ETF Issuer Solutions Inc., et al.; Notice of Application, 39793-39799 [2013-15781]

Agencies

• SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39793-39799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15781]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Investment Company Act Release No. 30568; 812-14080]


ETF Issuer Solutions Inc., et al.; Notice of Application

June 26, 2013.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').

ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the 
Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from sections 
2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the 
Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from 
sections 17(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the Act, and under section 12(d)(1)(J) 
of the Act for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the 
Act.

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Applicants: ETF Issuer Solutions Inc. (``ETFis''), ETF Actively Managed 
Trust (``Trust) and ETF Distributors LLC (``Distributor'').

Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that permits: (a) 
Actively-managed series of certain open-end management investment 
companies to issue shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations 
only (``Creation Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares 
to occur at negotiated market prices; (c) certain series to pay 
redemption proceeds, under certain circumstances, more than seven days 
from the tender of Shares for redemption; (d) certain affiliated 
persons of the series to deposit securities into, and receive 
securities from, the series in connection with the purchase and 
redemption of Creation Units; and (e) certain registered management 
investment companies and unit investment trusts outside of the same 
group of investment companies as the series to acquire Shares.

Filing Dates: The application was filed on September 28, 2012, and 
amended on March 8, 2013 and June 19, 2013.

Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the requested 
relief will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing. 
Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's 
Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally 
or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by 
5:30 p.m. on July 22, 2013, and should be accompanied by proof of 
service on applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a 
certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the 
writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues 
contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request 
notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange 
Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants, 
501 Madison Avenue, Suite 501, New York, NY 10022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David J. Marcinkus, Attorney-Advisor, 
at (202) 551-6882 or Dalia Blass, Assistant Director, at (202) 551-6821 
(Division of Investment Management, Exemptive Applications Office).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the 
application. The complete application may be obtained via the 
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or an applicant 
using the Company name box, at https://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or 
by calling (202) 551-8090.

Applicants' Representations

    1. The Trust is a statutory trust organized under the laws of the 
State of Delaware, and will be registered with the Commission as an 
open-end management investment company. The Trust will initially offer 
one actively-managed investment series (the ``Initial Fund''). 
Applicants currently intend to name the Initial Fund the Manna U.S. 
Equity Enhanced Dividend Income Fund.
    2. ETFis, a Delaware corporation, will serve as investment adviser 
to the Initial Fund. An Advisor (as defined below) may enter into sub-
advisory agreements with investment advisers to act as sub-advisers 
(each a ``Subadvisor'') with respect to the Funds (as defined below). 
Each Advisor will be registered as an ``investment adviser'' under the 
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (``Advisers Act''). Any Subadvisor will 
be registered under the Advisers Act, or not subject to registration. 
The Distributor, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the 
principal underwriter and distributor for each of the Funds. The 
Distributor is currently in the process of registering as a broker-
dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act''), 
and neither the Trust nor the Initial Fund will commence operations 
prior to the Distributor becoming registered. The Distributor is an 
affiliated person of ETFis within the meaning of Section 2(a)(3)(C) of 
the Act.\1\
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    \1\ Applicants request that the order also apply to any other 
future principal underwriter and distributor to Future Funds (each, 
a ``Future Distributor''), provided that any such Future Distributor 
complies with the terms and conditions of the application.
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    3. Applicants request that the order apply to the Initial Fund and 
any future series of the Trust or of any other open-end management 
companies or series thereof that utilizes active management investment 
strategies (``Future Funds''). Any Future Fund will (a) be advised by 
ETFis or an entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control 
with ETFis (each, an ``Advisor''), and (b) comply with the terms and 
conditions of the application.\2\ The Initial Fund and Future Funds 
together are the ``Funds.'' Each Fund will consist of a portfolio of 
securities (including fixed income securities and/or equity 
securities), currencies, assets and other positions (``Portfolio 
Instruments''). If a Fund invests in derivatives, then (i) the

[[Page 39794]]

