impair the enforcement of such loans; and subject them to potential civil and criminal liability, class action lawsuits and/or administrative or regulatory enforcement actions. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on a platform’s financial condition, results of operations or ability to perform its obligations with respect to its lending business or could otherwise result in modifications in the platform’s methods of doing business.

 

-15- 

 

Risk of Regulation as an Investment Company or an Investment Adviser

 

If platforms or any related entities are required to register as investment companies under the 1940 Act or as investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, their ability to conduct business may be materially adversely affected, which may result in such entities being unable to perform their obligations with respect to their peer-to-peer loans, including applicable indemnity, guaranty, repurchasing and servicing obligations, and any contracts entered into by a platform or related entity while in violation of the registration requirements may be voidable.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the investment management agreement is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. There are five Trustees of the Trust, two of whom are “interested persons” (as the term is defined in the 1940 Act) (“Interested Trustees”) and three of whom are Trustees who are not officers or employees of Amplify Investments or any of its affiliates (“Independent Trustees”). The Trust has not established a lead independent Trustee position. The Trustees set broad policies for the Fund, choose the Trust’s officers and hire the Trust’s investment adviser. The officers of the Trust manage its day-to-day operations and are responsible to the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust and a statement of their present positions and principal occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each Trustee oversees and the other directorships they have held during the past five years, if applicable. Each Trustee has been elected for an indefinite term. The officers of the Trust serve indefinite terms. Each Trustee, except for Christian Magoon and John Phillips, is an Independent Trustee. Mr. Magoon is deemed an Interested Trustee of the Trust due to his positions as Chief Executive Officer and President of Amplify Investments and the Trust. Mr. Phillips is deemed an Interested Trustee due to his positions as Chief Operating Officer of Amplify Investments and Secretary of the Trust.

 

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Name, Address
and Year of Birth
Position and Offices with Trust Term of Office and Year First Elected or Appointed Principal Occupations
During Past 5 Years
Number of Portfolios in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee Other Trusteeships or Directorships Held by Trustee During the Past 5 Years

Trustees who are Interested Persons of the Trust

         
Christian Magoon(1)
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1974
Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Chief Executive Officer and President

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Chief Executive Officer, Magoon Capital (2010 - present); Chief Executive Officer, YieldShares, LLC (2013 - present); Chief Executive Officer, President Amplify Investments (2015 – present) [8] None
John Phillips(2)
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1958
Secretary

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product Development, Amplify Investments (2015 - present); Managing Director, White, Weld & Co. (2007 - 2015) [8] N/A

Independent Trustees

         
Michael DiSanto
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1979
Trustee

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Attorney, City of Naperville, Illinois (2007 - present); Member, Elder Board of the Compass Church, (2013 - present); Adjunct Professor, Aurora University (2012) [8] None
Rick Powers
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1957
Trustee

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Deputy Commissioner, Transportation, State of Indiana (2014 - present); Director, Code Enforcement, City of Indianapolis, Indiana (2001 - 2014) [8] None
Mark Tucker
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1963
Trustee

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Sole member, Aspen Equity Partners, LLC (2009 - present); New Liberty Popcorn, LLC (2015 - present) [8] None

Officers of the Trust

         
Ed Keiley
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1965
Chief Compliance Officer

• Indefinite term

 

• Since inception

Chief Compliance Officer, Amplify Investments (2016 - present); Trader Compliance, Inc. (2003 - present) N/A N/A
Bradley H. Bailey
c/o Amplify Investments LLC
310 South Hale Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Y.O.B.: 1967
Chief Financial Officer

• Indefinite term

 

• 2016

Chief Financial Officer, Amplify Investments (2016 - present); Chief Financial Officer, Copia Capital LLC (2014 - 2016); Chief Financial Officer, Central Square Management LLC (2011 - 2014) N/A N/A

____________________

 

(1)Mr. Magoon is deemed an “interested person” of the Trust due to his position as Chief Executive Officer and President of Amplify Investments and the Trust.

 

(2)Mr. Phillips is deemed an “interested person” of the Trust due to his positions as Chief Operating Officer of Amplify Investments and Secretary of the Trust.

 

-17- 

 

Unitary Board Leadership Structure

 

It is anticipated that each Trustee will serve as a trustee of all funds in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex (as defined below), which is known as a “unitary” board leadership structure. Each Trustee currently serves as a trustee of the Fund and is anticipated to serve as a trustee for future Funds advised by Amplify Investments (each, an “Amplify Fund” and collectively, the “Amplify Investments Fund Complex”). None of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, nor any of their immediate family members, have ever been a director, officer or employee of, or consultant to, Amplify Investments or any of its affiliates. Mr. Magoon, an Interested Trustee, serves as the Chair of the Board for each Fund in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex.

 

The same five persons serve as Trustees on the Trust’s Board and are anticipated to serve on the Boards of all other Amplify Funds. The unitary board structure was adopted for the Amplify Funds because of the efficiencies it achieves with respect to the governance and oversight of the Amplify Funds. Each Amplify Fund is subject to the rules and regulations of the 1940 Act (and other applicable securities laws), which means that many of the Amplify Funds face similar issues with respect to certain of their fundamental activities, including risk management, portfolio liquidity, portfolio valuation and financial reporting. Because of the similar and often overlapping issues facing the Amplify Funds, including among any such exchange-traded funds, the Board of the Amplify Funds believes that maintaining a unitary board structure promotes efficiency and consistency in the governance and oversight of all Amplify Funds and reduces the costs, administrative burdens and possible conflicts that may result from having multiple boards. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board the overall composition of which, as a body, possesses the appropriate skills, diversity, independence and experience to oversee the Fund’s business.

 

Annually, the Board of Trustees will review its governance structure and the committee structures, its performance and functions and any processes that would enhance board governance over the business of the Amplify Funds. The Board of Trustees has determined that its leadership structure, including the unitary board and committee structure, is appropriate based on the characteristics of the funds it serves and the characteristics of the Amplify Investments Fund Complex as a whole.

 

The Board of Trustees has established two standing committees (as described below) and has delegated certain of its responsibilities to those committees. The Board of Trustees and its committees meet frequently throughout the year to oversee the activities of the Fund, review contractual arrangements with and the performance of service providers, oversee compliance with regulatory requirements and review Fund performance. The Independent Trustees are represented by independent legal counsel at all Board and committee meetings. Generally, the Board of Trustees acts by majority vote of the Trustees present at a meeting, assuming a quorum is present, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

 

-18- 

 

The two standing committees of the Board of Trustees are the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee.

 

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for appointing and nominating non-interested persons to the Board of Trustees. Messrs. DiSanto, Powers and Tucker are members of the Nominating and Governance Committee. If there is no vacancy on the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees will not actively seek recommendations from other parties, including shareholders. The Nominating and Governance Committee will not consider new trustee candidates who are 70 years of age or older or will turn 70 years old during the initial term. When a vacancy on the Board of Trustees occurs and nominations are sought to fill such vacancy, the Nominating and Governance Committee may seek nominations from those sources it deems appropriate in its discretion, including shareholders of the Fund. To submit a recommendation for nomination as a candidate for a position on the Board of Trustees, shareholders of the Fund should mail such recommendation to John Phillips, Secretary, at the Trust’s address, 310 South Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. Such recommendation shall include the following information: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, age, date of birth, business address, residence address and nationality of the person or persons to be nominated; (B) the class or series and number of all shares of the Fund owned of record or beneficially by each such person or persons, as reported to such shareholder by such nominee(s); (C) any other information regarding each such person required by paragraphs (a), (d), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K or paragraph (b) of Item 22 of Rule 14a-101 (Schedule 14A) under the 1934 Act; (D) any other information regarding the person or persons to be nominated that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitation of proxies for election of trustees or directors pursuant to Section 14 of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (E) whether such shareholder believes any nominee is or will be an “interested person” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if not an “interested person,” information regarding each nominee that will be sufficient for the Fund to make such determination; and (ii) the written and signed consent of any person to be nominated to be named as a nominee and to serve as a trustee if elected. In addition, the Trustees may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as they may reasonably require or deem necessary to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a Trustee.

 

The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting process, the system of internal controls and audit process and for evaluating and appointing independent auditors (subject also to approval of the Board of Trustees). Messrs. DiSanto, Powers and Tucker serve on the Audit Committee.

 

Risk Oversight

 

As part of the general oversight of the Fund, the Board of Trustees is involved in the risk oversight of the Fund. The Board of Trustees has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s risks. Oversight of investment and compliance risk, including, if applicable, oversight of any sub-adviser (each, a “Sub-Adviser”), is performed primarily at the Board level in conjunction with the Adviser’s investment oversight group and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”).

 

-19- 

 

Ed Keiley of Trader Compliance, Inc. (“Trader Compliance”) serves as CCO of the Trust. In a joint effort between the Trust and Trader Compliance to ensure the Trust complies with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, Trader Compliance has agreed to render services to the Trust by entering into a Chief Compliance Officer Services Agreement (the “CCO Services Agreement”) with the Trust. Pursuant to the CCO Services Agreement, Trader Compliance designates, subject to the Trust’s approval, one of its own employees to serve as CCO of the Trust within the meaning of Rule 38a-1. Mr. Keiley currently serves in such capacity under the terms of the CCO Services Agreement.

 

Oversight of other risks also occurs at the committee level. The Adviser’s investment oversight group reports to the Board of Trustees at quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance as well as information related to the Adviser and its operations and processes. The Board of Trustees reviews reports on the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance policies and procedures at each quarterly Board meeting and receives an annual report from the CCO regarding the operations of the Fund’s and the service providers’ compliance programs. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet privately each quarter with the CCO. The Audit Committee reviews with the Adviser the Fund’s major financial risk exposures and the steps the Adviser has taken to monitor and control these exposures, including the Fund’s risk assessment and risk management policies and guidelines. The Audit Committee also, as appropriate, reviews in a general manner the processes other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Nominating and Governance Committee monitors all matters related to the corporate governance of the Trust.

 

Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. It may not be practical or cost effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser or other service providers. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Fund’s ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.

 

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

 

As described above, the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees oversees matters related to the nomination of Trustees. The Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to establish an effective Board with an appropriate range of skills and diversity, including, as appropriate, differences in background, professional experience, education, vocations, and other individual characteristics and traits in the aggregate. Each Trustee must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee, independence from the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities.

 

-20- 

 

Listed below for each current Trustee are the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a Trustee in light of the Trust’s business and structure.

 

Independent Trustees. Michael DiSanto has served as an attorney with the City of Naperville, Illinois since 2007. In this capacity, Mr. DiSanto oversees municipal matters for the city. Since 2013, Mr. DiSanto has served on the Elder Board of the Compass Church. Additionally, in 2012, Mr. DiSanto held the position of adjunct professor at Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois. Mr. DiSanto has served as a Trustee of the Amplify Funds since 2015. He currently serves as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee (since 2015) of the Amplify Funds.

 

Rick Powers is Deputy Commissioner, Transportation with the State of Indiana, a position he has held since 2014. Previously, from 2001 to 2014, Mr. Powers served as Director, Code Enforcement with the City of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Powers has served as a Trustee of the Amplify Funds since 2015.

 

Mark Tucker is the sole member of Aspen Equity Partners, LLC, a company he founded in 2009 to serve as the managing member of several single-purpose limited liability companies that own and operate mobile home communities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In 2015, Mr. Tucker founded New Liberty Popcorn, LLC. Mr. Tucker has served as a Trustee of the Amplify Funds since 2015. He currently serves as Chair of the Audit Committee (since 2015) of the Amplify Funds.

 

Interested Trustees. Christian Magoon is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Amplify Funds and Chief Executive Officer and President of Amplify Investments. Mr. Magoon has served as Chief Executive Officer of Magoon Capital and YieldShares, LLC, which he participated in founding in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Mr. Magoon has served as a Trustee of the Amplify Funds since 2015.

