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Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs

Calamos Revolutionizes Investor Access to Bitcoin, Launching the World’s First Bitcoin Laddered Structured Protection ETFs

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New Research

Protected Bitcoin Whitepaper:
Improving Portfolios Utilizing a Stable Risk Framework

Our research shows Protected Bitcoin strategies help investors focus on outcomes rather than volatility concerns. By testing three funding approaches—fixed income, equities, gold— Bitcoin is shown to improve each portfolio's risk-return profile.

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Available: Laddered Protected Bitcoin ETFs

Each Calamos Laddered Protected Bitcoin ETF (at 100%, 90% & 80% protection levels from underlying ETFs) allocates equally across the four quarterly Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs creating a continuous outcome period without timing risk considerations.

ETF upside opportunity protection

Potential Benefits of Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs

Upside exposure to bitcoin

Built-in downside protection level over the outcome period

Defined outcome period

Why Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs?

Many investors have watched from the sidelines as digital assets evolved from an experiment to an institutional reality. They’ve recognized the potential but questioned the risk. They’ve appreciated the innovation but demanded protection. Through Calamos’ heritage of risk management, investors can now participate in the future while seeking to preserve wealth in the present.

Bitcoin Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs
  • High volatility and drawdown risk potential
  • Unknown investment horizon
  • Defined levels of protection
  • Defined (known) outcome period
  • Subject to loss or theft due to inadequate security or mishandling
  • Dependent on the exchange used for storing bitcoin
  • Lower risk custodial framework via ETF vehicle
  • No counterparty credit risk
  • Accesses bitcoin performance:
    Exchanged-listed FLEX options, centrally cleared at the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC)
  • Currently, not registered as a security nor subject to SEC regulatory oversight
  • Calamos ETFs are regulated investment companies:
    Traded on a regulated exchanges and subject to SEC oversight and disclosure requirements

Comparing a Laddered ETF vs. A Defined Outcome Period ETF

Laddered ETF
Defined Outcome Period ETF
Timing considerations
  • Entry point agnostic – rolling periods mitigate timing risk
  • Entry point matters - one-year defined outcome periods introduce timing considerations
Use case examples
  • Strategic derisking of Bitcoin position
  • Risk-managed alternative to direct Bitcoin exposure
  • Tactical derisking of Bitcoin position
  • Opportunistic entry points to trade into defined Bitcoin outcomes
Upside participation
  • Upside capture dependent on combination of underlying series and rolls
  • Defined upside capture over outcome period
Downside protection
  • Downside protection from underlying ETFs, periods roll
  • Defined downside of 0%, 10% or 20% over outcome period

The Bitcoin Revolution is Happening Now

Bitcoin has experienced strong growth and demand is on the rise for the asset.

Bitcoin price 2012 to 2024

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Source: Morningstar. Data as of 12/31/24.

Bitcoin has become one of the largest assets in the world.

Bitcoin, previously considered a niche asset for high-risk investors, has become the seventh largest asset in the world.

asset chart

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Source: Y Charts. Data as of 12/31/24.

Portfolios May Benefit from Bitcoin Exposure

Bitcoin has outperformed over most periods, but not all.

Historically, bitcoin has shown significant performance dispersion, either substantially outperforming or underperforming relative to traditional asset classes.

bitcoin and traditional asset classes performance

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Source Morningstar and Bloomberg. Data as of 12/31/24.

Bitcoin May Serve as a Strong Portfolio Diversifier

Bitcoin has exhibited low correlation to both traditional portfolio and diversifying assets.

traditional portfolio correlation to bitcoin

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Source: Morningstar. Data as of 12/31/24.

Why Calamos?

Through Calamos, bitcoin is no longer the domain of the bold few, but a carefully considered option for the prudent many.

— John Koudounis, Calamos President & CEO

Calamos is one of the longest running alternatives and options-based manager in the country. For nearly 50 years, investors have benefitted from Calamos’ innovative risk management framework.