Fund's board of directors or trustees (``Board'') will periodically 
review and approve the Fund's use of derivatives and how the Advisor 
assesses and manages risk with respect to the Fund's use of derivatives 
and (ii) the Fund's disclosure of its use of derivatives in its 
offering documents and periodic reports will be consistent with 
relevant Commission and staff guidance. Funds may invest in 
``Depositary Receipts.'' A Fund will not invest in any Depositary 
Receipt that the Advisor or Subadvisor, as applicable, deems to be 
illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available.\3\ 
Each Fund will operate as an actively managed exchange-traded fund 
(``ETF''). The Funds may invest in other open-end and/or closed-end 
investment companies and/or ETFs.\4\
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    \2\ All entities that currently intend to rely on the order are 
named as applicants. Any other entity that relies on the order in 
the future will comply with the terms and conditions of the 
application. An Investing Fund (as defined below) may rely on the 
order only to invest in Funds and not in any other registered 
investment company.
    \3\ Depositary Receipts are typically issued by a financial 
institution, a ``depositary'', and evidence ownership in a security 
or pool of securities that have been deposited with the depositary. 
No affiliated persons of the Trust or a Fund, Distributor, Advisor 
or any Subadvisor will serve as the depositary bank for any 
Depositary Receipts held by a Fund.
    \4\ In no case will a Fund that invests in other open-end and/or 
closed-end investments companies and/or ETFs in excess of the limits 
in Section 12(d)(1)(A) rely on the Section 12(d)(1) Relief.
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    4. Applicants also request that any exemption under section 
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) (the ``Section 
12(d)(1) Relief'') apply to: (i) Any Fund that is currently or 
subsequently part of the same ``group of investment companies'' as an 
Initial Fund within the meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act; 
(ii) any principal underwriter for the Fund; (iii) any brokers selling 
Shares of a Fund to an Investing Fund (as defined below); and (iv) each 
management investment company or unit investment trust registered under 
the Act that is not part of the same ``group of investment companies'' 
as the Funds within the meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act 
and that enters into a FOF Participation Agreement (as defined below) 
with a Fund (such management investment companies, ``Investing 
Management Companies,'' such unit investment trusts, ``Investing 
Trusts,'' and Investing Management Companies and Investing Trusts 
together, ``Investing Funds''). Investing Funds do not include the 
Funds.
    5. Applicants anticipate that a Creation Unit will consist of at 
least 25,000 Shares and that the price of a Share will range from $20 
to $200. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be placed with the 
Distributor by or through a party that has entered into a participant 
agreement with the Distributor and the transfer agent of the Fund 
(``Authorized Participant'') with respect to the creation and 
redemption of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant is either: (a) 
A broker or dealer registered under the Exchange Act (``Broker'') or 
other participant in the Continuous Net Settlement System of the 
National Securities Clearing Corporation (the ``NSCC''), a clearing 
agency registered with the Commission and affiliated with the 
Depository Trust Company (``DTC''), or (b) a participant in the DTC 
(such participant, ``DTC Participant''). The Shares will be purchased 
and redeemed in Creation Units and generally on an in-kind basis. 
Except where the purchase or redemption will include cash under the 
limited circumstances specified below, purchasers will be required to 
purchase Creation Units by making an in-kind deposit of specified 
instruments (``Deposit Instruments''), and shareholders redeeming their 
Shares will receive an in-kind transfer of specified instruments 
(``Redemption Instruments'').\5\ On any given Business Day \6\ the 
names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Deposit 
Instruments and the names and quantities of the instruments that 
constitute the Redemption Instruments will be identical, and these 
instruments may be referred to, in the case of either a purchase or 
redemption, as the ``Creation Basket.'' In addition, the Creation 
Basket will correspond pro rata to the positions in a Fund's portfolio 
(including cash positions),\7\ except (a) in the case of bonds, for 
minor differences when it is impossible to break up bonds beyond 
certain minimum sizes needed for transfer and settlement; (b) for minor 
differences when rounding is necessary to eliminate fractional shares 
or lots that are not tradeable round lots; \8\ or (c) TBA 
Transactions,\9\ short positions and other positions that cannot be 
transferred in kind \10\ will be excluded from the Creation Basket.\11\ 
If there is a difference between the net asset value (``NAV'') 
attributable to a Creation Unit and the aggregate market value of the 
Creation Basket exchanged for the Creation Unit, the party conveying 
instruments with the lower value will also pay to the other an amount 
in cash equal to that difference (the ``Cash Amount'').
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    \5\ The Funds must comply with the federal securities laws in 
accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions with 
Redemption Instruments, including that the Deposit Instruments and 
Redemption Instruments are sold in transactions that would be exempt 
from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (``Securities 
Act''). In accepting Deposit Instruments and satisfying redemptions 
with Redemption Instruments that are restricted securities eligible 
for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, the Funds 
will comply with the conditions of Rule 144A.
    \6\ Each Fund will sell and redeem Creation Units on each 
``Business Day,'' which is defined to include any day that the Trust 
is open for business as required by Section 22(e) of the Act.
    \7\ The portfolio used for this purpose will be the same 
portfolio used to calculate the Fund's NAV for that Business Day.
    \8\ A tradeable round lot for a security will be the standard 
unit of trading in that particular type of security in its primary 
market.
    \9\ A TBA Transaction is a method of trading mortgage-backed 
securities. In a TBA Transaction, the buyer and seller agree on 
general trade parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount 
and price.
    \10\ This includes 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.
    \11\ Because these instruments will be excluded from the 
Creation Basket, their value will be reflected in the determination 
of the Cash Amount (as defined below).
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    6. Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units may be made in whole 
or in part on a cash basis, rather than in kind, solely under the 
following circumstances: (a) To the extent there is a Cash Amount, as 
described above; (b) if, on a given Business Day, a Fund announces 
before the open of trading that all purchases, all redemptions or all 
purchases and redemptions on that day will be made entirely in cash; 
(c) if, upon receiving, a purchase or redemption order from an 
Authorized Participant, a Fund determines to require the purchase or 
redemption, as applicable, to be made entirely in cash \12\; (d) if, on 
a given Business Day, a Fund requires all Authorized Participants 
purchasing or redeeming Shares on that day to deposit or receive (as 
applicable) cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments or 
Redemption Instruments, respectively, solely because (i) such 
instruments are not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC 
Process or DTC Process; or (ii) in the case of Funds holding non-U.S. 
investments (``Global Funds''), such instruments are not eligible for 
trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on 
securities transfers or other similar circumstances; or (e) if a Fund 
permits an Authorized Participant to deposit or receive (as applicable) 
cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Instruments or Redemption 
Instruments, respectively, solely because: (i) Such instruments are, in 
the case of the purchase of a Creation Unit, not