 

John Phillips has worked as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product Development of Amplify Investments since March 2015. Previously, Mr. Phillips was the Managing Director responsible for the Product Development Group at White, Weld & Co., LLC since 2007 and prior to that served as a Managing Director at Guggenheim Partners LLC. Mr. Phillips has worked in the financial services industry since 1990.

 

Each Independent Trustee is paid a fixed annual retainer of $15,000 per year. The fixed annual retainer is allocated pro rata among each Fund in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex based on net assets. Trustees are also reimbursed by the investment companies in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex for travel and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with all meetings.

 

The following table sets forth the estimated compensation (including reimbursement for travel and out-of-pocket expenses) to be paid by the Fund and by the Amplify Investments Fund Complex to the Trustees for one fiscal year. The Trust has no retirement or pension plans. The officers and Trustees who are “interested persons” as designated above serve without any compensation from the Trust. The Trust has no employees. Its officers are compensated by Amplify Investments.

 

-21- 

 

Name of Trustee Estimated Compensation
from the Fund
Total Compensation from
the Amplify Investments
Fund Complex
Michael DiSanto [$1,875] $15,000
Rick Powers [$1,875] $15,000
Mark Tucker [$1,875] $15,000

____________________

 

The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustees in the Fund and in other funds overseen by the Trustees in the Amplify Investments Fund Complex as of December 31, 2017:

 

Trustee Dollar Range of
Equity Securities
in the Fund
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All
Registered Investment Companies
Overseen by Trustee in the Amplify
Investments Fund Complex
Interested Trustees    
Christian Magoon None $10,001 - $50,000
John Phillips None $1 - $10,000
Independent Trustees    
Michael DiSanto None None
Rick Powers None None
Mark Tucker None None

 

As of __________, 2018, the Independent Trustees of the Trust and immediate family members did not own beneficially or of record any class of securities of an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

 

As of ___________, 2018, the officers and Trustees, in the aggregate, owned less than 1% of the shares of the Fund.

 

Investment Adviser. Amplify Investments LLC, 310 South Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, is the investment adviser to the Fund. Amplify Investments is a Delaware limited liability company with a sole member, Amplify Holding Company LLC. Amplify Investments discharges its responsibilities subject to the policies of the Board of Trustees. Amplify Investments also administers the Trust’s business affairs, provides office facilities and equipment and certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services, and permits any of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as Trustees or officers of the Trust if elected to such positions.

 

Pursuant to an investment management agreement between Amplify Investments and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), Amplify Investments will oversee the investment of the Fund’s assets and will be responsible for paying all expenses of the Fund, excluding the fee payments under the Investment Management Agreement, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, and extraordinary expenses. The Fund has agreed to pay Amplify Investments an annual management fee equal to 0.__% of its average daily net assets.

 

-22- 

 

Under the Investment Management Agreement, Amplify Investments shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of the purchase, sale or retention of any security, whether or not such purchase, sale or retention shall have been based upon the investigation and research made by any other individual, firm or corporation, if such recommendation shall have been selected with due care and in good faith, except loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on the part of Amplify Investments in the performance of its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties. The Investment Management Agreement continues for two years, and thereafter only if approved annually by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Investment Management Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to Amplify Investments, or by Amplify Investments on 60 days’ written notice to the Fund.

 

Sub-Adviser. The Adviser has retained Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserra” or the “Sub-Adviser”), a New York limited liability company, located at 4 Orinda Way, Suite 100-A, Orinda, California 94563, to act as sub-adviser to the Fund. The Sub-Adviser is controlled by George Madrigal, the Managing Partner of the Sub-Adviser and Dustin Lewellyn, Managing Director of the Sub-Adviser, who together own a majority interest in the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser’s affiliated broker-dealer, Penserra Securities LLC (“Penserra Securities”), also holds a minority interest in the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser has overall responsibility for selecting and continuously monitoring the Fund’s investments.

 

The Board of Trustees of the Trust, including the Independent Trustees, has approved an investment sub-advisory agreements between Amplify Investments, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and each Sub-Adviser (the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”). The Board of Trustees determined that the Sub-Advisory Agreements are in the best interests of the Fund in light of the services, expenses and such other matters as the Board of Trustees considered to be relevant in the exercise of its reasonable business judgment. Pursuant to an investment sub-advisory agreement, Penserra receives a sub-advisory fee based upon a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The Fund does not directly pay the Sub-Adviser. The Adviser is responsible for paying the entire amount of the Sub-Adviser’s fee for the Fund.

 

Portfolio Managers. The portfolio managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. There are currently three portfolio managers, as follows:

 

Dustin Lewellyn, CFA. Mr. Lewellyn has extensive background in institutional investment process with a specific focus on exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), such as the Fund. Mr. Lewellyn was a portfolio manager at BGI (now part of Blackrock), and he managed a number of international equity funds. Dustin also was head of ETF product management and product development at Northern Trust where he oversaw the build out and management of all areas of a new ETF business, including primary responsibility for the portfolio management process surrounding the ETFs. Mr. Lewellyn also built and ran a new ETF business for Charles Schwab, including having primary responsibility for the technology and investment process to support portfolio management for the ETFs. Mr. Lewellyn started a consulting business with a focus on ETFs and helped numerous new ETF sponsors, as well as service providers, understand the resource requirements to participate in the industry utilizing current best practices. Mr. Lewellyn holds a B.A. from University of Iowa and is a CFA Charterholder. He also holds security licenses 7, 63, 66 and 24.

 

-23- 

 

Ernesto Tong, CFA. Mr. Tong worked for Barclays Global Investors and Blackrock prior to joining Penserra. During his time at Blackrock, Mr. Tong spent two years as an Index Research Analyst and seven years as a portfolio manager for a number of funds. As an Index Research Analyst, he was responsible for performing independent research and analysis to incorporate into Portfolio Management and Trading strategies and also developing and launching new indices and investment products, particularly in Latin America. As a portfolio manager, Ernesto managed $40 billion in global ETF assets and was responsible for all aspects of portfolio management across domestic and international portfolios. Ernesto was also responsible for launching, managing, and driving the local Latin American ETF products for the portfolio management group, focusing on Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Ernesto holds a B.A. from the University of California, Davis and is a CFA Charterholder. He holds security licenses 7 and 63.

 

Anand Desai. Prior to joining Penserra in 2015, Mr. Desai was an officer at State Street, where he had roles in portfolio accounting and client operations.

 

As of ___________, 2018, none of the portfolio managers owned any shares of the Fund.

 

Compensation. Mr. Lewellyn’s portfolio management compensation includes a salary and discretionary bonus based on the profitability of the Sub-Adviser. No compensation is directly related to the performance of the underlying assets. Mr. Tong receives from Penserra a fixed base salary and discretionary bonus, and he is also eligible to participate in a retirement plan and to receive an equity interest in Penserra. Mr. Tong’s compensation is based on the performance and profitability of Penserra and his individual performance with respect to following a structured investment process. Mr. Desai receives from Penserra a fixed base salary and discretionary bonus, and is also eligible to participate in a retirement plan. Mr. Desai’s compensation is based on the performance and profitability of Penserra and his individual performance with respect to following a structured investment process.

 

24

 

Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

 

In addition to the Fund, each portfolio manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of certain other accounts, as listed below. The information below is provided as of December 31, 2017.

 

Portfolio Managers Registered Investment
Companies
Number of Accounts
($ assets)
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles
Number of Accounts
($ assets)
Other Accounts
Number of Accounts
($ Assets)
Dustin Lewellyn 11 ($1,000,000,000) -- ($--) -- ($--)
Ernesto Tong 11 ($1,000,000,000) -- ($--) -- ($--)
Anand Desai 11 ($1,000,000,000) -- ($--) -- ($--)

 

Conflicts. None of the accounts managed by the portfolio managers pays an advisory fee that is based upon the performance of the account. In addition, Amplify Investments and Penserra believe that there are no material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with the portfolio managers’ management of the Fund’s investments and the investments of the other accounts managed by the portfolio managers.

 

In addition, the Adviser may make payments out of its own internal resources and profits from all sources to other financial intermediaries to encourage the sale of Shares of the Fund. The payments are intended to compensate financial intermediaries (including broker-dealers) for, among other things: marketing Shares, which may consist of payments relating to the Fund, including but not limited to: inclusion on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the financial intermediaries; access to the financial intermediaries registered sales persons; and/or other specified services or persons intended to assist in the marketing of the Fund. Such payments may be based on various factors, including levels of assets and/or sales (based on gross or net sales or some other criteria). These payments may create an incentive for a financial intermediary to sell and recommend certain investment products, including the Fund, over other products for which it may receive less compensation. You may contact your financial intermediary if you want information regarding the any payment it receives from the Adviser.

 

Brokerage Allocations

 

The Sub-Adviser is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund and for the placement of the Fund’s securities business, the negotiation of the commissions to be paid on brokered transactions, the prices for principal trades in securities, and the allocation of portfolio brokerage and principal business. It is the policy of the Sub-Adviser to seek the best execution at the best security price available with respect to each transaction, and with respect to brokered transactions in light of the overall quality of brokerage and research services provided to Amplify Investments and its clients. The best price to the Fund means the best net price without regard to the mix between purchase or sale price and commission, if any. Purchases may be made from underwriters, dealers, and, on occasion, the issuers. Commissions will be paid on the Fund’s futures transactions, if any. The purchase price of portfolio securities purchased from an underwriter or dealer may include underwriting commissions and dealer spreads. The Fund may pay mark-ups on principal transactions. In selecting broker-dealers and in negotiating commissions, the Sub-Adviser considers, among other things, the firm’s reliability, the quality of its execution services on a continuing basis and its financial condition.

 

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Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer who supplies brokerage and research services a commission for effecting a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the transaction. Brokerage and research services include (i) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (ii) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (iii) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental thereto (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). Such brokerage and research services are often referred to as “soft dollars.” The Sub-Adviser has advised the Board of Trustees that it does not currently intend to use soft dollars.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in selecting brokers, the Sub-Adviser may in the future consider investment and market information and other research, such as economic, securities and performance measurement research, provided by such brokers, and the quality and reliability of brokerage services, including execution capability, performance, and financial responsibility. Accordingly, the commissions charged by any such broker may be greater than the amount another firm might charge if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that the amount of such commissions is reasonable in relation to the value of the research information and brokerage services provided by such broker to the Sub-Adviser or the Trust. In addition, the Sub-Adviser must determine that the research information received in this manner provides the Fund with benefits by supplementing the research otherwise available to the Fund. The Investment Management Agreement provides that such higher commissions will not be paid by the Fund unless the Adviser determines in good faith that the amount is reasonable in relation to the services provided. The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund to Amplify Investments under the Investment Management Agreement would not be reduced as a result of receipt by Amplify Investments of research services.

 

The Sub-Adviser places portfolio transactions for other advisory accounts advised by it, and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effects securities transactions may be used by the Sub-Adviser in servicing all of its accounts; not all of such services may be used by the Sub-Adviser in connection with the Fund. The Sub-Adviser believes it is not possible to measure separately the benefits from research services to each of the accounts (including the Fund) advised by it. Because the volume and nature of the trading activities of the accounts are not uniform, the amount of commissions in excess of those charged by another broker paid by each account for brokerage and research services will vary. However, the Sub-Adviser believes such costs to the Fund will not be disproportionate to the benefits received by the Fund on a continuing basis. The Sub-Adviser seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell securities by the Fund and another advisory account. In some cases, this procedure could have an adverse effect on the price or the amount of securities available to the Fund. In making such allocations between the Fund and other advisory accounts, the main factors considered by the Sub-Adviser are the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holding of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment and the size of investment commitments generally held.

