FAQ

ETPs

What is an ETP?

ETPs (Exchange Traded Products) are secured, bearer debt securities that do not earn interest. These products are not subject to the Collective Investment Schemes Act (CISA) and as such, are not supervised by FINMA. ETPs replicate the performance of an underlying asset on an unchanged or leveraged basis.

ETPs offer investors diversification, providing access to various global markets and sectors through a single security traded just like ordinary shares, as well as potential tax advantages.

ETPs are ideally suited to today’s investment world, where attention to costs is more important than before. Secured, diverse, transparently priced and accessible, ETPs appeal to a broad spectrum of investors.

ETPs are listed on SIX, Switzerland’s principal stock exchange, ensuring a high level of regulatory oversight. These securities trade and settle like ordinary shares with market makers providing continuous liquidity.

How can I buy Helveteq's ETPs?

Investors can gain digital asset exposure while trading on traditional stock exchanges – no external wallet is required. Investors can find our products with the corresponding ISIN, symbol or Valor at their bank, broker or custody provider.

Investors are advised to understand fully the investment objectives and mechanisms of an ETP before undertaking to subscribe for these instruments. If in doubt, investors should consult their broker.

Which fees are charged for Helveteq's ETPs?

Investors will incur a fee usually expressed in basis points or a percentage. The rate will vary across the individual instruments. Fees are transparently disclosed in the relevant Final Terms of the products. In addition, transaction costs may be charged by your bank or broker as when trading shares. These costs are not known to Helveteq.

Are Helevteq's ETPs accessible only to Swiss investors?

Our ETPs are traded on exchanges such as the SIX Swiss Exchange which is internationally accessible. Certain ETPs have selling restrictions with regards to the domicile of the investor, please see the product descriptions and the publicly available base prospectus and final terms of the ETP in question. If in doubt, investors should consult their broker.

How does Helveteq price the underlying assets of its ETPs?

Each fraction of our ETPs corresponds to a predefined collateral, which can be seen in the final terms of the ETPs. This number determines how many fractional parts of the underlying assets are needed to back the value of one ETP. The price of the underlying assets is determined daily by an administrator and calculation agent which verify the data from both the ETP market maker and the custodian of the underlying asset.

How does Helveteq garantee the safe storage of underlying digital assets of the ETP?

The digital assets are held in custody with industry-leading custodian banks and other specialized custodians. You can find the list of the custodian institutions in the Final Terms of each ETP. Helveteq and the custodian are taking several safety measures to ensure the security of the underlying assets, including cryptographic security, physical barriers to access, multiple private keys, multi-signatures and whitelisting of wallets.

Are Helveteq's ETPs secured?

Yes, our ETPs are collateralized debt obligations. Our products are physically replicated, meaning they are fully (100%) collateralized by the underlying assets they track.

How are Helveteq ETPs structured?

Helveteq ETPs are open-end products and have no foreseen expiration date. Our products are physically replicated, meaning they are fully collateralized by the underlying assets they track.

What are the benefits of buying digital assets through ETPs versus buying them directly through a crypto broker/exchange?

There are several reasons for buying digital assets through ETPs. Just to name some of those reasons: trading on a regulated exchange, flexibility of product design features, 100% collateralization, classification of an ETP as a security, efficient handling of ETPs within your bank or brokerage account, cost-efficiency.

Can I issue my own ETP with Helveteq?

Helveteq as issuer of ETPs is familiar with the process and has the ecosystem necessary to launch new ETPs on behalf of External Asset Managers, Banks and other institutions. If you are interested in issueing an ETP, please contact info@helveteq.com.

nETPs

What is a nETP?

In essence, nETPs (non-Exchange Traded Products) are non-listed ETPs, combining the key benefits of ETPs with added flexibility. A secured and regulated solution which alleviates the operational, administrative and economic burden of running an investment strategy. EAMs acting as advisors gain specific market, regional or thematic exposure while building a track record through a single instrument. nETPs allow strategies to be executed in individually reported unit values, making it simple to serve multiple investors. This innovative suite of products caters to both public distribution and private placements. It can even be listed, then it’s an ETP.

How can I buy Helveteq's nETPs?

Investors can trade Helveteq’s nETPs via their usual custody account at their bank, broker by referencing to the relevant Valor, ISIN or other security identifier such as a ticker symbol.

Investors are advised to understand fully the investment objectives and mechanisms of an nETP before undertaking to subscribe for these instruments. If in doubt, investors should consult their broker.

Which fees are charged for Helveteq's nETPs?

Fees are transparently disclosed in the relevant Final Terms of the Products. In addition, transaction costs may be charged by your bank or broker as when trading shares. These costs are not known to Helveteq.

Are nETPs traded on exchange?

The Issuer may appoint a third party to provide, on a reasonable endeavors’ basis, bid and offer prices for the products under normal market conditions. Consult the relevant Final Terms of the product you are interested in and contact your bank/broker for more details.

Are Helveteq's nETPs secured?

