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Hong Kong jails former banker over $1.6B false credit, cryptocurrency bribes: Report

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Former banking official gets four years in prison over false letters of credit and accepting $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes.

HTX Research Publishes New Report on Stock-Linked Memecoins and the Emerging AMM Stack

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APIA, Samoa, Sept. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTX Research, the dedicated research arm of leading global crypto exchange HTX, has published a new report titled Stock-Linked Memecoins: Issuance, Liquidity, and the Emerging AMM Stack.

The report examines a new category of on-chain assets in which memecoins are paired directly with tokenized equities as their quote asset, narrative anchor, or liquidity base. It covers the market structure, fee flows, liquidity-provider economics, issuance-platform and AMM landscape, risk factors, and a monitoring framework for assessing the sector’s development. 

The full report is available at: https://square.htx.com/htx-research-latest-report-stock-linked-memecoins-issuance-liquidity-and-the-emerging-amm-stack/ 

About HTX Research

HTX Research is the dedicated research arm of HTX Group, responsible for conducting in-depth analyses, producing comprehensive reports, and delivering expert evaluations across a broad spectrum of topics, including cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and emerging market trends. Committed to providing data-driven insights and strategic foresight, HTX Research plays a pivotal role in shaping industry perspectives and supporting informed decision-making within the digital asset space. Through rigorous research methodologies and cutting-edge analytics, HTX Research remains at the forefront of innovation, driving thought leadership and fostering a deeper understanding of evolving market dynamics. Visit us. 

Connect with HTX Research Team: research@htx-inc.com

Disclaimer: This sponsored content is provided by the content provider and does not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. The information is shared for general informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Cryptocurrency and mining-related activities carry risks, including the potential loss of capital, and readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and seek professional advice where appropriate. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose.The media platform and publisher assume no responsibility for any losses or claims arising from reliance on this content. GlobeNewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided on an “as-is” basis, without warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. The media platform assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented. Any complaints, claims, or copyright concerns related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

Source: HTX

Coinbase files to bring single-stock perpetual futures to US market

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Coinbase wants to bring 24/5 perpetual futures trading to individual US stocks, with its proposed contracts now awaiting regulatory approval.

CFTC crypto market regulation enters White House review

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The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has submitted a new regulatory action covering crypto asset transactions and markets for White House review, as the agency moves forward with its approach to overseeing the digital asset sector.

According to a filing with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the action, titled “Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets,” was received on Sept. 17 and is listed at the “prerule” stage. The designation indicates the action is at an early stage of the rulemaking process and has not yet been formally proposed.

The filing does not disclose details of the planned regulation, but comes days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, legislation aimed at establishing a federal regulatory framework for crypto markets.

Source: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

A day after the Sept. 15 vote, CFTC Chair Michael Selig posted on X that the agency was “locked in and ready to ship” rules for crypto markets using its existing statutory authority, while SEC Chair Paul Atkins similarly said the securities regulator would move ahead “with or without legislation.”

Both agencies took action the following day. The CFTC issued a no-action position for providers of passive software, while the SEC announced temporary exemptions for certain platforms facilitating onchain trading of tokenized securities.

Source: SEC

CFTC and SEC move ahead without new legislation

The CFTC had been exploring the possibility of advancing crypto rules without new legislation before the Senate vote this week. In remarks at the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee conference on Aug. 20, Selig said the agency was prepared to use its existing authority to establish a crypto asset market regime if the CLARITY Act stalled.

Selig added that he had directed CFTC staff to explore rules that could allow existing registrants and currently unregistered crypto exchanges to become a type of designated contract market called a “crypto asset market,” where leveraged or margined crypto trading could be offered under CFTC oversight.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong also said he expected regulators to move ahead after the vote. In a Sept. 15 post on X, he wrote that the SEC and CFTC had “the tools they need to create clear rules under existing authority” and that he expected them to begin working on the issue “in earnest.”

“So clarity is coming to crypto regardless,” Armstrong wrote.

Source: Brian Armstrong

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

The Zcash ETF Share Split

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STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Zcash ETF (Ticker: ZCSH) (the “Fund”), built by Grayscale, today announced its intention to effect a 3-for-1 forward share split of the Fund (the “Forward Split”). The Forward Split will not change the total value of a shareholder’s investment. The details are as follows:

Product Split Ratio
The Zcash ETF (NYSE Arca: ZCSH) 3-for-1

The Forward Split will apply to shareholders of record as of market close on September 28, 2026 (the “Record Date”), payable after market close on September 29, 2026 (the “Payment Date”). The shares are expected to begin trading on a post-split basis prior to market open on September 30, 2026, the effective date. Following the Forward Split, the Fund’s shares will continue to trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. under the symbol “ZCSH” and its CUSIP number will remain unchanged.