 

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Fund Administrator, Account, Custodian, Transfer Agent, Dividend Agent, Distributor, Index Provider and Exchange

 

General Information. The Administrator and Fund Accountant for the Fund is U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS” or the “Administrator”), which has its principal office at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 and is primarily in the business of providing administrative, fund accounting and stock transfer services to retail and institutional mutual funds. The Administrator performs these services pursuant to two separate agreements, a Fund Administration Servicing Agreement and a Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement.

 

Administration Agreement. Pursuant to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (“Administration Agreement”) with the Fund, the Administrator provides all administrative services necessary for the Fund, other than those provided by the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees. Employees of the Administrator generally will not be officers of the Fund for which they provide services.

 

The Administration Agreement is terminable by the Board or the Administrator on ninety (90) days’ written notice and may be assigned provided the non-assigning party provides prior written consent. The Administration Agreement shall remain in effect for three years from the date of its initial approval, unless amended, and its renewal is subject to approval of the Board for periods thereafter. The Administration Agreement provides that in the absence of the Administrator’s refusal or willful failure to comply with the Agreement or bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Administrator, the Administrator shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

 

Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator provides all administrative services, including, without limitation: (i) providing services of persons competent to perform such administrative and clerical functions as are necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (ii) overseeing the performance of administrative and professional services to the Fund by others, including the Fund’s Custodian; (iii) preparing, but not paying for, the periodic updating of the Fund’s Registration Statement, Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information in conjunction with Fund counsel, including the printing of such documents for the purpose of filings with the SEC and state securities administrators, preparing the Fund’s tax returns, and preparing reports to the Fund’s shareholders and the SEC; (iv) calculation of yield and total return for the Fund; (v) monitoring and evaluating daily income and expense accruals, and sales and redemptions of Shares of the Fund; (vi) preparing in conjunction with Fund counsel, but not paying for, all filings under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of such states or countries as are designated by the Distributor, which may be required to register or qualify, or continue the registration or qualification, of the Fund and/or its Shares under such laws; (vii) preparing notices and agendas for meetings of the Fund’s Board and minutes of such meetings in all matters required by the 1940 Act to be acted upon by the Board; and (viii) monitoring periodic compliance with respect to all requirements and restrictions of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code and the Prospectus.

 

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Accounting Agreement. The Fund Accountant, pursuant to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement, provides the Fund with all accounting services, including, without limitation: (i) daily computation of NAV; (ii) maintenance of security ledgers and books and records as required by the 1940 Act; (iii) production of the Fund’s listing of portfolio securities and general ledger reports; (iv) reconciliation of accounting records; and (v) maintaining certain books and records described in Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and reconciling account information and balances among the Fund’s Custodian and Adviser.

 

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Agent. U.S. Bank, N.A., Custody Operations, 1555 N. River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, WI 53212, serves as custodian for the Fund’s cash and securities. Pursuant to a Custodian Servicing Agreement with the Fund, it is responsible for maintaining the books and records of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash. The Custodian does not assist in, and is not responsible for, investment decisions involving assets of the Fund. USBFS, also acts as the Fund’s transfer and dividend agent. The Fund has not paid any fees to USBFS or U.S. Bank, N.A. as the Adviser has assumed responsibility for payment of these fees as part of the unitary management fee.

 

Securities Lending Agent. The Fund may participate in securities lending arrangements whereby the Fund lends certain of its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and financial institutions (not with individuals) to receive additional income and increase the rate of return of its portfolio. U.S. Bank serves as the Fund’s’ securities lending agent and is responsible for (i) negotiating the fees (rebates) of securities loans within parameters approved by the Board; (ii) delivering loaned securities to the applicable borrower(s), a list of which has been approved by the Board; (iii) investing any cash collateral received for a securities loan in investments pre-approved by the Board; (iv) receiving the returned securities at the expiration of a loan’s term; (v) daily monitoring of the value of the loaned securities and the collateral received; (vi) notifying borrowers to make additions to the collateral, when required; (vii) accounting and recordkeeping services as necessary for the operation of the securities lending program, and (viii) establishing and operating a system of controls and procedures to ensure compliance with its obligations under the Fund’s securities lending program.

 

Distributor. Quasar Distributors LLC is the distributor (the “Distributor”) and principal underwriter of the Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund. Its principal address is 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Fund shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described below under the heading “Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations.”

 

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Amplify Investments may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares. Amplify Investments’ available resources to make these payments include profits from advisory fees received from the Fund. The services Amplify Investments may pay for include, but are not limited to, advertising and attaining access to certain conferences and seminars, as well as being presented with the opportunity to address investors and industry professionals through speeches and written marketing materials.

 

Since the inception of the Fund, there have been no underwriting commissions with respect to the sale of Fund shares, and the Distributor did not receive compensation on redemptions for the Fund for that period.

 

12b-1 Plan. The Trust has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the “Plan”) pursuant to which the Fund may reimburse the Distributor up to a maximum annual rate of 0.25% of its average daily net assets.

 

Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. With the exception of the Distributor and its affiliates, no “interested person” of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) and no Trustee of the Trust has a direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any related agreement.

 

No fee is currently paid by the Fund under the plan and no fee is currently contemplated.

 

Aggregations. Fund shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to Authorized Participants purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the 1934 Act and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).

 

The Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days’ written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees; or (ii) by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

 

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with participants that utilize the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (the “DTC Participants”), which have international, operational, capabilities and place orders for Creation Unit Aggregations of Fund shares. Participating Parties (as defined in “Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations” below) shall be DTC Participants (as defined in “DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares” below).

 

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Index Provider. The Index Provider is not affiliated with the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser or the Distributor. The Fund is entitled to use the Index pursuant to a sublicensing arrangement by and between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Amplify Investments, which in turn has a license agreement with the Index Provider.

 

The Index Provider is CrowdBureau Corporation (“CrowdBureau”). CrowdBureau is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, the Administrator, custodian, transfer agent or distributor, or any of their respective affiliates. The Index is a product of CrowdBureau. Amplify Investments LLC (also known as the “Licensee”) has entered into a license agreement with CrowdBureau pursuant to which the Licensee pays a fee to use the Index and the marketing names and licensed trademarks of CrowdBureau (the “Index Trademarks”). The Licensee is sub-licensing rights to the Index to the Fund. The Index is compiled and calculated by CrowdBureau. CrowdBureau has no obligation to take the needs of the Licensee or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. CrowdBureau will apply all necessary means to ensure the accuracy of the Index. However, CrowdBureau shall not be liable (whether in negligence or otherwise) to any person for any error in the Index and shall not be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein. All copyrights in the Index values and constituent lists vest in CrowdBureau. Neither the publication of the Index by CrowdBureau nor the granting of a license of rights relating to the Index or to the Index Trademarks for the utilization in connection with the Fund, represents a recommendation by CrowdBureau for a capital investment or contains in any manner a warranty or opinion by CrowdBureau with respect to the attractiveness of an investment in the Fund. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, or sold by CrowdBureau or its respective affiliates. CrowdBureau and its respective affiliates make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of trading in the Fund. CrowdBureau and its respective affiliates are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be sold or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is to be converted into cash. CrowdBureau and its respective affiliates have an obligation in connection with the administration and marketing of the Fund but have no obligations or liabilities in connection with the trading of the Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CrowdBureau and its affiliates may independently issue and/or sponsor financial products unrelated to the Fund currently being issued by the Licensee, but which may be similar to and competitive with the Fund. In addition, CrowdBureau and its affiliates may trade financial products which are linked to the performance of the Index. It is possible that this trading activity will affect the value of the Index and the Fund.

 

Exchange. The only relationship that the Exchange has with Amplify Investments or the Distributor of the Fund in connection with the Fund is that the Exchange lists the shares of the Fund pursuant to its listing agreement with the Trust. The Exchange is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of pricing or the timing of the issuance or sale of the shares of the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the asset value of the Fund. The Exchange has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.

 

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Additional Information

 

Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus.

 

DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.

 

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the “DTC Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities, certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the “Indirect Participants”).

 

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as “Beneficial Owners”) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of shares.

 

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to a letter agreement between DTC and the Trust, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participants a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

 

Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, as the registered holder of all Fund shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

 

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The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

 

DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

The Trust has adopted a proxy voting policy that seeks to ensure that proxies for securities held by the Fund are voted consistently with the best interests of the Fund.

 

The Board has delegated to Amplify Investments the proxy voting responsibilities for the Fund and has directed Amplify Investments to vote proxies consistent with the Fund’s best interests. In order to facilitate the proxy voting process, Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”) has been retained to provide access to a selection of third-party providers that are available to provide proxy vote ecommendations and research. Votes are cast through the Broadridge ProxyEdge® platform (“ProxyEdge”). With the assistance of Broadridge, Egan-Jones Proxy Services (“Egan-Jones”) has been selected to provide vote recommendations based on its own internal guidelines. The services provided to Amplify Investments through Egan-Jones include access to Egan-Jones’ research analysis and their voting recommendations. Services provided to Amplify Investments through ProxyEdge include receipt of proxy ballots, vote execution based upon the recommendations of Egan-Jones, access to the voting recommendations of Egan-Jones, as well as reporting, auditing, working with custodian banks, and consulting assistance for the handling of proxy voting responsibilities. ProxyEdge also maintains proxy voting records and provides Amplify Investments with reports that reflect the proxy voting activities of client portfolios.

 

The fundamental guideline followed by Amplify Investments in voting proxies is to make every effort to confirm that the manner in which shares are voted is in the best interest of clients and the value of the investment. Absent special circumstances of the types described below, it is the policy of Adviser to exercise its proxy voting discretion in accordance with the Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Principles and Guidelines set forth in Exhibit A.

 

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Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, after its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of the Fund’s portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q. Form N-Q for the Trust is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Fund’s Form N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The Trust’s Forms N-Q are available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-855-267-3837 or by writing to Amplify ETF Trust, 310 South Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

 

Policy Regarding Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The Board of Trustees must approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet websites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated each day the NYSE is open for trading via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”). The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio holdings are also available on the Fund’s website at http://www.amplifyetfs.com. The Trust, Amplify Investments and the Distributor will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.

 

Codes of Ethics. In order to mitigate the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by personal trading, the Trust, Amplify Investments, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These Codes of Ethics contain policies restricting securities trading in personal accounts access persons, Trustees and others who normally come into possession of information on portfolio transactions. Personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics may invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund; however, the Codes of Ethics require that each transaction in such securities be reviewed by the Compliance Department. These Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.

 

Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations

 

General. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at their net asset values next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form.

 

A “Business Day” is generally any day on which the NYSE, the Exchange and the Trust are open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

 

Purchase and Issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations. Unless cash purchases are required or permitted for the Fund under the circumstances described below, the consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit Aggregation of shares of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities and other instruments (the “Deposit Instruments”) and an amount of cash computed as described below (the “Cash Component”). Together, the Deposit Instruments (and/or any cash with respect to cash purchases and cash-in-lieu amounts) and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.

 

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The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the Balancing Amount. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any differences between the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the “Deposit Amount”—an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments and/or cash in lieu of all or a portion of the Deposit Instruments. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will receive the Cash Component.

 

On each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required quantity of each Deposit Instrument, as well as the estimated Cash Component (if any) that will be applicable to Fund Deposits for the Fund for that day (subject to correction of any errors), are made available through the NSCC. Such Fund Deposit information is applicable in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until a new list is announced on the next Business Day.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require or permit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in-kind, under the following circumstances: (i) to the extent there is a Cash Component; (ii) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all purchases on that day will be made entirely in cash; (iii) if, upon receiving a purchase order from an Authorized Participant (as defined below), the Fund determines to require the purchase to be made entirely in cash; (iv) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants purchasing shares on that day to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC; or (b) in the case of non-U.S. investments (if any), such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or (v) if the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to deposit cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not available in sufficient quantity; or (b) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting.

