AB Active ETFs Inc.

10/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/18/2024 13:37

Post Effective Amendment to Registration Statement by Investment Company Form 485BPOS

AB Active ETFs, Inc.
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 18, 2024
FILE NOS. 333-264818
811-23799
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Pre-Effective Amendment No.
Post-Effective Amendment No. 21
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 24
AB ACTIVE ETFs, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor, New York, New York 10001
(Address of Principal Executive Office) (Zip Code)
Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code:
(800) 221-5672
NANCY E. HAY
AllianceBernstein L.P.
66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor
New York, New York 10001
(Name and address of agent for service)
Copies of communications to:
PAUL M. MILLER
Seward & Kissel LLP
901 K Street, N.W.
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
on October 21, 2024, pursuant to paragraph (b)
60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)
on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)
75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
If appropriate, check the following box:
This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
Title of Securities Being Registered: Shares of common stock.
This Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 to the Registration Statement relates solely to the shares of AB International Buffer ETF and AB Moderate Buffer ETF. No information relating to any other series or class of series of the Registrant not included herein is amended or superseded hereby.
PROSPECTUS  | OCTOBER 21, 2024
The AB Active ETFs
  AB International Buffer ETF
(Ticker Symbol: BUFI)
(Exchange: Nasdaq)
  AB Moderate Buffer ETF
(Ticker Symbol: BUFM)
(Exchange: Nasdaq)
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Investment Products Offered
ØAre Not FDIC Insured
ØMay Lose Value
ØAre Not Bank Guaranteed
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY INFORMATION 4
AB International Buffer ETF
4
AB Moderate Buffer ETF
11
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS' STRATEGIES, RISKS AND INVESTMENTS 18
INVESTING IN THE FUNDS 26
How to Buy Shares
26
Book Entry
26
Share Trading Price
26
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares
26
Premium and Discount Information
27
Creations and Redemptions
27
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions
27
Distribution Plan
28
Additional Payments to Brokers, Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
28
How the Funds Value Their Shares
28
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS 30
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES 32
GENERAL INFORMATION 34
GLOSSARY OF INVESTMENT TERMS 35
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 36
SUMMARY INFORMATION
AB International Buffer ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is to seek a moderate level of capital appreciation while providing the potential for some downside protection against market declines.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
.69% (a)
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees(b)
None
Other Expenses(b)
.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)
.69%
(a)
The Fund's investment advisory agreement provides that AllianceBernstein L.P. (the "Adviser") will pay substantially all expenses of the Fund (including expenses of AB Active ETFs, Inc. relating to the Fund), except for the advisory fees, payments under the Fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (other than fees and expenses for funds advised by the Adviser and/or its affiliates), and litigation and extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business. Additionally, the Fund shall be responsible for its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions.
(b)
These amounts are estimated for the current fiscal year.
Examples
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses stay the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
After 1 Year
$ 70
After 3 Years
$ 221
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund's performance. The Fund has no operating history and therefore has no portfolio turnover information.
PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF"). The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal conditions, substantially all of its assets in a combination of exchange-traded options contracts on an underlying ETF ("Underlying ETF"). The Underlying ETF (initially expected to be the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF) is an ETF that seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI EAFE Index (the "Underlying ETF's Index"), designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets outside of the U.S. and Canada, including countries in Europe, Australasia and the Far East, as determined by MSCI, Inc. The Fund uses an options strategy that seeks to produce investment outcomes based on the performance of the Underlying ETF, subject to an approximate upside limit typically between 4% and 5% ("Hedge Period Cap"), while also seeking to provide protection against Underlying ETF share price declines of up to a 10% limit ("Hedge Period Buffer"), over a designated period (typically 90 days, but may be up to 120 days, after portfolio rebalance) (each, a "Hedge Period"). Periodically, the Fund may bear a "first loss" of 2% when doing so permits the Fund to maintain a higher Hedge Period Cap, as explained below. The Adviser seeks to monitor the performance of this Options Portfolio (as defined below) and may rebalance the portfolio
4
(by liquidating all or a portion of the Options Portfolio) at any time to protect capital or lock-in some portfolio gains of the Fund ("Upside Ratchet"), depending on its evaluation of market conditions. If there is an Upside Ratchet, the Hedge Period may be shorter. The Fund does not pursue a "defined outcome" strategy. Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre-determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an underlying security or index. The Fund is actively-managed and the Hedge Period Buffer may not protect the Fund against losses. Each Hedge Period is measured from the time of the Fund's investment in the Options Portfolio, not from the time that an investor purchases shares of the Fund. At the time of purchasing Fund shares, an investor may be unable to determine the Fund's position relative to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.
The Underlying ETF's Index covers approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country included in the index. The Underlying ETF's Index is a widely used benchmark for international equity portfolios, as it seeks to capture the return from equity securities of large- and mid-capitalization companies across developed market countries. The Underlying ETF's Index consists of securities from a broad range of industries. The components of the Underlying ETF's Index are likely to change over time.
The Fund may also invest in equity securities of large- and mid-capitalization companies or instruments with similar economic characteristics, MSCI EAFE Index options, shares of AB Government Money Market Portfolio, U.S. Government securities and cash and money market securities. For these purposes, "large capitalization companies" are those that, at the time of investment, have market capitalizations within the range of market capitalizations of companies appearing in the MSCI EAFE Index.
Investments.The Fund typically utilizes customized call and put equity or index exchange-traded options contracts that reference the Underlying ETF, referred to as FLexible EXchange Options ("FLEX Options"), as well as other listed options that reference the price performance of the Underlying ETF, the Underlying ETF's Index, or ETFs that replicate the Underlying ETF's Index. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key option contract terms such as strike price, style and expiration date. The Fund intends to transact in four options: long put options, short put options, short call options and long call options (the "Options Portfolio")-for the purposes of implementing the strategy and establishing the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.
Options Portfolio
Investment Type Strategy Purpose
Purchase Call (FLEX Option) Obtain Economic Exposure to Shares of Underlying ETF
Purchase Put (FLEX Option) Establish Hedge Period Buffer
Write Put (FLEX Option) Establish End of Hedge Period Buffer
Write Call (FLEX Option) Establish Hedge Period Cap
Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.The Hedge Period Cap is established by selling a call option that will limit the Fund's ability to realize any increase in the value of the shares of the Underlying ETF above the strike price. The Fund estimates that the Hedge Period Cap will range from between 4% and 5%. For each Hedge Period, the Hedge Period Cap is based on the strike price of the short call options for that Hedge Period. The strike price for the option is expected to change for each Hedge Period, depending on prevailing market conditions, resulting in a different Hedge Period Cap for each Hedge Period.
The Hedge Period Buffer is established by using a combination of options that operates to provide downside protection against a portion of the Underlying ETF's share price decline for the applicable Hedge Period. The Fund may assume a loss attributable to the first 2% decline in the Underlying ETF's share price at the time of establishing the Options Portfolio, and then the Hedge Period Buffer protects the Fund against further losses attributable to such share price declines, up to a 10% limit. If prevailing market conditions allow, the Fund will have less than a first loss of 2%. The Hedge Period Buffer does not protect the Fund against losses attributable to Underlying ETF share price declines exceeding 10%.
The Hedge Period Cap and the Hedge Period Buffer are determined without regard to any fees or expenses charged to the Fund, which will have the effect of reducing the Hedge Period Cap or the Hedge Period Buffer for a Hedge Period.
The Fund seeks to generate returns that match those attributable to the secondary market share price of the Underlying ETF, up to the Hedge Period Cap, while limiting downside losses attributable to the Underlying ETF share price declines. The hypothetical graphical illustration provided below is designed to illustrate the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide for investors who hold shares for the entirety of a Hedge Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the outcomes for any Hedge Period.
5
Hedge Period
The Fund's options strategy is designed to be implemented over Hedge Periods.
Options Portfolio Upside Ratchet. Once the Options Portfolio is established for a Hedge Period, the Adviser analyzes whether to engage in the Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio based on the Adviser's assessment of the maximum potential remaining upside return of the portfolio. As a result of the performance of the FLEX Options during the Hedge Period to date, the Fund may have little or no upside available for the remainder of that Hedge Period because the Underlying ETF's share price has increased in value substantially above the Hedge Period Cap. In these circumstances, the Adviser may, before expiration of the option term, unwind the then-current Options Portfolio and enter into new FLEX Options that establish a new Hedge Period, which would expire on the last business day of the next closest month-end period beyond three months. By engaging in the Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio, the Fund retains the potential to capture further increases in value when the market price of the Underlying ETF is increasing. This rebalancing may be implemented over several days, during which the Fund may have a blended portfolio consisting of old options and new options.
Hedge Period Transitions. If there is no Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio as the Fund approaches the end of a Hedge Period, the Adviser intends to rebalance the Options Portfolio for a new Hedge Period. This rebalancing may be implemented over several days, during which the Fund may have a blended portfolio consisting of expiring options and new options. At the end of each Hedge Period transition, the Fund expects to hold only new options as a result of this rebalancing.
Additional Information about the Fund's Investment Strategy
In lieu of purchasing a call to obtain economic exposure to the Underlying ETF (as indicated in the chart above), the Fund may seek to gain equivalent economic exposure by engaging in the following. The Fund may purchase a longer maturity near-zero strike call; purchase shares of the Underlying ETF; purchase shares of one or more other ETFs that replicate the Underlying ETF's Index; purchase a combination of equity securities that in the aggregate seek to track the share price return of the Underlying ETF (excluding dividends); or invest in money market funds and/or other cash equivalents and purchase and sell a combination of call and put options that seek to replicate exposure to the Underlying ETF.
The Fund is non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), which means it may invest a greater portion of its assets in fewer issuers than would otherwise be the case.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
Market Risk:The value of the Fund's assets will fluctuate as the market or markets for securities in which the Fund invests fluctuate. The value of the Fund's investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness), interest rate levels, and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. The Fund is exposed to market risk indirectly through its targeted exposure to the Underlying ETF.
6
Buffered Loss Risk:There can be no guarantee that the Hedge Period Buffer will be successful in protecting the Fund from the impact of Underlying ETF price declines. Despite the intended Hedge Period Buffer, a shareholder may lose money by investing in the Fund. Declines in excess of the Hedge Period Buffer may result in the loss of an investor's entire investment beyond the Hedge Period Buffer. If, during a Hedge Period, an investor purchases shares of the Fund after the date on which the Fund has entered into FLEX Options or sells shares of the Fund prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the Hedge Period Buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available and the investor may not receive the full, or any, benefit of the Hedge Period Buffer. The Fund does not provide principal protection, and an investor may experience significant losses on an investment in the Fund.
A blended portfolio of expiring options and new options could impact the Fund's ability to realize the full, or any, benefit of the Hedge Period Buffer and may subject the Fund's return to an upside limit that is slightly lower or higher than the Hedge Period Cap for the applicable Hedge Period. Accordingly, an investor may bear losses against which the Hedge Period Buffer is anticipated to protect and may be subject to an upside limit that is lower than the Hedge Period Cap.
Buffer/Cap Change Risk:A new Hedge Period Buffer and a new Hedge Period Cap are established each time the Options Portfolio is implemented, including after an Upside Ratchet event. The duration of a Hedge Period Cap or Hedge Period Buffer may vary.
Capped Upside Risk:If an investor purchases shares of the Fund after the first day of a Hedge Period and the value of the Underlying ETF shares is at or near to the Hedge Period Cap for that Hedge Period, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Fund shares unless the Fund engages in an Upside Ratchet of the Fund's Options Portfolio. If an investor does not hold its shares of the Fund for an entire Hedge Period, the returns realized by that investor may not replicate those the Fund seeks to achieve. If the Underlying ETF experiences gains during a Hedge Period in excess of the Hedge Period Cap, unless the Fund has engaged in an Upside Ratchet, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Hedge Period Cap.
FLEX Options Correlation Risk:Although the value of the FLEX Options structure held by the Fund generally correlates with the share price of the Underlying ETF, the FLEX Options are exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date, and their daily valuation will not change at the same percentage as the share price of the Underlying ETF. Accordingly, the Fund's net asset value, or NAV, or market price will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the share price of the Underlying ETF.
FLEX Options Liquidity Risk:The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, there is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund's FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objective. The trading market for FLEX Options may lack depth and liquidity when compared to the trading market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.
FLEX Options Valuation Risk:FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of a FLEX Option prior to its expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the Underlying ETF. Factors that may influence the value of a FLEX Option, other than changes in the value of the Underlying ETF, may include interest rate changes, changing supply and demand, decreased liquidity of the FLEX Options and changing volatility levels of the Underlying ETF. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, FLEX Options may become more difficult to value and the judgment of the Adviser, as the Fund's valuation designee, may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund's holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data.
Hedge Period Risk:The Fund's investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that reference an Underlying ETF and are based on options contracts that are designed to be in place for 90-day periods, although in some cases, the Fund will hold options contracts of longer duration. The Fund may not hold its Options Portfolio for the full duration of the options contracts, and the Adviser may change the Options Portfolio at any time, which would begin a new Hedge Period. Information about the Fund's holdings is available and updated daily at: www.abfunds.com. Investors acquiring shares of the Fund at different time periods will have different investment results based on the price of shares of the Underlying ETF and how the Hedge Period Buffer and Hedge Period Cap are applied. Engaging in Upside Ratchets may potentially cause the Fund to have a higher portfolio turnover rate, and higher cost, than a fund that does not actively adjust its options portfolio prior to expiration. There is no guarantee that any Upside Ratchet will be successfully implemented, or that it will deliver the desired investment result.
7
The Fund's Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer are designed to work over a particular time frame, the Hedge Period. Investors that acquire Fund shares after the Hedge Period has commenced, or sell Fund shares before the Hedge Period ends or an Upside Ratchet is performed, may have a different investment result than investors who held Fund shares during the entire Hedge Period. The degree to which an investor may benefit from the Hedge Period Buffer or Hedge Period Cap will depend on the point in time when the investor purchases Fund shares and whether the Adviser effectuates an Upside Ratchet.
At the time of purchasing Fund shares, an investor may be unable to determine the Fund's position relative to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer. If the price of the Underlying ETF is near or has exceeded the strike price of the Fund's Options Portfolio, there may be little remaining upside potential during a particular Hedge Period, until the Options Portfolio expires or the Adviser effectuates an Upside Ratchet. Investors purchasing Fund shares during this period would still remain subject to significant downside risk before the sought-after protection from the Hedge Period Buffer began. Similarly, if the Underlying ETF has decreased in price significantly to equal or exceed the Fund's anticipated Hedge Period Buffer, investors would also remain subject to significant downside risk and would receive no benefit from the Hedge Period Buffer.
The Fund is continuously offered and a new Hedge Period begins after the end of the prior Hedge Period, with a new Hedge Period Cap and a new Hedge Period Buffer. An investor that holds Fund shares over multiple continuous Hedge Periods may have a different investment result than an investor holding Fund shares for one Hedge Period. The Fund's return is measured, with respect to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer, over a single Hedge Period. The Fund's return over a period longer than a single Hedge Period could differ in amount and direction from the return of the Underlying ETF.
Active Trading Risk: The Fund expects to engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities and its portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%. A higher rate of portfolio turnover increases transaction costs, which may negatively affect the Fund's return. In addition, a high rate of portfolio turnover may result in substantial short-term gains, which may have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders. The Fund's higher portfolio turnover could also result in deferral of losses, acceleration of gains or treatment of short-term capital gains as ordinary income, all of which could adversely impact Fund shareholders.
Non-Diversification Risk: The Fund may have more risk because it is "non-diversified", meaning that it can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers. Accordingly, changes in the value of a single security, such as the Underlying ETF, may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Fund's NAV.
Underlying ETF Risk: The Fund invests in FLEX Options that reference an ETF, which subjects the Fund to certain of the risks of owning shares of an ETF, as well as the types of instruments in which the Underlying ETF invests. The Underlying ETF generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the MSCI EAFE Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of the MSCI EAFE Index (i.e., depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by its adviser or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the MSCI EAFE Index, but which its adviser believes will help the Underlying ETF track the MSCI EAFE Index. The investment objective of the Underlying ETF is to seek to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization developed market equities, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The value of an ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the values of the securities held by the ETF, which may be affected by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future growth and profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for those securities. In addition, ETFs are subject to authorized participant concentration risk, market maker risk, premium/discount risk, tracking error risk and trading issues risk. Brokerage, tax and other expenses may negatively impact the performance of the Underlying ETF and, in turn, the value of the Fund's shares. An ETF that tracks an index may not exactly match the performance of the index due to differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the index, expenses, and other factors.
The risks of investing in an ETF also include the risks associated with the underlying investments held by the ETF. As such, the Fund may be subject to the following risks as a result of its exposure to the Underlying ETF through its usage of FLEX Options.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investments Risk:Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade than domestic securities due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors. The Underlying ETF is specifically exposed to Asian and European economic risks.
Equity Securities Risk:The Underlying ETF invests in publicly-traded equity securities, and their value may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, which means a security may be worth more or less than when it was purchased. These fluctuations can be based on a variety of factors including a company's financial condition as well as macro-economic factors such as interest rates, inflation rates, global market conditions, and non-economic factors such as market perceptions and social or political events.
Currency Risk:Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of investments denominated in a non-U.S. currency. The value of investments held by the Underlying ETF (and therefore the value of the Underlying ETF), and therefore the value of the Fund's FLEX Options, could change based on changes in currency exchange rates. The Fund's NAV
8
could therefore decline based on changes in the value of currencies or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably.
Sector Risk:The Underlying ETF may have more risk because it may invest to a significant extent in one or more particular market sectors, such as the financials sector and industrials sector, which results in the Fund having significant exposure to such sectors through its exposure to the Underlying ETF by virtue of its usage of FLEX Options. To the extent the Underlying Fund does so, market or economic factors affecting the relevant sector(s) could have a major effect on the value of the Underlying ETF's investments.
Concentration Risk.The Underlying ETF may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Underlying ETF's investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Underlying ETF's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.
Large-Capitalization Companies Risk:The Underlying ETF invests in the securities of large capitalization companies, which results in the Fund having significant exposure to such companies through its exposure to the Underlying ETFs by virtue of its usage of FLEX Options. Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate and be less able to adapt to changing market conditions than smaller capitalization companies. Thus, the return on investment in securities of large capitalization companies may be less than the return on investment in securities of small and/or mid capitalization companies. The performance of large capitalization companies also tends to trail the overall market during different market cycles.
Cash Transactions Risk: The Fund may transact many of its creation and redemption orders for cash, rather than in-kind securities. To the extent creation and redemption orders are effected for cash, an investment in the Fund would be expected to be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effectuates its transactions in Creation Units primarily on an in-kind basis. When a fund that effects redemptions for cash may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Any recognized gain on these sales by the Fund will generally cause the Fund to recognize a gain it might not otherwise have recognized, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required as compared to an ETF that distributes portfolio securities in-kind in redemption of Creation Units. The Fund intends to distribute gains that arise by virtue of the issuance and redemption of Creation Units being effectuated in cash to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the fund level and otherwise comply with applicable tax requirements. This may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains to which they would not otherwise be subject, or at an earlier date than if they had made an investment in another ETF. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. Brokerage fees, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to those purchasing and redeeming Creation Units in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and ask prices of Fund shares than for ETFs that receive and distribute portfolio securities in-kind. The Fund's use of cash for creations and redemptions could also result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.
Derivatives Risk:Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, reference rate or index, which could cause the Fund to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Fund.
Leverage Risk: To the extent the Fund uses leveraging techniques, its NAV may be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of changes in interest rates and any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's investments.
Illiquid Investments Risk:Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Fund. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes and large positions. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally go down.
ETF Share Price and Net Asset Value Risk:The Fund's shares are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the "Exchange"). Shares are generally bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The NAV per share of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund's holdings. The Fund's NAV is calculated once per day, at the end of the day. The market price of a share on the Exchange could be higher than the NAV (premium), or lower than the NAV (discount) and may fluctuate during the trading day. When all or a portion of the Fund's underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund's shares is open, there may be differences between the current value of a security and the last quoted price for that security in the closed local market, which could lead to a deviation between the market value of the Fund's shares and the Fund's NAV. Disruptions in the creations and redemptions process or the existence of extreme market volatility could result in the Fund's shares trading above or below NAV. As the Fund may invest in securities traded on
9
foreign exchanges, Fund shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the Fund's NAV per share than shares of other ETFs. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for Fund shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Authorized Participant Risk:Only a limited number of financial institutions that enter into an authorized participant relationship with the Fund ("Authorized Participants") may engage in creation or redemption transactions. If the Fund's Authorized Participants decide not to create or redeem Fund shares, shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the Fund's NAV per share, or the Fund could face trading halts or de-listing.
Active Trading Market Risk:There is no guarantee that an active trading market for Fund shares will exist at all times. In times of market stress, markets can suffer erratic or unpredictable trading activity, extraordinary volatility or wide bid/ask spreads, which could cause some market makers and Authorized Participants to reduce their market activity or "step away" from making a market in ETF shares. Market makers and Authorized Participants are not obligated to place or execute purchase and redemption orders. This could cause the Fund's market price to deviate, materially, from the NAV, and reduce the effectiveness of the ETF arbitrage process. Any absence of an active trading market for Fund shares could lead to a heightened risk that there will be a difference between the market price of a Fund share and the underlying value of the Fund share.
Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed ETF. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.
As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
No performance information is presented for the Fund because it has not yet been in operation for a full calendar year.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The following table lists the persons responsible for day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio:
Employee Length of Service Title
Alexander Barenboym Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Joshua Lisser Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Benjamin Sklar Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an actively managed ETF and does not seek to track the performance of an index. Individual shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 25,000 shares or multiples thereof ("Creation Units") to a limited number of Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund's distributor. The Fund generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated basket of cash and/or portfolio securities that the Fund specifies each day. To the extent the Fund's Creation Units are issued or redeemed for cash, the Fund may incur transaction and other costs, and/or capital gains, which may or may not be offset, in whole or in part, by a transaction fee paid by an Authorized Participant.
Information about the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads are available on the Fund's website at www.abfunds.com.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund may pay income dividends or make capital gains distributions, which may be subject to federal income taxes and taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state and local taxes.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its affiliates make payments to brokers, dealers and other financial intermediaries for the sale of Fund shares and other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker, dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
10
AB Moderate Buffer ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is to seek a moderate level of capital appreciation while providing the potential for some downside protection against market declines.
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may be required to pay commissions and/or other forms of compensation to a broker for transactions in shares, which are not reflected in the tables or the examples below.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
.69% (a)
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees(b)
None
Other Expenses(b)
.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)
.69%
(a)
The Fund's investment advisory agreement provides that AllianceBernstein L.P. (the "Adviser") will pay substantially all expenses of the Fund (including expenses of AB Active ETFs, Inc. relating to the Fund), except for the advisory fees, payments under the Fund's 12b-1 plan (if any), interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses (other than fees and expenses for funds advised by the Adviser and/or its affiliates), and litigation and extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business. Additionally, the Fund shall be responsible for its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions.
(b)
These amounts are estimated for the current fiscal year.
Examples
The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses stay the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
After 1 Year
$ 70
After 3 Years
$ 221
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund's performance. The Fund has no operating history and therefore has no portfolio turnover information.
PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES
The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF"). The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal conditions, substantially all of its assets in a combination of exchange-traded options contracts on an underlying ETF ("Underlying ETF"). The Underlying ETF (initially expected to be the SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust) is an ETF that seeks to track the investment results of the S&P 500 Index (the "Underlying ETF's Index"), which measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market, as determined by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. The Fund uses an options strategy that seeks to produce investment outcomes based on the performance of the Underlying ETF, subject to an approximate upside limit typically between 4% and 5% ("Hedge Period Cap"), while also seeking to provide protection against Underlying ETF share price declines of up to a 10% limit ("Hedge Period Buffer"), over a designated period (typically 90 days, but may be up to 120 days, after portfolio rebalance) (each, a "Hedge Period"). Periodically, the Fund may bear a "first loss" of 2% when doing so permits the Fund to maintain a higher Hedge Period Cap, as explained below. The Adviser seeks to monitor the performance of this Options Portfolio (as defined below) and may rebalance the portfolio (by liquidating all or a portion of the Options Portfolio) at any time to protect capital or lock-in some portfolio gains of the Fund ("Upside Ratchet"), depending on its evaluation of market conditions. If there is an Upside Ratchet, the Hedge Period may be shorter. The Fund does not pursue a "defined outcome" strategy. Defined outcome strategies seek to produce pre-determined investment outcomes based upon the performance of an
11
underlying security or index. The Fund is actively-managed and the Hedge Period Buffer may not protect the Fund against losses. Each Hedge Period is measured from the time of the Fund's investment in the Options Portfolio, not from the time that an investor purchases shares of the Fund. At the time of purchasing Fund shares, an investor may be unable to determine the Fund's position relative to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.
The Underlying ETF's Index covers approximately 80% of the market capitalization of all publicly-traded U.S. equity securities. The securities in the Underlying ETF's Index are weighted based on the float-adjusted market value of their outstanding shares. The Underlying ETF's Index consists of securities from a broad range of industries. The components of the Underlying ETF's Index are likely to change over time.
The Fund may also invest in equity securities of large capitalization companies or instruments with similar economic characteristics, S&P 500 Index options, shares of AB Government Money Market Portfolio, U.S. Government securities and cash and money market securities. For these purposes, "large capitalization companies" are those that, at the time of investment, have market capitalizations within the range of market capitalizations of companies appearing in the S&P 500 Index.
Investments.The Fund typically utilizes customized call and put equity or index exchange-traded options contracts that reference the Underlying ETF, referred to as FLexible EXchange Options ("FLEX Options"), as well as other listed options that reference the price performance of the Underlying ETF, the Underlying ETF's Index, or ETFs that replicate the Underlying ETF's Index. FLEX Options provide investors with the ability to customize key option contract terms such as strike price, style and expiration date. The Fund intends to transact in four options: long put options, short put options, short call options and long call options (the "Options Portfolio")-for the purposes of implementing the strategy and establishing the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.
Options Portfolio
Investment Type Strategy Purpose
Purchase Call (FLEX Option) Obtain Economic Exposure to Shares of Underlying ETF
Purchase Put (FLEX Option) Establish Hedge Period Buffer
Write Put (FLEX Option) Establish End of Hedge Period Buffer
Write Call (FLEX Option) Establish Hedge Period Cap
Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer.The Hedge Period Cap is established by selling a call option that will limit the Fund's ability to realize any increase in the value of the shares of the Underlying ETF above the strike price. The Fund estimates that the Hedge Period Cap will range from between 4% and 5%. For each Hedge Period, the Hedge Period Cap is based on the strike price of the short call options for that Hedge Period. The strike price for the option is expected to change for each Hedge Period, depending on prevailing market conditions, resulting in a different Hedge Period Cap for each Hedge Period.
The Hedge Period Buffer is established by using a combination of options that operates to provide downside protection against a portion of the Underlying ETF's share price decline for the applicable Hedge Period. The Fund may assume a loss attributable to the first 2% decline in the Underlying ETF's share price at the time of establishing the Options Portfolio, and then the Hedge Period Buffer protects the Fund against further losses attributable to such share price declines, up to a 10% limit. If prevailing market conditions allow, the Fund will have less than a first loss of 2%. The Hedge Period Buffer does not protect the Fund against losses attributable to Underlying ETF share price declines exceeding 10%.
The Hedge Period Cap and the Hedge Period Buffer are determined without regard to any fees or expenses charged to the Fund, which will have the effect of reducing the Hedge Period Cap or the Hedge Period Buffer for a Hedge Period.
The Fund seeks to generate returns that match those attributable to the secondary market share price of the Underlying ETF, up to the Hedge Period Cap, while limiting downside losses attributable to the Underlying ETF share price declines. The hypothetical graphical illustration provided below is designed to illustrate the outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide for investors who hold shares for the entirety of a Hedge Period. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in its attempt to provide the outcomes for any Hedge Period.
12
Hedge Period
The Fund's options strategy is designed to be implemented over Hedge Periods.
Options Portfolio Upside Ratchet. Once the Options Portfolio is established for a Hedge Period, the Adviser analyzes whether to engage in the Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio based on the Adviser's assessment of the maximum potential remaining upside return of the portfolio. As a result of the performance of the FLEX Options during the Hedge Period to date, the Fund may have little or no upside available for the remainder of that Hedge Period because the Underlying ETF's share price has increased in value substantially above the Hedge Period Cap. In these circumstances, the Adviser may, before expiration of the option term, unwind the then-current Options Portfolio and enter into new FLEX Options that establish a new Hedge Period, which would expire on the last business day of the next closest month-end period beyond three months. By engaging in the Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio, the Fund retains the potential to capture further increases in value when the market price of the Underlying ETF is increasing. This rebalancing may be implemented over several days, during which the Fund may have a blended portfolio consisting of old options and new options.
Hedge Period Transitions. If there is no Upside Ratchet of the Options Portfolio as the Fund approaches the end of a Hedge Period, the Adviser intends to rebalance the Options Portfolio for a new Hedge Period. This rebalancing may be implemented over several days, during which the Fund may have a blended portfolio consisting of expiring options and new options. At the end of each Hedge Period transition, the Fund expects to hold only new options as a result of this rebalancing.
Additional Information about the Fund's Investment Strategy
In lieu of purchasing a call to obtain economic exposure to the Underlying ETF (as indicated in the chart above), the Fund may seek to gain equivalent economic exposure by engaging in the following. The Fund may purchase a longer maturity near-zero strike call; purchase shares of the Underlying ETF; purchase shares of one or more other ETFs that replicate the Underlying ETF's Index; purchase a combination of equity securities that in the aggregate seek to track the secondary market share price return of the Underlying ETF (excluding dividends); or invest in money market funds and/or other cash equivalents and purchase and sell a combination of call and put options that seek to replicate exposure to the Underlying ETF.
The Fund is non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), which means it may invest a greater portion of its assets in fewer issuers than would otherwise be the case.
PRINCIPAL RISKS
Market Risk:The value of the Fund's assets will fluctuate as the market or markets for securities in which the Fund invests fluctuate. The value of the Fund's investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness), interest rate levels, and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. The Fund is exposed to market risk indirectly through its targeted exposure to the Underlying ETF.
13
Buffered Loss Risk:There can be no guarantee that the Hedge Period Buffer will be successful in protecting the Fund from the impact of Underlying ETF price declines. Despite the intended Hedge Period Buffer, a shareholder may lose money by investing in the Fund. Declines in excess of the Hedge Period Buffer may result in the loss of an investor's entire investment. If, during a Hedge Period, an investor purchases shares of the Fund after the date on which the Fund has entered into FLEX Options or sells shares of the Fund prior to the expiration of the FLEX Options, the Hedge Period Buffer that the Fund seeks to provide may not be available and the investor may not receive the full, or any, benefit of the Hedge Period Buffer. The Fund does not provide principal protection, and an investor may experience significant losses on an investment in the Fund.