The Forward Split is expected to decrease the price per share of the Fund, with a proportionate increase in the number of shares outstanding. As a result of the Forward Split, holders as of the Record Date will receive two additional shares, to be distributed on the Payment Date. As a result, every one pre-split share of ZCSH will result in three post-split shares of ZCSH, each representing ownership in approximately one-third of the NAV per share of a pre-split share.

Illustration of Forward Share Split

The following table shows the effect of a hypothetical 3-for-1 share split:

Period Number of Shares
Owned
Hypothetical NAV
per Share
Value of Shares  
Pre-Split 10 $ 300 $ 3,000
Post-Split 30 $ 100 $ 3,000


For illustrative purposes only

For more information visit TheZcashETF.com

About Grayscale
Grayscale is the world’s largest digital asset-focused investment platform with a mission to make digital asset investing simpler and open to all investors. Founded in 2013, Grayscale has been at the forefront of bringing digital assets into the mainstream. The firm has a long history of firsts, including launching the first Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange traded products in the United States. Grayscale continues to pioneer the asset class by providing investors, advisors, and institutional allocators with access to a broad range of digital assets through a comprehensive suite of investment products spanning ETFs, private funds, and diversified strategies. For more information, please follow @Grayscale or visit grayscale.com.

This press release and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain “forward-looking statements” with respect to the Fund’s financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in or incorporated by reference into this press release that address activities, events or developments that will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially from such statements. Investors are therefore cautioned against relying on forward-looking statements. You should specifically consider the numerous risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, in any applicable prospectus supplement and in the other documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference herein.

Media Contact
press@grayscale.com

Client Contact
866-775-0313
info@grayscale.com

Click here for The Zcash ETF prospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
The Zcash ETF (the “Fund”) is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and therefore is not subject to the same regulations and protections as 1940 Act registered ETFs and mutual funds.
Investing in digital assets involves significant risk and heightened volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investment in the Fund is not suitable for all investors, may be deemed speculative and is not intended as a complete investment program. An investment should be considered only by persons who can bear the risk of total loss associated with an investment in the Fund.
This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal, nor shall there be any sale of any security in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

This information should not be relied upon as research, investment advice, or a recommendation regarding any products, strategies, or any security in particular. This material is strictly for illustrative, educational, or informational purposes and is subject to change.
© 2026 Grayscale. All trademarks, service marks and/or trade names (e.g., G™, GRAYSCALE®, GRAYSCALE CRYPTO SECTORS™, and GRAYSCALE INVESTMENTS®) are owned and/or registered by Grayscale.

Source: The Zcash ETF

Binance brushes off Lagarde MiCA speculation, reaffirms Europe commitment

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Binance declined to address reports of ECB intervention in its Greek MiCA bid, saying it remains committed to securing authorization in Europe.

EcoGuard Launches Carbon Platform on Hedera

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Millions of coconut farmers in the Philippines could gain a new route into global carbon markets through digital infrastructure built on Hedera.

EcoGuard Global and the Confederation of Coconut Farmers Organizations of the Philippines (CONFED) have launched the CONFED Carbon Office, moving a partnership announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year from agreement to an operating platform.

The system is designed to let agricultural projects register, collect monitoring data, undergo verification, manage carbon credits and ultimately transact those credits with buyers and investors.

The ambition is unusually large for an agricultural carbon project.

CONFED represents over 3 million coconut farmers. Philippine Coconut Authority figures provide a narrower official measure, showing 2.8 million registered coconut farmers and farm workers across 3.6 million hectares of coconut land, equivalent to 26% of the country’s agricultural area. The authority lists 340 million coconut-bearing palms nationwide.

That scale makes the project more than another enterprise blockchain deployment.

If it works as intended, the Carbon Office could become infrastructure connecting thousands of fragmented agricultural projects with the verification systems, registries and buyers required to turn climate-related farming practices into financial assets.

More From AlexaBlockchain

The First Test Is on Samar

The Samar COCAL Agroforestry Project is the first major project being brought onto the Carbon Office.

Located on Samar, the Philippines’ third-largest island, the project has the potential to generate 200,000 carbon credits annually, according to EcoGuard and CONFED. EcoGuard has also invested in the initial tranche of credits expected to be generated by the project.

