Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ about Elementum Metals Exchange Traded Commodities

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Elementum Metals ETCs are exchange-traded-commodities linked to the performance of the metal they represent.

Elementum Metals ETCs are linked to Copper, Nickel and an Electric Vehicle Metals Basket.

Elementum Metals ETCs offer investors a means of investing in physical metals without the necessity of taking delivery of physical metals, and to enable investors to buy and sell Elementum Metals ETCs on stock exchanges where they are listed for trading.

Yes. Elementum Metals ETCs are physically backed by the metals they are linked to.

The metal used to back Elementum Metals ETCs is held in secure vaults on behalf of the issuer Elementum Metals in locations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Precious Metals are held in segregated allocated accounts.
Base Metals are held in segregated metal custody accounts.

The primary custodian is Eternyze AG based in Switzerland.

Precious metal can be identified by the custodian based on a combination of criteria: 

  1. the name of the refiner;

  2. the serial number; 

  3. its year of manufacture; 

  4. its weight and/or;

  5. its composition and purity (“assay”).  

Base metal can be identified by the custodian based on a combination of criteria: 

  1. the name of the producer;

  2. the brand;

  3. the lot number;

  4. the bundle number;

  5. the gross and net weight and/or;

  6. the quality of the Metal.

Elementum Metals publishes a list of the specific bars of physical precious metals identified by their serial numbers (the “Bar List”) that are held in allocated accounts on www.elementummetals.com.

Elementum Metals publishes a daily list of the specific lots of physical base metals identified by their lot and bundle numbers (the “Lot List”) that are held in off-warrant accounts on www.elementummetals.com.

Precious metals are stored in secure vaults by The Brink’s Company, Switzerland.


Base metals are stored in secure vaults by Metaal Transport B.V., the Netherlands.

Yes.

Precious metal held to back Elementum Metals ETCs meet the “Good Delivery” standards set by the London Bullion Market Association (the “LBMA”) in the case of gold and silver and the London Platinum and Palladium Market (the “LPPM”) in the case of platinum and palladium.

Base metals meet the quality standards set by the London Metal Exchange (the “LME”).

The quality assurance standards set out by the LBMA, LPPM, and LME all go a long way to ensuring high standards in the provenance of the metal. Investors are able to verify the bars of physical precious metals related to provenance of the specific bar of metal including the date and location where the metal was mined and smelted, transportation to and between vaults. Transparency empowers the investor to understand any environmental or social impact that the bar has had over its lifetime.

Whilst these standards place these ETC Securities at the forefront of responsible initiatives, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to ESG and SRI requirements. However, every measure has been taken to ensure that investors have the ability to make decisions for themselves as to whether these products meet their own standards.

Metal Entitlement is the amount of physical metal backing the ETC security. Metal Entitlement is reduced daily by a quantity of Metal equal to the Total Expenses Ratio (applying the per annum rate and dividing by 365).

In the case of gold, the amount is expressed in fine troy ounces rounded to three decimal places.
In the case of silver, platinum and palladium, the amount is expressed in troy ounces rounded to three decimal places.
 In the case of Copper and Nickel, the amount is expressed in metric tonnes rounded to eight decimal places.

The Metal Entitlement for Elementum Metals ETCs is published on www.elementummetals.com on each Business Day.

Investors can buy and sell Elementum Metals ETCs on stock exchanges on which they are admitted to trading.

Elementum Metals ETCs are listed on London Stock Exchange (in USD and GBp), Borsa Italiana (in EUR), Xetra (in EUR).

The cash value is equal to the metal entitlement multiplied by the spot price of the relevant physical metal. This does not take into consideration the bid/offer spread on exchange.

The “spot price” of Precious Metals is based on an average of all the buy and sell offers in the market for that specific metal. The “spot price” Base Metal is the LME Cash Settlement Price, which is the last cash offer price for the relevant Base Metal during the day’s trading.

The spot price is published by the LBMA (for gold and silver) or the London Metal Exchange (LME) (for platinum, palladium, copper and nickel) on their websites.