A blended portfolio of expiring options and new options could impact the Fund's ability to realize the full, or any, benefit of the Hedge Period Buffer and may subject the Fund's return to an upside limit that is slightly lower or higher than the Hedge Period Cap for the applicable Hedge Period. Accordingly, an investor may bear losses against which the Hedge Period Buffer is anticipated to protect and may be subject to an upside limit that is lower than the Hedge Period Cap.
Buffer/Cap Change Risk:A new Hedge Period Buffer and a new Hedge Period Cap are established each time the Options Portfolio is implemented, including after an Upside Ratchet event. The duration of a Hedge Period Cap or Hedge Period Buffer may vary.
Capped Upside Risk:If an investor purchases shares of the Fund after the first day of a Hedge Period and the value of the Underlying ETF shares is at or near to the Hedge Period Cap for that Hedge Period, there may be little or no ability for that investor to experience an investment gain on their Fund shares unless the Fund engages in an Upside Ratchet of the Fund's Options Portfolio. If an investor does not hold its shares of the Fund for an entire Hedge Period, the returns realized by that investor may not replicate those the Fund seeks to achieve. If the Underlying ETF experiences gains during a Hedge Period in excess of the Hedge Period Cap, unless the Fund has engaged in an Upside Ratchet, the Fund will not participate in those gains beyond the Hedge Period Cap.
FLEX Options Correlation Risk:Although the value of the FLEX Options structure held by the Fund generally correlates with the share price of the Underlying ETF, the FLEX Options are exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date, and their daily valuation will not change at the same percentage as the share price of the Underlying ETF. Accordingly, the Fund's net asset value, or NAV, or market price will not directly correlate on a day-to-day basis with the share price of the Underlying ETF.
FLEX Options Liquidity Risk:The FLEX Options are listed on an exchange; however, there is no guarantee that a liquid secondary trading market will exist for the FLEX Options. In the event that trading in the FLEX Options is limited or absent, the value of the Fund's FLEX Options may decrease. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, liquidating the FLEX Options may require the payment of a premium (for written FLEX Options) or acceptance of a discounted price (for purchased FLEX Options) and may take longer to complete. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and Fund shares and result in the Fund being unable to achieve its investment objective. The trading market for FLEX Options may lack depth and liquidity when compared to the trading market for certain other securities. FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain non-customized options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the liquidation of a large number of options may significantly impact the price. A less liquid trading market may adversely impact the value of the FLEX Options and the value of your investment.
FLEX Options Valuation Risk:FLEX Options held by the Fund will be exercisable at the strike price only on their expiration date. The value of the FLEX Options will be determined based upon market quotations or using other recognized pricing methods. The value of a FLEX Option prior to its expiration date may vary because of related factors other than the value of the Underlying ETF. Factors that may influence the value of a FLEX Option, other than changes in the value of the Underlying ETF, may include interest rate changes, changing supply and demand, decreased liquidity of the FLEX Options and changing volatility levels of the Underlying ETF. During periods of reduced market liquidity or in the absence of readily available market quotations for the holdings of the Fund, FLEX Options may become more difficult to value and the judgment of the Adviser, as the Fund's valuation designee, may play a greater role in the valuation of the Fund's holdings due to reduced availability of reliable objective pricing data.
Hedge Period Risk:The Fund's investment strategy is designed to deliver returns that reference an Underlying ETF and are based on options contracts that are designed to be in place for 90-day periods, although in some cases, the Fund will hold options contracts of longer duration. The Fund may not hold its Options Portfolio for the full duration of the options contracts, and the Adviser may change the Options Portfolio at any time, which would begin a new Hedge Period. Information about the Fund's holdings is available and updated daily at: www.abfunds.com. Investors acquiring shares of the Fund at different time periods will have different investment results based on the price of shares of the Underlying ETF and how the Hedge Period Buffer and Hedge Period Cap are applied. Engaging in Upside Ratchets may potentially cause the Fund to have a higher portfolio turnover rate, and higher cost, than a fund that does not actively adjust its options portfolio prior to expiration. There is no guarantee that any Upside Ratchet will be successfully implemented, or that it will deliver the desired investment result.
14
The Fund's Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer are designed to work over a particular time frame, the Hedge Period. Investors that acquire Fund shares after the Hedge Period has commenced, or sell Fund shares before the Hedge Period ends or an Upside Ratchet is performed, may have a different investment result than investors who held Fund shares during the entire Hedge Period. The degree to which an investor may benefit from the Hedge Period Buffer or Hedge Period Cap will depend on the point in time when the investor purchases Fund shares and whether the Adviser effectuates an Upside Ratchet.
At the time of purchasing Fund shares, an investor may be unable to determine the Fund's position relative to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer. If the price of the Underlying ETF is near or has exceeded the strike price of the Fund's Options Portfolio, there may be little remaining upside potential during a particular Hedge Period, until the Options Portfolio expires or the Adviser effectuates an Upside Ratchet. Investors purchasing Fund shares during this period would still remain subject to significant downside risk before the sought-after protection from the Hedge Period Buffer began. Similarly, if the Underlying ETF has decreased in price significantly to equal or exceed the Fund's anticipated Hedge Period Buffer, investors would also remain subject to significant downside risk and would receive no benefit from the Hedge Period Buffer.
The Fund is continuously offered and a new Hedge Period begins after the end of the prior Hedge Period, with a new Hedge Period Cap and a new Hedge Period Buffer. An investor that holds Fund shares over multiple continuous Hedge Periods may have a different investment result than an investor holding Fund shares for one Hedge Period. The Fund's return is measured, with respect to the Hedge Period Cap and Hedge Period Buffer, over a single Hedge Period. The Fund's return over a period longer than a single Hedge Period could differ in amount and direction from the return of the Underlying ETF.
Active Trading Risk: The Fund expects to engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities and its portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%. A higher rate of portfolio turnover increases transaction costs, which may negatively affect the Fund's return. In addition, a high rate of portfolio turnover may result in substantial short-term gains, which may have adverse tax consequences for Fund shareholders. The Fund's higher portfolio turnover could also result in deferral of losses, acceleration of gains or treatment of short-term capital gains as ordinary income, all of which could adversely impact Fund shareholders.
Non-Diversification Risk: The Fund may have more risk because it is "non-diversified", meaning that it can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers. Accordingly, changes in the value of a single security, such as the Underlying ETF, may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Fund's NAV.
Underlying ETF Risk: The Fund invests in FLEX Options that reference an ETF, which subjects the Fund to certain of the risks of owning shares of an ETF, as well as the types of instruments in which the Underlying ETF invests. The Underlying ETF is an exchange-traded unit investment trust that uses a full replication strategy, meaning it invests entirely in the S&P 500 Index. The investment objective of the Underlying ETF is to seek to provide investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Index, which includes five hundred (500) selected companies, all of which are listed on national stock exchanges and spans over 24 separate industry groups. The value of an ETF will fluctuate over time based on fluctuations in the values of the securities held by the ETF, which may be affected by changes in general economic conditions, expectations for future growth and profits, interest rates and the supply and demand for those securities. In addition, ETFs are subject to authorized participant concentration risk, market maker risk, premium/discount risk, tracking error risk and trading issues risk. Brokerage, tax and other expenses may negatively impact the performance of the Underlying ETF and, in turn, the value of the Fund's shares. An ETF that tracks an index may not exactly match the performance of the index due to differences between the portfolio of the ETF and the components of the index, expenses, and other factors.
The risks of investing in an ETF also include the risks associated with the underlying investments held by the ETF. As such, the Fund may be subject to the following risks as a result of its exposure to the Underlying ETF through its usage of FLEX Options.
Equity Securities Risk:The Underlying ETF invests in publicly-traded equity securities, and their value may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, which means a security may be worth more or less than when it was purchased. These fluctuations can be based on a variety of factors including a company's financial condition as well as macro-economic factors such as interest rates, inflation rates, global market conditions, and non-economic factors such as market perceptions and social or political events.
Large-Capitalization Companies Risk:The Underlying ETF invests in the securities of large capitalization companies, which results in the Fund having significant exposure to such companies through its exposure to the Underlying ETFs by virtue of its usage of FLEX Options. Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate and be less able to adapt to changing market conditions than smaller capitalization companies. Thus, the return on investment in securities of large capitalization companies may be less than the return on investment in securities of small and/or mid capitalization companies. The performance of large capitalization companies also tends to trail the overall market during different market cycles.
Cash Transactions Risk: The Fund may transact many of its creation and redemption orders for cash, rather than in-kind securities. To the extent creation and redemption orders are effected for cash, an investment in the Fund would be expected to be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that effectuates its transactions in Creation Units primarily on an in-kind basis.
15
When a fund that effects redemptions for cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. Any recognized gain on these sales by the Fund will generally cause the Fund to recognize a gain it might not otherwise have recognized, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required as compared to an ETF that distributes portfolio securities in-kind in redemption of Creation Units. The Fund intends to distribute gains that arise by virtue of the issuance and redemption of Creation Units being effectuated in cash to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the fund level and otherwise comply with applicable tax requirements. This may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains to which they would not otherwise be subject, or at an earlier date than if they had made an investment in another ETF. Moreover, cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. Brokerage fees, which will be higher than if the Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will be passed on to those purchasing and redeeming Creation Units in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. In addition, these factors may result in wider spreads between the bid and ask prices of Fund shares than for ETFs that receive and distribute portfolio securities in-kind. The Fund's use of cash for creations and redemptions could also result in dilution to the Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.
Derivatives Risk:Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, reference rate or index, which could cause the Fund to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Fund.
Leverage Risk: To the extent the Fund uses leveraging techniques, its NAV may be more volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of changes in interest rates and any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's investments.
Illiquid Investments Risk:Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Fund. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes and large positions. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally go down.
ETF Share Price and Net Asset Value Risk:The Fund's shares are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the "Exchange"). Shares are generally bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The NAV per share of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund's holdings. The Fund's NAV is calculated once per day, at the end of the day. The market price of a share on the Exchange could be higher than the NAV (premium), or lower than the NAV (discount) and may fluctuate during the trading day. When all or a portion of the Fund's underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market for the Fund's shares is open, there may be differences between the current value of a security and the last quoted price for that security in the closed local market, which could lead to a deviation between the market value of the Fund's shares and the Fund's NAV. Disruptions in the creations and redemptions process or the existence of extreme market volatility could result in the Fund's shares trading above or below NAV. As the Fund may invest in securities traded on foreign exchanges, Fund shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the Fund's NAV per share than shares of other ETFs. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for Fund shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
Authorized Participant Risk:Only a limited number of financial institutions that enter into an authorized participant relationship with the Fund ("Authorized Participants") may engage in creation or redemption transactions. If the Fund's Authorized Participants decide not to create or redeem Fund shares, shares may trade at a larger premium or discount to the Fund's NAV per share, or the Fund could face trading halts or de-listing.
Active Trading Market Risk:There is no guarantee that an active trading market for Fund shares will exist at all times. In times of market stress, markets can suffer erratic or unpredictable trading activity, extraordinary volatility or wide bid/ask spreads, which could cause some market makers and Authorized Participants to reduce their market activity or "step away" from making a market in ETF shares. Market makers and Authorized Participants are not obligated to place or execute purchase and redemption orders. This could cause the Fund's market price to deviate, materially, from the NAV, and reduce the effectiveness of the ETF arbitrage process. Any absence of an active trading market for Fund shares could lead to a heightened risk that there will be a difference between the market price of a Fund share and the underlying value of the Fund share.
Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed ETF. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.
As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
16
BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
No performance information is presented for the Fund because it has not yet been in operation for a full calendar year.
INVESTMENT ADVISER
AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The following table lists the persons responsible for day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio:
Employee Length of Service Title
Alexander Barenboym Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Joshua Lisser Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Benjamin Sklar Since December 2024 Senior Vice President of the Adviser
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an actively managed ETF and does not seek to track the performance of an index. Individual shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 25,000 shares or multiples thereof ("Creation Units") to a limited number of Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund's distributor. The Fund generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated basket of cash and/or portfolio securities that the Fund specifies each day. To the extent the Fund's Creation Units are issued or redeemed for cash, the Fund may incur transaction and other costs, and/or capital gains, which may or may not be offset, in whole or in part, by a transaction fee paid by an Authorized Participant.
Information about the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads are available on the Fund's website at www.abfunds.com.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund may pay income dividends or make capital gains distributions, which may be subject to federal income taxes and taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state and local taxes.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its affiliates make payments to brokers, dealers and other financial intermediaries for the sale of Fund shares and other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker, dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
17
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS' STRATEGIES, RISKS AND INVESTMENTS
Below is additional information about the Funds' investment strategies, practices and related risks, including principal and non-principal strategies and risks. Most of these investment practices are discretionary, which means that the Adviser may or may not decide to use them. This section does not describe all of a Fund's investment practices that are non-principal strategies or all of the related risks of such strategies. Each Fund's principal strategies and risks are described in its summary prospectus and in the Summary Information section above, and additional information about each Fund's risks and investments can be found in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").
Market Risk
The market value of a security may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. These fluctuations may cause a security to be worth less than the price originally paid for it, or less than it was worth at an earlier time. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry, sector of the economy or the market as a whole. The Fund is exposed to market risk indirectly due to its exposure to the Underlying ETF. Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, which increases the probabilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Conditions affecting the general economy, including interest rate levels and political, social, or economic instability at the local, regional, or global level may also affect the market value of a security. Health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases, as well as other incidents that interrupt the expected course of events, such as natural disasters, including fires, earthquakes and flooding, war or civil disturbance, acts of terrorism, supply chain disruptions, power outages and other unforeseeable and external events, and the public response to or fear of such diseases or events, have had, and may in the future have, an adverse effect on a Fund's investments and NAV and can lead to increased market volatility. For example, the diseases or events themselves or any preventative or protective actions that governments may take in respect of such diseases or events may result in periods of business disruption, inability to obtain raw materials, supplies and component parts, and reduced or disrupted operations. The occurrence and pendency of such diseases or events could adversely affect the economies and financial markets either in specific countries or worldwide. Rates of inflation have recently risen. The value of assets or income from an investment may be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Fund's assets may decline.
Derivatives
Each Fund uses derivatives as part of its investment strategies. Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. Each Fund may use derivatives to earn income and enhance returns, to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its investments, to replace more traditional direct investments and to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets.
There are four principal types of derivatives-options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps-each of which is described below. Derivatives include listed and cleared transactions where a Fund's derivatives trade counterparty is an exchange or clearinghouse, and non-cleared bilateral "over-the-counter" transactions that are privately negotiated and where the Fund's derivative trade counterparty is a financial institution. Exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions tend to be subject to less counterparty credit risk than those that are bilateral and privately negotiated.
A Fund's use of derivatives may involve risks that are different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities or other more traditional instruments. These risks include the risk that the value of a derivative instrument may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates, or indices that they are designed to track. Other risks include: the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for a particular instrument and possible exchange-imposed price fluctuation limits, either of which may make it difficult or impossible to close out a position when desired; and the risk that the counterparty will not perform its obligations. Certain derivatives may have a leverage component and involve leverage risk. Adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, note or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the Fund's investment (in some cases, the potential loss is unlimited).
The Funds' investments in derivatives may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Forward Contracts.A forward contract is an agreement that obligates one party to buy, and the other party to sell, a specific quantity of an underlying commodity or other tangible asset for an agreed-upon price at a future date. A forward contract generally is settled by physical delivery of the commodity or tangible asset to an agreed-upon location (rather than settled by cash) or is rolled forward into a new forward contract or, in the case of a non-deliverable forward, by a cash payment at maturity. The Funds' investments in forward contracts may include the following:
-
Forward Currency Exchange Contracts. A Fund may purchase or sell forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes to minimize the risk from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies or for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies. A Fund, for example, may enter into a forward contract as a transaction hedge (to "lock in" the U.S. Dollar price of a non-U.S. Dollar security), as a position hedge (to protect the value of securities the Fund owns that are denominated in a foreign currency against substantial changes in the value of the foreign currency) or as a cross-hedge (to protect the value of securities the Fund owns that are denominated in a foreign currency against substantial changes in the value of that foreign currency by entering
18
into a forward contract for a different foreign currency that is expected to change in the same direction as the currency in which the securities are denominated).
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts.A futures contract is a standardized, exchange-traded agreement that obligates the buyer to buy and the seller to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset (or settle for cash the value of a contract based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specific price on the contract maturity date. Options on futures contracts are options that call for the delivery of futures contracts upon exercise. A Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities (through index futures or options) or currencies. A Fund may also purchase or sell futures contracts for foreign currencies or options thereon for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies.
Options.An option is an agreement that, for a premium payment or fee, gives the option holder (the buyer) the right but not the obligation to buy (a "call option") or sell (a "put option") the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specified price (the exercise price) during a period of time or on a specified date. Investments in options are considered speculative. A Fund may lose the premium paid for them if the price of the underlying security or other asset decreased or remained the same (in the case of a call option) or increased or remained the same (in the case of a put option). If a put or call option purchased by a Fund were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Fund. The Funds' investments in options include the following:
-
Options on Foreign Currencies. A Fund may invest in options on foreign currencies that are privately negotiated or traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges for hedging purposes to protect against declines in the U.S. Dollar value of foreign currency denominated securities held by a Fund and against increases in the U.S. Dollar cost of securities to be acquired. The purchase of an option on a foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against fluctuations in exchange rates, although if rates move adversely, a Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. A Fund may also invest in options on foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies.
-
Options on Securities. A Fund may purchase or write a put or call option on securities. A Fund may write covered options, which means writing an option for securities the Fund owns, and uncovered options.
-
Options on Securities Indices. An option on a securities index is similar to an option on a security except that, rather than taking or making delivery of a security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the chosen index is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option.
FLEX Options. FLEX Options are customized option contracts that trade on an exchange but provide investors with the ability to customize key contract terms like strike price, style and expiration date while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Like traditional exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), a market clearinghouse that guarantees performance by counterparties to certain derivatives contracts.
Swap Transactions. A swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals (payment dates) based upon, or calculated by, reference to changes in specified prices, rates (e.g., interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps or currency exchange rates in the case of currency swaps), or index for a specified amount of an underlying asset (the "notional" principal amount). Generally, the notional principal amount is used solely to calculate the payment stream, but is not exchanged. Most swaps are entered into on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with a Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). Certain standardized swaps, including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, are subject to mandatory central clearing and are required to be executed through a regulated swap execution facility. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants ("FCMs") that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as central counterparty, similar to transactions in futures contracts. A Fund posts initial and variation margin to support its obligations under cleared swaps by making payments to its clearing member FCMs. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risks and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk free. The Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") may adopt similar clearing and execution requirements in respect of certain security-based swaps under its jurisdiction. Privately negotiated swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors and are not cleared through a third party, nor are these required to be executed on a regulated swap execution facility. The Funds' investments in swap transactions include the following:
-
Interest Rate Swaps, Swaptions, Caps and Floors. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of payments calculated by reference to specified interest rates (e.g., an exchange of floating-rate payments for fixed-rate payments). Unless there is a counterparty default, the risk of loss to the Fund from interest rate swap transactions is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty to an interest rate swap transaction
19
defaults, the Fund's risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund contractually is entitled to receive.
An option on a swap agreement, also called a "swaption", is an option that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a swap on a future date in exchange for paying a market-based "premium". A receiver swaption gives the owner the right to receive the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. A payer swaption gives the owner the right to pay the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. Swaptions also include options that allow an existing swap to be terminated or extended by one of the counterparties.
The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a contractually-based principal amount from the party selling the interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on an agreed principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. It may be more difficult for a Fund to trade or close out interest rate caps and floors in comparison to other types of swaps.
There is no limit on the amount of interest rate transactions that may be entered into by a Fund. The value of these transactions will fluctuate based on changes in interest rates.
Interest rate swap, swaption, cap and floor transactions may, for example, be used in an effort to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or a portion of a Fund's portfolio or to protect against an increase in the price of securities a Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. Interest rate swaps may also be used to leverage a Fund's investments by creating positions that are functionally similar to purchasing a municipal or other fixed-income security but may only require payments to a swap counterparty under certain circumstances and allow a Fund to efficiently increase (or decrease) its duration and income.
-
Inflation (CPI) Swaps. Inflation swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to pay the cumulative percentage increase in a price index (the Consumer Price Index with respect to CPI swaps) over the term of the swap (with some lag on the inflation index), and the other pays a compounded fixed rate. Inflation swap agreements may be used to protect the NAV of a Fund against an unexpected change in the rate of inflation measured by an inflation index since the value of these agreements is expected to increase if inflation increases. A Fund will enter into inflation swaps on a net basis. The values of inflation swap agreements are expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of an inflation swap agreement.
-
Credit Default Swap Agreements. The "buyer" in a credit default swap contract is obligated to pay the "seller" a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract in return for a contingent payment upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation. Generally, a credit event means bankruptcy, failure to pay, obligation acceleration or restructuring. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If a Fund is a seller, the Fund receives a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the contract, which typically is between one month and ten years, provided that no credit event occurs. If a credit event occurs, a Fund, as seller, typically must pay the contingent payment to the buyer, which will be either (i) the "par value" (face amount) of the reference obligation, in which case the Fund will receive the reference obligation in return or (ii) an amount equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the reference obligation. As a buyer, if a credit event occurs, a Fund would be the receiver of such contingent payments, either delivering the reference obligation in exchange for the full notional (face) value of a reference obligation that may have little or no value, or receiving a payment equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the obligation. The current market value of the reference obligation is typically determined via an auction process sponsored by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. The periodic payments previously received by a Fund, coupled with the value of any reference obligation received, may be less than the full amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss to the Fund. If a Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund will lose its periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer typically receives full notional value for a reference obligation that may have little or no value.
Credit default swaps may involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly. Credit default swaps are subject to general market risk and credit risk and may be illiquid.
-
Currency Swaps. A Fund may invest in currency swaps for hedging purposes to protect against adverse changes in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies or for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies. Currency swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of a series of payments in specified currencies. Currency swaps may be bilateral and privately negotiated with the Fund expecting to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its currency swaps position. Currency swaps may involve the exchange of actual principal amounts of currencies by the counterparties at the initiation, and again upon the termination, of the transaction.
20
-
Total Return Swaps. A Fund may enter into total return swaps, under which one party agrees to pay the other the total return of a defined underlying asset, such as a security or basket of securities, or non-asset reference, such as a securities index, during the specified period in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from different underlying assets or references. Total return swaps could result in losses if the underlying asset or reference does not perform as anticipated.
-
Variance and Correlation Swaps. A Fund may enter into variance or correlation swaps to hedge market risk or adjust exposure to the markets. Variance swaps are contracts in which two parties agree to exchange cash payments based on the difference between the stated level of variance and the actual variance realized on an underlying asset or index. "Variance" as used here is defined as the sum of the square of the returns on the reference asset or index (which in effect is a measure of its "volatility") over the length of the contract term. The parties to a variance swap can be said to exchange actual volatility for a contractually stated rate of volatility. Correlation swaps are contracts in which two parties agree to exchange cash payments based on the differences between the stated and the actual correlation realized on the underlying securities within a given index. "Correlation" as used here is defined as the weighted average of the correlations between the daily returns of each pair of securities within a given index. If two assets are said to be closely correlated, it means that their daily returns vary in similar proportions or along similar trajectories.
Clearing Member Default Risk
Transactions in some types of derivatives, including FLEX Options utilized by the Funds, are required to be centrally cleared ("cleared derivatives"). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, a Fund's counterparty is a clearing house, such as the OCC, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Funds are not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house ("clearing members") can participate directly in the clearing house, the Funds will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members. In cleared derivatives positions, a Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to, and receive payments from, a clearing house through their accounts at clearing members. Customer funds held at a clearing organization in connection with any option contracts are held in a commingled omnibus account and are not identified to the name of the clearing member's individual customers. As a result, assets deposited by a Fund with any clearing member as margin for its FLEX Options may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund's clearing member. In addition, although clearing members guarantee performance of their clients' obligations to the clearing house, there is a risk that the assets of a Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the clearing member's bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing member's customers for the relevant account class. A Fund is also subject to the risk that a limited number of clearing members are willing to transact on the Fund's behalf, which heightens the risks associated with a clearing member's default. If a clearing member defaults, a Fund could lose some or all of the benefits of a transaction entered into by the Fund with the clearing member. The loss of a clearing member with which a Fund can transact could result in increased transaction costs and other operational issues that could impede the Fund's ability to implement its investment strategy. If a Fund cannot find a clearing member with which to transact, the Fund may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
Illiquid Securities
Each Fund limits its investments in illiquid securities to 15% of its net assets. Under Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), the term "illiquid securities" means any security or investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
A fund that invests in illiquid securities may not be able to sell such securities and may not be able to realize their full value upon sale. Restricted securities (securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale) may be illiquid. Some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A ("Rule 144A Securities") under the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act") or certain commercial paper) may be more difficult to trade than other types of securities.
Investment in Other Exchange-Traded Funds and Other Investment Companies
Each Fund may invest in other investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, unit investment trusts, other ETFs and other open-end investment companies, including AB Mutual Funds and ETFs, provided that the investment is consistent with the Fund's investment policies and restrictions. A Fund's investments in other investment companies will not exceed 10% of the Fund's total assets. As a shareholder of another investment company, a Fund would bear, along with other shareholders, its pro rata portion of the other investment company's expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the management fee that a Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. A Fund's investments in other investment companies will comply with applicable 1940 Act rules.
Each Fund's investments in other investment companies may include money market funds managed by the Adviser, including the AB Government Money Market Portfolio, a series of AB Fixed-Income Shares, Inc. Investments in money market funds are not subject to the 10% limitation set forth above.
SPECIAL RISKS OF EXCHANGE-TRADED SHARES
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value and Share Price
The NAV of each Fund's shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of each Fund's holdings. Each Fund's shares are listed on the Exchange and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although a
21
share's market price is expected to approximate its NAV, it is possible that the market price and NAV will vary significantly. As a result, you may sustain losses if you pay more than the shares' NAV when you purchase shares, or receive less than the shares' NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility, or lack of an active trading market for a Fund's shares, the market price of Fund shares is more likely to differ significantly from a Fund's NAV. During such periods, you may incur significant losses if you sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of a Fund. Disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants or market participants may also result in significant differences between the market price of a Fund's shares and the Fund's NAV. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The market price of shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid/ask" spread, which can be greater (wider) when there is little trading volume in Fund shares on the Exchange and lower (narrower) when there is a lot of trading volume in Fund shares. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly.
Non-U.S. Markets and Foreign Securities
Securities held by a Fund may be traded in non-U.S. markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. During the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable local market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the Fund's NAV per share may widen. The Adviser expects that, under normal market conditions, large discounts or premiums to a Fund's NAV per share will not be sustained in the long term because of arbitrage opportunities. During the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable local market has closed, the price of a foreign security that is included in a Fund's portfolio (and the Fund's NAV) will be the closing price on that security's local market, updated for currency changes, until that local market opens again. As a result, a Fund's NAV may be calculated using "stale" prices of foreign securities. This may contribute to a Fund's NAV varying more widely from its market price.
Information about the premiums and discounts at which each Fund's shares have traded is available at www.abfunds.com.
Trading Issues
Although each Fund's shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for a Fund's shares will be maintained or that requirements to remain listed will be met. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. A Fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as Authorized Participants. There are no obligations of market makers to make a market in the Fund's shares or of Authorized Participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Decisions by market makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role with respect to market making or creation and redemption activities during times of market stress, or a decline in the number of Authorized Participants due to decisions to exit the business, bankruptcy, or other factors, could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of a Fund's portfolio securities and the market price of Fund shares. To the extent no other Authorized Participants step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting. In addition, trading of Fund shares in the secondary market may be halted, for example, due to activation of individual or market-wide "circuit breakers" affecting a Fund or its portfolio securities. If trading halts or an unanticipated early closing of the Exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of a Fund. Foreside Fund Services, LLC ("Foreside" or the "Distributor"), the distributor of each Fund's shares, does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.
If a Fund's shares are delisted from the Exchange, the Adviser may seek to list the Fund shares on another market, merge the Fund with another ETF or traditional mutual fund, or redeem the Fund shares at NAV.
Shares of each Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short.
ADDITIONAL RISKS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Investments in each Fund involve the risk considerations described below.
Borrowings and Leverage