[[Page 39795]]

available in sufficient quantity; (ii) such instruments are not 
eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on 
whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting; or (iii) a holder of 
Shares of a Global Fund would be subject to unfavorable income tax 
treatment if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind.\13\
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    \12\ In determining whether a particular Fund will sell or 
redeem Creation Units entirely on a cash or in-kind basis (whether 
for a given day or a given order), the key consideration will be the 
benefit that would accrue to the Fund and its investors. Purchases 
of Creation Units either on an all cash basis or in-kind are 
expected to be neutral to the Funds from a tax perspective. In 
contrast, cash redemptions typically require selling portfolio 
holdings, which may result in adverse tax consequences for the 
remaining Fund shareholders that would not occur with an in-kind 
redemption. As a result, tax considerations may warrant in-kind 
redemptions.
    \13\ A ``custom order'' is any purchase or redemption of Shares 
made in whole or in part on a cash basis in reliance on clause 
(e)(i) or (e)(ii).
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    7. Each Business Day, before the open of trading on a national 
securities exchange as defined in section 2(a)(26) of the Act (``Stock 
Exchange''), on which Shares are listed, each Fund will cause to be 
published through the NSCC the names and quantities of the instruments 
comprising the Creation Basket, as well as the estimated Cash Amount 
(if any), for that day. The published Creation Basket will apply until 
a new Creation Basket is announced on the following Business Day, and 
there will be no intra-day changes to the Creation Basket except to 
correct errors in the published Creation Basket. A Stock Exchange will 
disseminate every 15 seconds throughout the trading day an amount 
representing, on a per Share basis, the sum of the current value of the 
Deposit Instruments and the estimated Cash Amount.
    8. An investor purchasing or redeeming a Creation Unit from a Fund 
will be charged a fee (``Transaction Fee'') to protect existing 
shareholders of the Funds from the dilutive costs associated with the 
purchase and redemption of Creation Units.\14\ All orders to purchase 
Creation Units will be placed with the Distributor by or through an 
Authorized Participant, and the Distributor will transmit all purchase 
orders to the relevant Fund. The Distributor will be responsible for 
delivering a prospectus (``Prospectus'') to those persons purchasing 
Creation Units and for maintaining records of both the orders placed 
with it and the confirmations of acceptance furnished by it.
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    \14\ Where a Fund permits an in-kind purchaser to substitute 
cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Instruments, the 
purchaser may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the 
cost to the Fund of buying those particular Deposit Instruments. In 
all cases, Transaction Fees will be limited in accordance with 
requirements of the Commission applicable to management investment 
companies offering redeemable securities.
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    9. Shares will be listed and traded at negotiated prices on a Stock 
Exchange. Applicants expect that one or more Stock Exchange specialists 
(``Specialists'') or market makers (``Market Makers'') will be assigned 
to make a market in Shares. The price of Shares trading on the Stock 
Exchange will be based on a current bid/offer in the secondary market. 
Transactions involving the purchases and sales of Shares on the Stock 
Exchange will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and 
charges.
    10. Applicants expect that there will be several categories of 
market participants who are likely to be interested in purchasing 
Creation Units. One is arbitrageurs, who stand ready to take advantage 
of any slight premium or discount in the market price of Shares on the 
Stock Exchange versus the cost of depositing a Creation Deposit and 
creating a Creation Unit to be broken down into individual Shares. 
Applicants expect that arbitrage opportunities created by the ability 
to continually purchase or redeem Creation Units at NAV per Share 
should ensure that the Shares will not trade at a material discount or 
premium in relation to their NAV. Applicants also expect that 
Specialists or Market Makers, acting in their unique role to provide a 
fair and orderly secondary market for Shares, also may purchase 
Creation Units for use in their own market making activities.\15\ 
Applicants expect that secondary market purchasers of Shares will 
include both institutional and retail investors.\16\
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    \15\ If Shares are listed on NYSE Arca, Nasdaq or a similar 
electronic Stock Exchange, one or more member firms of that Stock 
Exchange will act as Market Maker and maintain a market for Shares 
trading on the Stock Exchange. On Nasdaq, no particular Market Maker 
would be contractually obligated to make a market in Shares. 
However, the listing requirements on Nasdaq, for example, stipulate 
that at least two Market Makers must be registered in Shares to 
maintain a listing. In addition, on Nasdaq and NYSE Arca, registered 
Market Makers are required to make a continuous two-sided market or 
subject themselves to regulatory sanctions. If Shares are listed on 
a Stock Exchange such as the NYSE, one or more member firms will be 
designated to act as a Specialist and maintain a market for the 
Shares trading on the Stock Exchange. No Market Maker or Specialist 
will be an affiliated person, or an affiliated person of an 
affiliated person, of the Funds, except within Section 2(a)(3)(A) or 
(C) of the Act due to ownership of Shares, as described below.
    \16\ Shares will be registered in book-entry form only. DTC or 
its nominee will be the record or registered owner of all 
outstanding Shares. Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on 
the records of DTC or DTC Participants.
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    11. Shares will not be individually redeemable and owners of Shares 
may acquire those Shares from a Fund, or tender such shares for 
redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. To redeem, an investor 
must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit. Redemption 
requests must be placed by or through an Authorized Participant. As 
discussed above, redemptions of Creation Units will generally be made 
on an in-kind basis, subject to certain specified exceptions under 
which redemptions may be made in whole or in part on a cash basis, and 
will be subject to a Transaction Fee.
    12. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be marketed or otherwise 
held out as a ``mutual fund.'' Instead, each Fund will be marketed as 
an ``actively-managed exchange-traded fund.'' In any advertising 
material where features of obtaining, buying or selling Shares traded 
on the Stock Exchange are described there will be an appropriate 
statement to the effect that Shares are not individually redeemable.
    13. The Funds' Web site, which will be publicly available prior to 
the public offering of Shares, will include the Prospectus and 
additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis, including 
on a per Share basis for each Fund, the prior Business Day's NAV and 
the market closing price or mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time 
of the calculation of such NAV (``Bid/Ask Price''), and a calculation 
of the premium or discount of the market closing price or Bid/Ask Price 
against such NAV. On each Business Day, before commencement of trading 
in Shares on the Stock Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site 
the identities and quantities of the Portfolio Instruments held by the 
Fund (including any short positions) that will form the basis for the 
Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.\17\
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    \17\ Applicants note that under accounting procedures followed 
by the Funds, trades made on the prior Business Day (``T'') will be 
booked and reflected in NAV on the current Business Day (``T+1''). 
Accordingly, the Funds will be able to disclose at the beginning of 
the Business Day the portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV 
calculation at the end of the Business Day.
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Applicants' Legal Analysis