 

In addition, it is possible that Deposit Instruments may not correspond pro rata to the positions in the Fund’s portfolio under the following circumstances: (i) in the case of bonds, with respect to minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (ii) with respect to minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots (a tradeable round lot for a security will be the standard unit of trading in that particular type of security in its primary market); (iii) with respect to “to-be-announced” transactions, short positions, derivatives, and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind (including instruments that can be transferred in kind only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the Fund does not intend to seek such consents), and they will therefore be excluded from the Deposit Instruments with their value reflected in the determination of the Cash Component; (iv) to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio; or (v) with respect to temporary periods, to effect changes in the Fund’s portfolio as a result of the rebalancing of its underlying index.

 

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Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. All orders to purchase shares of the Fund in Creation Unit Aggregations must be placed with the Distributor by or through an “Authorized Participant” or “AP” which is either: (1) a “Participating Party,” i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC, or (2) a DTC Participant, which, in either case, has signed a “Participant Agreement” with the Distributor. Investors should contact the Distributor for the names of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All Fund shares, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

 

All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations must be received by the transfer agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE (“Closing Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected based on the net asset value of shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the transfer agent no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations (or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an AP by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the transfer agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the transfer agent or an AP.

 

All orders from investors who are not APs to create Creation Unit Aggregations shall be placed with an AP, as applicable, in the form required by such AP. In addition, the AP may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an AP that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those persons placing orders should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Instruments and Cash Component.

 

Placement of Creation Orders. In order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an AP must submit an order to purchase for one or more Creation Units. All such orders must be received by a Fund’s transfer agent in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in order to receive that day’s closing net asset value per share. Orders must be placed in proper form by or through an AP, which is a DTC Participant, i.e., a subcustodian of the Trust. Deposit Instruments must be delivered to the Trust through DTC or NSCC, and Deposit Instruments which are non-U.S. securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local subcustodian of the Trust on or before the International Contractual Settlement Date, as defined below. If a Deposit Security is an American Depository Receipt (“ADR”) or similar domestic instrument, it may be delivered to the Custodian.

 

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Deposit Instruments must be delivered to the Fund through the applicable processes set forth in the Participant Agreement. The custodian will monitor the movement of the underlying Deposit Instruments and/or cash and will instruct the movement of shares only upon validation that such instruments and/or cash have settled correctly.

 

Issuance of Creation Unit Aggregations. A Creation Unit Aggregation will generally not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Instruments and the payment of the Cash Component, the Creation Transaction Fee (as defined below) and any other required cash amounts have been completed. To the extent contemplated by the applicable Participant Agreement, Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund will be issued to such AP notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Instruments as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105% which Amplify Investments may change from time to time of the value of the missing Deposit Instruments. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the contractual settlement date. The Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to use such collateral to buy the missing Deposit Instruments at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the value of the collateral.

 

Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Fund reserves the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Unit Aggregations of Fund shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the required Fund Deposit is not delivered; (iv) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would have certain adverse tax consequences; (v) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful; (vi) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the Fund, Amplify Investments and/or any sub-advisor, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of the Fund’s Beneficial Owners; or (vii) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include: acts of God or public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Fund, Amplify Investments, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, the custodian, any sub-custodian or any other participant in the purchase process; and similar extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such prospective creator of the rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the Fund, the custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.

 

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All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Instruments and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.

 

Creation Transaction Fee. Purchasers of Creation Units must pay a creation transaction fee (the “Creation Transaction Fee”) that is currently $___. The Creation Transaction Fee is applicable to each purchase transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. The Creation Transaction Fee is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled. The Creation Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the portfolio. The price for each Creation Unit will equal the daily net asset value per share times the number of shares in a Creation Unit plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes. When the Fund permits an AP to substitute cash in lieu of depositing one or more of the requisite Deposit Instruments, the AP may be assessed a higher amount to cover the cost of purchasing the Deposit Instruments, including operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees, stamp taxes, and part or all of the spread between the expected bid and offer side of the market related to such Deposit Instruments.

 

As discussed above, shares of the Fund may be issued in advance of receipt of all Deposit Instruments subject to various conditions including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Fund cash at least equal to 105% of the market value of the missing Deposit Instruments.

 

Redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations

 

Redemption of Fund Shares in Creation Unit Aggregations. Beneficial Owners of Fund shares may sell their shares in the secondary market, but must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation to redeem through the Fund. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations and there can be no assurance that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation. Investors should expect to incur customary brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Fund shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit Aggregation. Redemption requests must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. Creation Unit Aggregations will be redeemable at their net asset value per Creation Unit Aggregation next determined after receipt of a request for redemption by the Fund.

 

On each Business Day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required quantity of Deposit Instruments, as well as the estimated Cash Redemption Amount (as defined below) (if any) that will be applicable to redemptions for the Fund for that day (subject to correction of any errors), are made available through the NSCC. Such information is applicable in order to effect redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund until a new list is announced on the next Business Day.

 

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Unless cash redemptions are required or permitted for the Fund under the circumstances described below, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of Deposit Instruments—as announced on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form—plus or minus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the aggregate market value of the Deposit Instruments (the “Cash Redemption Amount”), less the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee as described below and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes. In the event that the Deposit Instruments have an aggregate market value greater than the net asset value of the Fund shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation), a compensating cash payment equal to the difference plus the applicable Redemption Transaction Fee and, if applicable, any operational processing and brokerage costs, transfer fees or stamp taxes, is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder.

 

The Fund reserves the right to require or permit redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations to be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, rather than in-kind, under the following circumstances: (i) to the extent there is a Cash Redemption Amount; (ii) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund announces before the open of trading that all redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; (iii) if, upon receiving a redemption order from an Authorized Participant, the Fund determines to require the redemption to be made entirely in cash; (iv) if, on a given Business Day, the Fund requires all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on that day to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC; or (b) in the case of non-U.S. investments (if any), such instruments are not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or (v) if the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to receive cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments because: (a) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting; or (b) to the extent the Fund holds non-U.S. investments, a holder of shares would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind.

 

In addition, it is possible that Deposit Instruments may not correspond pro rata to the positions in the Fund’s portfolio under the following circumstances: (i) in the case of bonds, with respect to minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (ii) with respect to minor differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares or lots that are not tradeable round lots; (iii) with respect to “to-be-announced” transactions, short positions, derivatives and other positions that cannot be transferred in kind (including instruments that can be transferred in kind only with the consent of the original counterparty to the extent the Fund does not intend to seek such consents), and they will therefore be excluded from the Deposit Instruments with their value reflected in the determination of the Cash Redemption Amount; (iv) to the extent the Fund determines, on a given Business Day, to use a representative sampling of the Fund’s portfolio; or (v) with respect to temporary periods, to effect changes in the Fund’s portfolio as a result of the rebalancing of its underlying index.

 

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The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund or determination of the Fund’s net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as are permitted by the SEC.

 

Redemption Transaction Fee. Parties redeeming Creation Units must pay a redemption transaction fee (the “Redemption Transaction Fee”) that is currently $___. The Redemption Transaction Fee is applicable to each redemption transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. The Redemption Transaction Fee may vary and is based on the composition of the securities included in the Fund’s portfolio and the countries in which the transactions are settled. The Redemption Transaction Fee may increase or decrease as the Fund’s portfolio is adjusted to conform to changes in the composition of the Fund’s portfolio. Investors will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Instruments from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary in addition to an AP to effect a redemption of a Creation Unit Aggregation may be charged an additional fee for such services.

 

Placement of Redemption Orders. Orders to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations must be delivered through an AP that has executed a Participant Agreement. Investors other than APs are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an AP. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund is deemed received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if: (i) such order is received by U.S. Bancorp (in its capacity as transfer agent) not later than the Closing Time on the Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the Fund specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to U.S. Bancorp; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed.

 

Deliveries of Fund Securities to investors are generally expected to be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds for the Fund may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund would generally be required to make payment of redemption proceeds within seven days after a security is tendered for redemption. However, because the settlement of redemptions of Fund shares is contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the United States securities markets, but also on delivery cycles of foreign markets, pursuant to an exemptive order on which the Fund may rely, the Fund’s in-kind redemption proceeds must be paid within the maximum number of calendar days required for such payment or satisfaction in the principal local foreign markets where transactions in portfolio securities customarily clear and settle, but generally no later than 15 calendar days following tender of a Creation Unit Aggregation.

 

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In connection with taking delivery of shares of non-U.S. Fund Securities upon redemption of shares of the Fund, a redeeming Beneficial Owner, or AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody provider in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered.

 

To the extent contemplated by an AP’s agreement, in the event the AP has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit Aggregation to be redeemed to the Fund’s transfer agent, the transfer agent will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the AP to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the AP’s delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105%, which Amplify Investments may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares.

 

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on the relevant exchange(s) on days that the listing exchange for the Fund is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase and sell shares of the Fund on the listing exchange for the Fund, on days when the net asset value of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets, if any.

 

Regular Holidays

 

The Fund generally intends to effect deliveries of Creation Units and securities in its portfolio (“Portfolio Securities”) on a basis of “T” plus two Business Days (i.e., days on which the NYSE is open). The Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than “T” plus two in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates, or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within two Business Days of receipt of an order in good form is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable non-U.S. market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle will be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a non-U.S. market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.

 

The longest redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the Fund. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring Portfolio Securities to redeeming investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for the Fund in certain circumstances. In no event, however, will the Fund take more than fifteen calendar days from the date of the tender to deliver the redemption proceeds. The holidays applicable to the Fund during such periods are listed below. Certain holidays may occur on different dates in subsequent years. The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays, or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.

 

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The dates of the regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets from _______ 2018 through _______ 2019 of the below-listed countries are as follows:

 

[to be included in a subsequent filing]

Federal Tax Matters

 

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of the Prospectus. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker-dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.

 

This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

 

As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.

 

The Fund intends to qualify annually and to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

 

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in certain publicly traded partnerships; (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer generally limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers which the Fund controls which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more of certain publicly traded partnerships; and (iii) distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses) and at least 90% of its net tax-exempt interest income each taxable year. There are certain exceptions for failure to qualify if the failure is for reasonable cause or is de minimis, and certain corrective action is taken and certain tax payments are made by the Fund.

 

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As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will generally be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. In addition, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax unless, generally, the Fund distributes during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. In order to prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the current calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received.

 

Subject to certain reasonable cause and de minimis exceptions, if the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company or failed to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed as an ordinary corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income.

 

Distributions

 

Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income are generally taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. However, certain ordinary income distributions received from the Fund may be taxed at capital gains tax rates. In particular, ordinary income dividends received by an individual shareholder from a regulated investment company such as the Fund are generally taxed at the same rates that apply to net capital gain, provided that certain holding period requirements are satisfied and provided the dividends are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund itself. Dividends received by the Fund from foreign corporations are qualifying dividends eligible for this lower tax rate only in certain circumstances.

 

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The Fund will provide notice to its shareholders of the amount of any distributions that may be taken into account as a dividend, which is eligible for the capital gains tax rates. The Fund cannot make any guarantees as to the amount of any distribution, which will be regarded as a qualifying dividend.

 

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to net investment income if the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

 

A corporation that owns shares generally will not be entitled to the dividends received deduction with respect to many dividends received from the Fund because the dividends received deduction is generally not available for distributions from regulated investment companies. However, certain ordinary income dividends on shares that are attributable to qualifying dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations may be reported by the Fund as being eligible for the dividends received deduction.