A Fund may use borrowings for investment purposes subject to its investment policies and procedures and to applicable statutory or regulatory requirements. Borrowings by a Fund result in leveraging of the Fund's shares. A Fund may also use leverage for investment purposes by entering into transactions such as reverse repurchase agreements, forward contracts, and dollar rolls or certain other derivatives. This means that a Fund uses cash made available during the term of these transactions to make investments in other securities.
Utilization of leverage, which is usually considered speculative, involves certain risks to a Fund's shareholders. These include a higher volatility of the NAV of a Fund's shares of common stock and the relatively greater effect of changes in the value of the Fund's portfolio on the NAV of the shares caused by favorable or adverse changes in market conditions or interest rates. In the case of borrowings for investment purposes, so long as a Fund is able to realize a net return on the leveraged portion of its investment portfolio that is higher than the interest expense paid on borrowings, the effect of leverage will be to cause the Fund's shareholders to realize a higher net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. If the interest expense on borrowings or other costs of leverage approach the net return on a Fund's investment portfolio or investments made through
22
leverage, as applicable, the benefit of leverage to the Fund's shareholders will be reduced. If the interest expense on borrowings or other costs of leverage were to exceed the net return to a Fund, the Fund's use of leverage could result in a lower rate of net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. Similarly, the effect of leverage in a declining market could normally be a greater decrease in NAV than if a Fund were not leveraged.
Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act imposes limits on a fund's utilization of certain derivatives and other forms of leverage. Rule 18f-4, among other things, permits a fund to treat certain financing transactions either as borrowings (subject to asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act) or as "derivatives transactions" subject to certain risk-based limits of Rule 18f-4.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities
Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with the majority of market capitalization and trading volume concentrated in a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. A Fund that invests in securities of foreign issuers may experience greater price volatility and significantly lower liquidity than a portfolio invested solely in securities of U.S. companies. These markets may be subject to greater influence by adverse events generally affecting the market, and by large investors trading significant blocks of securities, than is usual in the United States. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. or a foreign country may restrict a Fund's ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or may require a Fund to divest its holdings in foreign securities, which could adversely affect the value or liquidity of such holdings. The imposition of sanctions could also adversely affect global sectors and economies and thereby negatively affect the value of a Fund's investments beyond any direct exposure to the countries or regions subject to the sanctions.
In addition, the securities markets of some foreign countries may be closed on certain days when a Fund is open for business, including during normal trading days and on certain days (e.g., local holidays). When a Fund holds securities traded in foreign markets, the market price for a Fund's shares may be based on the last quoted price of securities traded on a foreign exchange, which may cause a deviation between the market price of a Fund's share and the NAV per share, which could cause the Fund's shares to trade at a larger premium or discount. In addition, when a foreign exchange is closed for trading, such as for local holidays a Fund will be unable to add to or exit its positions in certain foreign securities even though it may otherwise be attractive to do so.
Securities registration, custody, and settlement may in some instances be subject to delays and legal and administrative uncertainties. Foreign investment in the securities markets of certain foreign countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude investment in certain securities and may increase the costs and expenses of a Fund. In addition, the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities from certain countries is controlled under regulations, including in some cases the need for certain advance government notification or authority, and if a deterioration occurs in a country's balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Income from certain investments held by a Fund could be reduced by foreign income taxes, including withholding taxes.
A Fund also could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation, as well as by the application to it of other restrictions on investment. Investing in local markets may require a Fund to adopt special procedures or seek local governmental approvals or other actions, any of which may involve additional costs to the Fund. These factors may affect the liquidity of a Fund's investments in any country and the Adviser will monitor the effect of any such factor or factors on the Fund's investments. Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions for transactions both on and off the securities exchanges, in many foreign countries are generally higher than in the United States.
Issuers of securities in foreign jurisdictions are generally not subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, restrictions on market manipulation, shareholder proxy requirements, and timely disclosure of information. The reporting, accounting, and auditing standards of foreign countries may differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards in important respects, and less information may be available to investors in securities of foreign issuers than to investors in U.S. securities. Substantially less information is publicly available about certain non-U.S. issuers than is available about most U.S. issuers. In certain instances, issuers of securities in foreign jurisdictions are owned or controlled directly or indirectly by governmental authorities or military organizations. Securities of such issuers present risks in addition to general market risks of investing in the jurisdiction or country or region. These risks include political changes, social instability, regulatory uncertainty, adverse diplomatic developments, asset expropriation or nationalization, economic sanctions, trade embargos, cancellation of investors' interests, and confiscatory taxation, which could adversely affect the performance of the issuer and the value of the securities in which a Fund has invested.
The economies of individual foreign countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product or gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency, and balance of payments position. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, government regulation, political or social instability, public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness), revolutions, wars or diplomatic developments could affect adversely the economy of a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation, or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment in securities in the country involved. In addition, laws in foreign countries
23
governing business organizations, bankruptcy and insolvency may provide less protection to security holders such as a Fund than that provided by U.S. laws.
Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies
Investing in and exposure to foreign currencies involve special risks and considerations. A Fund that invests some portion of its assets in securities denominated in, and receives revenues in, foreign currencies will be adversely affected by reductions in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar. Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly. They are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets, the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates, and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments. In light of these risks, a Fund may engage in certain currency hedging transactions, as described above, which involve certain special risks.
A Fund may also invest directly in foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes on a spot basis (i.e., cash) or through derivatives transactions, such as forward currency exchange contracts, futures contracts and options thereon, swaps and options as described above. These investments will be subject to the same risks. In addition, currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, causing a Fund's NAV to fluctuate.
Management Risk-Quantitative Models
The Adviser may use investment techniques that incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models. These models may not work as intended and may not enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, certain models may be constructed using data from external providers, and these inputs may be incorrect or incomplete, thus potentially limiting the effectiveness of the models. Finally, the Adviser may change, enhance and update its models and its usage of existing models at its discretion.
Future Developments
The Fund may take advantage of other investment practices that are not currently contemplated for use by the Fund, or are not available but may yet be developed, to the extent such investment practices are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and legally permissible for the Fund. Such investment practices, if they arise, may involve risks that exceed those involved in the activities described above.
Changes in Investment Objectives and Policies
A Fund's Board of Directors (the "Board") may change the Fund's investment objective without shareholder approval. A Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days' prior written notice of any change to the Fund's investment objective. Unless otherwise noted, all other investment policies of a Fund may be changed without shareholder approval.
Temporary Defensive Position
For temporary defensive purposes in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, a Fund may invest in certain types of short-term, liquid, investment grade or high-quality (depending on the Fund) debt securities. While a Fund is investing for temporary defensive purposes, it may not meet its investment objective.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of each Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is available in the Fund's SAI.
On each business day, before commencement of trading on the Exchange, each Fund will disclose on www.abfunds.comthe identities and quantities of the Fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. Other information concerning each Fund's portfolio holdings may also be published on the Fund's website from time to time.
Website Disclosures
The following information about each Fund is available on the Fund's website, www.abfunds.com, which is publicly available and free of charge:
Complete portfolio holdings, including for each security, the ticker symbol, CUSIP or other identifying symbol, description and the quantity and weight of each security in the Fund;
The names and quantities of securities that constitute the Fund's Creation Unit and estimated balancing amount (which will be posted before the commencement of the trading day);
The current NAV per share, market price, and premium/discount, each as of the end of the prior business day;
A table showing the number of days that the Fund shares traded at a premium or discount during the most recently completed fiscal year and quarter (or for the life of the fund for new funds);
A line graph showing the Fund's premiums or discounts for the most recently completed calendar year and calendar quarter (or for the life of the fund for new funds);
The median bid/ask spread for the Fund on a rolling 30-day basis; and
If the premium or discount is greater than 2% for more than seven consecutive trading days, a statement that the premium/discount was greater than 2% and a discussion of the factors that are reasonably believed to have materially contributed to this premium/discount.
Cyber Security Risk
As the use of the Internet and other technologies has become more prevalent in the course of business, the Funds and their service providers, including the Adviser, have become more susceptible to operational and financial risks associated with cyber security. Cyber security incidents can result from deliberate attacks such as gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through "hacking" or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information,
24
corrupting data, or causing operational disruption, or from unintentional events, such as the inadvertent release of confidential information. Cyber security failures or breaches of a Fund or its service providers or the issuers of securities in which a Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. While measures have been developed which are designed to reduce the risks associated with cyber security incidents, there can be no assurance that those measures will be effective, particularly since a Fund does not control the cyber security defenses or plans of its service providers, financial intermediaries and companies with which those entities do business and companies in which the Fund invests.
Cyber security incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund or shareholder assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or cause a Fund, the Adviser, and/or a Fund's service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or lose operational functionality, or prevent Fund shareholders from purchasing, redeeming, or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The Funds and the Adviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cyber security incidents affecting third-party service providers. Cyber security incidents may result in financial losses to a Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in seeking to prevent or minimize future cyber security incidents.
25
INVESTING IN THE FUNDS
This section discusses how to buy, sell or redeem, or exchange shares of a Fund that are offered through this Prospectus.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
Shares of each Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined under "Creations and Redemptions") may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. Once created, shares of a Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of each Fund are listed and traded on the Exchange, and individual investors can purchase or sell shares in the secondary market through a financial intermediary. The Funds do not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market. AB International Buffer ETF shares trade under the ticker symbol "BUFI."AB Moderate Buffer ETF shares trade under the ticker symbol "BUFM."
When buying or selling shares of the Funds through a financial intermediary, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the "spread," that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on the Fund's trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
Your ownership of Fund shares will be shown on the records of the financial intermediary through which you hold the shares. A Fund will not have any record of your ownership. Your account information will be maintained by your financial intermediary, which will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Fund shares, and tax information. Your financial intermediary also will be responsible for ensuring that you receive income and capital gains distributions, as well as shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund whose shares you own. You will receive other services (e.g., dividend reinvestment and average cost information) only if your financial intermediary offers these services.
BOOK ENTRY
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no share certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Funds and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of share certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book-entry or "street name" form.
SHARE TRADING PRICE
The trading prices of a Fund's shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund's daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors.
The trading price of a Fund's shares on the Exchange may differ from the Fund's daily NAV. The Exchange disseminates the approximate value of shares of a Fund every fifteen seconds. This approximate value should not be viewed as a "real-time" update of the NAV per share of a Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The approximate value is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by a Fund. As the respective international local markets close, the approximate value will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15-second interval, but certain holdings may not be updated otherwise if such holdings do not trade in the United States. A Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value, and the Fund does not make any representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS OF FUND SHARES
The Funds' Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares ("frequent trading") that appear to attempt to take advantage of potential arbitrage opportunities presented by a lag between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities after the close of the primary markets for the Fund's portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund's NAV ("market timing"). The Board believes this is appropriate because an ETF, such as
26
each Fund, is intended to be attractive to arbitrageurs, as trading activity is critical to ensuring that the market price of Fund shares remains at or close to NAV. Since each Fund issues and redeems Creation Units at NAV plus applicable transaction fees, and each Fund's shares may be purchased and sold on the Exchange at prevailing market prices, the risks of frequent trading are limited.
Although the Funds do not impose any restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions, the Funds reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the SAI.
PREMIUM AND DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Most investors will buy and sell shares of a Fund in secondary market transactions through brokers at market prices, and a Fund's shares will trade at market prices. The market price of shares may be greater than, equal to, or less than NAV. Market forces of supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors may affect the trading prices of shares of a Fund.
Information about each Fund's daily market price and how often shares of the Fund traded on the Exchange are at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of each Fund (during a Fund's four previous calendar quarters (or for the life of the Fund, if shorter)) can be found at www.abfunds.com.
CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of each Fund are "created" at NAV by Authorized Participants for market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units (25,000 shares in the case of AB International Buffer ETFand 25,000 shares in the case of AB Moderate Buffer ETF) or multiples thereof. Each "creator" or Authorized Participant has entered into an agreement with the Distributor.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the Distributor and a Fund, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the Fund. However, Creation Units will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund. A Fund expects to, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units partially or solely for cash.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by a Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by a Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units with a Fund. Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units for their own accounts or for customers, including, without limitation, affiliates of a Fund.
In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to a Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or a Fund may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent a Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with portfolio securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant that has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in each Fund's SAI.
COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS
A Fund may impose a creation transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of shares. The creation and redemption transaction fees applicable to a Fund have both fixed and variable components. The standard creation transaction fee, which is fixed, is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee, which is a fixed fee, is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. The maximum creation transaction fee (fixed and variable) is up to 3% of the value of the creation order. The maximum redemption fee (fixed and variable) is up to 2% of the value of the Creation Units redeemed. The amount of the fees, which may be changed by a Fund from time to time at its sole discretion, are made available daily to Authorized Participants, market makers, and other interested parties. Creations and redemptions for cash are also subject to a variable additional fee (up to the maximum amount of 3% of the amount of a
27
creation transaction and 2% of the amount of a redemption transaction). This fee is intended to compensate for transaction, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. From time to time, the transaction fees may be waived when believed to be in the best interests of a Fund.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
Each Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act which permits the Fund to pay Rule 12b-1 fees not to exceed 0.25% per year of the Fund's average daily net assets. No such fee is currently paid, and the Board has not approved the commencement of payments under the Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan. The Funds do not plan to make payments under the Rule 12b-1 Plan within one year of each Fund's effective date. The Funds will provide 60 days' notice to shareholders before making payments under the Rule 12b-1 Plan. The Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan covers materials that may be furnished, at the Adviser's expense, to financial intermediaries and other service providers that relate to the Funds.
ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS TO BROKERS, DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
In addition to the commissions paid to or charged by financial intermediaries at the time of sale of Fund shares, the Adviser and its affiliates, at their own expense, provide additional payments to brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries and service providers for distribution, marketing, promotional, educational and other services. These payments are often referred to as "revenue sharing" payments. In some circumstances, these payments may relate to information provided by brokers, dealers and financial intermediaries about investors in a Fund. In other circumstances, these payments may relate to intermediaries making Fund shares available to their customers, including through technology platforms, "preferred fund" programs, reduced commission programs or to defray or reduce all or a portion of "ticket" or other transactional charges imposed by the intermediary. These types of payments may be viewed as an incentive for a broker, dealer or financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of a Fund to its customers. You should ask your broker, dealer or financial intermediary for more details about any such payments it receives.
A Fund may use brokers and dealers that are also Authorized Participants to effectuate portfolio transactions. A Fund does not consider Authorized Participants' activities as a factor when selecting brokers or dealers to effect portfolio transactions.
The Adviser or an affiliate may pay fees to an exchange as part of a program to provide compensation to market makers for liquidity and secondary market support services. These fees are provided to market makers that meet certain liquidity and other market quality standards with respect to a Fund. These fees are subject to approval by the SEC and are not paid by a Fund.
HOW THE FUNDS VALUE THEIR SHARES
Each Fund's NAV is calculated on any day the Exchange is open at the close of regular trading (ordinarily, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, but sometimes earlier, as in the case of scheduled half-day trading or unscheduled suspensions of trading). To calculate NAV, a Fund's assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding. If a Fund invests in securities that are primarily traded in non-U.S. markets which trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the NAV of the Fund's shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem their shares in the Fund.
Each Fund values its securities at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at "fair value" as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Fund's Board.
Foreign markets normally close earlier in the day than U.S. markets. Each Fund generally determines the value of a security that is primarily traded on a non-U.S. exchange as of the close of trading on that exchange. The value of that security is then converted to its U.S. dollar equivalent at the foreign exchange rate in effect at 4:00 p.m., London time, on the day the value of the security is determined.
Pursuant to the valuation procedures, the Adviser, as each Fund's valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, is responsible for making all fair value determinations relating to a Fund's portfolio investments, subject to the oversight of the Fund's Board. When making a fair value determination, the Adviser may take into account any factors it deems appropriate. The Adviser may determine fair value based upon developments related to a specific security, current valuations of foreign stock indices (as reflected in U.S. futures markets) and/or U.S. sector or broader stock market indices. The prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Making a fair value determination involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security.
Each Fund expects to use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded on U.S. exchanges under certain circumstances, such as the early closing of the exchange on which a security is traded or suspension of trading in the security, or for securities for which market prices are not readily available or deemed unreliable (including restricted securities). Factors considered in fair value pricing may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer or analysts, or by analysis of the issuers' financial statements. A Fund may value its securities using fair value prices based on independent pricing services.
Each Fund may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because, among other things, most foreign markets close well before a Fund ordinarily values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The earlier close of these
28
foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events may have occurred in the interim. The Adviser monitors for significant events following the close of trading in foreign markets.
The Adviser has established a valuation committee of senior officers and employees ("Valuation Committee") to fulfill the Adviser's responsibilities as each Fund's valuation designee, which operates under the policies and procedures approved by the Board, to value a Fund's assets on behalf of the Fund. The Valuation Committee values Fund assets as described above. More information about the valuation of a Fund's assets is available in each Fund's SAI.
29
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Each Fund's investment adviser is AllianceBernstein L.P., 501 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203. The Adviser, which is a controlled indirect subsidiary of Equitable Holdings, Inc., is a leading global investment adviser supervising client accounts with assets as of June 30, 2024 totaling approximately $770 billion (of which approximately $148 billion represented assets of registered investment companies sponsored by the Adviser). As of June 30, 2024, the Adviser managed retirement assets for many of the largest public and private employee benefit plans (including 15 of the nation's FORTUNE 100 companies), for public employee retirement funds in 32 of the 50 states, for investment companies, and for foundations, endowments, banks and insurance companies worldwide. The 28 registered investment companies managed by the Adviser, comprising approximately 94 separate investment portfolios, had as of June 30, 2024 approximately 2.5 million shareholder accounts.
The Adviser provides investment advisory services and order placement facilities for each Fund. The Adviser is paid an annual unitary management fee by each Fund as set forth below and is responsible for the Fund's expenses, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services as well as acquired fund fees and expenses for affiliated money market funds, but excluding fee payments under the Fund's investment advisory agreement, interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses for unaffiliated funds, if any, brokerage commissions and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, distribution and service fees payable pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan, if any, litigation, and extraordinary expenses.
Fund
Fee as a Percentage of
Average Daily Net
Assets
AB International Buffer ETF
.69 %
AB Moderate Buffer ETF
.69 %
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of each Fund's investment advisory agreement will be available in each Fund's Form N-CSR for the fiscal period ended November 30, 2024.
The Adviser acts as an investment adviser to other persons, firms, or corporations, including investment companies, hedge funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors. The Adviser may receive management fees, including performance fees, that may be higher or lower than the advisory fees it receives from the Funds. Certain other clients of the Adviser have investment objectives and policies similar to those of a Fund. The Adviser may, from time to time, make recommendations that result in the purchase or sale of a particular security by its other clients simultaneously with a Fund. If transactions on behalf of more than one client during the same period increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price or quantity. It is the policy of the Adviser to allocate advisory recommendations and the placing of orders in a manner that is deemed equitable by the Adviser to the accounts involved, including the Funds. When two or more of the clients of the Adviser (including a Fund) are purchasing or selling the same security on a given day from the same broker or dealer, such transactions are averaged as to price. The securities are then allocated to participating accounts using automated algorithms designed to achieve a fair, equitable and objective distribution of the securities over time.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The management of, and investment decisions for, the Funds' portfolios are made by certain Investment Policy Teams. Each Investment Policy Team relies heavily on the research of the Adviser's large internal research staff. No one person is principally responsible for coordinating each Fund's investments.
The following table lists the Investment Policy Teams, the persons within each Investment Policy Team with the most significant responsibility for day-to-day management of each Fund's portfolio, the length of time that each person has been jointly and primarily responsible for the Fund, and each person's principal occupation during the past five years:
Employee; Year; Title Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past Five (5) Years
AB International Buffer ETF
Buffer Investment Team
Alexander Barenboym; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity to his current position since prior to 2019.
Joshua Lisser; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity to his current position since prior to 2019. He is also Chief Investment Officer of Index Strategies.
Benjamin Sklar; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser Senior Vice President of the Adviser, with which he has been associated in a substantially similar capacity to his current position since prior to 2019.
AB Moderate Buffer ETF
Buffer Investment Team
Alexander Barenboym; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser (see above)
Joshua Lisser; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser (see above)
Benjamin Sklar; since December 2024; Senior Vice President of the Adviser (see above)
30
The Funds' SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers' compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers' ownership of securities in the Funds.
31
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS INFORMATION
Dividends from net investment income from a Fund, if any, are declared and paid at least annually by the Fund. The Funds distribute their net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders at least annually. During the fourth quarter of the calendar year, typically in early November, an estimate of each Fund's capital gains distribution, if any, will be made available at www.alliancebernstein.com/investments/us/tax-center.htm. If you purchased your shares in the secondary market, your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Such shares will generally be reinvested by the broker based upon the market price of those shares and investors may be subject to customary brokerage commissions charged by the broker.
TAX INFORMATION
Any investment in a Fund typically involves several tax considerations. The information below is intended as a general summary for U.S. citizens and residents. Please see the SAI for additional information. Because each person's tax situation is different, you are encouraged to consult your tax adviser about the tax implications of an investment in a Fund in your particular situation. You also can visit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website at www.irs.govfor more information about applicable tax rates and other information.
Taxation of Distributions
While it is the intention of each Fund to distribute to its shareholders substantially all of each fiscal year's net income and net realized capital gains, if any, the amount and timing of any dividend or distribution will depend on the realization by the Fund of income and capital gains from investments. There is no fixed dividend rate and there can be no assurance that a Fund will pay any distributions or realize any capital gains. The final determination of the amount of a Fund's return of capital distributions for the period will be made after the end of each calendar year.
To the extent a Fund's Creation Units are redeemed for cash, a Fund may realize or recognize capital gains or losses, which may or may not be offset, in whole or in part, by a transaction fee paid by the redeeming Authorized Participant. A Fund that redeems Creation Units primarily in cash may recognize more capital gains or losses than a Fund that redeems Creation Units primarily in-kind.
The distributions you receive from a Fund are taxable, whether you take the distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. A Fund's distributions may be treated either as ordinary income or as long-term capital gain.
Distributions of net capital gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for more than one year and that are properly designated as capital gains distributions are taxable as long-term capital gains, taxable at a maximum rate of 20% for individuals, trusts and estates. A Fund may also make distributions that are treated as "qualified dividend income", which is taxed at the same rates as long-term capital gains, to the extent such distributions are attributable to, and properly designated by the Fund as, "qualified dividend income". "Qualified dividend income" generally is income derived from dividends from U.S. corporations and "qualified foreign corporations". A Fund will notify you as to how much of the Fund's distributions, if any, qualify for these reduced tax rates. A Fund's income is primarily derived from investments earning interest income, and therefore, under normal circumstances, the Fund expects that none or only a very small portion of its distributions would be "qualified dividend income".
Other distributions by a Fund are generally taxable to you as ordinary income.
Dividends declared in October, November, or December and paid in January of the following year are taxable as if they had been paid the previous December.
Under certain circumstances, if a Fund realizes losses (e.g., from fluctuations in currency exchange rates) after paying a dividend, all or a portion of the dividend may subsequently be characterized as a return of capital. Returns of capital are generally nontaxable, but will reduce your tax basis in your Fund shares (which will increase the capital gain or reduce the capital loss that you subsequently realize on a sale of your shares). If that basis is reduced to zero (which could happen if you do not reinvest distributions and returns of capital are significant), any further returns of capital will be taxable to you as a capital gain.
Taxation of Sales of Shares
If you sell your Fund shares in the secondary market on an exchange, you may realize gain (or loss). The amount of your gain (or loss) will be the difference between the proceeds of the sale (the market price per share on the date of sale times the number Fund shares sold reduced by the expenses of the sale, if any) and your adjusted basis in those Fund shares sold. Any capital gain or loss is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for one year or less. Long-term capital gains are taxable at a maximum rate of 20% for individuals, trusts and estates. Capital loss realized on the sale or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received by the shareholder. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
Taxation of Creation Units
If an Authorized Participant exchanges securities for Creation Units, the Authorized Participant will generally recognize capital gain or capital loss from the exchange. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the
32
Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the Authorized Participant's aggregate tax basis in the securities surrendered plus any cash paid for the Creation Units. If the Authorized Participant exchanges Creation Units for securities, the Authorized Participant will generally recognize capital gain or capital loss equal to the difference between the Authorized Participant's tax basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities and the amount of cash received.
Net Investment Income Tax
Individuals, trusts, and estates whose income exceeds certain threshold amounts are subject to a 3.8% tax on "net investment income." Net investment income takes into account distributions paid by the Fund and capital gains from any sale of shares.
Foreign Taxes and Foreign Tax Credit
Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. To the extent that any Fund is liable for foreign income taxes withheld at the source, the Fund may be eligible to "pass through" to the Fund's shareholders credits for foreign income taxes paid (or to permit shareholders to claim a deduction for such foreign taxes), but there can be no assurance that any Fund will be so eligible, and Funds that invest primarily in U.S. securities will not be so eligible. Furthermore, a shareholder's ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction for foreign taxes paid by a Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, as a result of which a shareholder may not be permitted to claim a credit or deduction for all or a portion of the amount of such taxes.
General
If you purchase shares before a Fund deducts a distribution from its NAV, you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of the price back as a distribution, which may be taxable.
Each year shortly after December 31, a Fund will send you tax information stating the amount and type of all its distributions for the year. You are encouraged to consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, and local tax consequences in your particular circumstances, as well as about any possible foreign tax consequences.
Dividend distributions and capital gains distributions that you receive, as well as your gains or losses from any sale of shares, may be subject to state and local income taxes.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
If you are a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation for federal income tax purposes, please see the Funds' SAI for information on how you will be taxed as a result of holding shares in a Fund.
33
GENERAL INFORMATION
Under unusual circumstances, a Fund may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for up to seven days or longer, as permitted by federal securities law.
Householding. Householding is an option available to certain investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
34
GLOSSARY OF INVESTMENT TERMS
Equity securitiesinclude (i) common stocks, partnership interests, business trust shares and other equity or ownership interests in business enterprises and (ii) securities convertible into, and rights and warrants to subscribe for the purchase of, such stocks, shares and interests.
Fixed-income securitiesare investments, such as bonds, that pay a fixed rate of return.
MSCI EAFE Index is a stock market index of foreign stocks, from the perspective of a North American investor. The index is market capitalization weighted (meaning that the weight of securities is determined based on their respective market capitalizations). The index targets coverage of 85% of the market capitalization of the equity markets of all countries that are a part of the index. The EAFE acronym stands for "Europe, Australasia, and Far East".
S&P 500 Indexis a stock market index containing the stocks of 500 U.S. large-cap corporations. Widely regarded as the best single gauge of the U.S. equities market, the S&P 500 Index includes a representative sample of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy.
U.S. Government securitiesare securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, including obligations that are issued by private issuers that are guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or by certain government-sponsored entities (entities chartered by or sponsored by Act of Congress). These securities include securities backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, those supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and those backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or entity itself. The first category includes U.S. Treasury securities (which are U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and bonds) and certificates issued by the Government National Mortgage Association. U.S. Government securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or a right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury include certificates issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.
35
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Financial highlights information is not available because the Funds have not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
36
For more information about the Funds, the following documents are available upon request:
ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS AND FORM N-CSR
The Funds' annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and Form N-CSR, once available, will contain additional information on the Funds' investments. In the annual report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected a Fund's performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find each Fund's annual and semi-annual financial statements.
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (SAI)
The Funds have an SAI, which contains more detailed information about the Funds, including their operations and investment policies. The Funds' SAI is incorporated by reference into (and is legally part of) this Prospectus.
You may request a free copy of the current annual/semi-annual report, once available, the SAI or other information such as Fund financial statements, once available, or make inquiries concerning the Funds, by contacting your broker or other financial intermediary, or by contacting the Adviser:
By Mail:
c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, Maine 04101
By Phone:
For Information and Literature:
(800) 243-5994
On the Internet: www.abfunds.com
You may also view reports and other information about the Funds, including the SAI, by visiting the EDGAR database on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of this information can be obtained, for a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
You also may find these documents and more information about the Adviser and the Funds on the Internet at: www.abfunds.com.
The [A/B] Logo is a service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered trademark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.
Fund SEC File No.
AB International Buffer ETF
811-23799
AB Moderate Buffer ETF
811-23799
PRO-ETF10-1024