    1. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act for an 
exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act 
and rule 22c-1 under the Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act 
for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act, and 
under section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for an exemption from sections 
12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Act.
    2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt 
any person, security or transaction, or any class of persons, 
securities or transactions, from any provisions of the Act, if and to 
the extent that such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the 
public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the 
purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act. 
Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt a proposed 
transaction from

[[Page 39796]]

section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that the terms of the 
transaction, including the consideration to be paid or received, are 
reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on the part of any 
person concerned, that the proposed transaction is consistent with the 
policies of each registered investment company concerned and the 
general provisions of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act provides 
that the Commission may exempt any person, security, or transaction, or 
any class or classes of persons, securities or transactions, from any 
provision of section 12(d)(1), if the exemption is consistent with the 
public interest and the protection of investors.

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

    3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an ``open-end company'' as a 
management investment company that is offering for sale or has 
outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the issuer. Section 
2(a)(32) of the Act defines a redeemable security as any security, 
other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the holder, upon 
its presentation to the issuer, is entitled to receive approximately a 
proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, or the cash 
equivalent. Because Shares will not be individually redeemable, 
applicants request an order that would permit each Fund to redeem 
Shares in Creation Units only. Applicants state that investors may 
purchase Shares in Creation Units from each Fund and redeem Creation 
Units from each Fund. Applicants further state that because the market 
price of Creation Units will be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities, 
investors should be able to sell Shares in the secondary market at 
prices that do not vary materially from their NAV.

Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c-1 Under the Act

    4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among other things, prohibits a dealer 
from selling a redeemable security that is currently being offered to 
the public by or through a principal underwriter, except at a current 
public offering price described in the prospectus. Rule 22c-1 under the 
Act generally requires that a dealer selling, redeeming, or 
repurchasing a redeemable security do so only at a price based on its 
NAV. Applicants state that secondary market trading in Shares will take 
place at negotiated prices, not at a current offering price described 
in the Prospectus, and not at a price based on NAV. Thus, purchases and 
sales of Shares in the secondary market will not comply with section 
22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act. Applicants request an 
exemption under section 6(c) from these provisions.
    5. Applicants assert that the concerns sought to be addressed by 
section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act with respect to 
pricing are equally satisfied by the proposed method of pricing Shares. 
Applicants maintain that while there is little legislative history 
regarding section 22(d), its provisions, as well as those of rule 22c-
1, appear to have been designed to (a) prevent dilution caused by 
certain riskless-trading schemes by principal underwriters and contract 
dealers, (b) prevent unjust discrimination or preferential treatment 
among buyers resulting from sales at different prices, and (c) assure 
an orderly distribution system of investment company shares by 
eliminating price competition from brokers offering shares at less than 
the published sales price and repurchasing shares at more than the 
published redemption price.
    6. Applicants believe that none of these purposes will be thwarted 
by permitting Shares to trade in the secondary market at negotiated 
prices. Applicants state that (a) secondary market trading in Shares 
does not involve the Funds as parties and cannot result in dilution of 
an investment in Shares, and (b) to the extent different prices exist 
during a given trading day, or from day to day, such variances occur as 
a result of third-party market forces, such as supply and demand. 
Therefore, applicants assert that secondary market transactions in 
Shares will not lead to discrimination or preferential treatment among 
purchasers. Finally, applicants contend that the proposed distribution 
system will be orderly because arbitrage activity should ensure that 
the difference between the market price of Shares and their NAV remains 
narrow.