All financial investments involve an element of risk. The value of Elementum Metals ETCs changes over time by virtue of the movements in the price of the underlying physical metal and an investor may not get back the full amount originally invested.

The price of Elementum Metals ETCs is a function of supply and demand amongst investors wishing to buy and sell and the bid/ask spread quoted by market-makers on the stock exchange.

The bid/ask spread will vary from time to time based on trading volume and market liquidity. The spread generally decreases if the ETC Securities have high trading volume and market liquidity, and increases if Elementum Metals ETCs have low trading volume, market liquidity and market volatility.

FAQ about Digital / Tokenization

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Elementum Metals ETCs themselves are exchange-traded-commodities (ETC) backed by physical metal and linked to the performance of that metal. Elementum Metals ETCs trade on stock exchanges the same as stocks.
The metals held by Elementum Metals ETCs are tokenized as digital assets using Digital Ledger Technology (DLT) powered by Eternyze. Transparency within the Eternyze ecosystem ensures everyone to have a clear view of the updated ledger of ownership records.  

Eternyze is a tokenization platform, developed using Hyperledger Fabric blockchain technology. The ecosystem facilitates the tokenization of metals and enables these digital assets to be traded in a simple and secure way with clear records of ownership.

Tokenization refers to the process of converting real assets into digital assets. The digital assets are then linked to tokens. 

Hyperledger Fabric is an IBM technology. Rather than an open, permission-less system, Fabric offers a scalable and secure platform that supports private transactions and confidential contracts. 

Accessibility: tokenized assets can be accessed globally, 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

Immutable: token ownership cannot be removed. In case of dispute, conflicts can be solved quickly by looking at immutable records of ownership.

Transferability: tokens can easily be transferred from one person to another.

Transparent: as each record of ownership will be maintained on a shared and immutable ledger, no one can

Cost-effective: tokenized assets reduce fees as the involvement of intermediaries is removed that often restrict investment accessibility. 

Fractional Ownership: when assets are digitised, they become highly divisible. Thus, investors can invest in small percentages of tokenized assets thereby improving liquidity

Quick and cheaper transactions: the transaction and transfer exchange process is automated which fastens the deal execution with lower transaction fees.

Broader Investor Base: fractional ownership of digital assets broadens the investor base. Tokenization would open opportunities for a new set of investors and allow them to diversify their investment portfolio into assets that they could not afford previously.

DLT is a digital system that records transactions chronologically while storing and verifying them simultaneously across different locations and nodes (computers and devices). Unlike traditional databases, all DLTs are decentralized. Information is not stored within a central location, but instead digital copies are dispersed and saved across the network, eliminating a single source of failure.

A Blockchain is a chain of blocks, where the blocks are digital information which are stored in a public database (the chain). Each new block is linked to the previous one in chronological order through a crypto signature called a “hash”. 

DLT doesn’t need to have its data structured in blocks and chained together with one another, through a “digital signature” known as a hash. It is merely a digital database spread across multiple sites, regions or participants. All Blockchains are forms of DLT, but all DLTs are not Blockchains.

  1. As a result of each block containing the hash of the previous block, if one block is tampered with, the Blockchain becomes invalid. This is because the hash of the previous block will no longer match the hash in the next block. Therefore, the property of hashing prevents hacking of the Blockchain. 

  2. Blockchain uses Proof of Work (POW), which is an algorithm that slows down the creation of new blocks to 10 minutes. This stops hacking as you must calculate the POW for every other block in order to tamper with just one, which is nearly impossible. 

  3. Blockchain is a P2P network where anyone can join. If a new block is created, that block is sent to everyone and each node verifies it to ensure it hasn’t been tampered. If 51% of the network approves it, the block will be added.

  1. Blockchains are decentralized, meaning power is shared between everyone in the network. 

  2. Lower fees compared to banks and financial institutions. 

  3. High security. Attempting to hack the Blockchain requires for all blocks to be tampered with, redo the POW of each one and take control of 51% of the network which is practically impossible.

  4. Blockchain is a public, immutable ledger and can therefore act as a Single Source of Truth.