AB ACTIVE ETFs, INC.

-AB International Buffer ETF

(Ticker: BUFI)

(Exchange: Nasdaq)

-AB Moderate Buffer ETF

(Ticker: BUFM)

(Exchange: Nasdaq)

c/o Foreside Fund Services, LLC

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101

For Literature: (800) 243-5994

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

October 21, 2024

This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus but supplements and should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus, dated October 21, 2024, for the AB International Buffer ETF ("International Buffer") and AB Moderate Buffer ETF ("Moderate Buffer") (each a "Fund" and collectively, the "Funds"), each a series of AB Active ETFs, Inc. (the "Company") (the "Prospectus"). Copies of the Prospectus may be obtained by contacting Foreside Fund Services, LLC ("Foreside") at the address or the "For Literature" telephone number shown above or on the Internet at www.abfunds.com.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS AND THEIR INVESTMENTS 1
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS 33
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS 34
EXPENSES OF THE FUNDS 62
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS 64
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES 78
NET ASSET VALUE 78
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES 80
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS 86
GENERAL INFORMATION 91
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 93
APPENDIX A: PROXY VOTING AND GOVERNANCE POLICY STATEMENT A-1

______________________________

The [A/B] Logo is a service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered trademark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.

Table of Contents
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS AND THEIR INVESTMENTS

Introduction to the Funds

The Company, a Maryland corporation initially organized on July 12, 2010 under the name "AllianceBernstein Active ETFs, Inc.", is an open-end investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The Company's name was changed to "AB Active ETFs, Inc." on May 4, 2022. The Company's shares are offered in separate series. Each Fund is a series of the Company, a separate pool of assets constituting, in effect, a separate open-end management investment company with its own investment objective and policies, organized in 2024. Each Fund is a non-diversified, exchange-traded fund ("ETF") registered under the 1940 Act and is advised by AllianceBernstein L.P. (the "Adviser").

Except as otherwise noted, each Fund's investment objectives and policies described below are not "fundamental policies" within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and may, therefore, be changed by the Fund's Board of Directors (the "Board") without shareholder approval. However, no Fund will change its investment objective without at least 60 days' prior written notice to shareholders. There is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Whenever any investment policy or restriction states a percentage of a Fund's assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, it is intended that such percentage limitation be determined immediately after and as a result of a Fund's acquisition of such securities or other assets. Accordingly, except with respect to borrowing, any later increases or decreases in percentage beyond the specified limitations resulting from a change in values or net assets will not be considered a violation of this percentage limitation.

Each Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per share ("NAV") only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a "Creation Unit"), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (the "Deposit Securities" or "Creation Basket"), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the "Cash Component"). Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the "Exchange") and trade on the Exchange at market prices that may differ from the shares' NAV. As noted above, shares are also redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, generally for a specified cash payment. As a practical matter, only institutions or large investors purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not individually redeemable securities.

Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain on deposit with the Company cash at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the missing Deposit Securities, as set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement ("AP Agreement"). The Company may impose a transaction fee for each creation or redemption. In all cases, such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities. As in the case

1
Table of Contents

of other publicly traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions in the secondary market will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.

Exchange Listing and Trading

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Investing in the Funds section of the Funds' Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Funds' Prospectus.

Shares of the Funds are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Exchange and in the other secondary markets. Shares of the Funds may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of each Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of a Fund from listing if (i) the Exchange becomes aware that the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act, (ii) the Fund no longer complies with the Exchange's requirements for exchange-traded fund shares, (iii) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable.

The Exchange will also remove shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund. As in the case of other publicly traded securities, when you buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker. The Company reserves the right to adjust the share prices of a Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund or an investor's equity interest in the Fund.

Additional Investment Policies and Practices

The following information about the Funds' investment policies and practices supplements the information set forth in the Prospectus.

Common Stock

Common stock, also referred to as equity securities, represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company's stock price.

The fundamental risk of investing in common stock is that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or

2
Table of Contents

in response to general market and/or economic conditions. While common stocks have historically provided greater long-term returns than preferred stocks, fixed-income and money market investments, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.

Convertible Securities

Convertible securities include bonds, debentures, corporate notes and preferred stocks that are convertible at a stated exchange rate into shares of the underlying common stock. Prior to their conversion, convertible securities have the same general characteristics as non-convertible debt securities, which provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of equity securities of the same or similar issuers. As with debt securities, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. While convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar quality, they do enable investors to benefit from any increases in the market price of the underlying common stock.

When the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security increases, the price of the convertible security increasingly reflects the value of the underlying common stock and may rise accordingly. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and thus may not depreciate to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Convertible debt and preferred securities rank senior to common stock, and convertible debt securities rank senior to preferred stock, in an issuer's capital structure. Convertible securities are consequently of higher quality and entail less risk than the issuer's common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed-income security.

Derivatives

A Fund may, but is not required to, use derivatives for hedging or other risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. These assets, rates, and indices may include bonds, stocks, mortgages, commodities, interest rates, currency exchange rates, bond indices and stock indices.

There are four principal types of derivatives - options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps. These principal types of derivative instruments, as well as the ways they may be used by a Fund are described below. Derivatives include listed and cleared transactions where the Fund's derivative trade counterparty is an exchange or clearinghouse, and non-cleared bilateral "over-the-counter" ("OTC") transactions that are privately negotiated and where the Fund's derivative trade counterparty is a financial institution. Exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions tend to be subject to less counterparty creditrisk thanthose that are bilateral and privately negotiated. The Funds may use derivatives to earn income and enhance returns, to hedge or adjust the risk profile of a portfolio and either to replace more traditional direct investments or to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets.

3
Table of Contents

Forward Contracts. A forward contract, which may be standardized and exchange-traded or customized and privately negotiated, is an agreement for one party to buy, and the other party to sell, a specific quantity of an underlying security, currency, commodity or other asset for an agreed-upon price at a future date. A forward contract generally is settled by physical delivery of the security, commodity or other tangible asset underlying the forward contract to an agreed-upon location at a future date (rather than settled by cash) or is rolled forward into a new forward contract. Non-deliverable forwards ("NDFs") specify a cash payment upon maturity.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement that obligates the buyer to buy and the seller to sell a specified quantity of an underlying asset (or settle for cash the value of a contract based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specific price on the contract maturity date. Options on futures contracts are options that call for the delivery of futures contracts upon exercise. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded instruments and are fungible (i.e., considered to be perfect substitutes for each other). This fungibility allows futures contracts to be readily offset or canceled through the acquisition of equal but opposite positions, which is the primary method by which futures contracts are liquidated. A cash-settled futures contract does not require physical delivery of the underlying asset but instead is settled for cash equal to the difference between the values of the contract on the date it is entered into and its maturity date.

Options. An option, which may be standardized and exchange-traded, or customized and privately negotiated, is an agreement that, for a premium payment or fee, gives the option holder (the buyer) the right but not the obligation to buy (a "call") or sell (a "put") the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or index) at a specified price (the exercise price) during a period of time or on a specified date. Likewise, when an option is exercised the writer of the option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or to purchase (in the case of a put option) the underlying asset (or settle for cash an amount based on an underlying asset, rate or index).

Swaps. A swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals (payment dates) based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices, rates (e.g., interest rates in the case of interest rate swaps, currency exchange rates in the case of currency swaps), or index for a specified amount of an underlying asset (the "notional" principal amount). Most swaps are entered into on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Funds receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). Generally, the notional principal amount is used solely to calculate the payment streams but is not exchanged. Pursuant to Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") regulations, certain standardized swaps, including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, are subject to mandatory central clearing and are required to be executed through a regulated swap execution facility. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants ("FCMs") that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as central counterparty, similar to transactions in futures contracts. Funds post initial and variation margin to support their obligations under cleared swaps by making payments to their clearing member FCMs. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty

4
Table of Contents

credit risks and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not make swap transactions risk free. The SEC has recently adopted similar execution requirements in respect of certain security-based swaps under its jurisdiction and may in the future adopt similar clearing requirements for such security-based swaps. Privately negotiated swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors and are not cleared through a third party, nor are these required to be executed on a regulated swap execution facility.

Risks of Derivatives and Other Regulatory Issues. Investment techniques employing such derivatives involve risks different from, and, in certain cases, greater than, the risks presented by more traditional investments. Following is a general discussion of important risk factors and issues concerning the use of derivatives.