Section 22(e) of the Act

    7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally prohibits a registered 
investment company from suspending the right of redemption or 
postponing the date of payment of redemption proceeds for more than 
seven days after the tender of a security for redemption. Applicants 
observe that settlement of redemptions of Creation Units of Global 
Funds is contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the U.S. 
securities markets but also on the delivery cycles present in foreign 
markets in which those Funds invest. Applicants have been made aware 
that, under certain circumstances, the delivery cycles for transferring 
Portfolio Instruments to redeeming investors, coupled with local market 
holiday schedules, will require a delivery process of up to 15 calendar 
days.\18\ Applicants therefore request relief from section 22(e) in 
order to provide payment or satisfaction of redemptions within the 
maximum number of calendar days required for such payment or 
satisfaction, up to a maximum of 15 calendar days, in the principal 
local markets where transactions in the Portfolio Instruments of each 
Global Fund customarily clear and settle, but in all cases no later 
than 15 calendar days following the tender of a Creation Unit.
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    \18\ Applicants state that, in the past, settlement in certain 
countries, including Russia, have extended to 15 calendar days.
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    8. Applicants state that section 22(e) was designed to prevent 
unreasonable, undisclosed, and unforeseen delays in the actual payment 
of redemption proceeds. Applicants assert that the requested relief 
will not lead to the problems that section 22(e) was designed to 
prevent. Applicants state that allowing redemption payments for 
Creation Units of a Fund to be made within a maximum of 15 calendar 
days would not be inconsistent with the spirit and intent of section 
22(e). Applicants state the SAI will disclose those local holidays 
(over the period of at least one year following the date of the SAI), 
if any, that are expected to prevent the delivery of redemption 
proceeds in seven calendar days and the maximum number of days needed 
to deliver the proceeds for each affected Global Fund. Applicants are 
not seeking relief from section 22(e) with respect to Global Funds that 
do not effect creations or redemptions in-kind.

Section 12(d)(1) of the Act

    9. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act prohibits a registered investment 
company from acquiring shares of an investment company if the 
securities represent more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock 
of the acquired company, more than 5% of the total assets of the 
acquiring company, or, together with the securities of any other 
investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of the 
acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a 
registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter, or 
any other broker or dealer from selling its shares to another 
investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company to own 
more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or if the sale 
will cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting stock to be 
owned by investment companies generally.

[[Page 39797]]