Calamos Financial Services LLC, Distributor

Check the background of the firm and its investment professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.

Before investing, carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Please see the prospectus and summary prospectus containing this and other information which can be obtained by calling 1-866-363-9219. Read it carefully before investing.

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Calamos Investments LLC, referred to herein as Calamos Investments®, is a financial services company offering such services through its subsidiaries: Calamos Advisors LLC, Calamos Wealth Management LLC, Calamos Financial Services LLC and Calamos Antetokounmpo Asset Management LLC.

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The information in each fund's prospectus and statement of additional information) is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell the securities of any fund until such fund's registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. Each fund's prospectus and statement of additional information is not an offer to sell such fund's securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy such fund's securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Calamos Investments LLC, referred to herein Calamos is a financial services company offering such services through its subsidiaries: Calamos Advisors LLC, Calamos Wealth Management LLC, Calamos Investments LLP, and Calamos Financial Services LLC.

The Funds seek to provide investment results that, before taking fees and expenses into account, track the positive price return of the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate – New York Variant (“BRRNY”) (“Spot bitcoin”) up to a predetermined upside cap (the “Cap”) while seeking to protect against 100%, 90% or 80%, respectively, of losses (before total fund operating fees and expenses) of Spot bitcoin over a period of approximately one (1) year (the “Outcome Period”). The Funds will not invest directly in bitcoin. Instead, the Funds seek to provide investment results that, before taking total fund operating fees and expenses into account, track the positive price return of Spot bitcoin by investing in options that reference the price performance of one or more underlying exchange-traded products (“Underlying ETPs”) which, in turn, own bitcoin and/or one or more indexes that are designed to track the price of bitcoin (“Bitcoin Index”).

The Target Outcome may not be achieved, and investors may lose some or all of their money. The Funds are designed to achieve the Target Outcome only if an investor buys on the first day of the Outcome Period and holds a Fund until the end of the Outcome Period. While the Funds seek to provide 100%, 90% or 80% protection against losses experienced by the price of Spot bitcoin for shareholders who hold Fund Shares for an entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee a Fund will successfully do so. If a Fund's NAV has increased significantly, a shareholder that purchases Fund Shares after the first day of an Outcome Period could lose their entire investment. An investment in the Funds is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses. There is no guarantee the Capital Protection and Cap will be successful, and a shareholder investing at the beginning of an Outcome Period could also lose their entire investment.

There are no assurances the Fund(s) will be successful in providing the sought-after protection. The outcomes that the Fund(s) seeks to provide may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the outcome period and continue to hold them on the last day of the outcome period, approximately one year. There is no guarantee that the outcomes for an outcome period will be realized or that the Fund(s) will achieve its investment objective. If the outcome period has begun and the underlying ETF has increased in value, any appreciation of the Fund(s) by virtue of increases in the underlying ETF since the commencement of the outcome period will not be protected by the sought-after protection, and an investor could experience losses until the underlying ETF returns to the original price at the commencement of the outcome period. Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the "Cap") that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the fund(s) for the outcome period, before fees and expenses. If the outcome period has begun and the Fund(s) have increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one outcome period to the next. The Cap, and the Fund(s) position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund(s). The Fund(s) website, www.calamos.com, provides important Fund information as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in the Fund(s) on a daily basis.

An investment in the Fund is subject to risks, and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Your investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The Fund also has specific principal risks, which are described below. More detailed information regarding these risks can be found in the Fund's prospectus.

Digital Assets Risk: The bitcoin network was first launched in 2009 and bitcoins were the first cryptographic digital assets created to gain global adoption and critical mass. Although the bitcoin network is the most established digital asset network, the bitcoin network and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. Moreover, because digital assets, including bitcoin, have been in existence for a short period of time and are continuing to develop, there may be additional risks in the future that are impossible to predict as of the date of this prospectus. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Underlying ETPs’ shares depends on the acceptance of bitcoin. The realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETPs’ shares.