-- Market Risk. This is the general risk attendant to all investments that the value of a particular investment will change in a way detrimental to a Fund's interest.

-- Management Risk. Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions. In particular, the use and complexity of derivatives require the maintenance of adequate controls to monitor the transactions entered into, the ability to assess the risk that a derivative adds to a Fund's investment portfolio, and the ability to forecast price, interest rate or currency exchange rate movements correctly.

-- Credit Risk. This is the risk that a loss may be sustained by a Fund as a result of the failure of another party to a derivative (usually referred to as a "counterparty") to comply with the terms of the derivative contract. The credit risk for derivatives traded on an exchange or through a clearinghouse is generally less than for uncleared OTC derivatives, since the performance of the exchange or clearinghouse, which is the issuer or counterparty to each derivative, is supported by all of the members of such exchange or clearinghouse. The performance of an exchange or clearinghouse is further supported by a daily payment system (i.e., margin requirements) operated by the exchange or clearinghouse in order to reduce overall credit risk. There is no similar intermediary support for uncleared OTC derivatives. Therefore, a Fund will effect transactions in uncleared OTC derivatives only with investment dealers and other financial institutions (such as commercial banks) deemed creditworthy by the Adviser, and the Adviser has adopted procedures for monitoring the creditworthiness of such entities.

5
Table of Contents

-- Counterparty Risk. The value of an OTC derivative will depend on the ability and willingness of a Fund's counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If the counterparty defaults, a Fund will have contractual remedies but may choose not to enforce them to avoid the cost and unpredictability of legal proceedings. In addition, if a counterparty fails to meet its contractual obligations, a Fund could miss investment opportunities or otherwise be required to retain investments it would prefer to sell, resulting in losses for the Fund. Participants in OTC derivatives markets generally are not subject to the same level of credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as are exchanges or clearinghouses. As a result, OTC derivatives generally expose a Fund to greater counterparty risk than derivatives traded on an exchange or through a clearinghouse.

Recent regulations affecting derivatives transactions require certain standardized derivatives, including many types of swaps, to be subject to mandatory central clearing. Under these requirements, a central clearing organization is substituted as the counterparty to each side of the derivatives transaction. Each party to derivatives transactions is required to maintain its positions with a clearing organization through one or more clearing brokers. Central clearing is intended to reduce, but not eliminate, counterparty risk. A Fund is subject to the risk that its clearing member or clearing organization will itself be unable to perform its obligations. A Fund may also face the indirect risk of the failure of another clearing member customer to meet its obligations to the clearing member, causing a default by the clearing member on its obligations to the clearinghouse.

-- Illiquid Investments Risk. Illiquid investments risk exists when a particular instrument is difficult to purchase, sell or otherwise liquidate. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous price.

-- Leverage Risk. Since many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, rate or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. In the case of swaps, the risk of loss generally is related to a notional principal amount, even if the parties have not made any initial investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment.

-- Regulatory Risk. Various U.S. Government entities, including the CFTC and the SEC, are in the process of adopting and implementing additional regulations governing derivatives markets permitted by, among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act, including clearing, as discussed above,

6
Table of Contents

margin, reporting and registration requirements. In addition, the SEC has adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which governs the use of derivatives and certain other forms of leverage by registered investment companies. Rule 18f-4 requires certain funds, among other things, to adopt a comprehensive derivatives risk management program, appoint a derivatives risk manager and comply with a limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk, or "VaR". Funds that use derivatives in a limited amount are not subject to the full requirements of Rule 18f-4. In addition, Congress, various exchanges and regulatory and self-regulatory authorities have undertaken reviews of futures, options and swaps markets in light of market volatility. Among the actions that have been taken or proposed to be taken are new limits and reporting requirements for speculative positions, new or more stringent daily price fluctuation limits, and increased margin requirements for various types of futures. These regulations and actions may adversely affect a Fund's ability to execute its investment strategy.

The CFTC has also issued rules requiring certain OTC derivatives transactions that fall within its jurisdiction to be executed through a regulated securities, futures or swap exchange or execution facility. Such requirements may make it more difficult or costly for a Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions. They may also render certain strategies in which a Fund may otherwise engage impossible or so costly that they will not be economical to implement. If a Fund decides to become a direct member of one or more swap exchange or execution facilities, it will be subject to all of the rules of the exchange or execution facility.

European regulation of the derivatives market is also relevant to the extent a Fund engages in derivatives transactions with a counterparty that is subject to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation ("EMIR"). EMIR introduced uniform requirements in respect of OTC derivative contracts by requiring certain "eligible" OTC derivatives contracts to be submitted for clearing to regulated central clearing counterparties and by mandating the reporting of certain details of OTC derivatives contracts to trade repositories. In addition, EMIR imposes risk mitigation requirements, including requiring appropriate procedures and arrangements to measure, monitor and mitigate operational and counterparty credit risk in respect of OTC derivatives contracts which are not subject to mandatory clearing. These risk mitigation requirements include the exchange, and potentially the segregation, of collateral by the parties, including by a Fund. While many of the obligations under EMIR have come into force, a number of other requirements have not yet come into force or are subject to phase-in periods, and certain key issues have not been resolved. It is therefore not fully clear how the OTC derivatives

7
Table of Contents

market will ultimately adapt to the evolving European regulatory regime for OTC derivatives.

-- Other Risks. Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives and the inability of derivatives to correlate perfectly with underlying assets, rates and indices. Many derivatives, in particular privately-negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to a Fund. Derivatives do not always perfectly or even highly correlate with or track the value of the assets, rates or indices they are designed to closely track. Consequently, a Fund's use of derivatives may not always be an effective means of, and sometimes could be counterproductive to, furthering the Fund's investment objective.

Other. A Fund may purchase and sell derivative instruments only to the extent that such activities are consistent with the requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA") and the rules adopted by the CFTC thereunder. Under CFTC rules, a registered investment company that conducts more than a certain amount of trading in futures contracts, commodity options, certain swaps and other commodity interests is a commodity pool and its adviser must register as a commodity pool operator ("CPO"). Under such rules, registered investment companies that are commodity pools are subject to additional recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements. The Adviser, with respect to the Funds, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of CPO under CFTC Rule 4.5 under the CEA based on the extent of the Funds' derivatives use and such Funds are not currently subject to these recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements under the CEA.

Use of Options, Futures Contracts, Forwards and Swaps by a Fund

- Forward Currency Exchange Contracts. A forward currency exchange contract is an obligation by one party to buy, and the other party to sell, a specific amount of a currency for an agreed-upon price at a future date. A forward currency exchange contract may result in the delivery of the underlying asset upon maturity of the contract in return for the agreed-upon payment. NDFs specify a cash payment upon maturity. NDFs are normally used when the market for physical settlement of the currency is underdeveloped, heavily regulated or highly taxed.

A Fund may, for example, enter into forward currency exchange contracts to attempt to minimize the risk to the Fund from adverse changes in the relationship between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies. A Fund may purchase or sell forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes similar to those described below in connection with its transactions in foreign currency futures contracts. A Fund may also purchase or sell forward currency exchange contracts for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under "Currency Transactions".

8
Table of Contents

If a hedging transaction in forward currency exchange contracts is successful, the decline in the value of portfolio securities or the increase in the cost of securities to be acquired may be offset, at least in part, by profits on the forward currency exchange contract. Nevertheless, by entering into such forward currency exchange contracts, a Fund may be required to forgo all or a portion of the benefits which otherwise could have been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates.

A Fund may use forward currency exchange contracts to seek to increase total return when the Adviser anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Fund and do not present attractive investment opportunities. For example, a Fund may enter into a foreign currency exchange contract to purchase a currency if the Adviser expects the currency to increase in value. The Fund would recognize a gain if the market value of the currency is more than the contract value of the currency at the time of settlement of the contract. Similarly, a Fund may enter into a foreign currency exchange contract to sell a currency if the Adviser expects the currency to decrease in value. The Fund would recognize a gain if the market value of the currency is less than the contract value of the currency at the time of settlement of the contract.

The cost of engaging in forward currency exchange contracts varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currencies are usually conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

- Options on Securities. A Fund may write and purchase call and put options on securities, including U.S. Government securities. In purchasing an option on securities, a Fund would be in a position to realize a gain if, during the option period, the price of the underlying securities increased (in the case of a call) or decreased (in the case of a put) by an amount in excess of the premium paid; otherwise the Fund would experience a loss not greater than the premium paid for the option. Thus, a Fund would realize a loss if the price of the underlying security declined or remained the same (in the case of a call) or increased or remained the same (in the case of a put) or otherwise did not increase (in the case of a put) or decrease (in the case of a call) by more than the amount of the premium. If a put or call option purchased by a Fund were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Fund.

A Fund may write a put or call option in return for a premium, which is retained by the Fund whether or not the option is exercised. A Fund may write covered options or uncovered options. A call option written by a Fund is "covered" if the Fund owns the underlying security, has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security upon conversion or exchange of another security it holds, or holds a call option on the underlying security with an exercise price equal to or less than the exercise price of the call option it has written. A put option written by a Fund is covered if the Fund holds a put option on the underlying securities with an exercise price equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put option it has written. Uncovered options or "naked options" are riskier than covered options. For example, if a Fund wrote a naked call option and the price of the underlying security increased, the Fund would have to purchase the underlying security for delivery to the call buyer and sustain a loss, which

9
Table of Contents

could be substantial, equal to the difference between the option price and the market price of the security.

A Fund may also purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund anticipates purchasing in the future. If such increase occurs, the call option will permit the Fund to purchase the securities at the exercise price, or to close out the options at a profit. The premium paid for the call option plus any transaction costs will reduce the benefit, if any, realized by the Fund upon exercise of the option, and, unless the price of the underlying security rises sufficiently, the option may expire worthless to the Fund and the Fund will suffer a loss on the transaction to the extent of the premium paid.

A Fund may purchase put options to hedge against a decline in the value of portfolio securities. If such decline occurs, the put options will permit the Fund to sell the securities at the exercise price or to close out the options at a profit. By using put options in this way, the Fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have realized on the underlying security by the amount of the premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

A Fund may also, as an example, write combinations of put and call options on the same security, known as "straddles", with the same exercise and expiration date. By writing a straddle, the Fund undertakes a simultaneous obligation to sell and purchase the same security in the event that one of the options is exercised. If the price of the security subsequently rises above the exercise price, the call will likely be exercised and the Fund will be required to sell the underlying security at or below market price. This loss may be offset, however, in whole or in part, by the premiums received on the writing of the two options. Conversely, if the price of the security declines by a sufficient amount, the put will likely be exercised. The writing of straddles will likely be effective, therefore, only where the price of the security remains stable and neither the call nor the put is exercised. In those instances where one of the options is exercised, the loss on the purchase or sale of the underlying security may exceed the amount of the premiums received.

By writing a call option, a Fund limits its opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. By writing a put option, a Fund assumes the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying security for an exercise price above its then current market value, resulting in a capital loss unless the security subsequently appreciates in value. Where options are written for hedging purposes, such transactions constitute only a partial hedge against declines in the value of portfolio securities or against increases in the value of securities to be acquired, up to the amount of the premium.

A Fund may purchase or write options on securities of the types in which it is permitted to invest in privately-negotiated (i.e., OTC) transactions. Options purchased or written in negotiated transactions may be illiquid and it may not be possible for the Fund to effect a closing transaction at a time when the Adviser believes it would be advantageous to do so.

FLEX Options. FLexible EXchange Options ("FLEX Options") are customized option contracts that trade on an exchange but provide investors with the ability to customize key

10
Table of Contents

contract terms like strike price, style and expiration date while achieving price discovery in competitive, transparent auctions markets and avoiding the counterparty exposure of over-the-counter options positions. Like traditional exchange-traded options, FLEX Options are guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), a market clearinghouse that guarantees performance by counterparties to certain derivatives contracts.

Although guaranteed for settlement by the OCC, FLEX Options are still subject to counterparty risk with the OCC and subject to the risk that the OCC may fail to perform the settlement of the FLEX Options due to bankruptcy or other adverse reasons. A Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. Subject to determination by the Securities Committee of the OCC, adjustments may be made to the FLEX Options for certain events specified in the OCC's by-laws and rules: certain stock dividends or distributions, stock splits, reverse stock splits, rights offerings, distributions, reorganizations, recapitalizations, or reclassifications with respect to an underlying security, or a merger, consolidation, dissolution or liquidation of the issuer of the underlying security. According to the OCC's by-laws, the nature and extent of any such adjustment is to be determined by the OCC's Securities Committee, in light of the circumstances known to it at the time such determination is made, based on its judgment as to what is appropriate for the protection of investors and the public interest, taking into account such factors as fairness to holders and writers (or purchasers and sellers) of the affected options, the maintenance of a fair and orderly market in the affected options, consistency of interpretation and practice, efficiency of exercise settlement procedures, and the coordination with other clearing agencies of the clearance and settlement of transactions in the underlying interest.

A Fund's FLEX Options will consist of options on an underlying ETF (an "Underlying ETF"). The Underlying ETF is an ETF that seeks to track the investment results of the S&P 500 Index, in the case of Moderate Buffer, and the MSCI EAFE Index, in the case of International Buffer. As such, the value of the Fund's FLEX Options will fluctuate with changes in the value of the securities held by its respective Underlying ETF, and thus the Underlying ETF's share price. In addition to the value of an Underlying ETF, the value of an option, in general, will reflect, among other things, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment, and general market conditions. The FLEX Options in which the Funds invest are European style, which are exercisable at the strike price only on the expiration date. The FLEX Options traded by the Funds are listed on a U.S. national securities exchange.

Each of the options exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same asset that may be bought or written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by the Adviser are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options that the Funds may buy or sell. Currently, the relevant national securities exchanges have no position limits for the instruments in which the Funds expect to invest.

11
Table of Contents

The puts and calls on an Underlying ETFs entitle the purchaser of the option the right to purchase (for a call option) or sell (for a put option) shares of the Underlying ETF at a predetermined specified price (the "strike price"). When a Fund writes a call on an Underlying ETF, it receives a premium and agrees that the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund the delivery of a specified number of shares of the Underlying ETF in exchange for the strike price. When a Fund buys a call on an Underlying ETF, it pays a premium and has the same rights to such call as indicated above. When a Fund buys a put on an Underlying ETF, it pays a premium and has the right to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund's exercise of the put, to deliver the specified number of shares of the Underlying ETF in exchange for the strike price. When a Fund writes a put on an Underlying ETF, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right to require the Fund to deliver the specified number of shares of the Underlying ETF in exchange for the strike price.

Although a Fund will generally utilize FLEX Options that are physically settled, a Fund may also utilize FLEX Options that are cash-settled. Cash-settled options give the holder the right to receive an amount (or owe an amount) of cash upon the exercise of the option. Gain or loss depends on changes in the value of an Underlying ETF's share price relative to the strike price for a given option contract. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of an Underlying ETF's share price and the exercise price of the option contract times a specified multiple ("multiplier"), which determines the total value for each point of such difference.

Risks of Options on an Underlying ETF. If a Fund has purchased an option and exercises it before the closing value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the Underlying ETF may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out of the money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing Underlying ETF value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.

- Options on Securities Indices. An option on a securities index is similar to an option on a security except that, rather than taking or making delivery of a security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the chosen index is greater than (in the case of a call) or less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option.

A Fund may write (sell) call and put options and purchase call and put options on securities indices. If a Fund purchases put options on securities indices to hedge its investments against a decline in the value of portfolio securities, it will seek to offset a decline in the value of securities it owns through appreciation of the put option. If the value of the Fund's investments does not decline as anticipated, or if the value of the option does not increase, the Fund's loss will be limited to the premium paid for the option. The success of this strategy will largely depend on the accuracy of the correlation between the changes in value of the index and the changes in value of the Fund's security holdings.

12
Table of Contents

A Fund may also write put or call options on securities indices to, among other things, earn income. If the value of the chosen index declines below the exercise price of the put option, the Fund has the risk of loss of the amount of the difference between the exercise price and the closing level of the chosen index, which it would be required to pay to the buyer of the put option and which may not be offset by the premium it received upon sale of the put option. Similarly, if the value of the index is higher than the exercise price of the call option, the Fund has the risk of loss of the amount of the difference between the exercise price and the closing level of the chosen index, which may not be offset by the premium it received upon sale of the call option. If the value of the securities index is significantly below or above the exercise price of the written option, the Fund could experience a substantial loss.

The purchase of call options on securities indices may be used by a Fund to attempt to reduce the risk of missing a broad market advance, or an advance in an industry or market segment, at a time when the Fund holds uninvested cash or short-term debt securities awaiting investment. When purchasing call options for this purpose, the Fund will also bear the risk of losing all or a portion of the premium paid if the value of the index does not rise. The purchase of call options on stock indices when a Fund is substantially fully invested is a form of leverage, up to the amount of the premium and related transaction costs, and involves risks of loss and of increased volatility similar to those involved in purchasing call options on securities the Fund owns.

- Other Option Strategies. In an effort to earn extra income, to adjust exposure to individual securities or markets, or to protect all or a portion of its portfolio from a decline in value, sometimes within certain ranges, a Fund may use option strategies such as the concurrent purchase of a call or put option, including on individual securities, stock indices, futures contracts (including on individual securities and stock indices) or shares of ETFs at one strike price and the writing of a call or put option on the same individual security, stock index, futures contract or ETF at a higher strike price in the case of a call option or at a lower strike price in the case of a put option. The maximum profit from this strategy would result for the call options from an increase in the value of the individual security, stock index, futures contract or ETF above the higher strike price or, for the put options, the decline in the value of the individual security, stock index, futures contract or ETF below the lower strike price. If the price of the individual security, stock index, futures contract or ETF declines in the case of the call option or increases in the case of the put option, the Fund has the risk of losing the entire amount paid for the call or put options.

- Options on Foreign Currencies. A Fund may purchase and write options on foreign currencies for hedging and non-hedging purposes. For example, a decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency in which portfolio securities are denominated will reduce the dollar value of such securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remains constant. In order to protect against such diminutions in the value of portfolio securities, the Fund may purchase put options on the foreign currency. If the value of the currency does decline, the Fund will have the right to sell such currency for a fixed amount in dollars and could thereby offset, in whole or in part, the adverse effect on its portfolio which otherwise would have resulted.

13
Table of Contents

Conversely, where a rise in the dollar value of a currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated is projected, thereby increasing the cost of such securities, a Fund may purchase call options thereon. The purchase of such options could offset, at least partially, the effects of the adverse movements in exchange rates. As in the case of other types of options, however, the benefit to the Fund from purchases of foreign currency options will be reduced by the amount of the premium and related transaction costs. In addition, where currency exchange rates do not move in the direction or to the extent anticipated, the Fund could sustain losses on transactions in foreign currency options which would require it to forgo a portion or all of the benefits of advantageous changes in such rates.

A Fund may write options on foreign currencies for hedging purposes or in an effort to increase returns. For example, where a Fund anticipates a decline in the dollar value of non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities due to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates, it could, instead of purchasing a put option, write a call option on the relevant currency. If the expected decline occurs, the option will most likely not be exercised, and the diminution in value of portfolio securities could be offset by the amount of the premium received.

Similarly, instead of purchasing a call option to hedge against an anticipated increase in the dollar cost of securities to be acquired, a Fund could write a put option on the relevant currency, which, if rates move in the manner projected, will expire unexercised and allow the Fund to hedge such increased cost up to the amount of the premium. As in the case of other types of options, however, the writing of a foreign currency option will constitute only a partial hedge up to the amount of the premium, and only if rates move in the expected direction. If this does not occur, the option may be exercised and the Fund will be required to purchase or sell the underlying currency at a loss which may not be offset by the amount of the premium. Through the writing of options on foreign currencies, the Fund also may be required to forgo all or a portion of the benefits that might otherwise have been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates.

In addition to using options for the hedging purposes described above, a Fund may also invest in options on foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies. A Fund may use options on currency to seek to increase total return when the Adviser anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Fund and do not present attractive investment opportunities. For example, the Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase in the market value of a currency. A Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option. Put options may be purchased by a Fund for the purpose of benefiting from a decline in the value of a currency that the Fund does not own. A Fund would normally realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize no gain or loss on the purchase of the put option. For additional information on the use of options on foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes, see "Currency Transactions" below.

14
Table of Contents

Special Risks Associated with Options on Currencies. An exchange-traded options position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although a Fund will generally purchase or sell options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time. For some options, no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that the Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs on the sale of the underlying currency.

- Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Futures contracts that a Fund may buy and sell may include futures contracts on fixed-income or other securities, and contracts based on interest rates, foreign currencies or financial indices, including any index of U.S. Government securities. A Fund may, for example, purchase or sell futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities (through index futures or options) or currencies.

Interest rate futures contracts are purchased or sold for hedging purposes to attempt to protect against the effects of interest rate changes on a Fund's current or intended investments in fixed-income securities. For example, if a Fund owned long-term bonds and interest rates were expected to increase, that Fund might sell interest rate futures contracts. Such a sale would have much the same effect as selling some of the long-term bonds in that Fund's portfolio. However, since the futures market is generally more liquid than the cash market, the use of interest rate futures contracts as a hedging technique allows a Fund to hedge its interest rate risk without having to sell its portfolio securities. If interest rates were to increase, the value of the debt securities in the portfolio would decline, but the value of that Fund's interest rate futures contracts would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate, thereby keeping the NAV of that Fund from declining as much as it otherwise would have. On the other hand, if interest rates were expected to decline, interest rate futures contracts could be purchased to hedge in anticipation of subsequent purchases of long-term bonds at higher prices. Because the fluctuations in the value of the interest rate futures contracts should be similar to those of long-term bonds, a Fund could protect itself against the effects of the anticipated rise in the value of long-term bonds without actually buying them until the necessary cash becomes available or the market has stabilized. At that time, the interest rate futures contracts could be liquidated and that Fund's cash reserves could then be used to buy long-term bonds on the cash market.

A Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency futures contracts for hedging or risk management purposes in order to protect against fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Such fluctuations could reduce the dollar value of portfolio securities denominated in foreign currencies, or increase the cost of non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities to be acquired, even if the value of such securities in the currencies in which they are denominated remains constant. A Fund may sell futures contracts on a foreign currency, for example, when it holds securities denominated in such currency and it anticipates a decline in the value of such currency relative to the dollar. If such a decline were to occur, the resulting adverse effect on the value of non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities may be offset, in whole or in part, by gains on the futures contracts. However, if the value of the foreign currency increases relative to the dollar, a Fund's

15
Table of Contents

loss on the foreign currency futures contract may or may not be offset by an increase in the value of the securities because a decline in the price of the security stated in terms of the foreign currency may be greater than the increase in value as a result of the change in exchange rates.

Conversely, a Fund could protect against a rise in the dollar cost of non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities to be acquired by purchasing futures contracts on the relevant currency, which could offset, in whole or in part, the increased cost of such securities resulting from a rise in the dollar value of the underlying currencies. When a Fund purchases futures contracts under such circumstances, however, and the price in dollars of securities to be acquired instead declines as a result of appreciation of the dollar, the Fund will sustain losses on its futures position which could reduce or eliminate the benefits of the reduced cost of portfolio securities to be acquired.

A Fund may also engage in currency "cross hedging" when, in the opinion of the Adviser, the historical relationship among foreign currencies suggests that a Fund may achieve protection against fluctuations in currency exchange rates similar to that described above at a reduced cost through the use of a futures contract relating to a currency other than the U.S. Dollar or the currency in which the foreign security is denominated. Such "cross hedging" is subject to the same risks as those described above with respect to an unanticipated increase or decline in the value of the subject currency relative to the U.S. Dollar.

A Fund may also use foreign currency futures contracts and options on such contracts for non-hedging purposes. Similar to options on currencies described above, a Fund may use foreign currency futures contracts and options on such contracts to seek to increase total return when the Adviser anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Fund and do not present attractive investment opportunities. The risks associated with foreign currency futures contracts and options on futures contracts are similar to those associated with options on foreign currencies, as described above. For additional information on the use of options on foreign currencies for non-hedging purposes, see "Currency Transactions" below.