    10. Applicants request relief to permit Investing Funds to acquire 
Shares in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act and to 
permit the Funds, their principal underwriters and any Broker to sell 
Shares to Investing Funds in excess of the limits in section 
12(d)(l)(B) of the Act. Applicants submit that the proposed conditions 
to the requested relief address the concerns underlying the limits in 
section 12(d)(1), which include concerns about undue influence, 
excessive layering of fees and overly complex structures.
    11. Applicants submit that their proposed conditions address any 
concerns regarding the potential for undue influence. To limit the 
control that an Investing Fund may have over a Fund, applicants propose 
a condition prohibiting the adviser of an Investing Management Company 
(``Investing Fund Advisor''), sponsor of an Investing Trust 
(``Sponsor''), any person controlling, controlled by, or under common 
control with the Investing Fund Advisor or Sponsor, and any investment 
company or issuer that would be an investment company but for sections 
3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act that is advised or sponsored by the 
Investing Fund Advisor, the Sponsor, or any person controlling, 
controlled by, or under common control with the Investing Fund Advisor 
or Sponsor (``Investing Fund's Advisory Group'') from controlling 
(individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of section 
2(a)(9) of the Act. The same prohibition would apply to any sub-adviser 
to an Investing Management Company (``Investing Fund Subadvisor''), any 
person controlling, controlled by or under common control with the 
Investing Fund Subadvisor, and any investment company or issuer that 
would be an investment company but for sections 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of 
the Act (or portion of such investment company or issuer) advised or 
sponsored by the Investing Fund Subadvisor or any person controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with the Investing Fund 
Subadvisor (``Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group'').
    12. Applicants propose a condition to ensure that no Investing Fund 
or Investing Fund Affiliate \19\ (except to the extent it is acting in 
its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund) will cause a Fund to 
purchase a security in an offering of securities during the existence 
of an underwriting or selling syndicate of which a principal 
underwriter is an Underwriting Affiliate (``Affiliated Underwriting''). 
An ``Underwriting Affiliate'' is a principal underwriter in any 
underwriting or selling syndicate that is an officer, director, member 
of an advisory board, Investing Fund Advisor, Investing Fund 
Subadvisor, employee or Sponsor of the Investing Fund, or a person of 
which any such officer, director, member of an advisory board, 
Investing Fund Advisor, Investing Fund Subadvisor, employee or Sponsor 
is an affiliated person (except any person whose relationship to the 
Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the Act is not an Underwriting 
Affiliate).
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    \19\ An ``Investing Fund Affiliate'' is any Investing Fund 
Advisor, Investing Fund Subadvisor, Sponsor, promoter and principal 
underwriter of an Investing Fund, and any person controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with any of these entities. 
``Fund Affiliate'' is the investment adviser(s), promoter or 
principal underwriter of a Fund or any person controlling, 
controlled by or under common control with any of these entities.
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    13. Applicants propose several conditions to address the potential 
for layering of fees. Applicants note that the Board of any Investing 
Management Company, including a majority of the directors or trustees 
who are not ``interested persons'' within the meaning of section 
2(a)(19) of the Act (``disinterested directors or trustees''), will be 
required to find that the advisory fees charged under the contract are 
based on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than 
duplicative of, services provided under the advisory contract of any 
Fund in which the Investing Management Company may invest. Applicants 
also state that any sales charges and/or service fees charged with 
respect to shares of an Investing Fund will not exceed the limits 
applicable to a fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 
2830.\20\
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    \20\ Any reference to NASD Conduct Rule 2830 includes any 
successor or replacement rule that may be adopted by the Financial 
Industry Regulatory Authority.
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    14. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create 
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that a Fund will be 
prohibited from acquiring securities of any investment company or 
company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of 
the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the 
extent permitted by exemptive relief from the Commission permitting the 
Fund to purchase shares of other investment companies for short-term 
cash management purposes.
    15. To ensure that an Investing Fund is aware of the terms and 
conditions of the requested order, the Investing Funds must enter into 
an agreement with the respective Funds (``FOF Participation 
Agreement''). The FOF Participation Agreement will include an 
acknowledgement from the Investing Fund that it may rely on the order 
only to invest in a Fund and not in any other investment company.

Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act

    16. Section 17(a) of the Act generally prohibits an affiliated 
person of a registered investment company, or an affiliated person of 
such a person (``second tier affiliate''), from selling any security to 
or purchasing any security from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the Act 
defines ``affiliated person'' to include any person directly or 
indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to vote, 5% or 
more of the outstanding voting securities of the other person and any 
person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under 
common control with, the other person. Section 2(a)(9) of the Act 
defines ``control'' as the power to exercise a controlling influence 
over the management or policies of a company and provides that a 
control relationship will be presumed where one person owns more than 
25% of another person's voting securities. Each Fund may be deemed to 
be controlled by an Advisor and hence affiliated persons of each other. 
In addition, the Funds may be deemed to be under common control with 
any other registered investment company (or series thereof) advised by 
an Advisor (an ``Affiliated Fund'').
    17. Applicants request an exemption under sections 6(c) and 17(b) 
of the Act from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act to permit in-
kind purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by persons that are 
affiliated persons or second tier affiliates of the Funds solely by 
virtue of one or more of the following: (a) Holding 5% or more, or in 
excess of 25%, of the outstanding Shares of one or more Funds; (b) 
having an affiliation with a person with an ownership interest 
described in (a); or (c) holding 5% or more, or more than 25% of the 
Shares of one or more Affiliated Funds.\21\ Applicants also request an 
exemption in order to permit a Fund to sell its Shares to and redeem 
its Shares from, and engage in the in-kind transactions that would 
accompany such sales and redemptions with, certain Investing Funds of 
which the Funds are an affiliated person or a second tier 
affiliate.\22\
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    \21\ Applicants are not seeking relief from section 17(a) for, 
and the requested relief will not apply to, transactions where a 
Fund could be deemed an affiliated person, or an affiliated person 
of an affiliated person, of an Investing Fund because an investment 
adviser to the Funds is also an investment adviser to an Investing 
Fund.
    \22\ Applicants anticipate that most Investing Funds will 
purchase Shares in the secondary market and will not purchase 
Creation Units directly from a Fund. To the extent that purchases 
and sales of Shares occur in the secondary market and not through 
principal transactions directly between and Investing Fund and a 
Fund, relief from section 17(a) would not be necessary. However, the 
requested relief would apply to direct sales of Shares in Creation 
Units by a Fund to an Investing Fund and redemptions of those 
Shares. The requested relief is intended to also cover the in-kind 
transactions that would accompany such sales and redemptions.