Investing involves risks. Loss of principal is possible. The Fund(s) face numerous market trading risks, including authorized participation concentration risk, cap change risk, capital protection risk, capped upside risk, cash holdings risk, clearing member default risk, correlation risk, derivatives risk, equity securities risk, investment timing risk, large-capitalization investing risk, liquidity risk, market maker risk, market risk, non-diversification risk, options risk, premium-discount risk, secondary market trading risk, sector risk, tax risk, trading issues risk, underlying ETF risk and valuation risk. For a detailed list of fund risks see the prospectus.

FUND-OF-FUNDS RISK. Shareholders of the Fund will experience investment returns that are different than the investment returns provided by an Underlying ETF. The Fund does not itself pursue a defined outcome strategy, nor does the Fund itself provide downside protection against SPY losses. Because the Fund will typically not purchase an Underlying ETF on the first day of a Target Outcome Period, it is not likely that the stated outcome of the Underlying ETF will be realized by the Fund. The Fund will be continuously exposed to the investment profiles of each of the Underlying ETFs during their respective Target Outcome Periods. The Fund, with its aggregate exposure to each of the Underlying ETFs, may have investment returns that are inferior to that of any single Underlying ETF or group of Underlying ETFs over any given time period. In between the semi-annual rebalance period of the Index, because the Fund is not equally weighted on a continuous basis, the Fund may be exposed to one or more Underlying ETFs disproportionately when compared to other Underlying ETFs. In such circumstances, the Fund will be subject to the over-weighted performance of such Underlying ETF. As a shareholder in other ETFs, the Fund bears its proportionate share of each ETF's expenses, subjecting Fund shareholders to duplicative expenses.

There are no assurances the Underlying ETFs will be successful in providing the sought-after protection. The outcomes that the Underlying ETFs seek to provide may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the outcome period and continue to hold them on the last day of the outcome period, approximately one year. There is no guarantee that the outcomes for an outcome period will be realized or that the Underlying ETFs will achieve its investment objective. If the outcome period has begun and the underlying ETF has increased in value, any appreciation of the Fund(s) by virtue of increases in the underlying ETF since the commencement of the outcome period will not be protected by the sought-after protection, and an investor could experience losses until the underlying ETF returns to the original price at the commencement of the outcome period. The Underlying ETFs are subject to an upside return cap (the "Cap") that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the fund(s) for the outcome period, before fees and expenses. If the outcome period has begun and the Underlying ETFs have increased in value to a level near to their individual Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, the Cap may rise or fall from one outcome period to the next. Unlike the Underlying ETFs, the Fund itself does not pursue a target outcome strategy. The protection is only provided by the Underlying ETFs and the Fund itself does not provide any stated downside protection against losses. The Fund will likely not receive the full benefit of the Underlying ETF downside protections and could have limited upside potential. The Fund's returns are limited by the caps of the Underlying ETFs. The Cap, and the Fund(s) position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund(s) website, www.calamos.com, provides important Fund information as well as information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in the Fund(s) on a daily basis.

100%, 90% or 80% capital protection is over a one-year period before fees and expenses. All caps are pre-determined.

Cap Rate – Maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund if held over the Outcome Period.

Protection Level - Amount of protection the Fund is designed to achieve over the Days Remaining.

Outcome Period – The defined length of time over which the outcomes are sought.

One award will be presented in each category across all asset classes. Leadership Awards will be will be evaluated by a panel of IMEA Leadership and industry experts and consults, i.e., FUSE, Broadridge, SS&C, financial press, IMPRINT, etc., based on relevant criteria focused on success, impact, creativity and innovation. Product innovation awards are presented for product success in addressing a unique problem or challenge for investors; strategies developed and executed for addressing identified problems or challenges; and efforts to educate investors and/or financial advisors about the benefits of this product.