Purchases or sales of stock or bond index futures contracts may be for investment purposes. They may also be used for hedging or risk management purposes to attempt to protect a Fund's current or intended investments from broad fluctuations in stock or bond prices. For example, a Fund may sell stock or bond index futures contracts in anticipation of or during a market decline to attempt to offset the decrease in market value of the Fund's portfolio securities that might otherwise result. If such decline occurs, the loss in value of portfolio securities may be offset, in whole or in part, by gains on the futures position. When a Fund is not fully invested in the securities market and anticipates a significant market advance, it may purchase stock or bond index futures contracts in order to gain rapid market exposure that may, in whole or in part, offset increases in the cost of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. As such purchases are made, the corresponding positions in stock or bond index futures contracts may be closed out.

Options on futures contracts are options that call for the delivery of futures contracts upon exercise. Options on futures contracts written or purchased by a Fund will be traded on U.S. exchanges.

16
Table of Contents

The writing of a call option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against declining prices of the securities in a Fund's portfolio. If the futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund's portfolio holdings. The writing of a put option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the securities or other instruments required to be delivered under the terms of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration of the put option is higher than the exercise price, a Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium, which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities which the Fund intends to purchase. If a put or call option a Fund has written is exercised, the Fund will incur a loss which will be reduced by the amount of the premium it receives. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value of its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its options on futures positions, a Fund's losses from exercised options on futures may to some extent be reduced or increased by changes in the value of portfolio securities.

A Fund may purchase options on futures contracts for hedging purposes instead of purchasing or selling the underlying futures contracts. For example, where a decrease in the value of portfolio securities is anticipated as a result of a projected market-wide decline or changes in interest or exchange rates, a Fund could, in lieu of selling futures contracts, purchase put options thereon. In the event that such a decrease were to occur, it may be offset, in whole or in part, by a profit on the option. If the anticipated market decline were not to occur, the Fund will suffer a loss equal to the price of the put. Where it is projected that the value of securities to be acquired by a Fund will increase prior to acquisition due to a market advance or changes in interest or exchange rates, a Fund could purchase call options on futures contracts, rather than purchasing the underlying futures contracts. If the market advances, the increased cost of securities to be purchased may be offset by a profit on the call. However, if the market declines, the Fund will suffer a loss equal to the price of the call, but the securities that the Fund intends to purchase may be less expensive.

- Credit Default Swap Agreements. The "buyer" in a credit default swap contract is obligated to pay the "seller" a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract in return for a contingent payment upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference obligation. Generally, a credit event means bankruptcy, failure to pay, obligation acceleration or restructuring. A Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. As a seller, the Fund receives a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the contract, which typically is between one month and ten years, provided that no credit event occurs. If a credit event occurs, the Fund, as seller, typically must pay the contingent payment to the buyer. The contingent payment will be either (i) the "face amount" of the reference obligation in which case the Fund will receive the reference obligation in return, or (ii) an amount equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the obligation. As a buyer, if a credit event occurs, the Fund would be the receiver of such contingent payments, either delivering the reference obligation in exchange for the full notional (face) value of a reference obligation that may have little or no value, or receiving a payment equal to the difference between the face amount and the current market value of the obligation.

17
Table of Contents

The value of the reference obligation received by the Fund as a seller if a credit event occurs, coupled with the periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund.

If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund will lose its periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer typically receives full notional value for a reference obligation that may have little or no value.

Credit default swaps may involve greater risks than if a Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly. Credit default swaps are subject to general market risk and credit risk, and may be illiquid.

- Currency Swaps. A Fund may enter into currency swaps for hedging purposes in an attempt to protect against adverse changes in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies or for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under "Currency Transactions". Currency swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of a series of payments in specified currencies. Currency swaps may involve the exchange of actual principal amounts of currencies by the counterparties at the initiation and again upon termination of the transaction. Currency swaps may be bilateral and privately negotiated, with the Fund expecting to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its portfolio investments and its currency swaps positions. The Funds will not enter into any currency swap unless the credit quality of the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the counterparty thereto is rated in the highest short-term rating category of at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization ("NRSRO") at the time of entering into the transaction.

- Swaps: Interest Rate Transactions. A Fund may enter into interest rate swap, swaption and cap or floor transactions, which may include preserving a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio or protecting against an increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. Unless there is a counterparty default, the risk of loss to a Fund from interest rate transactions is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty to an interest rate transaction defaults, the Fund's risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive.

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by a Fund with another party of payments calculated by reference to specified interest rates (e.g., an exchange of floating-rate payments for fixed-rate payments) computed based on a contractually-based principal (or "notional") amount.

An option on a swap agreement, also called a "swaption", is an option that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a swap on a future date in exchange for paying a market-based "premium". A receiver swaption gives the owner the right to receive the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. A payer swaption gives the owner the right to pay the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. Swaptions also include options that allow an existing swap to be terminated or extended by one of the counterparties.

18
Table of Contents

Interest rate caps and floors are similar to options in that the purchase of an interest rate cap or floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds (in the case of a cap) or falls below (in the case of a floor) a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional amount from the party selling the interest rate cap or floor. It may be more difficult for a Fund to trade or close out interest rate caps and floors in comparison to other types of swaps.

These transactions do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. A Fund will enter into bilateral swap agreements, including interest rate swap, swaptions, cap or floor transactions but excluding currency swaps, which are subject to separate counterparty requirements as addressed above, only with counterparties who have credit ratings of at least A- (or the equivalent) from any one NRSRO or counterparties with guarantors with debt securities having such a rating. For cleared swaps, the Adviser will monitor the creditworthiness of each of the central clearing counterparty, clearing broker and executing broker but there will be no prescribed NRSRO rating requirements for these entities.

- Inflation (CPI) Swaps. Inflation swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to pay the cumulative percentage increase in a price index (the Consumer Price Index with respect to CPI swaps) over the term of the swap (with some lag on the inflation index), and the other pays a compounded fixed rate. Inflation swap agreements may be used to protect the NAV of the Fund against an unexpected change in the rate of inflation measured by an inflation index since the value of these agreements is expected to increase if inflation increases.

- Total Return Swaps. A Fund may enter into total return swaps in order to take a "long" or "short" position with respect to an underlying referenced asset. The Fund is subject to market price volatility of the underlying referenced asset. A total return swap involves commitments to pay interest in exchange for a market linked return based on a notional amount. To the extent that the total return of the security group of securities or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest obligation, the Fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty. Total return swaps may reflect a leveraged investment and incorporate borrowing costs which are borne by the Fund. There is no guarantee that the Fund's investment via a total return swap will deliver returns in excess of the embedded borrowing costs and, accordingly, the Fund's performance may be less than would be achieved by a direct investment in the underlying referenced asset.

- Variance and Correlation Swaps. A Fund may enter into variance or correlation swaps in an attempt to hedge market risk or adjust exposure to the markets. Variance swaps are contracts in which two parties agree to exchange cash payments based on the difference between the stated level of variance and the actual variance realized on an underlying asset or index. Actual "variance" as used here is defined as the sum of the square of the returns on the reference asset or index (which in effect is a measure of its "volatility") over the length of the contract term. The parties to a variance swap can be said to exchange actual volatility for a contractually stated rate of volatility. Correlation swaps are contracts in which two parties agree to exchange cash payments based on the differences between the stated and the actual correlation

19
Table of Contents

realized on the underlying securities within a given index. "Correlation" as used here is defined as the weighted average of the correlations between the daily returns of each pair of securities within a given index. If two assets are said to be closely correlated, it means that their daily returns vary in similar proportions or along similar trajectories.

Special Risks Associated with Swaps. Risks may arise as a result of the failure of the counterparty to a bilateral swap contract to comply with the terms of the swap contract. The loss incurred by the failure of a counterparty is generally limited to the net interim payment to be received by a Fund, and/or the termination value at the end of the contract. Therefore, the Fund considers the creditworthiness of the counterparty to a bilateral swap contract. The risk is mitigated by having a netting arrangement between the Fund and the counterparty and by the posting of collateral by the counterparty to the Fund to cover the Fund's exposure to the counterparty.

Additionally, swap values can be highly volatile and expose investors to a high risk of loss. The low initial margin deposits normally required to establish a swap position permit a high degree of leverage. As a result, depending on the type of swap, a relatively small movement in the price of the underlying reference asset or in the market value of the contract may result in a profit or loss which is high in proportion to the amount of funds deposited as initial margin and may result in unquantifiable further loss exceeding any margin deposited. Such risks may arise from unanticipated movements in interest rates or in the value of the underlying securities. A Fund accrues for the changes in value on swap contracts on a daily basis, with the net amount recorded within unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swap contracts on the statement of assets and liabilities. Once the interim payments are settled in cash, the net amount is recorded as realized gain/(loss) on swaps on the statement of operations, in addition to any realized gain/(loss) recorded upon the termination of swap contracts. Fluctuations in the value of swap contracts are recorded as a component of net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swap contracts on the statement of operations.

Swaps entered into in the OTC market are more likely to be illiquid than exchange-traded instruments as there is no exchange market on which to close out an open OTC swap position. It may therefore be impossible to liquidate an existing position (or to do so at an advantageous price), to assess the value of the position, or to assess the exposure to risk associated with the position.

- Currency Transactions. A Fund may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or un-hedged basis. The Adviser may actively manage the Fund's currency exposures and may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures contracts and options on futures contracts, swaps and options. The Adviser may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Fund and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Funds may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

20
Table of Contents

Illiquid Securities

A Fund will not invest in illiquid securities if immediately after such investment more than 15% of the Fund's net assets would be invested in such securities. Under Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the term illiquid securities means any security or investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.

ETFs do not typically hold a significant amount of restricted securities (securities that are subject to restrictions on resale to the general public) or other illiquid securities because of the potential for delays on resale and uncertainty in valuation. Limitations on resale may have an adverse effect on the marketability of portfolio securities and an ETF might be unable to dispose of restricted or other illiquid securities promptly or at reasonable prices and might thereby experience difficulty satisfying redemptions within seven days. An ETF may also have to take certain steps or wait a certain amount of time in order to remove the transfer restrictions for such restricted securities in order to dispose of them, resulting in additional expense and delay.

Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") allows a broader institutional trading market for securities otherwise subject to restriction on resale to the general public. Rule 144A establishes a "safe harbor" from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers ("Rule 144A Securities"). An insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing certain restricted securities held by a Fund, however, could adversely affect the marketability of such portfolio securities and the Fund might be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices.

The Funds have adopted a liquidity risk management program pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act and related procedures to categorize each Fund's investments, including Rule 144A Securities, and identify illiquid investments.

Investment in Other Exchange-Traded Funds and Other Investment Companies

The Funds may invest in shares of ETFs, including AB ETFs, subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, or any applicable rules, exemptive orders or regulatory guidance thereunder. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that seek to track the performance of a specific index or implement actively-managed investment strategies. Index ETFs will not track their underlying indices precisely since the ETFs have expenses and may need to hold a portion of their assets in cash, unlike the underlying indices, and the ETFs may not invest in all of the securities in the underlying indices in the same proportion as the indices for varying reasons. Unlike index ETFs, actively-managed ETFs generally seek to outperform a benchmark index and typically have higher expenses than index ETFs, which expenses reduce investment returns. Both index ETFs and actively-managed ETFs may offer exposure to broad investment strategies and across various asset classes, including equity, fixed income, commodities and currencies. The Funds will incur transaction costs when buying and selling

21
Table of Contents

ETF shares, and indirectly bear the expenses of the ETFs. In addition, the market value of an ETF's shares, which is based on supply and demand in the market for the ETF's shares, may differ from its NAV. Accordingly, there may be times when an ETF's shares trade at a discount or premium to its NAV.

The Funds may invest in investment companies other than ETFs, including AB Mutual Funds, as permitted by the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or exemptive orders thereunder. As with ETF investments, if the Funds acquire shares in other investment companies, shareholders would bear, indirectly, the expenses of such investment companies (which may include management and advisory fees), which to the extent not waived or reimbursed, would be in addition to the Funds' expenses. The Funds intend to invest uninvested cash balances in an affiliated money market fund as permitted by Rule 12d1-1 under the 1940 Act. A Fund's investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, subject the Fund indirectly to the underlying risks of those investment companies.

To the extent that a Fund is an "acquired fund" for purposes of Rule 12d1-4, the Fund intends to limit its investments in the securities of other investment companies and private funds to no more than 10% of its total assets, subject to certain limited exceptions permitted under the Rule.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Dollar Rolls

Reverse repurchase agreements are identical to repurchase agreements except that rather than buying securities for cash subject to their repurchase by the seller, a Fund sells portfolio assets concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase the same assets at a later date at a fixed price slightly higher than the sale price. During the reverse repurchase agreement period, the Fund continues to receive principal and interest payments on these securities. Generally, the effect of a reverse repurchase agreement is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while it will be able to keep the interest income associated with those portfolio securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the "interest cost" to the Fund of the reverse repurchase transaction, i.e., the difference between the sale and repurchase price for the securities, is less than the cost of otherwise obtaining the cash invested in portfolio securities.

Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be a loan to the Fund by the counterparty, collateralized by the assets subject to repurchase because the incidents of ownership are retained by the Fund. By entering into reverse repurchase agreements, the Fund obtains additional cash to invest in other securities. The Funds may use reverse repurchase agreements for borrowing purposes if it believes that the cost of this form of borrowing will be lower than the cost of bank borrowing. Reverse repurchase agreements create leverage and are speculative transactions because they allow a Fund to achieve a return on a larger capital base relative to its NAV. The use of leverage creates the opportunity for increased income for the Fund's shareholders when the Fund achieves a higher rate of return on the investment of the reverse repurchase agreement proceeds than it pays in interest on the reverse repurchase transactions. However, there is the risk that returns could be reduced if the rates of interest on the investment proceeds do not exceed the interest paid by a Fund on the reverse repurchase

22
Table of Contents

transactions.

Dollar rolls involve sales by a Fund of securities for delivery in the current month and the Fund's simultaneously contracting to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price and the lower forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the "drop") as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement may decline below the repurchase price. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund's use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund's obligation to repurchase the securities. In addition, the use of these investments results in leveraging the Fund's common stocks because the Fund uses the proceeds to make investments in other securities. See "Certain Risk and Other Considerations - Borrowings and Leverage" below.

Rights and Warrants

A Fund may invest in rights and warrants, which entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time, but will do so only if the equity securities themselves are deemed appropriate by the Adviser for inclusion in the Fund's portfolio. Rights and warrants may be considered more speculative than certain other types of investments in that they do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the securities that may be purchased, nor do they represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. Also, the value of a right or warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities and a right or warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to the expiration date.

Securities Ratings

The ratings of fixed-income securities by NRSROs such as Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), S&P Global Ratings ("S&P"), Fitch Ratings ("Fitch"), Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC ("Kroll") and DBRS Morningstar are widely accepted barometers of credit risk. They are, however, subject to certain limitations from an investor's standpoint. The rating of an issuer is heavily weighted by past developments and does not necessarily reflect probable future conditions. There is frequently a lag between the time a rating is assigned and the time it is updated. In addition, there may be varying degrees of difference in credit risk of securities within each rating category.

Securities that are rated Ba or lower by Moody's, BB or lower by S&P or Fitch, or are equivalently rated by other NRSROs are considered to have speculative characteristics. Sustained periods of deteriorating economic conditions or rising interest rates are more likely to lead to a weakening in the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal than in the case of higher-rated securities.

23
Table of Contents

Non-rated securities will also be considered for investment by a Fund when the Adviser believes that the financial condition of the issuers of such securities, or the protection afforded by the terms of the securities themselves, limits the risk to the Fund to a degree comparable to that of rated securities which are consistent with the Fund's objectives and policies.

The Adviser generally uses ratings issued by NRSROs such as S&P, Moody's, Fitch, Kroll and DBRS Morningstar but may rely on ratings from other NRSROs, depending on the security in question. Some securities are rated by more than one NRSRO, and the ratings assigned to the security by the NRSRO may differ. In such an event and for purposes of determining compliance with restrictions on investments for the Funds, if the Adviser considers ratings issued by two or more NRSROs, the Adviser will deem the security to be rated at the highest rating. For example, if a security is rated by Moody's and S&P only, with Moody's rating the security as Ba and S&P as BBB, the Adviser will deem the security to be rated as the equivalent of BBB (i.e., Baa by Moody's and BBB by S&P). Or, if a security is rated by Moody's, S&P and Fitch, with Moody's rating the security as Ba, S&P as BBB and Fitch as BB, the Adviser will deem the security to be rated as the equivalent of BBB (i.e., Ba1 by Moody's, BBB by S&P and BBB by Fitch).

The Adviser will try to reduce the risk inherent in the Fund's investment approach through credit analysis, diversification and attention to current developments and trends in interest rates and economic conditions. However, there can be no assurance that losses will not occur. In considering investments for Funds that invest in high-yielding securities, the Adviser will attempt to identify those high-yielding securities whose financial condition is adequate to meet future obligations, has improved, or is expected to improve in the future. The Adviser's analysis focuses on relative values based on such factors as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer.

In the event that the credit rating of a security held by the Fund is downgraded, the credit quality deteriorates after purchase, or the security defaults, the Fund will not be obligated to dispose of that security and may continue to hold the security if, in the opinion of the Adviser, such investment is appropriate in the circumstances.

Unless otherwise indicated, references to securities ratings by one NRSRO in this SAI shall include the equivalent rating by another NRSRO.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government securities may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, supported only by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or backed only by the credit of the issuing agency itself. These securities include: (i) the following U.S. Treasury securities, which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States and differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less with no interest paid and hence issued at a discount and repaid at full face value upon maturity), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one to ten years with interest payable every six months) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years with

24
Table of Contents

interest payable every six months); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, such as securities issued by GNMA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Export-Import Bank, the General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration and obligations that are issued by private issuers that are guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; and (iii) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that were historically not supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government or a right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, such as securities issued by the FNMA and FHLMC, and governmental CMOs. The maturities of the U.S. Government securities listed in paragraphs (i) and (ii) above usually range from three months to 30 years. Such securities, except GNMA certificates, normally provide for periodic payments of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates.

U.S. Government securities also include zero-coupon securities and principal-only securities and certain SMRS. Zero-coupon securities are described in more detail in "Zero-Coupon Securities" below, and SMRS and principal-only securities are described in more detail in "Mortgage-Related Securities, Other Asset-Backed Securities and Structured Financings - Stripped Mortgage-Related Securities" above. In addition, other U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities have issued stripped securities that are similar to SMRS.

Inflation-indexed securities such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS, are fixed-income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. If the index measuring inflation falls, the principal value of these securities will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS. For bonds that do not provide a similar guarantee, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal.

Inflation-indexed securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates. In general, the price of these securities can fall when real interest rates rise, and can rise when real interest rates fall. In addition, the value of these securities may be vulnerable to changes in expectations of inflation. Interest payments on these securities can be unpredictable and will vary as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation.

TIPS, which are issued by the U.S. Treasury, use the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers, or the CPI, as the inflation measure. The principal of a TIPS increases with inflation and decreases with deflation, as measured by the CPI. When a TIPS matures, the holder is paid the adjusted principal or original principal, whichever is greater. TIPS pay interest twice a year, at a fixed rate, which is determined by auction at the time the TIPS are issued. The rate is applied to the adjusted principal; so, like the principal, interest payments rise with inflation and fall with deflation. TIPS are issued in terms of 5, 10, and 30 years.

Guarantees of securities by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities guarantee only the payment of principal and interest on the securities, and do

25
Table of Contents

not guarantee the securities' yield or value or the yield or value of the shares of the Fund that holds the securities.

U.S. Government securities are considered among the safest of fixed-income investments. As a result, however, their yields are generally lower than the yields available from other fixed-income securities.

Zero-Coupon Securities

A zero-coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life. An investor acquires a zero-coupon security at a discounted price from the face value of the security, which is generally based upon its present value, and which, depending upon the time remaining until maturity, may be significantly less than its face value (sometimes referred to as a "deep discount" price). Upon maturity of the zero-coupon security, the investor receives the face value of the security.

A Fund may invest in zero-coupon Treasury securities, which consist of Treasury bills or the principal components of U.S. Treasury bonds or notes. A Fund may also invest in zero-coupon securities issued by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, which consist of the principal components of securities of U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities.

Currently, the only U.S. Treasury security issued without coupons is the Treasury bill. The zero-coupon securities purchased by the Funds may consist of principal components held in STRIPS form issued through the U.S. Treasury's STRIPS program, which permits the beneficial ownership of the component to be recorded directly in the Treasury book-entry system. In addition, a number of banks and brokerage firms have separated ("stripped") the principal portion ("corpus") from the coupon portion of U.S. Treasury bonds and notes and sold them separately in the form of receipts or certificates representing undivided interests in these instruments (which instruments are generally held by a bank in a custodial or trust account).

Because zero-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face or par value but pay no periodic interest, they are subject to greater fluctuations of market value in response to changing interest rates than debt obligations of comparable maturities which make periodic distributions of interest.

Current federal tax law requires that a holder (such as the Funds) of a zero-coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as income each year even though the holder receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year (generally referred to as "original issue discount" or "OID"). As a result, in order to make the distributions necessary for a Fund not to be subject to federal income or excise taxes, a Fund may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount greater than the total amount of cash that the Fund has actually received as interest during the year, and this distribution of "phantom income" may be taxable to shareholders. A Fund's obligation to make such distributions could require it to liquidate other investments at times when the Adviser would not otherwise deem it advisable to do so (potentially resulting in taxable gain), or borrow money, and either of these options could reduce fund assets available to purchase other income-

26
Table of Contents

producing securities. The Funds believe, however, that it is highly unlikely that it would be necessary to liquidate portfolio securities or borrow money in order to make such required distributions or to meet their investment objectives.

Certain Risk and Other Considerations

Borrowings and Leverage. A Fund may use borrowings for investment purposes subject to the restrictions of the 1940 Act. A Fund may also use leverage for investment purposes by entering into transactions such as reverse repurchase agreements, forward contracts and dollar rolls. This means that the Fund uses the cash proceeds made available during the term of these transactions to make investments in other securities.

Borrowings by a Fund result in leveraging of the Fund's shares of common stock. The proceeds of such borrowings will be invested in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies. The Adviser anticipates that the difference between the interest expense paid by the Fund on borrowings and the returns on the Fund's investment securities will provide the Fund's shareholders with a potentially higher yield.

Utilization of leverage, which is usually considered speculative, however, involves certain risks to a Fund's shareholders. These include a higher volatility of the NAV of the Fund's shares of common stock and the relatively greater effect on the NAV of the shares caused by favorable or adverse changes in market conditions or interest rates. So long as the Fund is able to realize a net return on the portion of its investment portfolio resulting from leverage that is higher than the interest expense paid on borrowings or the carrying costs of leveraged transactions, the effect of leverage will be to cause the Fund's shareholders to realize a higher net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. However, to the extent that the interest expense on borrowings or the carrying costs of leveraged transactions approaches the net return on the leveraged portion of the Fund's investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the Fund's shareholders will be reduced, and if the interest expense on borrowings or carrying costs of leveraged transactions were to exceed the net return to shareholders, the Fund's use of leverage would result in a lower rate of net return than if the Fund were not leveraged. Similarly, the effect of leverage in a declining market could be a greater decrease in NAV per share than if the Fund were not leveraged. In an extreme case, if the Fund's current investment income were not sufficient to meet the interest expense on borrowings or the carrying costs of leveraged transactions, it could be necessary for the Fund to liquidate certain of its investments in adverse circumstances, potentially significantly reducing its NAV.

Certain transactions, such as derivatives transactions, forward commitments, reverse repurchase agreements and short sales involve leverage and may expose a Fund to potential losses that, in some cases, may exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund.