 

Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, properly reported as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares, rather than cash, generally will have a cost basis in each such share equal to the value of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of the shares.

 

Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status of distributions, and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares will receive a report as to the value of those shares.

 

Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares

 

Upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund, which a shareholder holds as a capital asset, such a shareholder may realize a capital gain or loss, which will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year.

 

Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent that shares disposed of are replaced (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after disposition of shares or to the extent that the shareholder, during such period, acquires or enters into an option or contract to acquire, substantially identical stock or securities. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of long-term capital gain received by the shareholder with respect to such shares.

 

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Taxes on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units

 

If a shareholder exchanges securities for Creation Units the shareholder will generally 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 shareholder’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the Cash Component paid. If a shareholder exchanges Creation Units for securities, then the shareholder will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholder’s basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units or Creation Units for securities cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

 

Nature of Fund Investments

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions; (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income; (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited); (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash; (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur; and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.

 

Investments in Certain Foreign Corporations

 

If the Fund holds an equity interest in any “passive foreign investment companies” (“PFICs”), which are generally certain foreign corporations that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, certain rents and royalties or capital gains) or that hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to U.S. federal income tax and additional interest charges on gains and certain distributions with respect to those equity interests, even if all the income or gain is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund will not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such taxes. The Fund may be able to make an election that could ameliorate these adverse tax consequences. In this case, the Fund would recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such PFIC shares, and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it did not exceed prior increases included in income. Under this election, the Fund might be required to recognize in a year income in excess of its distributions from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income would nevertheless be subject to the distribution requirement and would be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax (described above). Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

 

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Backup Withholding

 

The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax from all taxable distributions and sale proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. This withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.

 

Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, a foreign corporation or foreign partnership (“non-U.S. shareholder”) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder.

 

In addition to the rules described in this section concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions after June 30, 2014, to non-U.S. persons that are “financial institutions” may be subject to a withholding tax of 30% unless an agreement is in place between the financial institution and the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose information about accounts, equity investments, or debt interests in the financial institution held by one or more U.S. persons or the institution is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business; (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business; or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities. Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Distributions to non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded foreign entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, foreign governments, international organizations, or foreign central banks), will also be subject to a withholding tax of 30% if the entity does not certify that the entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provide the name, address and TIN of each substantial U.S. owner. Dispositions of shares by such persons may be subject to such withholding after December 31, 2018.

 

Income Not Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the non-U.S. shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will generally be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.

 

Distributions of capital gain dividends and any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a non-U.S. shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the non-U.S. shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption. If a non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual, any gain such shareholder realizes upon the sale or exchange of such shareholder’s shares of the Fund in the United States will ordinarily be exempt from U.S. tax unless the gain is U.S. source income and such shareholder is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements.

 

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Distributions from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain foreign investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

In addition, capital gains distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return.

 

Income Effectively Connected. If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are properly reported by the Fund as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Non-U.S. corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Treatment of Fund Expenses

 

Expenses incurred and deducted by the Fund will generally not be treated as income taxable to you. In some cases, however, you may be required to treat your portion of these Fund expenses as income. You may not be able to deduct some or all of these expenses.

 

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Non-U.S. Tax Credit

 

Because the Fund may invest in non-U.S. securities, the tax statement that you receive may include an item showing non- U.S. taxes the Fund paid to other countries. In this case, dividends taxed to you will include your share of the taxes the Fund paid to other countries. You may be able to deduct or receive a tax credit for your share of these taxes.

 

Capital Loss Carryforward

 

Net capital gains of the Fund that are available for distribution to shareholders will be computed by taking into account any applicable capital loss carryforward.

 

Other Taxation

 

Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Net Asset Value.”

 

The per share net asset value of the Fund is determined by dividing the total value of the securities and other assets, less liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding. Market value prices represent last sale or official closing prices from a national or foreign exchange (i.e., a regulated market) and are primarily obtained from third party pricing services. Under normal circumstances, daily calculation of the net asset value will utilize the last closing price of each security held by the Fund at the close of the market on which such security is principally listed. In determining net asset value, portfolio securities for the Fund for which accurate market quotations are readily available will be valued by the Fund accounting agent as follows:

 

(1) Common stocks and other equity securities listed on any national or foreign exchange other than NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”) will be valued at the last sale price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. Securities listed on NASDAQ or AIM are valued at the official closing price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. If there has been no sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of securities traded on NASDAQ and AIM, the securities are valued at the midpoint between the most recent bid and ask prices on such day. Portfolio securities traded on more than one securities exchange are valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange representing the principal market for such securities.

 

-47- 

 

(2) Securities traded in the OTC market are valued at the midpoint between the bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid prices.

 

In addition, the following types of securities will be valued as follows:

 

(1) Fixed income securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or more will be valued by the fund accounting agent using a pricing service. When price quotes are not available, fair value is based on prices of comparable securities.

 

(2) Fixed income securities maturing within 60 days are valued by the Fund accounting agent on an amortized cost basis.

 

The value of any portfolio security held by the Fund for which market quotations are not readily available will be determined by Amplify Investments in a manner that most fairly reflects fair market value of the security on the valuation date, based on a consideration of all available information.

 

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Board of Trustees or its delegate at fair value. These securities generally include but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the 1933 Act) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of Fund net asset value (as may be the case in foreign markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, does not reflect the security’s “fair value.” As a general principle, the current “fair value” of an issue of securities would appear to be the amount, that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for them upon their current sale. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities.

 

Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in using prices for those investments that may differ from current market valuations. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value and the prices used by other third parties.

 

Because foreign markets may be open on different days than the days during which a shareholder may purchase the shares of the Fund, the value of the Fund’s investments may change on the days when shareholders are not able to purchase the shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund may suspend the right of redemption for the Fund only under the following unusual circumstances: (i) when the NYSE is closed (other than weekends and holidays) or trading is restricted; (ii) when trading in the markets normally utilized is restricted, or when an emergency exists as determined by the SEC so that disposal of the Fund’s investments or determination of its net assets is not reasonably practicable; or (iii) during any period when the SEC may permit.

 

-48- 

 

Dividends and Distributions

 

The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes.”

 

General Policies. Dividends from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.

 

 Dividends and other distributions of Fund shares are distributed, as described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their brokers in order to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.

 

Miscellaneous Information

 

Counsel. Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603, is counsel to the Trust.

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The firm audits the Fund’s financial statements and performs other related audit services.

 

-49- 

 

Exhibit A - Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Services
Standard Proxy Voting
Principles and Guidelines

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Principles

 

Introduction

 

Our Proxy Voting Principles serve as the background for our Proxy Voting Guidelines, which, in turn, act as general guidelines for the specific recommendations that we make with respect to proxy voting. It is important to recognize that such principles are not intended to dictate but guide. Certain of the principles may be inappropriate for a given company, or in a given situation. Additionally, the principles are evolving and should be viewed in that light. Our principles are and will be influenced by current and forthcoming legislation, rules and regulations, and stock exchange rules. Examples include:

 

the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and implementing rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission

 

revised corporate governance listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange and resulting SEC rules

 

corporate governance reforms and subsequent proposed rule filings made with the SEC by The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. and resulting SEC rules

 

In general:

 

Directors should be accountable to shareholders, and management should be accountable to directors.

 

Information on the Company supplied to shareholders should be transparent.

 

Shareholders should be treated fairly and equitably according to the principle of one share, one vote.

 

Principles

 

A.Director independence

 

It is our view that:

 

A two-thirds majority of the board should be comprised of independent directors.

 

Independent directors should meet alone at regularly scheduled meetings, no less frequently than semi-annually, without the Chief Executive Officer or other non-independent directors present.

 

When the Chairman of the Board also serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the board should designate one independent director to act as a leader to coordinate the activities of the other independent directors.

 

Committees of the board dealing with the following responsibilities should consist only of independent directors: audit, compensation, nomination of directors, corporate governance, and compliance.

 

No director should serve as a consultant or service provider to the Company.

 

Director compensation should be a combination of cash and stock in the Company, with stock constituting a significant component.

 

A-1

 

In our opinion, an independent director, by definition, has no material relationship with the Company other than his or her directorship. This avoids the potential for conflict of interest. Specifically such director:

 

should not have been employed by the Company or an affiliate within the previous five years.

 

should not be the founder of the Company.

 

should not be a director of the Company serving in an ex officio capacity.

 

should not be a member of the Company’s Board of Directors for 10 years or more, however, a director who is a diverse nominee may be exempted from this rule on the case-by-case basis.

 

should have no services contract regarding such matters as aircraft rental contract, real property lease or similar contract with the Company or affiliate, or with a member of the Company’s senior management or provide legal or consulting services to the Company within the previous three years.

 

should not be employed by a public company at which an executive officer of the Company serves as a director, and thereby be part of an interlocking relationship.

 

should not be a member of the immediate family (spouse, parents, children, siblings, mothers and fathers-in-law, sons and daughters-in-law, brothers and sisters-in-law, and anyone other than domestic employees who share such person’s home) of any person described above.

 

a director who receives, or whose immediate family member receives, more than $120,000 per year in direct compensation (base salary plus cash bonus) from the Company, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms of deferred compensation for prior service (provided such compensation is not contingent in any way on continued service), is not independent until three years after he or she ceases to receive more than $120,000 per year in such compensation.

 

a director who is an executive officer or an employee, or whose immediate family member is an executive officer, of another company (other than a utility) or non-profit organization that makes payments to, or receives payments from, the Company for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal year, exceeds the greater of $1 million, or 2% of the recipient company’s consolidated gross revenues, is not “independent” until three years after falling below such threshold. However, the existence of a credit agreement between a bank and the Company shall not affect the independence of a director who is an executive of that bank within the previous three years.

 

B.Board operating procedures

 

The board should adopt a written statement of its governance principles, and regularly re-evaluate them.

 

Independent directors should establish performance criteria and compensation incentives for the Chief Executive Officer, and regularly review his or her performance against such criteria. Such criteria should align the interests of the CEO with those of shareholders, and evaluate the CEO against peer groups.

 

The independent directors should be provided access to professional advisers of their own choice, independent of management.

 

The board should have a CEO succession plan, and receive periodic reports from management on the development of other members of senior management.

 

Directors should have access to senior management through a designated liaison person.

 

The board should periodically review its own size, and determine the appropriate size.

 

A-2

 

C.Requirements for individual directors

 

We recommend that:

 

The board should provide guidelines for directors serving on several Boards addressing competing commitments.

 

The board should establish performance criteria for itself and for individual directors regarding director attendance, preparedness, and participation at meetings of the board and of committees of the board, and directors should perform satisfactorily in accordance with such criteria in order to be re-nominated.

 

D.Shareholder rights

 

A simple majority of shareholders should be able to amend the Company’s bylaws, call special meetings, or act by written consent.

 

“Greenmail” should be prohibited.

 

Shareholder approval should be required to enact or amend a “poison pill” (i.e., “shareholder rights”) plan

 

Directors should be elected annually.

 

The board should ordinarily implement a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of proxy votes.

 

Shareholders should have effective access to the director nomination process.

 

Egan-Jones Proxy Voting Guidelines

 

Consistent with the above-listed principles, the proxy voting guidelines outlined below are written to guide the specific recommendations that we make to our clients. Ordinarily, we do not recommend that clients ABSTAIN on votes; rather, we recommend that they vote FOR or AGAINST proposals (or, in the case of election of directors, that they vote FOR ALL nominees, AGAINST the nominees, or that they WITHHOLD votes for certain nominees). In the latter instance, the recommendation on our report takes the form ALL, EXCEPT FOR and lists the nominees from whom votes should be withheld.

 

Whether or not the guideline below indicates “case-by-case basis,” every case is examined to ensure that the recommendation is appropriate.