The companies haven’t disclosed the size of that investment.

They also haven’t disclosed a final price for the credits, the independent verifier for the first issuance or how much revenue would ultimately flow to participating farmers.

Those details will determine whether the project develops from digital infrastructure into meaningful climate finance.

Carbon platforms can improve record keeping and traceability. But the value of any credit still depends on whether buyers trust the underlying emissions reduction or carbon removal.

That distinction has become increasingly important as companies and investors scrutinize the quality of voluntary carbon credits.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market identifies additionality, permanence, robust emissions quantification, independent verification and protection against double counting among the core characteristics required for high-integrity credits.

What EcoGuard Is Building?

EcoGuard is a Swiss climate-technology company spun out of The Hashgraph Group, which develops enterprise applications around the Hedera distributed ledger ecosystem.

Its platform is intended to digitize the carbon-asset lifecycle, including project registration, digital monitoring, reporting and verification, issuance, tracking, trading and retirement.

CONFED and EcoGuard first announced plans for the Philippine Carbon Office at Davos in February.

At the time, EcoGuard said it planned to register 347 million coconut trees and build infrastructure capable of providing more than 3 million farmers with access to carbon finance. Telenym was named as the project’s local technology partner.

The new deployment is significant because the project has now moved from a memorandum and development plan into an operational system.

“The Philippines has significant potential to participate in global carbon markets through its extensive coconut-growing regions, agroforestry landscapes and agricultural communities,” CONFED President Charles Avila said in a statement shared with AlexaBlockchain.

The launch, he added, is intended to turn that potential into “measurable climate impact and practical financial opportunity for farmers.”

Why Hedera Is Being Used

EcoGuard is using Hedera as the distributed ledger layer supporting records across the carbon-credit lifecycle.

The idea is to create a tamper-evident audit trail showing when project information was recorded, how credits were created and transferred, and when they were ultimately retired.

Hedera has already been pushing further into environmental markets through Guardian, its open-source platform for digitizing environmental methodologies and managing assets such as carbon credits.

Carbon-standard organization Verra announced a long-term collaboration with the Hedera Foundation in 2025 to integrate Guardian with the Verra Project Hub. The project is intended to automate parts of project registration, methodology management and monitoring while creating more auditable data trails.

That gives EcoGuard’s deployment a broader context.

The Philippine project isn’t the first attempt to use Hedera for carbon-market infrastructure. It is instead a test of whether that technology can be extended to millions of small agricultural producers.

Blockchain also has clear limitations.

Making a record tamper-resistant after it enters a system doesn’t guarantee the original data was accurate. Carbon integrity still depends on reliable field measurements, credible methodologies, independent verification and appropriate baselines.

That is why digital monitoring, reporting and verification — or dMRV — may ultimately matter more than the blockchain itself.

The Philippines Is Building Carbon-Market Rules

The launch also arrives as the Philippines develops its broader carbon-market framework.

In March, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources adopted a Voluntary Forest Carbon Market Roadmap for 2026 through 2030. The plan focuses on policy development, carbon registries, monitoring and verification, institutional capacity and financing.

The country has also taken a major step toward international carbon trading.

The Philippines and Singapore signed an implementation agreement in April establishing a framework for carbon-credit cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The mechanism provides rules for authorizing mitigation projects and transferring internationally transferred mitigation outcomes, or ITMOs.

Corresponding adjustments are central to that system because they are intended to prevent the same emissions reduction from being counted by both the country selling the credit and the country using it toward its climate goals.

EcoGuard says the Carbon Office can support infrastructure aligned with Article 6.

That doesn’t mean credits created on the platform automatically become Article 6 credits. Projects would still need to comply with the relevant methodologies, verification requirements and government authorization processes.

Other Smallholder Carbon Models Are Starting to Scale

The commercial idea behind the Philippine project is already being tested elsewhere.

Rabobank-backed Acorn has built an agroforestry carbon program focused on smallholder farmers. It uses field information, satellite monitoring and independent verification to measure carbon removals and create carbon credits.

Acorn currently reports 591,761 farmers supported across 555,559 hectares and 372,605 tonnes of carbon dioxide removed. The program says 70% of carbon-credit revenue flows back to participating smallholders.

India offers another recent example.

Grow Indigo this month began distributing more than ₹2.9 crore ($302,607) to 2,550 farmers in Punjab and Haryana for regenerative farming practices tied to verified carbon credits. The government said the program generated more than 50,000 credits across 30,000 acres.

Those projects also demonstrate why agricultural carbon markets are difficult to scale.