Rule 18f-4, among other things, permits a fund to treat reverse repurchase transactions (and other similar financing transactions) either as borrowings (subject to asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act) or as "derivatives transactions" subject to the risk-based limits of Rule 18f-4.

27
Table of Contents

Management Risk - Quantitative Models. The Adviser may use investment techniques that incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models. These models may not work as intended and may not enable a Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, certain models may be constructed using data from external providers, and these inputs may be incorrect or incomplete, thus potentially limiting the effectiveness of the models. Finally, the Adviser may change, enhance and update its models and its usage of existing models at its discretion.

Portfolio Turnover. The Funds have no operating history and therefore have no portfolio turnover information. The Funds are actively managed and, in some cases in response to market conditions or other considerations, a Fund's portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%. A higher rate of portfolio turnover increases brokerage, transaction and other expenses, which are borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

Risks of Investments in Foreign Securities. Investors should understand and consider carefully the substantial risks involved in securities of foreign companies and governments of foreign nations, some of which are referred to below, and which are in addition to the usual risks inherent in domestic investments. Investing in securities of non-U.S. companies which are generally denominated in foreign currencies, and utilization of derivative investment products denominated in, or the value of which is dependent upon movements in the relative value of, a foreign currency, involve certain considerations comprising both risk and opportunity not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These considerations include changes in exchange rates and exchange control regulations, imposition of sanctions or capital controls, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than are generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility.

There is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies comparable to reports and ratings that are published about companies in the United States. Foreign issuers are subject to accounting and financial standards and requirements that differ, in some cases significantly, from those applicable to U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a foreign issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had the financial statement been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, for an issuer that keeps accounting records in local currency, inflation accounting rules in some of the countries in which the Fund may invest require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the issuer's balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits. Consequently, financial data may be materially affected by restatements for inflation and may not accurately reflect the real condition of those issuers and securities markets. Substantially less information is publicly available about certain non-U.S. issuers than is available about U.S. issuers.

It is contemplated that foreign securities will be purchased in OTC markets or on stock exchanges located in the countries in which the respective principal offices of the issuers of

28
Table of Contents

the various securities are located, if that is the best available market. Foreign securities markets are generally not as developed or efficient as those in the United States and may close for extended periods or for local holidays. While growing in volume, such markets usually have substantially less volume than the United States securities markets, and securities of some foreign companies are more difficult to trade or dispose of and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. Similarly, volume and liquidity in most foreign bond markets are less than in the United States and, at times, volatility of price can be greater than in the United States. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than in the United States.

Expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization, political, economic or social instability or other similar developments, such as military coups and regional and global conflicts, have occurred in the past in countries in which a Fund may invest and could adversely affect a Fund's assets should these conditions or events recur.

Foreign investment in the securities of companies in certain countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude Fund investment in certain foreign securities and increase the costs and expenses of a Fund. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors.

Certain countries may require governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, if a deterioration occurs in a country's balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances.

Income from certain investments held by a Fund could be reduced by foreign income taxes, including withholding taxes. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance. A Fund's NAV may also be affected by changes in the rates or methods of taxation applicable to that Fund or to entities in which that Fund has invested. The Adviser can provide no assurance that the tax treatment of investments held by the Fund will not be subject to change. A shareholder otherwise subject to U.S. federal income taxes may, subject to certain limitations, be entitled to claim a credit or deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes for his or her proportionate share of such foreign taxes paid by the Fund. See "U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Dividends and Distributions".

Investors should understand that the expenses of a fund investing in foreign securities may be higher than investment companies investing only in domestic securities since, among other things, the cost of maintaining the custody of foreign securities is higher and the purchase and sale of portfolio securities may be subject to higher transaction charges, such as stamp duties and turnover taxes.

29
Table of Contents

Foreign Currency Transactions. A Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and a corresponding portion of the Fund's revenues will be received in such currencies. In addition, a Fund may conduct foreign currency transactions for hedging and non-hedging purposes on a spot (i.e., cash) basis or through the use of derivatives transactions, such as forward currency exchange contracts, currency futures and options thereon, and options on currencies as described above. The dollar equivalent of a Fund's net assets and distributions will be adversely affected by reductions in the value of certain foreign currencies relative to the U.S. Dollar. Such changes will also affect a Fund's income. A Fund will, however, have the ability to attempt to protect itself against adverse changes in the values of foreign currencies by engaging in certain of the investment practices listed above. While a Fund has this ability, there is no certainty as to whether and to what extent the Fund will engage in these practices.

Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time causing, along with other factors, a Fund's NAV to fluctuate. Currency exchange rates generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by the intervention of U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. To the extent a Fund's total assets adjusted to reflect the Fund's net position after giving effect to currency transactions is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.

A Fund will incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. A Fund may hold foreign currency received in connection with investments when, in the judgment of the Adviser, it would be beneficial to convert such currency into U.S. Dollars at a later date, based on anticipated changes in the relevant exchange rate. If the value of the foreign currencies in which a Fund receives income falls relative to the U.S. Dollar between receipt of the income and the making of Fund distributions, the Fund may be required to liquidate securities in order to make distributions if the Fund has insufficient cash in U.S. Dollars to meet, among other things, the distribution requirements that the Fund must satisfy to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes. Similarly, if the value of a particular foreign currency declines between the time a Fund incurs expenses in U.S. Dollars and the time cash expenses are paid, the amount of the currency required to be converted into U.S. Dollars in order to pay expenses in U.S. Dollars could be greater than the equivalent amount of such expenses in the currency at the time they were incurred. In light of these risks, a Fund may engage in certain currency hedging transactions, which themselves, involve certain special risks. See "Additional Investment Policies and Practices", above.

Additional Risks of Options on Forward Currency Exchange Contracts, Options on Foreign Currencies, Swaps and Other Options. Unlike transactions entered into by a Fund in futures contracts and exchange-traded options, options on foreign currencies and forward currency exchange contracts may not be traded on contract markets regulated by the CFTC or (with the exception of certain foreign currency options) by the SEC. Such instruments may instead be traded through financial institutions acting as market-makers, although foreign

30
Table of Contents

currency options are also traded on certain national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq PHLX and the Cboe Options Exchange, subject to SEC regulation. Similarly, options on currencies may be traded OTC. In an OTC trading environment, many of the protections afforded to exchange participants will not be available. For example, there are no daily price fluctuation limits, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to an unlimited extent over a period of time. Although the purchaser of an option cannot lose more than the amount of the premium plus related transaction costs, this entire amount could be lost. Moreover, the option writer and a trader of forward currency exchange contracts could lose amounts substantially in excess of their initial investments, due to the margin and collateral requirements associated with such positions.

OTC transactions can be entered into only with a financial institution willing to take the opposite side, as principal, of a Fund's position unless the institution acts as broker and is able to find another counterparty willing to enter into the transaction with the Fund. Where no such counterparty is available, it will not be possible to enter into a desired transaction. There also may be no liquid secondary market in the trading of OTC contracts, and a Fund could be required to retain options purchased or written, or forward currency exchange contracts entered into, until exercise, expiration or maturity. This in turn could limit the Fund's ability to profit from open positions or to reduce losses experienced, and could result in greater losses.

Further, OTC transactions are not subject to the guarantee of an exchange clearinghouse, and a Fund will therefore be subject to the risk of default by, or the bankruptcy of, the financial institution serving as its counterparty. A Fund will enter into an OTC transaction only with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found to be satisfactory by the Adviser.

Transactions in OTC options on foreign currencies are subject to a number of conditions regarding the commercial purpose of the purchaser of such option. A Fund is not able to determine at this time whether or to what extent additional restrictions on the trading of OTC options on foreign currencies may be imposed at some point in the future, or the effect that any such restrictions may have on the hedging strategies to be implemented by the Fund.

Options on foreign currencies traded on national securities exchanges are within the jurisdiction of the SEC, as are other securities traded on such exchanges. As a result, many of the protections provided to traders on organized exchanges will be available with respect to such transactions. In particular, all foreign currency option positions entered into on a national securities exchange are cleared and guaranteed by the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Further, a liquid secondary market in options traded on a national securities exchange may be more readily available than in the OTC market, potentially permitting the Fund to liquidate open positions at a profit prior to exercise or expiration, or to limit losses in the event of adverse market movements.

The purchase and sale of exchange-traded foreign currency options, however, is subject to the risks of the availability of a liquid secondary market described above, as well as the risks regarding adverse market movements, margining of options written, the nature of the foreign currency market, possible intervention by governmental authorities and the effects of

31
Table of Contents

other political and economic events. In addition, exchange-traded options on foreign currencies involve certain risks not presented by the OTC market. For example, exercise and settlement of such options must be made exclusively through the OCC, which has established banking relationships in applicable foreign countries for this purpose. As a result, the OCC may, if it determines that foreign governmental restrictions or taxes would prevent the orderly settlement of foreign currency option exercises, or would result in undue burdens on the OCC or its clearing member, impose special procedures on exercise and settlement, such as technical changes in the mechanics of delivery of currency, the fixing of dollar settlement prices or prohibitions, on exercise.

Options on U.S. Government securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward currency exchange contracts and options on foreign currencies may be traded on foreign exchanges. Such transactions are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in or the prices of foreign currencies or securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (i) other complex foreign political and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) delays in the Fund's ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during nonbusiness hours in the United States, (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States, and (v) lesser trading volume period.

Merger, Reorganization, or Liquidation of a Fund. To the extent permitted by law, the Board may determine to merge or reorganize a Fund, or to close and liquidate a Fund at any time, which may have adverse consequences for shareholders. In the case of a liquidation of a Fund, shareholders are expected to receive a liquidating distribution in cash or in-kind equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. In the event the Board determines to liquidate a Fund, the timing of the liquidation might not be the most favorable to certain shareholders. A liquidating distribution may be a taxable event to certain shareholders, resulting in a taxable gain or loss for tax purposes, depending upon a shareholder's basis in the shareholder's shares of the Fund. A shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than the shareholder's original investment.

Participation in Legal and Other Activities. A Fund may, directly or indirectly, seek to assert its rights as a shareholder, bondholder or owner of interests or assets in an issuer in which the Fund has invested, including through instituting legal actions against the issuer and related parties. To the extent it engages in these activities, the Fund could incur certain expenses (such as legal, consulting, and similar expenses) that it may not recoup through the investment, and such expenses could increase the Fund's operating expenses or cost basis of the investment and could adversely affect its investment and the Fund's net asset value. From time to time, a Fund may seek to reduce or eliminate these expenses by coordinating its activities with other investors or by agreeing with a party engaged to fund the legal action to reduce any potential recovery from the matter to compensate such party for its services.

32
Table of Contents
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Fundamental Investment Policies

The following fundamental investment policies may not be changed without approval by the vote of a majority of a Fund's outstanding voting securities, which means the affirmative vote of the holders of (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, whichever is less.

As a matter of fundamental policy, a Fund:

(a) may not concentrate investments in an industry, as concentration may be defined under the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder (as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time) or by guidance regarding, interpretations of, or exemptive orders under, the 1940 Act or the rules or regulations thereunder published by appropriate regulatory authorities;
(b) may not issue any senior security (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) or borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder (as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time) or by guidance regarding, or interpretations of, or exemptive orders under, the 1940 Act or the rules or regulations thereunder published by appropriate regulatory authorities. For the purposes of this restriction, margin and collateral arrangements, including, for example, with respect to permitted borrowings, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and other derivatives such as swaps, are not deemed to be the issuance of a senior security;
(c) may not make loans except through (i) the purchase of debt obligations in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) the lending of portfolio securities; (iii) the use of repurchase agreements; or (iv) the making of loans to affiliated funds as permitted under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (as such statutes, rules or regulations may be amended from time to time), or by guidance regarding, and interpretations of, or exemptive orders under, the 1940 Act;
(d) may not purchase or sell real estate except that it may dispose of real estate acquired as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments. This restriction does not prohibit the Fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business;
33
Table of Contents
(e) may purchase or sell commodities or options thereon to the extent permitted by applicable law; or
(f) may not act as an underwriter of securities, except that the Fund may acquire restricted securities under circumstances in which, if such securities were sold, the Fund might be deemed to be an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act.

Each Fund is "non-diversified" as defined in the 1940 Act, which means the Fund is not limited in the proportion of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. This policy may be changed without a shareholder vote.

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

As a matter of non-fundamental policy, each Fund has adopted a policy that provides that the Fund may not purchase securities on margin, except (i) as otherwise provided under rules adopted by the SEC under the 1940 Act or by guidance regarding the 1940 Act, or interpretations thereof, and (ii) that the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of portfolio transactions, and the Fund may make margin payments in connection with futures contracts, options, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and other financial instruments.

In general, for the purpose of applying percentage limitations with respect to concentration, the percentage limitation shall be applied after the acquisition of a security, and when considering the "industry" or group of industries to which a particular investment belongs, a Fund may rely upon industry, sub-industry, group and sub-group classifications, which may be based upon published available industry classification data including but not limited to North American Industry Classification System standards as well as other published standards or hierarchies. From time to time, the Adviser may determine, acting in good faith and based on its own analysis, that a particular industry group or sub-group may be so broad that the economic characteristics of issuers within the group differ materially, or that a published classification of a particular issuer within a group is unreliable. In such a case, the Adviser may reclassify the issuer into a different industry or group of industries for purposes of applying percentage limitations.

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

The Adviser

The Adviser, a Delaware limited partnership with principal offices at 501 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203, has been retained under an investment advisory agreement (the "Advisory Agreement") to provide investment advice and, in general, to conduct the management and investment program of each of the Funds under the supervision of the Funds' Board (see "Management of the Funds" in the Prospectus). The Adviser is an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.

34
Table of Contents

The Adviser is a leading global investment management firm supervising client accounts with assets as of June 30, 2024, totaling approximately $769 billion. The Adviser provides management services for many of the largest U.S. public and private employee benefit plans, endowments, foundations, public employee retirement funds, banks, insurance companies and high net worth individuals worldwide.

As of June 30, 2024, the ownership structure of the Adviser, expressed as a percentage of general and limited partnership interests, was as follows:

Equitable Holdings and its subsidiaries 59.7 %
AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. 39.6
Unaffiliated holders 0.7
100.0 %

Equitable Holdings, Inc. (formerly named AXA Equitable Holdings, Inc.) ("EQH") is a leading financial services company in the U.S. and consists of two well-established principal franchises, Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company and AllianceBernstein.

As of June 30, 2024, EQH owned approximately 3.5% of the issued and outstanding units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests in AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. ("AB Holding"). AllianceBernstein Corporation (an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of EQH, "GP") is the general partner of both AB Holding and the Adviser. The GP owns 100,000 general partnership units in AB Holding and a 1% general partnership interest in the Adviser.

Including both the general partnership and limited partnership interests in AB Holding and the Adviser, EQH and its subsidiaries have an approximate 61.1% economic interest in the Adviser as of June 30, 2024.

During the second quarter of 2018, AXA S.A. ("AXA"), a French holding company for the AXA Group, completed the sale of a minority stake in EQH through an initial public offering. Since the initial sale, AXA has completed additional offerings (and related transactions). As a result, as of May 20, 2021, AXA no longer owns shares of EQH.

Sales that were completed on November 13, 2019 resulted in the indirect transfer of a "controlling block" of voting securities of the Adviser (a "Change of Control Event") and may have been deemed to have been an "assignment" causing a termination of the Funds' investment advisory agreements. In order to ensure that investment advisory services could continue uninterrupted in the event of a Change of Control Event, the Boards previously approved new investment advisory agreements with the Adviser, and shareholders of the Funds subsequently approved the new investment advisory agreements. These agreements became effective on November 13, 2019.

35
Table of Contents

Advisory Agreement and Expenses

The Adviser serves as investment manager and adviser of each of the Funds, continuously furnishes an investment program for each Fund, and manages, supervises and conducts the affairs of each Fund, subject to supervision of the Funds' Board.

Under the Advisory Agreement for the Funds, the Adviser furnishes advice and recommendations with respect to the Funds' portfolio of securities and investments and provides persons satisfactory to the Board to act as officers of the Funds. Such officers and employees may be employees of the Adviser or its affiliates.

The Adviser is, under each Fund's Advisory Agreement, responsible for certain expenses incurred by the Fund, including, for example, office facilities, and any expenses incurred in promoting the sale of Fund shares (other than the portion of the promotional expenses borne by the Fund in accordance with an effective plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, and the costs of printing Fund Prospectuses and other reports to shareholders and fees related to registration with the SEC and with state regulatory authorities).

Except as set forth below, the Adviser has, under the Advisory Agreement, agreed to pay all expenses incurred by the Funds. The Company, on behalf of each Fund, on a Fund-by-Fund basis out of the assets of the particular Fund for which the expense relates, agrees to pay all of the following expenses incurred by each Fund: (a) interest and taxes (including, but not limited to, income, excise, transfer and withholding taxes); (b) expenses of each Fund incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions but not including fees of a Fund's custodian relating to portfolio transactions; (c) expenses incurred in connection with any distribution plan adopted by the Funds in compliance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, including distribution fees; (d) the advisory fee payable to the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement; (e) the cost of the Adviser's personnel providing services to the Company, as provided in subparagraph (d) of paragraph 2 of the Advisory Agreement; and (f) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (in each case as determined by a majority of the Directors who are not "interested persons" as defined in the 1940 Act). The internal expenses of pooled investment vehicles in which a Fund may invest (acquired fund fees and expenses) are not expenses of the Fund and are not paid by the Adviser, except that the Adviser shall reimburse each Fund for its share of the internal expenses (advisory fees and other expenses) of any pooled investment vehicle for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser.

The Advisory Agreement will continue in effect for an initial two-year period for each Fund and shall continue thereafter from year to year with respect to each Fund, provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund or by the Directors including, in either case, by a vote of a majority of the Directors who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party.

For the services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement with respect to International Buffer, the Company has contractually agreed to pay a monthly fee to the Adviser a rate of 1/12 of 0.69 of 1.00% of the Fund's average daily net assets. For the services

36
Table of Contents

provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement with respect to Moderate Buffer, the Company has contractually agreed to pay a monthly fee to the Adviser a rate of 1/12 of 0.69 of 1.00% of the Fund's average daily net assets. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly.

Any material amendments to the Advisory Agreement must be approved by a vote of the outstanding securities of the relevant Fund and by a vote of a majority of the Directors who are not interested persons of the Fund or the Adviser. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty on 60 days' written notice by a vote of a majority of the Funds' outstanding voting securities or by a vote of a majority of the Directors or by the Adviser, and will automatically terminate in the event of assignment. The Advisory Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser, or of reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Adviser shall not be liable for any action or failure to act in accordance with its duties thereunder.

The Adviser acts as an investment adviser to other persons, firms or corporations, including investment companies, and is the investment adviser to AB Active ETFs, Inc., AB Bond Fund, Inc., AB Cap Fund, Inc., AB Core Opportunities Fund, Inc., AB Corporate Shares, AB Discovery Growth Fund, Inc., AB Equity Income Fund, Inc., AB Fixed-Income Shares, Inc., AB Global Bond Fund, Inc., AB Global Real Estate Investment Fund, Inc., AB Global Risk Allocation Fund, Inc., AB High Income Fund, Inc., AB Institutional Funds, Inc., AB Large Cap Growth Fund, Inc., AB Municipal Income Fund, Inc., AB Municipal Income Fund II, AB Relative Value Fund, Inc., AB Sustainable Global Thematic Fund, Inc., AB Sustainable International Thematic Fund, Inc., AB Trust, AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc., Bernstein Fund, Inc., Sanford C. Bernstein Fund, Inc., Sanford C. Bernstein Fund II, Inc. and The AB Portfolios, all registered open-end investment companies; and to AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund, Inc., AB Multi-Manager Alternative Fund ("AMMAF") and AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund, Inc, all registered closed-end investment companies. The registered investment companies for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser are referred to collectively below as the "AB Fund Complex", while all of these investment companies, except Bernstein Fund, Inc. and Sanford C. Bernstein Fund, Inc. (the "SCB Funds") and AMMAF, are referred to collectively below as the "AB Funds".

Board of Directors Information

Certain information concerning the Funds' Directors and the Advisory Board member is set forth below.

NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS

Garry L. Moody,#

Chairman of the Board 72

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Formerly, Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1995-2008) where

81 None
37
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

he held a number of senior positions, including Vice Chairman, and U.S. and Global Investment Management Practice Managing Partner; President, Fidelity Accounting and Custody Services Company (1993-1995), where he was responsible for accounting, pricing, custody and reporting for the Fidelity mutual funds; and Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (1975-1993), where he served as the National Director of Mutual Fund Tax Services and Managing Partner of its Chicago Office Tax department. He served as a member of the Investment Company Institute's Board of Governors and the Independent Directors Council's Governing Council from October 2019 through September 2023, where he also served as Chairman of its Governance Committee from October 2021 through September 2023. He is Chairman of the AB Funds Board and Chairman of the Independent Directors Committees since January 2023; he has served as a director or trustee since 2008, and served as Chairman of the Audit Committees of such Funds from 2008 to February 2023.

Jorge A. Bermudez,#

73

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Formerly, Chief Risk Officer of Citigroup, Inc., a global financial services company, from November 2007 to March 2008; Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup's Commercial Business Group in North America and Citibank Texas from 2005 to 2007; and a variety of other executive and leadership roles at various 81 Moody's Corporation since April 2011
38
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD
businesses within Citigroup prior to then; Chairman (2017-2018) of the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees (Trustee 2014-2021) and Chairman of the Smart Grid Center Board at Texas A&M University since 2012; director of, among others, Citibank N.A. from 2005 to 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch from 2009 to 2011, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 2011 to 2017, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas from 2010 to 2016; and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Moody's Corporation since December 2022. He has served as director or trustee of the AB Funds since January 2020.

Michael J. Downey,#, ^

80

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Formerly, Chairman of The Asia Pacific Fund, Inc. (registered investment company) from 2002 until January 2019. From 1987 until 1993, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Mutual Fund Management, director of the Prudential mutual funds, and member of the Executive Committee of Prudential Securities, Inc. He has served as a director or trustee of the AB Funds since 2005. 81 None

Nancy P. Jacklin,#, ^

76

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Professorial Lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (2008-2015). U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (which is responsible for ensuring the stability of the international monetary system) (December 81 None
39
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD
2002-May 2006); Partner, Clifford Chance (1992-2002); Sector Counsel, International Banking and Finance, and Associate General Counsel, Citicorp (1985-1992); Assistant General Counsel (International), Federal Reserve Board of Governors (1982-1985); and Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of the Treasury (1973-1982). Member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and of New York; and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has served as a director or trustee of the AB Funds since 2006 and served as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committees of the AB Funds from 2014 until August 2023.