 

Board Of Directors

 

Election of Directors in Uncontested Elections

 

Case-by-case basis, examining composition of board and key board committees, attendance history, corporate governance provisions and takeover activity, long-term company financial performance relative to a market index, directors’ investment in the Company, etc.

 

WITHHOLD votes from nominees who:

 

are affiliated outside directors and sit on the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

are inside directors and sit on the Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

are inside directors and the Company does not have Audit, Compensation, or Nominating committees.

 

attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings. Participation by phone is acceptable.

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the shares outstanding.

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years.

 

A-3

 

fail to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders have tendered their shares.

 

implement or renew a “dead-hand” or modified “dead-hand” poison pill.

 

sit on more than five other public boards.

 

serve as both Chairmen of the Board and CEOs and the Company receives a poor Board Score.

 

serve as CEOs and hold more than one outside public directorship.

 

serve as Chairmen of the Board and hold more than one outside public directorship.

 

sit on the existing board, which has failed to respond adequately to a say-on-pay vote in which the majority of votes cast voted AGAINST.

 

sit on the existing board, which has implemented a less frequent say-on-pay vote than the frequency option which received a majority of votes cast in the previous frequency vote.

 

Underperforming Board Policy

 

WITHHOLD votes from Compensation Committee members in cases when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones compensation rating model.

 

WITHHOLD votes from Compensation Committee members in cases when the Company’s Compensation Plans (Cash Bonus Plan or Stock Option Plan) receive an “AGAINST” recommendation from Egan-Jones.

 

Board Accountability

 

Case-by-case basis for the following:

 

Evidence or belief of failure of the board to properly account and prepare for risk (i.e. carbon or cyber issues)

 

A low board score, coupled with poor performance

 

Legal or ethical problems in the Company or its management

 

In cases in which the Company has engaged in the practice commonly referred to as “options backdating,” Egan-Jones may recommend that votes be withheld from nominees serving on the Company’s compensation committee, the Company’s entire board of directors, and/or its chief executive officer. Such recommendations will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration such matters as intent of the individuals involved, scope and timing of the practice, significance of financial restatement required, and corrective action taken.

 

Furthermore, we may recommend withholding votes from either members of the Company’s compensation committee, its entire board of directors and/or its chief executive officer where the Company has engaged in what we judge to be other unsatisfactory compensation practices. Considerations may include such factors as “pay-for-failure” executive severance provisions, change-in-control payments which are either excessive or which are not tied to loss of job or significant reduction in duties, excessive executive perquisites, unjustified changes in the performance standards applied to performance-based compensation, and executive compensation out of proportion to performance of the Company.

 

FOR responsible shareholder proposals calling for the Company to name as directors only those who receive a majority of shareholder votes.

 

Separating Chairman and CEO

 

FOR shareholder proposals requiring that positions of Chairman and CEO be held separately.

 

Independent Directors

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that a two-thirds majority of directors be independent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that the board’s Audit, Compensation, and/or Nominating committees be composed exclusively of independent directors.

 

A-4

 

FOR shareholder proposals that the Chairman OR lead director be independent when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones director independence rating. AGAINST in all other cases.

 

Stock Ownership Requirements

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring directors to own a minimum amount of company stock in order to qualify as a director or to remain on the board.

 

Term Limits

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to limit tenure of outside directors.

 

Age Limits

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to impose a mandatory retirement age for outside directors.

 

Director and Officer Indemnification and Liability

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals regarding director and officer indemnification and liability, using Delaware law as the standard.

 

AGAINST management proposals to eliminate entirely directors and officers liability for monetary damages for violating the duty of care.

 

AGAINST management indemnification proposals that would expand coverage beyond legal expenses to acts, such as negligence, that are more serious violations of fiduciary obligation than mere carelessness.

 

FOR only those management proposals providing such expanded coverage in cases when a director’s or officer’s legal defense was unsuccessful if (1) the director was found to have acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed was in the best interests of the company, and (2) only if the director’s legal expenses would be covered.

 

Charitable Contributions

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding disclosure of charitable contributions.

 

Political Contributions

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding disclosure of political contributions.

 

FOR management proposals regarding approval of political contributions.

 

Lobbying Expenditures

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals for disclosure of lobbying expenditures.

 

Proxy Contests and Other Contested Elections

 

Election of Directors in Contested Elections

 

Case-by-case basis for voting for directors in contested elections, considering long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry, management’s track record, background to the proxy contest, qualifications of director nominees on both slates, evaluation of what each side is offering shareholders as well as likelihood that proposed objectives and goals will be met, and stock ownership positions.

 

FOR plurality voting standard in contested elections.

 

Reimbursement of Proxy Solicitation Expenses

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals for reimbursement of proxy solicitation expenses. FOR reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses where EGAN-JONES recommends in favor of the dissidents.

 

Auditors

 

Ratifying Auditors

 

FOR management proposals to ratify appointment of independent auditor unless:

 

A-5

 

Auditor obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones Auditor Rating Model which takes into account a number of factors including but not limited to:

 

ØAuditor rotation every seven years

 

ØNon-audit fees exceeding 50% of total fees

 

ØSignificant and material disciplinary actions taken against the Company’s Auditor

 

Auditor has a financial interest in or association with the Company, and is therefore not independent; or there is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the Company’s financial position.

 

Proxy Contest Defenses

 

Classified Board vs. Annual Election

 

AGAINST management proposals to classify the board.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to repeal (“de-stagger”) classified boards and to elect all directors annually.

 

Removal of Directors

 

AGAINST management proposals that provide that directors may be removed only for cause.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to restore shareholder ability to remove directors with or without cause.

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for shareholder proposal to remove a director, usually AGAINST unless there are compelling reasons to remove a director or a director does not fulfill Egan-Jones criteria examining independence, meetings attendance, other board memberships, then in such cases FOR.

 

AGAINST management proposals that provide that only continuing directors may elect replacements to fill board vacancies.

 

FOR shareholder proposals that permit shareholders to elect directors to fill board vacancies.

 

Cumulative Voting

 

FOR management proposals to eliminate cumulative voting.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to provide for cumulative voting.

 

Calling Special Meetings

 

AGAINST management proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to call special meetings.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to allow a shareholder holding a 25% or greater interest to call a special shareholder meeting.

 

Acting by Written Consent

 

Case by case for management proposals to restrict or prohibit shareholder ability to take action by written consent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to allow or make easier shareholder action by written consent.

 

Altering Size of the Board

 

FOR management proposals to fix the size of the board.

 

AGAINST management proposals that give management the ability to alter size of the board without shareholder approval.

 

Tender Offer Defenses

 

“Poison Pills”

 

FOR shareholder proposals that ask the Company to submit its “poison pill” for shareholder ratification.

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals to redeem a company’s existing “poison pill.”

 

A-6

 

Case-by-case basis for management proposals to ratify a “poison pill.”

 

Fair Price Provisions

 

Case-by-case basis for adopting fair price provisions, considering vote required to approve the proposed acquisition, vote required to repeal the fair price provision, and mechanism for determining the fair price.

 

AGAINST fair price provisions with shareholder vote requirements greater than a majority of disinterested shares.

 

“Greenmail”

 

FOR proposals to adopt anti-”greenmail” charter or bylaw amendments or otherwise restrict the company’s ability to make “greenmail” payments.

 

Case-by-case basis for anti-”greenmail” proposals which are bundled with other charter or bylaw amendments.

 

“Pale Greenmail”

 

Case-by-case basis for restructuring plans that involve the payment of pale greenmail.

 

Unequal Voting Rights

 

AGAINST dual-class exchange offers and dual-class recapitalizations.

 

Supermajority Requirement to Amend Charter or Bylaws

 

AGAINST management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve charter and bylaw amendments.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for charter and bylaw amendments.

 

Supermajority Requirement to Approve Mergers

 

AGAINST management proposals to require a supermajority shareholder vote to approve mergers and other significant business combinations.

 

FOR shareholder proposals to lower supermajority shareholder vote requirements for mergers and other significant business combinations.

 

Placement of Equity with “White Squire”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to require approval of “blank check preferred stock” issues for other than general corporate purposes.

 

Other Governance Proposals

 

Confidential Voting

 

FOR shareholder proposals that request that the company adopt confidential voting, use independent tabulators, and use independent inspectors of election as long as the proposals include clauses for proxy contests as follows: In the case of a contested election, management should be permitted to request that the dissident group honor its confidential voting policy. If the dissidents agree, the policy remains in place. If the dissidents do not agree, the confidential voting policy is waived.

 

FOR management proposals to adopt confidential voting.

 

Equal Access

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that would allow significant company shareholders equal access to management’s proxy material in order to evaluate and propose voting recommendations on proxy proposals and director nominees, and in order to nominate their own candidates to the board.

 

A-7

 

Proxy Access

 

FOR binding shareholder proxy access proposals considering the following criteria:

 

0.5% ownership threshold

 

Number of board members that may be elected - cap of 1/3 of board or minimum 2 nominees, if the board size is being lowered the calculation is based upon the original board size, if it is being increased the calculation would be based upon the original board size, with each new slot added to the total, so two plus six if six new board positions are being created

 

We prefer no limit or caps on the number of shareowners in the nominations group

 

Loaned securities will count towards total

 

We prefer that all participants affirm that they intend to be “long term shareholders” of the company with at least 6 month ownership duration requirement

 

Proposals with no re-nominations restrictions are preferred

 

Bundled Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis for bundled or “conditioned” proxy proposals. Where items are conditioned upon each other, examine benefits and costs. AGAINST in instances when the joint effect of the conditioned items is not in shareholders’ best interests. FOR if the combined effect is positive.

 

Shareholder Advisory Committees

 

Case-by-case basis for shareholder proposals establishing a shareholder advisory committee.

 

Capital Structure

 

Common Stock Authorization

 

AGAINST management proposals increasing the number of authorized shares of the class of stock that has superior voting rights in companies that have dual-class capitalization structures.

 

AGAINST management proposals to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, or equivalents, that exceeds the maximum amount indicated by Egan-Jones model without any specified legitimate purpose.

 

FOR management proposals to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, or equivalents, that does not exceed the maximum amount indicated by Egan-Jones model or are targeted for a specified legitimate purpose.

 

Case-by-case basis on other such management proposals considering the specified purposes of the proposed increase, any explanation of risks to shareholders of failing to approve the request, potential dilution, and recent track record for using authorized shares, in which case judgment is applied to weigh such factors. Factors which are normally weighed in making such judgments include prior performance of the issuer, changes within the industry, relative performance within the industry, client preferences and overall good corporate governance. In general, we view the authorization of additional common shares to be ordinary and necessary and in the best long-term interests of the issuer and its shareholders.

 

Stock Distributions: Splits and Dividends

 

FOR management proposals to increase common share authorization for a stock split, provided that the increase in authorized shares would not result in an excessive number of shares available for issuance, considering the industry and company’s returns to shareholders.

 

Reverse Stock Splits

 

FOR management proposals to implement a reverse stock split when the number of shares will be proportionately reduced to avoid delisting.

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to implement a reverse stock split that do not proportionately reduce the number of shares authorized for issuance.

 

A-8

 

Preferred Stock

 

AGAINST management proposals authorizing creation of new classes of “blank check preferred stock” (i.e., classes with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend distribution, and other rights).

 

FOR management proposals to authorize preferred stock in cases where the Company specifies the voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights of such stock and the terms are reasonable.

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to increase the number of “blank check preferred shares” after analyzing the number of preferred shares available for issuance considering the industry and Company’s returns to shareholders.

 

“Blank Check Preferred Stock”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to have placements of “blank check preferred stock” submitted for shareholder approval, except when those shares are issued for the purpose of raising capital or making acquisitions in the normal course.