Registering farms digitally is only the beginning. Establishing baselines, collecting evidence, monitoring changes, verifying emissions reductions, issuing credits and finding buyers can take years.

From Cocoa Traceability to Carbon Finance

The Carbon Office also expands The Hashgraph Group’s growing focus on agriculture.

Earlier this month, THG disclosed a cocoa traceability pilot with Merck and PwC Germany that combines physical authentication technology with records stored using Hedera infrastructure.

The system is designed to trace cocoa origin, authenticity, quality and compliance information across the supply chain, partly in response to increasing European regulatory requirements.

The CONFED project takes the underlying concept in a different direction.

Instead of using digital records mainly to establish where an agricultural product came from, EcoGuard wants to use them to support the creation and movement of a financial asset linked to an environmental outcome.

For farmers, that difference is crucial.

Coconut production has historically provided relatively low incomes for many Philippine farming households. Philippine government have estimated annual farmer incomes of PHP20,000 to PHP30,000 in parts of the sector, underscoring why additional revenue streams remain an important policy objective.

“The go-live of the CONFED Carbon Office is more than a technology deployment; it is the delivery of the promise we made in Davos,” EcoGuard Chief Executive Officer Yashodhan Ramteke said.

Read Also: This is the First U.S.-Chartered Depository Bank to Offer Stablecoin Invoicing

Disclaimer: The information provided on AlexaBlockchain is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Read complete disclaimer here.

Bitget Expands Proof of Reserves to 20+ Assets

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Global, September 17, 2026:  Bitget, the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has upgraded its Proof of Reserves (PoR) from four cryptocurrencies to 19 major assets, significantly widening the share of user holdings covered by its reserve verification infrastructure. The upgrade extends both platform-level reserve disclosures and personal Proof of Assets verification, giving users greater visibility into how assets held on Bitget are accounted for and the ability to independently verify their inclusion in reserve snapshots.

As exchanges expand the range of assets they support, reserve transparency needs to keep pace. The latest upgrade moves Bitget closer to making verification a standard layer across its ecosystem, rather than a safeguard limited to core cryptocurrencies.

The expanded coverage includes BTC, USDT, ETH, LTC, LINK, XRP, USDC, DOGE, BNB, SOL, ADA, NEAR, XAUT, TAO, SUI, ONDO, HYPE, PI, and USDGO. Through the upgraded PoR page, users can view the reserve ratio and amount of user assets for each supported asset, assess if reserves are sufficient, and see how user assets are distributed across different public blockchains. 

Personal Proof of Assets verification has expanded across the same range, allowing users to independently check whether their holdings were included in a PoR snapshot using Merkle Tree verification. Detailed audit records, including Merkle hashes and snapshot information, remain available for users seeking deeper verification.

Bitget has published Proof of Reserves monthly since its launch in December 2022. As of August 2026, the platform had published 45 consecutive PoR reports, with its latest report showing a total reserve ratio of 122%, remaining above the 1:1 reserve standard. Bitget uses Merkle Tree technology to aggregate and verify user assets, allowing users to independently confirm whether their holdings are included in a particular Proof of Reserves snapshot. Users can also download the relevant data and further verify their asset records using publicly available verification methods.

“Users shouldn’t have to simply take our word for it, they should be able to verify their assets for themselves,” said Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget. “Proof of Reserves has been part of Bitget’s transparency framework for nearly four years, and as the assets people hold on our platform become more diverse, that verification needs to expand with them. Expanding from four assets to 19 gives more users that visibility.”

For assets outside the scope of a particular audit, or where corresponding personal records have not yet been generated, Bitget’s Proof of Assets interface provides relevant notices to help users interpret their audit results accurately. As UEX brings a broader range of assets and markets into one trading environment, Bitget is extending the systems that allow users to independently examine what sits behind their holdings. Proof of Reserves, the Protection Fund and Bitget’s broader security infrastructure form part of that approach, with the goal of making security increasingly measurable and verifiable as the ecosystem grows.

For more information, visit here. 

About Bitget

Bitget is the world’s largest Universal Exchange (UEX), serving over 125 million users and offering access to over 2M crypto tokens, 500+ tokenized stocks, ETFs, commodities, FX, and precious metals such as gold. The ecosystem is committed to helping users trade smarter with its AI agent, which co-pilots trade execution. Bitget is driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships such as MotoGP™. Aligned with its global impact strategy, Bitget has joined hands with UNICEF to support blockchain education for 1.1 million people by 2027. Bitget currently leads in the tokenized TradFi market, providing the industry’s lowest fees and highest liquidity across 150 regions worldwide.