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[[Page 39798]]

    18. Applicants assert that no useful purpose would be served by 
prohibiting such affiliated persons from making in-kind purchases or 
in-kind redemptions of Shares of a Fund in Creation Units. Absent the 
unusual circumstances discussed in the application, the Deposit 
Instruments and Redemption Instruments available for a Fund will be the 
same for all purchasers and redeemers, respectively, and will 
correspond pro rata to the Fund's Portfolio Instruments. The deposit 
procedures for in-kind purchases of Creation Units and the redemption 
procedures for in-kind redemptions will be the same for all purchases 
and redemptions. Deposit Instruments and Redemption Instruments will be 
valued in the same manner as those Portfolio Instruments currently held 
by the relevant Funds. Applicants do not believe that in-kind purchases 
and redemptions will result in abusive self-dealing or overreaching of 
the Fund.
    19. Applicants also submit that the sale of Shares to and 
redemption of Shares from an Investing Fund meets the standards for 
relief under sections 17(b) and 6(c) of the Act. Applicants note that 
any consideration paid for the purchase or redemption of Shares 
directly from a Fund will be based on the NAV of the Fund in accordance 
with policies and procedures set forth in the Fund's registration 
statement.\23\ Applicants also state that the proposed transactions are 
consistent with the general purposes of the Act and appropriate in the 
public interest.
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    \23\ Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of compensation by 
(a) an affiliated person of an Investing Fund, or an affiliated 
person of such person, for the purchase by the Investing Fund of 
Shares of the Fund or (b) an affiliated person of a Fund, or an 
affiliated person of such person, for the sale by the Fund of its 
Shares to an Investing Fund, may be prohibited by section 17(e)(1) 
of the Act. The FOF Participation Agreement also will include this 
acknowledgment.
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Applicants' Conditions

    Applicants agree that any order of the Commission granting the 
requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:

A. ETF Relief

    1. As long as a Fund operates in reliance on the requested order, 
the Shares of the Fund will be listed on a Stock Exchange.
    2. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed as 
an open-end investment company or a mutual fund. Any advertising 
material that describes the purchase or sale of Creation Units or 
refers to redeemability will prominently disclose that the Shares are 
not individually redeemable and that owners of the Shares may acquire 
those Shares from the Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to 
the Fund in Creation Units only.
    3. The Web site for the Funds, which is and will be publicly 
accessible at no charge, will contain, on a per Share basis, for each 
Fund the prior Business Day's NAV and the market closing price or Bid/
Ask Price, and a calculation of the premium or discount of the market 
closing price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV.
    4. On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in Shares 
on the Stock Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the 
identities and quantities of the Portfolio Instruments held by the Fund 
that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end 
of the Business Day.
    5. No Advisor or Subadvisor, directly or indirectly, will cause any 
Authorized Participant (or any investor on whose behalf an Authorized 
Participant may transact with the Fund) to acquire any Deposit 
Instrument for the Fund through a transaction in which the Fund could 
not engage directly.
    6. The requested relief to permit ETF operations will expire on the 
effective date of any Commission rule under the Act that provides 
relief permitting the operation of actively managed exchange traded 
funds.

B. 12(d)(1) Relief

    1. The members of the Investing Fund's Advisory Group will not 
control (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund within the meaning of 
Section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The members of the Investing Fund's 
Subadvisory Group will not control (individually or in the aggregate) a 
Fund within the meaning of Section 2(a)(9) of the Act. If, as a result 
of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, the 
Investing Fund's Advisory Group or the Investing Fund's Subadvisory 
Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25 percent 
of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, it will vote its Shares 
in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the Shares. 
This condition does not apply to the Investing Fund's Subadvisory Group 
with respect to a Fund for which the Investing Fund Subadvisor or a 
person controlling, controlled by or under common control with the 
Investing Fund Subadvisor acts as the investment adviser within the 
meaning of Section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
    2. No Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate will cause any 
existing or potential investment by the Investing Fund in a Fund to 
influence the terms of any services or transactions between the 
Investing Fund or an Investing Fund Affiliate and the Fund or a Fund 
Affiliate.
    3. The board of directors or trustees of an Investing Management 
Company, including a majority of the independent directors or trustees, 
will adopt procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the Investing 
Fund Advisor and any Investing Fund Subadvisor are conducting the 
investment program of the Investing Management Company without taking 
into account any consideration received by the Investing Management 
Company or an Investing Fund Affiliate from a Fund or a Fund Affiliate 
in connection with any services or transactions.
    4. Once an investment by an Investing Fund in Shares exceeds the 
limit in Section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the Board of the Fund, 
including a majority of the independent directors or trustees, will 
determine that any consideration paid by the Fund to the Investing Fund 
or an Investing Fund Affiliate in connection with any services or 
transactions: (i) Is fair and reasonable in relation to the nature and 
quality of the services and benefits received by the Fund; (ii) is 
within the range of consideration that the Fund would be required to 
pay to another unaffiliated entity in connection with the same services 
or transactions; and (iii) does not involve overreaching on the part of 
any person concerned. This condition does not apply with respect to any 
services or transactions between a Fund and its investment adviser(s), 
or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with 
such investment adviser(s).
    5. The Investing Fund Advisor, or Trustee or Sponsor, as 
applicable, will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the Investing 
Fund in an amount at least equal to any compensation (including fees 
received pursuant to any plan adopted by a Fund under Rule 12b-l under 
the Act) received from a Fund by the Investing Fund Advisor, or Trustee 
or Sponsor, or an affiliated person of the Investing Fund Advisor, or 
Trustee or Sponsor, other than any advisory fees paid to the Investing 
Fund Advisor, or Trustee or Sponsor, or its affiliated person by the 
Fund, in connection with the investment by the Investing Fund in