Yes, our nETPs are collateralized debt obligations. Our products are physically replicated, meaning they are fully (100%) collateralized by the underlying assets they track.

What are the benefits of buying a nETP versus a traditional Actively Managed Certificate (AMC)?

Helveteq issues its nETPs under Switzerland’s modern and comprehensive prospectus regime (FinSA and FinSO) with a uniform prospectus liability regulation protecting investors by enhancing transparency and preventing unfair practices. Our offering or listing prospectuses are approved by SIX Exchange Regulation AG, the reviewing body licensed and supervised by FINMA. Furthermore, because nETPs are secured by the underlying assets, they offer significant protection against event-risk.

Investors can now reduce the counterparty risks associated with unlisted investment products more efficiently. For products issued under the nETP setup, Helveteq provides specific collateral that is used to cover obligations to investors in the case of a so called default or insolvency event.

Can I issue my own nETPs with Helveteq?

Helveteq as issuer of nETPs is familiar with the process and has the ecosystem necessary to launch new nETP on behalf of External Asset Managers who wish to securitize their investment strategies through this secure structure. If you are interested in issueing an nETP, please contact info@helveteq.com.

General

Who is Helveteq AG?

Rooted in the financial center of Switzerland, fully dedicated to positively impact society and the environment through its services and products, Helveteq is the issuer of ESG-transparent investment products. Helveteq covers a wide range of traditional as well as digital assets and operates with an outstanding international network. In 2022, the company was the first issuer of carbon-neutral crypto investment products on SIX. Helveteq offers Exchange Traded Products (ETPs), non-Exchange Traded Products (nETPs), Actively Managed Certificates (AMCs) and Structured Products for self-directed Investors and Asset Managers, as well as optimized capital conduits for Banks. Helveteq successfully combines traditional strengths such as excellence and universality of services with continuous innovation in fintech and sustainable finance.

What is my Default Risk when I buy investment products issued by Helveteq?

Helvetq’s ETPs and nETPs are regulated financial products, fully secured by collateral. The 100% collateralization gives investors a comprehensive level of reassurance against default risk.

Can I buy ETPs and nETPs directly through Helveteq?

You can purchase our investment products simply through your preferred bank or broker. If you do not find our products on your platform, please contact directly your bank or broker to request access. You can find links and an email template here.

What is the minimum investment and the minimum holding period?

The minimum investment amount is usually 1 ETP or 1 nETP and can be found in the final terms of the product in question. ETPs are tradable on the secondary market and the exchange does not impose a minimum holding period. For nETPs, Helveteq may appoint a third party to provide, on a reasonable endeavours’ basis, bid and offer prices under normal market conditions. Usually, there is no minimum holding period, details are to be found in the final terms of the product.

Who determines the market price?

The market price of our products is determined by a market maker and other market participants who influence supply and demand in the secondary market. The price will be close to its Net Asset Value (NAV). The NAV denotes the value of the underlying units.

What is the NAV?

The Net Asset Value (NAV) per unit of an ETP denotes the fiat currency value of the underlying units. As a result, this is considered the “fair value”, which is determined daily at the end of the trading day by an independent third party, the Custodian.

What is the difference between the market price and the NAV?

The NAV denominates the “fair value”, which is determined daily at  the end of the trading day, whereas the market price is constantly determined by demand and supply and reflects the price at which the product is traded in the market between investors.

How does Helveteq uphold ESG values?

Helveteq embraces ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) standards at a company as well as at a products and services level.

We believe that proactive employers who want to develop a more sustainable business model have an opportunity to look at their employment framework and policies. Some of the key issues to consider include:

  • Establishing an inclusion and diversity model to enable recruitment and retention of more diverse talent;
  • Introducing employee benefits to incentivise sustainability, lower carbon emissions and inclusivity as well as diversity;
  • Looking at variable remuneration models and linking them with ESG targets;
  • Placing employee welfare at the heart of procurement decisions; and
  • Reshaping policies and procedures with a greater focus on ESG.

ESG principles affect the workforce, and taking steps to anticipate and control associated risks, allow us to improve profitability and reputation. In order to independently challenge and verify our ESG qualities, Helveteq has set out to be B-Corp certified as a company (currently B-Corp pending status).

As part of our engagement strategy we entered a long-term cooperation with Swiss FinTech Innovation Lab of the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich (UZH) that led to the development of a novel model on how to calculate and compensate the carbon footprint of assets powered by blockchain technology.

This integrated academic and practitioner approach has resulted in a new life cycle perspective available at UZH – Swiss FinTech Innovation Lab.

How is the carbon footprint compensation quantified?

The Swiss FinTech Innovation Lab of the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich calculates the ecological footprint of digital assets on the different blockchains based on a proprietary model. This is part of our «Crypto goes carbon neutral» research cooperation with the University of Zurich. This calculation provides the basis to determine the carbon dioxide emissions, which are offset with investments in voluntary carbon credits contributing to the development of nature-based projects around the world.