CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF to Launch on the TSX on March 9

TORONTO (March 8, 2021) – CI Global Asset Management (“CI GAM”) announced that Canadian securities regulators have issued a receipt for the final prospectus of the CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (“BTCX” or the “ETF”), which is expected to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) starting tomorrow, March 9, 2021, subject to TSX approval.

BTCX is designed to provide investors with a convenient way to gain exposure to bitcoin through an institutional-quality fund platform. BTCX invests directly in bitcoin with its holdings priced using the Bloomberg Galaxy Bitcoin Index (the “BTC”), which is designed to measure the performance of a single bitcoin traded in U.S. dollars. The BTC is owned and administered by Bloomberg Index Services Ltd.

“The CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF offers investors a secure and convenient means of holding bitcoin in their portfolio,” said Kurt MacAlpine, Chief Executive Officer of CI Financial, the parent company of the CI GAM. “I believe our ETF stands out based on its highly competitive price point and CI and Galaxy’s extensive capabilities and track record in managing alternative investments and digital assets.”

CI GAM will be the manager of the ETF and Galaxy Digital Capital Management LP (“GDAM”) will act as the bitcoin sub-advisor for the ETF. As sub-advisor, GDAM will execute bitcoin trading on behalf of the ETF. GDAM is the Asset Management arm of Galaxy Digital, a diversified financial services firm dedicated to the digital asset and blockchain technology sector. The GDAM team has deep institutional experience managing third-party capital across traditional and alternative asset classes, strong relationships with institutional service providers and counter-parties, and exceptional connectivity throughout the blockchain and digital assets ecosystem.

“We believe the emerging digital asset class presents compelling growth and diversification opportunities. The CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF offers a simple and secure access point for traditional investors to gain exposure to bitcoin,“ said Steve Kurz, Partner and Head of Asset Management at GDAM.

Reflecting CI GAM’s leadership in digital assets, the manager launched the CI Galaxy Bitcoin Fund (TSX: BTCG) in December 2020, which it intends to merge into the ETF, and has obtained a receipt for the preliminary prospectus of CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF (“ETHX”), which, once approved, is expected to be the first ETF in the world to invest directly in Ether, the cryptocurrency that powers the Ethereum blockchain. CI GAM has also filed and obtained receipts for the preliminary prospectuses of CI Bitcoin Fund and CI Ethereum Fund, which are mutual fund versions with the same investment objectives as BTCX and ETHX, respectively.

Benefits of the CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF include:

• Low-cost management fee
• A streamlined means of access to bitcoin
• Storage of bitcoin in a segregated cold storage system, protected in accordance with industry-leading protocol
• Leveraging the experience of GDAM's veteran portfolio management team to execute the purchase and sale of bitcoin
• Ability to conveniently trade units correspondent to real-time changes in value
• Eligibility for registered plans like TFSAs and RRSPs.

About Galaxy Digital

Galaxy Digital Capital Management LP is an affiliate of Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd. (TSX: GLXY) (“Galaxy Digital”). Galaxy Digital is a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology sector, and currently operates five distinct business lines, which include: Trading, Asset Management, Principal Investments, Mining and Investment Banking. Galaxy Digital’s CEO and Founder is Michael Novogratz. Galaxy Digital is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands (registered office) and New Jersey. Additional information about Galaxy Digital’s businesses and products is available on www.galaxydigital.io.

About CI Global Asset Management

CI Global Asset Management is one of Canada’s largest investment management companies. It offers a wide range of investment products and services and is on the Web at www.ci.com. CI GAM is a subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. (TSX: CIX, NYSE: CIXX), an independent company offering global asset management and wealth management advisory services with approximately C$231.8 billion in total assets as at January 31, 2021.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with an investment in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Please read the prospectus before investing. Important information about the ETF is contained in its prospectus. ETFs are not guaranteed; their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of an ETF on recognized Canadian exchanges. If the units are purchased or sold on these Canadian exchanges, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units of the ETF and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them.