 

FOR management proposals to create “blank check preferred stock” in cases when the Company specifically states that the stock will not be used as a takeover defense.

 

Adjustments to Par Value of Common Stock

 

FOR management proposals to reduce the par value of common stock.

 

Preemptive Rights

 

Case-by-case basis on shareholder proposals that seek preemptive rights, considering size of the company and shareholder characteristics.

 

Debt Restructurings

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals to increase number of common and/or preferred shares and to issue shares as part of a debt restructuring plan, considering dilution, any resulting change in control.

 

FOR management proposals that facilitate debt restructurings except where signs of self- dealing exist.

 

Share Repurchase Programs

 

FOR management proposals to institute open-market share repurchase plans in which all shareholders may participate on equal terms.

 

Tracking Stock

 

Case-by-case basis for management proposals for creation of tracking stock, considering the strategic value of the transaction vs. adverse governance changes, excessive increases in authorized stock, inequitable distribution method, diminution of voting rights, adverse conversion features, negative impact on stock option plans, and other alternatives, such as spin-offs.

 

Stock buybacks

 

Case-by-case on management proposals requesting stock buybacks. AGAINST in cases when the Company receives a poor Board or Compensation score. FOR otherwise.

 

Compensation of Officers and Directors

 

Compensation of Officers and Directors

 

FOR compensation plans that result in an amount of dilution (or the equivalent value in cash) that is less than the total amount suggested by Egan-Jones compensation rating model’s maximum dilution function as determined by the Company’s compensation rating.

 

AGAINST compensation plans that result in an excess amount of dilution (or the equivalent value in cash) that is more than the total amount suggested by Egan-Jones compensation rating model’s maximum dilution function as determined by the Company’s compensation rating.

 

A-9

 

AGAINST compensation plans involving “pay for failure,” such as excessively long contracts, guaranteed compensation, excessive severance packages, or other problematic practice not accounted for in the Egan-Jones compensation rating.

 

Case-by-case (but generally FOR) plans that are completely “decoupled” from the CEOs compensation and thus have no impact on the CEO’s current or future total compensation.

 

Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (“Say-on-Pay”)

 

Case-by-case basis on advisory votes on executive compensation (“Say-on-Pay”), based on the score obtained by the Company in Egan-Jones Compensation Rating. AGAINST a non-binding compensation advisory vote when the Company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones Compensation Rating model, FOR otherwise.

 

Relative Compensation is based upon a number of quantitative and qualitative metrics which produce a final score that is both forward looking and based upon the prior performance metrics of the company’s wealth creation and market capitalization as compared to the CEO’s total compensation package. Higher wealth creation, market capitalization and lower CEO compensation all contribute to a higher score in this rating. Additional qualitative measures such as 162m compliance, executive pension plan status and other relevant factors are then used to calculate the final score.

 

Advisory Votes Regarding Frequency of Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation

 

FOR management proposals that recommend that advisory votes on executive compensation take place annually.

 

AGAINST management proposals that recommend that advisory votes on executive compensation take place every two years or triennially.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals regarding advisory vote on directors’ compensation.

 

Management Proposals Seeking Approval to Re-price Options

 

Case-by-case basis on management proposals seeking approval to re-price options.

 

Director Compensation

 

Case-by-case basis on stock-based plans for directors.

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

 

Case-by-case basis on employee stock purchase plans.

 

Amendments that Place a Maximum Limit on Annual Grants or Amend Administrative Features

 

FOR plans that amend shareholder-approved plans to include administrative features or place maximum limit on annual grants that any participant may receive to comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA).

 

Amendments to Added Performance-Based Goals

 

FOR amendments to add performance goals to existing compensation plans to comply with the provisions of Section 162(m) of OBRA.

 

Amendments to Increase Shares and Retain Tax Deductions under OBRA

 

Case-by-case basis on amendments to existing plans to increase shares reserved and to qualify the plan for favorable tax treatment under the provisions of Section 162(m).

 

Approval of Cash or Cash & Stock Bonus Plans

 

Case-by-case basis on cash or cash & stock bonus plans to exempt compensation from taxes under the provisions of Section 162(m) of OBRA.

 

Limits on Director and Officer Compensation

 

FOR shareholder proposals requiring additional disclosure of officer and director compensation.

 

A-10

 

Case-by-case basis for all other shareholder proposals seeking limits on officer and director compensation.

 

“Golden Parachutes” and “Tin Parachutes”

 

FOR shareholder proposals to have “golden and tin parachutes” submitted for shareholder ratification.

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to ratify or cancel “golden or tin parachutes.”

 

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

 

FOR proposals that request shareholder approval in order to implement an ESOP or to increase authorized number of shares for existing ESOPs, except in cases when the number of shares allocated to the ESOP is “excessive” (i.e., greater than five percent of outstanding shares).

 

401(k) Employee Benefit Plans

 

FOR proposals to implement a 401(k) savings plan for employees.

 

State of Incorporation

 

State Takeover Statutes

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to opt in or out of state takeover statutes (including control share acquisition statutes, control share cash-out statutes, freeze-out provisions, fair price provisions, stakeholder laws, poison pill endorsements, severance pay and labor contract provisions, anti-“greenmail” provisions, and disgorgement provisions).

 

Reincorporation Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis on proposals to change the Company’s state of incorporation.

 

Business Combinations and Corporate Restructurings

 

Mergers and Acquisitions

 

Case-by-case basis on mergers and acquisitions, considering projected financial and operating benefits, offer price, prospects of the combined companies, negotiation process, and changes in corporate governance.

 

Corporate Restructuring

 

Case-by-case basis on corporate restructurings, including minority squeeze-outs, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs, liquidations, and asset sales.

 

Spin-offs

 

Case-by-case basis on spin-offs, considering tax and regulatory advantages, planned use of proceeds, market focus, and managerial incentives.

 

Asset Sales

 

Case-by-case basis on asset sales, considering impact on the balance sheet and working capital, and value received.

 

Liquidations

 

Case-by-case basis on liquidations considering management’s efforts to pursue alternatives, appraisal value, and compensation for executives managing the liquidation.

 

Appraisal Rights

 

FOR providing shareholders with appraisal rights.

 

Mutual Fund Proxies

 

Election of Directors

 

Case-by-case basis for election of directors, considering board structure, director independence, director qualifications, compensation of directors within the fund and the family of funds, and attendance at board and committee meetings.

 

A-11

 

WITHHOLD votes for directors who:

 

are interested directors and sit on key board committees (Audit or Nominating committees)

 

are interested directors and the company does not have one or more of the following committees: Audit or Nominating.

 

attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings. Participation by phone is acceptable.

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of shares outstanding.

 

ignore a shareholder proposal that is approved by a majority of the votes cast for two consecutive years

 

serve as Chairman but are not independent (e.g. serve as an officer of the fund’s advisor)

 

Converting Closed-end Fund to Open-end Fund

 

Case-by-case basis for conversion of closed-end fund to open-end fund, considering past performance as a closed-end fund, market in which the fund invests, measures taken by the board to address the market discount, and past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

 

Proxy Contests

 

Case-by-case basis on proxy contests, considering past performance, market in which fund invests, and measures taken by the board to address issues raised, past shareholder activism, board activity, and votes on related proposals.

 

Investment Advisory Agreements

 

Case-by-case basis on investment advisory agreements, considering proposed and current fee schedules, fund category and investment objective, performance benchmarks, share price performance relative to that of peers; and magnitude of any fee increase.

 

New Classes or Series of Shares

 

FOR creating new classes or series of shares.

 

Preferred Stock Authorization

 

Case-by-case basis for authorization for or increase in preferred shares, considering financing purpose and potential dilution for common shares.

 

1940 Act Policies

 

Case-by-case basis for 1940 Act policies, considering potential competitiveness, regulatory developments, current and potential returns, and current and potential risk.

 

Changing a Fundamental Restriction to a Non-fundamental Restriction

 

Case-by-case basis on changing fundamental restriction to non-fundamental restriction, considering fund’s target investments, reasons for change, and projected impact on portfolio.

 

Changing Fundamental Investment Objective to Non-fundamental

 

AGAINST proposals to change the fund’s fundamental investment objective to non- fundamental.

 

Name Rule Proposals

 

Case-by-case basis for name rule proposals, considering the following factors: political/economic changes in target market; bundling with quorum requirements or with changes in asset allocation, and consolidation in the fund’s target market.

 

A-12

 

Disposition of Assets, Termination, Liquidation

 

Case-by-case basis for disposition of assets, termination or liquidation, considering strategies employed, company’s past performance, and terms of liquidation.

 

Charter Modification

 

Case-by-case basis for changes to the charter, considering degree of change, efficiencies that could result, state of incorporation, and regulatory standards and implications.

 

Change of Domicile

 

Case-by-case basis for changes in state of domicile, considering state regulations of each state, required fundamental policies of each state; and the increased flexibility available.

 

Change in Sub-classification

 

Case-by-case basis for change in sub-classification, considering potential competitiveness, current and potential returns, risk of concentration, and industry consolidation in the target industry.

 

Authorizing Board to Hire and Terminate Sub-advisors without Shareholder Approval

 

AGAINST authorizing the board to hire and terminate sub-advisors without shareholder approval.

 

Distribution Agreements

 

Case-by-case basis for approving distribution agreements, considering fees charged to comparably sized funds with similar objectives, proposed distributor’s reputation and past performance, and competitiveness of fund in industry.

 

Master-Feeder Structure

 

FOR establishment of a master-feeder structure.

 

Changes to Charter

 

Case-by-case basis for changes to the charter, considering degree of change implied by the proposal, resulting efficiencies, state of incorporation, and regulatory standards and implications.

 

Mergers

 

Case-by-case basis for proposed merger, considering resulting fee structure, performance of each fund, and continuity of management.

 

Advisory Vote on Merger Related Compensation

 

AGAINST “golden parachutes” which are abusive,

 

such as those that exceed 3x of the cash severance or

 

if the cash severance multiple is greater than 2.99x or

 

contain tax gross-ups or

 

provide for accelerated vesting of equity awards, (however, pro-rata vesting of awards based on past service is acceptable) or

 

are triggered prior to completion of the transaction or

 

if the payouts are not contingent on the executive’s termination.

 

Miscellaneous Shareholder Proposals

 

Independent Directors

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that a three-quarters majority of directors be independent.

 

FOR shareholder proposals asking that board’s Audit, Compensation, and/or Nominating committees be composed exclusively of independent directors.

 

A-13

 

FOR shareholder proposals that the Chairman OR lead director be independent when the company obtains a questionable score on the Egan-Jones director independence rating. AGAINST in all other cases.

 

Establish Director Ownership Requirement

 

AGAINST proposals establishing a director ownership requirement.

 

Reimbursement of Shareholder for Expenses Incurred

 

CASE-BY-CASE for proposals for reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses in contested meetings.

 

FOR proposals for reimbursing proxy solicitation expenses in contested meetings in cases where EGAN-JONES recommends in favor of the dissidents.

 

Terminate the Investment Advisor

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for proposals for terminating the investment advisor, considering fund’s performance and history of shareholder relations.

 

Tax Payments on Restricted Awards

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to adopt a policy that the Company will pay the personal taxes owed on restricted stock awards on behalf of named executive officers.

 

Recovery of Unearned Management Bonuses

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to adopt an executive compensation recoupment policy.

 

Clawback Provision Amendment

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that request the board of directors amend the Company’s clawback policy for executive compensation.

 

Quantifiable Performance Metrics

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals that request the board adopt the policy regarding quantifiable performance metrics. FOR this proposal in cases when Egan-Jones compensation rating model results in an ‘Against’ recommendation on ‘Say-on-Pay’ proposal. AGAINST this proposal in cases of when Egan-Jones compensation rating model results in a ‘For’ recommendation on ‘Say-on-Pay’ proposal.