Source: Bitget

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Virtune Lists Virtune Hyperliquid ETP on the Warsaw Stock Exchange

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Warsaw, September 17, 2026 – Virtune, the Swedish regulated crypto asset manager, today announces the listing of the Virtune Hyperliquid ETP on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW), marking its eighth listing in Poland.

Virtune is a Sweden-based digital asset manager and issuer of crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) that has earned the trust of more than 160,000 investors across Europe. Since entering the Polish market in February 2026, Virtune has listed a total of eight crypto ETPs on the Warsaw Stock Exchange:

  • Virtune Bitcoin Prime ETP
  • Virtune Staked Ethereum ETP
  • Virtune XRP ETP
  • Virtune Staked Solana ETP
  • Virtune Coinbase 50 Index ETP
  • Virtune Crypto Altcoin Index ETP
  • Virtune Chainlink ETP
  • Virtune Hyperliquid ETP


About Virtune Hyperliquid ETP

Virtune Hyperliquid ETP is a physically-backed exchange-traded product (ETP) designed to offer investors a secure and cost-effective way to gain exposure to Hyperliquid (HYPE). This is made possible through a transparent and physically-backed structure with institutional-level security.

Learn more on the product page: https://www.virtune.com/product/hyperliquid

Key information:

  • 1:1 exposure to Hyperliquid (HYPE)
  • 0.95% annual management fee
  • 100% physically backed by Hyperliquid (HYPE)
  • Exchange ticker: ETNVIRHYPE
  • Trading currency: PLN
  • First day of trading: Thursday, September 17, 2026
  • ISIN: SE0028425314


About Hyperliquid

Hyperliquid is a blockchain built for fast and efficient trading without intermediaries. It is specifically tailored for derivatives trading and designed to offer a user experience similar to traditional crypto exchanges, but directly on the blockchain. The native crypto asset HYPE is used within the ecosystem for several functions, including paying fees, participating in governance, and creating incentives for liquidity and activity on the platform.

Christopher Kock, CEO of Virtune:

“We are delighted to expand our offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange with the Virtune Hyperliquid ETP. Hyperliquid is a decentralized trading platform built to enable global, round-the-clock trading across a growing range of assets. HYPE is the platform’s own digital token and sits at the centre of its ecosystem. One of its distinguishing features is that part of the trading fees generated on the platform is used to purchase HYPE and permanently remove it from circulation. We believe this combination of growing platform activity and a well-designed economic model makes the Virtune Hyperliquid ETP a timely addition to our offering for Polish investors.”

Tomasz Wróbel, Country Manager for Poland at Virtune, adds: 

“This marks the eighth crypto-asset-based product on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) and our second debut this September, following the Chainlink ETP launched on September 3, 2026. Despite the subdued sentiment surrounding cryptocurrencies, Virtune is not slowing down. We aim to enhance the offerings of brokerage houses and appeal to investors who are wary of using crypto exchanges directly. Investing via products listed on the stock exchange can mitigate such risks, and the range of available products is highly attractive today. Given its global popularity and trading volume, the crypto-asset market simply cannot be ignored.”

Press Contact
Christopher Kock
CEO, Virtune AB (Publ)
christopher@virtune.com
+46 70 073 45 64

About Virtune
Virtune with its headquarters in Stockholm is a regulated Swedish digital asset manager and one of the fastest-growing issuers of crypto ETPs (exchange-traded products) in Europe. Its product portfolio includes 23 ETPs with a total of USD 320 million in assets under management. The company is trusted by over 160,000 investors, and its products are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Stockholm, Nasdaq Helsinki, Deutsche Börse Xetra, as well as Euronext Amsterdam and Paris.

With regulatory compliance, strategic collaborations with industry leaders and our proficient team, we empower investors on a global level to access innovative and sophisticated investment products that are aligned with the evolving landscape of the global crypto market.

For more information, please visit www.virtune.com.

Marketing from Virtune AB. Investments in cryptocurrency-based instruments are associated with high risk. Virtune does not provide investment advice, and this material is not an investment recommendation. Investments are made at your own risk. Securities may increase or decrease in value, and there is no guarantee that you will recover your invested capital. You are about to purchase a product that is not simple and may be difficult to understand. Before making an investment decision, please read the prospectus, KID, terms and other binding information concerning Virtune ETPs available at www.virtune.com to understand the risks and benefits associated with the investment. Prospectus approval does not constitute an endorsement of the ETPs.

Source: Virtune AB (Publ)