[[Page 39799]]

the Fund. Any Investing Fund Subadvisor will waive fees otherwise 
payable to the Investing Fund Subadvisor, directly or indirectly, by 
the Investing Management Company in an amount at least equal to any 
compensation received from a Fund by the Investing Fund Subadvisor, or 
an affiliated person of the Investing Fund Subadvisor, other than any 
advisory fees paid to the Investing Fund Subadvisor or its affiliated 
person by the Fund, in connection with the investment by the Investing 
Management Company in the Fund made at the direction of the Investing 
Fund Subadvisor. In the event that the Investing Fund Subadvisor waives 
fees, the benefit of the waiver will be passed through to the Investing 
Management Company.
    6. No Investing Fund or Investing Fund Affiliate (except to the 
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund) 
will cause a Fund to purchase a security in an Affiliated Underwriting.
    7. The Board of a Fund, including a majority of the independent 
directors or trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to 
monitor any purchases of securities by the Fund in an Affiliated 
Underwriting, once an investment by an Investing Fund in the securities 
of the Fund exceeds the limit of Section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, 
including any purchases made directly from an Underwriting Affiliate. 
The Board will review these purchases periodically, but no less 
frequently than annually, to determine whether the purchases were 
influenced by the investment by the Investing Fund in the Fund. The 
Board will consider, among other things: (i) Whether the purchases were 
consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund; 
(ii) how the performance of securities purchased in an Affiliated 
Underwriting compares to the performance of comparable securities 
purchased during a comparable period of time in underwritings other 
than Affiliated Underwritings or to a benchmark such as a comparable 
market index; and (iii) whether the amount of securities purchased by 
the Fund in Affiliated Underwritings and the amount purchased directly 
from an Underwriting Affiliate have changed significantly from prior 
years. The Board will take any appropriate actions based on its review, 
including, if appropriate, the institution of procedures designed to 
ensure that purchases of securities in Affiliated Underwritings are in 
the best interest of shareholders.
    8. Each Fund will maintain and preserve permanently in an easily 
accessible place a written copy of the procedures described in the 
preceding condition, and any modifications to such procedures, and will 
maintain and preserve for a period of not less than six years from the 
end of the fiscal year in which any purchase in an Affiliated 
Underwriting occurred, the first two years in an easily accessible 
place, a written record of each purchase of securities in Affiliated 
Underwritings once an investment by an Investing Fund in the securities 
of the Fund exceeds the limit of Section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, 
setting forth from whom the securities were acquired, the identity of 
the underwriting syndicate's members, the terms of the purchase, and 
the information or materials upon which the Board's determinations were 
made.
    9. Before investing in Shares in excess of the limits in Section 
12(d)(1)(A), each Investing Fund and the Fund will execute an FOF 
Participation Agreement stating, without limitation, that their boards 
of directors or trustees and their investment advisers, or Trustee and 
Sponsor, as applicable, understand the terms and conditions of the 
order, and agree to fulfill their responsibilities under the order. At 
the time of its investment in Shares in excess of the limit in Section 
12(d)(1)(A)(i), an Investing Fund will notify the Fund of the 
investment. At such time, the Investing Fund will also transmit to the 
Fund a list of the names of each Investing Fund Affiliate and 
Underwriting Affiliate. The Investing Fund will notify the Fund of any 
changes to the list as soon as reasonably practicable after a change 
occurs. The Fund and the Investing Fund will maintain and preserve a 
copy of the order, the FOF Participation Agreement, and the list with 
any updated information for the duration of the investment and for a 
period of not less than six years thereafter, the first two years in an 
easily accessible place.
    10. Before approving any advisory contract under Section 15 of the 
Act, the board of directors or trustees of each Investing Management 
Company, including a majority of the independent directors or trustees, 
will find that the advisory fees charged under such contract are based 
on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than 
duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory contract(s) of 
any Fund in which the Investing Management Company may invest. These 
findings and their basis will be recorded fully in the minute books of 
the appropriate Investing Management Company.
    11. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to 
shares of an Investing Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a 
fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
    12. No Fund relying on the 12(d)(1) Relief will acquire securities 
of any investment company or company relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 
3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the limits contained in Section 
12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the extent permitted by exemptive 
relief from the Commission permitting the Fund to purchase shares of 
other investment companies for short-term cash management purposes.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-15781 Filed 7-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P