 

Vote Tabulation

 

FOR shareholder proposals that request all matters presented to shareholders, other than the election of directors, shall be decided by a simple majority of the shares voted ‘For’ and ‘Against’ an item and abstentions from the vote count be excluded.

 

Maryland’s Unsolicited Takeover Act

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the Board opt out of MUTA, which allows the board of directors to make changes by board resolution only, without shareholder approval, to a company’s capital structure and charter/bylaws. These include, but are not limited to:

 

› the ability to re-classify a board;

 

› the exclusive right to set the number of directors;

 

› limiting shareholders’ ability to call special meetings to a threshold of at least a majority of shares.

 

Accelerated Vesting

 

FOR shareholder proposals to implement double triggered with pro-rata vesting of awards.

 

Dividends

 

CASE-BY-CASE basis for shareholder proposals to increase dividends, but generally AGAINST in the absence of a compelling reason for.

 

A-14

 

Shareholder Proposals on Social Issues

 

Energy and Environment

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that request companies to follow the CERES Principles.

 

Generally AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information, unless it appears that the Company has not adequately addressed shareholders’ relevant environmental concerns but FOR shareholder proposals requesting additional disclosure regarding hydraulic fracturing.

 

AGAINST proposals that request that the Board prepare, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, a sustainability report.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that requests that company develop and implement a comprehensive sustainable palm oil sourcing policy.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals promoting recycling.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on recyclable packaging.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting that a company voluntarily label genetically engineered (GE) ingredients in its products.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals that requests the Company prepare a report, at reasonable expense and omitting proprietary information, assessing actual and potential material financial risks or operational impacts on the Company related to these genetically modified organisms (GMO issues).

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to eliminate GE ingredients from the company’s products, or proposals asking for reports outlining the steps necessary to eliminate GE ingredients from the company’s products.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting that a company adopt GHG emissions reductions goals and issue a report by at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, on its plans to achieve these goals.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to encourage energy conservation and the development of alternate renewable and clean energy resources and to reduce or eliminate toxic wastes and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals on proper disposal of pharmaceuticals.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on electronic waste.

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals requesting a report on renewable energy adoption. FOR in cases when the Company receives a poor Board score, AGAINST otherwise.

 

CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals requesting a report on distributed - scale clean electricity. FOR in cases when the Company receives a poor Board score, AGAINST otherwise.

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting a report on climate change and business model.

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals requesting a report on nanomaterials.

 

FOR shareholder proposals requesting a report on antibiotics in livestock.

 

Northern Ireland

 

AGAINST proposals related to the MacBride Principles.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information about progress being made toward eliminating employment discrimination, unless it appears Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

Military Business

 

AGAINST proposals on defense issues.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information on military related operations, unless the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

A-15

 

Maquiladora Standards and International Operations Policies

 

AGAINST on proposals relating to the Maquiladora Standards and international operating policies.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports on international operating policy issues, unless it appears the Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

World Debt Crisis

 

AGAINST proposals dealing with Third World debt.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports on Third World debt issues, unless it appears the Company has not adequately addressed shareholder relevant concerns.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination

 

AGAINST on proposals regarding equal employment opportunities and discrimination.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information about affirmative action efforts, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

Holy Land Principles

 

AGAINST shareholder proposals to approve the implementation of the Holy Land Principles.

 

Animal Rights

 

AGAINST proposals that deal with animal rights.

 

Product Integrity and Marketing

 

AGAINST proposals on ceasing production of socially questionable products.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information regarding product integrity and marketing issues, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

Human Resources Issues

 

AGAINST proposals regarding human resources issues.

 

AGAINST proposals requesting reports that seek additional information regarding human resources issues, unless it appears the Company has been unresponsive to shareholder relevant requests.

 

A-16

 

Amplify ETF Trust

Part C – Other Information

Item 28.Exhibits

 

Exhibit No. Description

 

(a)(1) Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Establishment and Designation of Series Attached Thereto as Schedule A (1)

 

(2)Amended and Restated Establishment and Designation of Series (5)

 

(b)By-Laws of the Registrant (1)
   
(c)Not Applicable

 

(d)(1) Form of Investment Management Agreement between Registrant and Amplify Investments LLC (2)

 

(2)Amended Exhibit A to the Investment Management Agreement (5)

 

(3)Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement by and between the Registrant and Penserra Capital Management, LLC (4)

 

(4)Amended Exhibit A to the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement (5)

 

(e)(1) Form of Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and Quasar Distributors LLC (2)

 

(2)Amended Schedule A to the Distribution Agreement (5)

 

(f)Not Applicable

 

(g)(1) Form of Custodian Agreement (2)

 

(2)Amended Schedule B to the Custodian Agreement (5)

 

(h)(1) Form of Subscription Agreement (2)

 

(2)Form of Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (2)

 

(3)Revised Exhibit A to the Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement (5)

 

(4)Form of Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (2)

 

-2-

 

(5)Revised Exhibit A to the Fund Administration Servicing Agreement (5)

 

(6)Form of Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement (2)

 

(7)Revised Exhibit A to the Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement (5)

 

(i)(1) Opinion and Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (5)

 

(2)Opinion and Consent of Chapman and Cutler LLP (5)

 

(j)Not Applicable

 

(k)Not Applicable

 

(l)Not Applicable
   
(m)Form of 12b-1 Service Plan (2)

 

(n)Not Applicable

 

(o)Not Applicable

 

(p)(1) Amplify Investments LLC and Amplify Funds Code of Ethics (2)

 

(2)Quasar Distributors LLC Code of Ethics (2)

 

(3)CSAT Investment Advisory, L.P., d/b/a Exponential ETFs Code of Ethics (3)

 

(q)Powers of Attorney (1)

__________________

(1)Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-207937) filed on December 23, 2015.
(2)Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-207937) filed on January 14, 2016.
(3)Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-207937) filed on January 16, 2018.
(4)Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-207937) filed on June 11, 2018.
(5)To be filed by amendment.
Item 29.Persons Controlled By or Under Common Control with Registrant

 

Not Applicable

3

 

Item 30.Indemnification

 

Section 9.5 of the Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust provides as follows:

 

Section 9.5. Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 9.5, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

 

No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person to the extent such indemnification is prohibited by applicable federal law.

 

The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

Subject to applicable federal law, expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 9.5 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.5.

 

To the extent that any determination is required to be made as to whether a Covered Person engaged in conduct for which indemnification is not provided as described herein, or as to whether there is reason to believe that a Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification, the Person or Persons making the determination shall afford the Covered Person a rebuttable presumption that the Covered Person has not engaged in such conduct and that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

 

As used in this Section 9.5, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, demands, actions, suits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, proceedings or any other occurrence of a similar nature, whether actual or threatened and whether civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals, and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

 

-4-

 

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant, in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Item 31.Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

 

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of Amplify Investments, LLC (“Amplify”), the investment adviser to the Fund, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of Amplify is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by Amplify with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No. 801-80692).

 

Certain information pertaining to the business and other connections of Penserra Capital Management LLC (“Penserrra”), an investment sub-adviser to the Fund, is hereby incorporated by reference from the Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information contained herein. The information required by this Item with respect to any director, officer or partner of Penserra is incorporated by reference to the Form ADV filed by Penserra with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (File No. 801-80466).

Item 32.Principal Underwriter

 

(a) Quasar Distributors LLC (“Quasar”) serves as principal underwriter of the shares of the Registrant. Quasar serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies: Academy Funds Trust; Advisors Series Trust; Aegis Funds; Allied Asset Advisors Funds; Alpha Architect ETF Trust; Alpine Equity Trust; Alpine Income Trust; Alpine Series Trust; Angel Oak Funds Trust; Appleton Funds; Barrett Opportunity Fund, Inc.; Bridge Builder Trust; Bridges Investment Fund, Inc.; Brookfield Investment Funds; Brown Advisory Funds; Buffalo Funds; CG Funds Trust; Compass EMP Funds Trust; DoubleLine Funds Trust; ETF Series Solutions; Evermore Funds Trust; FactorShares Trust; First American Funds, Inc.; FundX Investment Trust; Glenmede Fund, Inc.; Glenmede Portfolios; Greenspring Fund, Inc.; Guinness Atkinson Funds; Harding Loevner Funds, Inc.; Hennessy Funds Trust; Hotchkis & Wiley Funds; Intrepid Capital Management Funds Trust; IronBridge Funds, Inc.; Jacob Funds, Inc.; Jensen Portfolio, Inc.; Kirr Marbach Partners Funds, Inc.; LKCM Funds; LoCorr Investment Trust; Lord Asset Management Trust; MainGate Trust; Managed Portfolio Series; Matrix Advisors Value Fund, Inc.; Merger Fund; Monetta Trust; Nicholas Family of Funds, Inc.; Oaktree Funds; Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc.; Perritt Funds, Inc.; PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds; Professionally Managed Portfolios; Prospector Funds, Inc.; Provident Mutual Funds, Inc.; Purisima Funds; Rainier Investment Management Mutual Funds; RBC Funds Trust; Stone Ridge Trust; Stone Ridge Trust II; Stone Ridge Trust III; Thompson IM Funds, Inc.; Trust for Advised Portfolios; Trust for Professional Managers; USA Mutuals; Wall Street Fund, Inc.; Westchester Capital Funds; Wisconsin Capital Funds, Inc.; YCG Funds

 

-5-

 

(b) To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of Quasar are as follows:

 

Name and Principal
Business Address*
Positions and Offices
with Underwriter
Positions and
Offices with Fund
James R. Schoenike (1) President, Board Member None
Andrew M. Strnad (2) Vice President, Secretary None
Joseph C. Neuberger (1) Board Member Chairperson and Trustee
Robert Kern (1) Board Member None
Susan LaFond (1) Vice President, Treasurer None
Joseph Bree (1) Chief Financial Officer, Board Member None
Teresa Cowan (1) Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary None
Brett Scribner (3) Assistant Treasurer

None 

 

(1)This individual is located at 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202.
(2)This individual is located at 10 West Market Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204.
(3)This individual is located at 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402.

 

(c) Not Applicable

Item 33.Location of Accounts and Records

 

Amplify Investments LLC, 310 South Hale Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, maintains the Registrant’s organizational documents, minutes of meetings, contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser.

 

U.S. Bancorp maintains all general and subsidiary ledgers, journals, trial balances, records of all portfolio purchases and sales, and all other requirement records not maintained by Amplify.

 

-6-

 

U.S. Bancorp also maintains all the required records in its capacity as transfer, accounting, dividend payment and interest holder service agent for the Registrant.

Item 34.Management Services

 

Not Applicable

Item 35.Undertakings

 

Not Applicable

-7-

 

Signatures

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized in the City of Wheaton, and State of Illinois, on August 17, 2018.

 

  Amplify ETF Trust

 
       
  By: /s/ Christian Magoon  
    Christian Magoon

 
    Chairman of the Board of Trustees

 
    President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:

 

Signature   Title     Date
           
/s/ Christian Magoon   President and Chief Executive Officer   August 17, 2018
Christian Magoon          
           
/s/ Bradley H. Bailey   Chief Financial Officer   August 17, 2018
Bradley H. Bailey          
Michael DiSanto*  
Trustee
)
)
   
      )   By: /s/ Christian Magoon
John Phillips*  
Trustee
)
)
    Christian Magoon
Attorney-In-Fact
            August 17, 2018
Rick Powers*  
Trustee
)
)
   
      )    
Mark Tucker*  
Trustee
)
)
   
      )

 

*Original powers of attorney authorizing Christian Magoon and John Phillips to execute this Registration Statement, and amendments thereto, for each of the trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, were previously executed and filed as an exhibit and are incorporated by reference herein.

 

-8-



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