Jeanette W. Loeb,#

72

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Director of New York City Center since 2005. Formerly, Chief Executive Officer of PetCareRx (e-commerce pet pharmacy) from 2002 to 2011 and 2015 to April 2023. She was a director of MidCap Financial Investment Corporation (business development company) from August 2011 to July 2023 and a director of AMMAF (fund of hedge funds) from 2012 to 2018. Formerly, affiliated with Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (financial services) from 1977 to 1994, including as a partner thereof from 1986 to 1994. She has served as director or trustee of the AB Funds since April 2020 and serves as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committees of the AB Funds since August 2023. 81 None
40
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD

Carol C. McMullen,#

69

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor and a member of the Advisory Board of Butcher Box (since 2018) where she also serves as Advisory Board Chair (since June 2023). Formerly, Managing Director of Slalom Consulting (consulting) from 2014 until July 2023; member, Mass General Brigham (formerly, Partners Healthcare) Investment Committee (2010-2019); Director of Norfolk & Dedham Group (mutual property and casualty insurance) from 2011 until November 2016; Director of Partners Community Physicians Organization (healthcare) from 2014 until December 2016; and Managing Director of The Crossland Group (consulting) from 2012 until 2013. She has held a number of senior positions in the asset and wealth management industries, including at Eastern Bank (where her roles included President of Eastern Wealth Management), Thomson Financial (Global Head of Sales for Investment Management), and Putnam Investments (where her roles included Chief Investment Officer, Core and Growth and Head of Global Investment Research). She has served on a number of private company and non-profit boards, and as a director or trustee of the AB Funds since June 2016 and serves as Chair of the Audit Committees of such Funds since February 2023. 81 None

Marshall C. Turner, Jr.,#, ^

82

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. He is a former (2007-2020) director of Xilinx Inc. (programmable logic semi-conductors and adaptable, intelligent computing) and former Chairman and CEO of DuPont Photomasks, Inc. (semi- 81 None
41
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD
conductor manufacturing equipment) from 1999-2000, and 2003 through 2006. He has extensive operating leadership and venture capital investing experience, including five interim or full-time CEO roles, and prior service as general partner of institutional venture capital partnerships and as a director of a number of public and private companies. He also has extensive non-profit board leadership experience, including as a former Chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and currently serves on the board of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. He served as a director of one AB Fund since 1992, and director or trustee of all the AB Funds since 2005. He has served as both Chairman of the AB Funds and Chairman of the Independent Directors Committees from 2014 through December 2022.
INTERESTED DIRECTOR

Onur Erzan,+, ^

48

(2024 - International Buffer)

(2024 - Moderate Buffer)

Senior Vice President of the Adviser++, Head of Global Client Group and Head of Private Wealth. He oversees AB's entire private wealth management business and third-party institutional and retail franchise, where he is responsible for all client services, sales and marketing, as well as product strategy, management and development worldwide. Director, 81 None
42
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS*,
AGE AND
(YEAR SERVICE BEGAN**)
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX OVERSEEN OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD
President and Chief Executive Officer of the AB Mutual Funds as of April 1, 2021 and the AB ETFs as of May 5, 2022. He is also a member of the Equitable Holdings Management Committee. Prior to joining the firm in January 2021, he spent over 19 years with McKinsey (management and consulting firm), most recently as a senior partner and co-leader of its Wealth & Asset Management practice. In addition, he co-led McKinsey's Banking & Securities Solutions (a portfolio of data, analytics and digital assets and capabilities) globally.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Emilie D. Wrapp,+

68

(Appointed January, 2024)

Private Investor since July 2023. Former Senior Vice President, Counsel, Assistant Secretary & Senior Mutual Fund Legal Advisor of the Adviser++ (January 2023 - June 2023). Prior thereto, Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary, Counsel, and Head of Mutual Fund & Retail Legal of the Adviser++; Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. ("ABI") since prior to 2019 until June 2023. She has served as a member of the Advisory Board to the AB Funds since January 2024. 81 None
_______________
* The address for each of the Funds' Directors and the Advisory Board member is c/o AllianceBernstein L.P., Attention: Legal and Compliance Department - Mutual Fund Legal, 66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
** There is no stated term of office for the Funds' Directors or Advisory Board member.
# Member of the Audit Committee, the Governance and Nominating Committee and the Independent Directors Committee.
43
Table of Contents
+ Mr. Erzan is an "interested person", as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, of the Funds because of his affiliation with the Adviser. Ms. Wrapp is an "interested person", as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, of the Funds because of her former role with the Adviser.
++ The Adviser is an affiliate of the Funds.
^ Effective December 31, 2024, Ms. Jacklin and Messrs. Downey, Erzan, and Turner will resign or retire as Directors of the Funds.

Changes to the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2025. At a meeting held on July 18, 2024, shareholders of the Company elected Directors in connection with the establishmentof a single, unitary board ("Unitary Board") responsible for overseeing mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and certain closed-end investment companies sponsored and advised by the Adviser. In connection with the establishment of the Unitary Board, Ms. Jacklin and Messrs. Downey and Turner will retire as Directors effective December 31, 2024, and Mr. Erzan will resign as a Director effective December 31, 2024, but will continue to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the AB Funds. Shareholders of the Fund elected four individuals, who are not current Directors, to serve as Directors effective January 1, 2025 (the "New Directors-Elect"), who will serve on the Unitary Board with current Directors Mses. Loeb and McMullen and Messrs. Bermudez and Moody (each of whom was also elected by shareholders at the July 18, 2024 meeting). Certain information concerning the New Directors-Elect is set forth below.

NAME, ADDRESS,* AGE AND (YEAR SERVICE WILL BEGIN**) PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX TO BE OVERSEEN BY DIRECTOR OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD BY DIRECTOR-ELECT
INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS

R. Jay Gerken,^

73

(January 2025)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Formerly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC, and President & Board Member of The Legg Mason and Western Asset mutual funds from 2005 until June 2013. Previously, he was the President and Chair of the boards of the Citigroup Asset Management mutual funds from 2002 to 2005; Portfolio Manager and Managing Director, Smith Barney Asset Management from 1993 to 2001 and President & CEO, 92 Associated Banc-Corp
44
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS,* AGE AND (YEAR SERVICE WILL BEGIN**) PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX TO BE OVERSEEN BY DIRECTOR OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD BY DIRECTOR-ELECT
Directions Management of Shearson Lehman, Inc. from 1988 to 1993. He is Chair of the SCB Funds Board and the AMMAF Board since July 2023; he has served as a director or trustee of the SCB Funds since July 2013 and AMMAF since December 2018 and served as Chair of the Audit Committees of the SCB Funds from July 2018 to June 2023 and Chair of the Audit Committee of AMMAF from December 2018 to June 2023.

Jeffrey R. Holland,^

58

(January 2025)

Private Investor since prior to 2019. Formerly, Limited Partner of Brown Brothers Harriman from 2014 to 2018. Prior thereto, General Partner of Brown Brothers Harriman from 2006 to 2013. He has served as a director or trustee of the SCB Funds and AMMAF since September 2019 and serves as Chair of the Audit Committees of such Funds since July 2023. 92 None
INTERESTED DIRECTORS

Alexander Chaloff,+, ^

52

(January 2025)

Senior Vice President of the Adviser++, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019. He has been Chief Investment Officer and Head of Investment & Wealth Strategies of Bernstein Private Wealth Management since April 2023. He previously served as Co-Head of the Investment Strategy Group since 2020. Prior to joining Bernstein Private Wealth Management in 2005, he was a managing 92 None
45
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS,* AGE AND (YEAR SERVICE WILL BEGIN**) PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST FIVE YEARS AND OTHER INFORMATION PORTFOLIOS IN AB FUND COMPLEX TO BE OVERSEEN BY DIRECTOR OTHER PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIPS CURRENTLY HELD BY DIRECTOR-ELECT
director at Wilshire Associates, a leading global investment consultant, serving on the firm's investment committee. President and Chief Executive Officer of the SCB Funds and AMMAF since April 2023.

Emilie D. Wrapp,+

68

(January 2025)

Private Investor since July 2023. Former Senior Vice President, Counsel, Assistant Secretary & Senior Mutual Fund Legal Advisor of the Adviser++ (January 2023 - June 2023). Prior thereto, Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary, Counsel, and Head of Mutual Fund & Retail Legal of the Adviser++; Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of ABI since prior to 2019 until June 2023. She has served as a member of the Advisory Board to the AB Funds since January 2024. 92 None
_______________
* The address for each of the Funds' Directors is c/o AllianceBernstein L.P., Attention: Legal and Compliance Department - Mutual Fund Legal, 66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
** There is no stated term of office for the Funds' Directors.
+ Mr. Chaloff and Mr. Erzan are each an "interested person", as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, of the Funds because of their affiliation with the Adviser. Ms. Wrapp is an "interested person", as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, of the Funds because of her former role with the Adviser.
++ The Adviser is an affiliate of the Funds.
^ Effective January 1, 2025, Ms. Wrapp and Messrs. Chaloff, Gerken, and Holland will become Directors of the Funds; and Ms. Wrapp will no longer serve as the Advisory Board member for the Funds.

The business and affairs of the Funds are overseen by the Board. The Board has also established an Advisory Board, whose member assists the Board in a non-voting capacity in its oversight of the management of the Funds. The Board remains solely responsible for the oversight of management of the Funds. Directors who are not "interested persons" of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act, are referred to as "Independent Directors", and Directors who are

46
Table of Contents

"interested persons" of the Fund are referred to as "Interested Directors". Certain information concerning the Fund's governance structure and each Director is set forth below.

Experience, Skills, Attributes and Qualifications of the Funds' Directors. The Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board, which is composed of Independent Directors, reviews the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of potential candidates for nomination or election by the Board, and conducts a similar review in connection with the proposed nomination of current Directors for re-election by shareholders at any annual or special meeting of shareholders. In evaluating a candidate for nomination or election as a Director, the Governance and Nominating Committee considers the contribution that the candidate would be expected to make to the diverse mix of experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that the Board believes contributes to good governance for the Fund. In assessing diversity of experience, the Governance and Nominating Committee takes account of a candidate's educational and professional background, but also the diversity of experience a candidate derives from race, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or cultural background. Additional information concerning the Governance and Nominating Committee's consideration of nominees appears in the description of the Committee below.

The Board believes that, collectively, the Directors have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the Fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. The Board has concluded that, based on each Director's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director is qualified and should continue to serve as such.

In determining that a particular Director was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Director, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. In addition, the Board has taken into account the actual service and commitment of each Director during his or her tenure (including the Director's commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as his or her current and prior leadership of standing and ad hoc committees) in concluding that each should continue to serve. Additional information about the specific experience, skills, attributes and qualifications of each Director, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Director should serve (or continue to serve) as trustee or director of the Funds, is provided in the table above and in the next paragraph.

Among other attributes and qualifications common to all Directors are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them (including information requested by the Directors), to interact effectively with the Adviser, other service providers, counsel and the Funds' independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. In addition to his or her service as a Director of the Funds and other AB Funds as noted in the table above: Mr. Bermudez has extensive experience in the financial services industry, including risk management, from his service in various senior executive positions, including as Chief Risk Officer, of a large global financial services company, as a director and Audit Chair of a Federal Reserve Bank and a director of a large public company, and as Chairman or director or trustee of numerous non-profit organizations; Mr. Chaloff has business, finance and investment management experience as Head of Investment & Wealth Strategies of Bernstein Private Wealth

47
Table of Contents

Management of the Adviser, and he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the SCB Funds and AMMAF since April 2023; Mr. Downey has experience in the investment advisory business including as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a large fund complex and as director of a number of non-AB funds and as Chairman of a non-AB closed-end fund; Mr. Erzan has experience as an executive of the Adviser with responsibility for, among other things, the AB Funds and at a management consulting firm; Mr. Gerken has investment management experience as a portfolio manager and executive officer, and he has served as Chair of the SCB Funds Board and AMMAF Board since July 2023, has served as a director or trustee of the SCB Funds since July 2013 and AMMAF since December 2018 and served as Chair of the Audit Committees of the SCB Funds from July 2018 to June 2023 and Chair of the Audit Committee of AMMAF from December 2018 to June 2023; Mr. Holland has business experience as a senior executive of a financial services firm, including experience in provision of custody and other services to investment funds globally, and he has served as a director or trustee of the SCB Funds and AMMAF since September 2019 and serves as Chair of the Audit Committees of such Funds since July 2023; Ms. Jacklin has experience as a financial services regulator, as U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (which is responsible for ensuring the stability of the international monetary system), as a financial services lawyer in private practice, and served as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committees of the AB Funds from 2014 until August 2023; Ms. Loeb has extensive experience in the financial services industry and in business more generally, including as a former executive and partner of a large global financial services company and as Chief Executive Officer of a private e-commerce company, a director and audit committee member of a large publicly traded business development company and former director of a fund of hedge funds, and a director or trustee of numerous non-profit organizations including the United Nations Development Corporation and New York City Center and has served as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committees of the AB Funds since August 2023; Ms. McMullen has experience in talent management for a global technology consulting firm, serves on the advisory board of a privately held e-commerce company, has served as director of a variety of privately held firms and non-profit boards (including as director of one of the 10 largest healthcare systems in the U.S. and Chair of a top U.S. community hospital), has extensive asset management industry experience including as Director of Global Investment Research for a major fund company and President of Wealth Management for a regional bank and has served as Chair of the Audit Committees of the AB Funds since February 2023; Mr. Moody, a certified public accountant, has extensive experience in the asset management industry as a senior executive of a large fund complex and as Vice Chairman and U.S. and Global Investment Management Practice Managing Partner for a major accounting firm, and served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute, the leading association representing regulated funds, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and closed-end funds, from October 2019 through September 2023, and also the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council, a group created by the Investment Company Institute that aims to advance the education, communication and policy positions of investment company independent directors, where he also served as the Chairman of the Governance Committee from October 2021 through September 2023, has served as a director or trustee of the AB Funds since 2008 and served as Chairman of the Audit Committees of the AB Funds from 2008 to February 2023, and has served as Chairman of the AB Funds and the Independent Directors Committees of the AB Funds since 2023; and Mr. Turner has experience as a director (including Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a number of companies) and as

48
Table of Contents

a venture capital investor including prior service as general partner of three institutional venture capital partnerships, and served as both Chairman of the AB Funds and Chairman of the Independent Directors Committees from 2014 through December 2022. The disclosure herein of a director's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills does not impose on such director any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such director as a member of the Board and any committee thereof in the absence of such experience, qualifications, attributes and skills.

Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of Advisory Board Member. In addition to her service as an Advisory Board member of the Funds and other AB Funds as noted in the table above, Ms. Wrapp has extensive experience in the investment management industry, including formerly serving as Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary, Counsel and Head of Mutual Fund & Retail Legal of the Adviser, and Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of ABI. She also served as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the AB Funds and other registered investment companies advised by the Adviser and had extensive involvement in fund industry organizations including committees and working groups of the Investment Company Institute. The disclosure herein of the Advisory Board member's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills does not impose on such member any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such member as a member of the Advisory Board in the absence of such experience, qualifications, attributes and skills.

Board Structure and Oversight Function. The Board is responsible for oversight of the management of the Funds. Each Fund has engaged the Adviser to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Adviser and the Fund's other service providers in the operations of that Fund in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies and otherwise in accordance with its Prospectus, the requirements of the 1940 Act and other applicable Federal, state and other securities and other laws, and the Fund's charter and bylaws. The Board meets at regularly scheduled meetings four times throughout the year. In addition, the Directors may meet at special meetings or on an informal basis at other times. The Independent Directors also regularly meet without the presence of any representatives of management. As described below, the Board has established three standing committees - the Audit, Governance and Nominating and Independent Directors Committees - and may establish ad hoc committees or working groups from time to time to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. Each committee is composed exclusively of Independent Directors. The responsibilities of each committee, including its oversight responsibilities, are described further below. The Independent Directors have also engaged independent legal counsel, and may from time to time engage consultants and other advisors, to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.

An Independent Director serves as Chairman of the Board. The Chairman's duties include setting the agenda for each Board meeting in consultation with management, presiding at each Board meeting, meeting with management between Board meetings, and facilitating communication and coordination between the Independent Directors and management. The Directors have determined that a Board's leadership by an Independent Director and its committees composed exclusively of Independent Directors is appropriate

49
Table of Contents

because they believe it sets the proper tone to the relationships between the Fund, on the one hand, and the Adviser and other service providers, on the other, and facilitates the exercise of the Board's independent judgment in evaluating and managing the relationships. In addition, each Fund is required to have an Independent Director as Chairman pursuant to certain 2003 regulatory settlements involving the Adviser.

Risk Oversight. Each Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance and operational risks, including cyber risks. Day-to-day risk management with respect to a Fund resides with the Adviser or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to supervision by the Adviser. The Board has charged the Adviser and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances, the occurrence of which could have demonstrable and material adverse effects on the Fund; (ii) to the extent appropriate, reasonable or practicable, implementing processes and controls reasonably designed to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously, and to revise as appropriate, the processes and controls described in (i) and (ii) above.

Risk oversight forms part of the Board's general oversight of a Fund's investment program and operations and is addressed as part of various regular Board and committee activities. Each Fund's investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Adviser and other service providers. Each of these persons has an independent interest in risk management but the policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Fund's and each other's in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. Oversight of risk management is provided by the Board and the Audit Committee. The Directors regularly receive reports from, among others, management (including the Chief Risk Officer of the Adviser), the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer, the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, the Adviser's internal legal counsel, the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer and internal auditors for the Adviser, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and the Adviser's risk management programs. In addition, the Directors receive regular updates on cyber security matters from the Adviser.

Not all risks that may affect a Fund can be identified, nor can controls be developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. It may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, the processes and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness, and some risks are simply beyond the reasonable control of the Fund or the Adviser, its affiliates or other service providers. Moreover, it is necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve a Fund's goals. As a result of the foregoing and other factors a Fund's ability to manage risk is subject to substantial limitations.

Board Committees. The Funds' Board has three standing committees - an Audit Committee, a Governance and Nominating Committee and an Independent Directors Committee. The members of the Audit, Governance and Nominating and Independent Directors Committees are identified above. The Advisory Board member is generally invited to attend all or portions of meetings of the committees.

50
Table of Contents

The function of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board in its oversight of each Fund's accounting and financial reporting policies and practices. The Audit Committee of the Funds has not yet met.

The function of the Governance and Nominating Committee includes the nomination of persons to fill any vacancies or newly created positions on the Board. The Governance and Nominating Committee of the Funds has not yet met.

The Board has adopted a charter for its Governance and Nominating Committee. Pursuant to the charter, the Committee assists the Board in carrying out its responsibilities with respect to governance of the Fund and identifies, evaluates, selects and nominates candidates for the Board. The Committee may also set standards or qualifications for Directors and reviews at least annually the performance of each Director, taking into account factors such as attendance at meetings, adherence to Board policies, preparation for and participation at meetings, commitment and contribution to the overall work of the Board and its committees, and whether there are health or other reasons that might affect the Director's ability to perform his or her duties. The Committee may consider candidates for nomination as Directors submitted by the Funds' current Board members, officers, the Adviser, shareholders and other appropriate sources.

Pursuant to the charter, the Governance and Nominating Committee will consider candidates for nomination as a Director submitted by a shareholder or group of shareholders who have beneficially owned at least 5% of the Fund's common stock or shares of beneficial interest for at least two years prior to the time of submission and who timely provide specified information about the candidates and the nominating shareholder or group. To be timely for consideration by the Governance and Nominating Committee, the submission, including all required information, must be submitted in writing to the attention of the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Funds not less than 120 days before the date of the proxy statement for the previous year's annual meeting of shareholders. If the Funds did not hold an annual meeting of shareholders in the previous year, the submission must be delivered or mailed and received within a reasonable amount of time before the Funds begin to print and mail their proxy materials. Public notice of such upcoming annual meeting of shareholders may be given in a shareholder report or other mailing to shareholders or by other means deemed by the Governance and Nominating Committee or the Board to be reasonably calculated to inform shareholders.

Shareholders submitting a candidate for consideration by the Governance and Nominating Committee must provide the following information to the Governance and Nominating Committee: (i) a statement in writing setting forth (A) the name, date of birth, business address and residence address of the candidate; (B) any position or business relationship of the candidate, currently or within the preceding five years, with the shareholder or an associated person of the shareholder as defined below; (C) the class or series and number of all shares of a Fund owned of record or beneficially by the candidate; (D) any other information regarding the candidate that is required to be disclosed about a nominee in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with the solicitation of proxies for election of Directors pursuant to Section 20 of the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (E) whether the shareholder believes that the candidate is or will be an "interested

51
Table of Contents

person" of the Funds (as defined in the 1940 Act) and, if believed not to be an "interested person", information regarding the candidate that will be sufficient for the Funds to make such determination; and (F) information as to the candidate's knowledge of the investment company industry, experience as a director or senior officer of public companies, directorships on the boards of other registered investment companies and educational background; (ii) the written and signed consent of the candidate to be named as a nominee and to serve as a Director if elected; (iii) the written and signed agreement of the candidate to complete a directors' and officers' questionnaire if elected; (iv) the shareholder's consent to be named as such by the Funds; (v) the class or series and number of all shares of the Funds owned beneficially and of record by the shareholder and any associated person of the shareholder and the dates on which such shares were acquired, specifying the number of shares owned beneficially but not of record by each, and stating the names of each as they appear on the Funds' record books and the names of any nominee holders for each; and (vi) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the shareholder, the candidate and/or any other person or persons (including their names) pursuant to which the recommendation is being made by the shareholder. "Associated person of the shareholder" means any person who is required to be identified under clause (vi) of this paragraph and any other person controlling, controlled by or under common control with, directly or indirectly, (a) the shareholder or (b) the associated person of the shareholder.

The Governance and Nominating Committee may require the shareholder to furnish such other information as it may reasonably require or deem necessary to verify any information furnished pursuant to the nominating procedures described above or to determine the qualifications and eligibility of the candidate proposed by the shareholder to serve on the Board. If the shareholder fails to provide such other information in writing within seven days of receipt of written request from the Governance and Nominating Committee, the recommendation of such candidate as a nominee will be deemed not properly submitted for consideration, and will not be considered, by the Committee.

The Governance and Nominating Committee will consider only one candidate submitted by such a shareholder or group for nomination for election at an annual meeting of shareholders. The Governance and Nominating Committee will not consider self-nominated candidates. The Governance and Nominating Committee will consider and evaluate candidates submitted by shareholders on the basis of the same criteria as those used to consider and evaluate candidates submitted from other sources. These criteria include the candidate's relevant knowledge, experience, and expertise, the candidate's ability to carry out his or her duties in the best interests of the Funds, and the candidate's ability to qualify as an Independent Director. When assessing a candidate for nomination, the Committee considers whether the individual's background, skills, and experience will complement the background, skills, and experience of other nominees and will contribute to the diversity of the Board.

The function of the Independent Directors Committee is to consider and take action on matters that the Board or Committee believes should be addressed in executive session of the Independent Directors, such as review and approval of the Advisory and Distribution Agreements. The Independent Directors Committee of the Funds met July 30-31, 2024 to approve the Advisory and Distribution Agreements for the Fund.

52
Table of Contents

The dollar range of each Fund's securities owned by each Director and the Advisory Board member and the aggregate dollar range of securities of funds in the AB Fund Complex owned by each Director and the Advisory Board member are set forth below.

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Funds

As of December 31, 2023

International Buffer

Moderate Buffer
Director
Jorge A. Bermudez None None
Michael J. Downey None None
Onur Erzan None None
Nancy P. Jacklin None None
Jeanette W. Loeb None None
Carol C. McMullen None None
Garry L. Moody None None
Marshall C. Turner, Jr. None None
Advisory Board Member
Emilie D. Wrapp ^ None None
Director

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the AB Fund Complex

As of December 31, 2023

Jorge A. Bermudez Over $100,000
Michael J. Downey Over $100,000
Onur Erzan Over $100,000
Nancy P. Jacklin Over $100,000
Jeanette W. Loeb Over $100,000
Carol C. McMullen Over $100,000
Garry L. Moody Over $100,000
Marshall C. Turner, Jr. Over $100,000
Advisory Board Member
Emilie D. Wrapp^ None
_______________
^ Ms. Wrapp was appointed an Advisory Board member of the Funds effective January 1, 2024.

Officer Information

Certain information concerning each Fund's officers is set forth below.

NAME, ADDRESS,*
AND AGE
POSITION(S)
HELD WITH FUND
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION
DURING PAST FIVE YEARS

Onur Erzan,

48

President and Chief Executive Officer See biography above.

Nancy E. Hay,

52

Secretary Senior Vice President and Counsel of the Adviser**, with which she has been associated
53
Table of Contents
NAME, ADDRESS,*
AND AGE
POSITION(S)
HELD WITH FUND
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION
DURING PAST FIVE YEARS
since prior to 2019 and Assistant Secretary of ABI**.

Michael B. Reyes,

48

Senior Vice President Senior Vice President of the Adviser**, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019.
Stephen M. Woetzel,
52
Treasurer and Chief
Financial Officer
Senior Vice President of the Adviser**, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019.

Jennifer Friedland,

50

Chief Compliance Officer Vice President of the Adviser** since 2020 and Mutual Fund Chief Compliance Officer (of all Funds since January 2023 and of the ETF Funds since 2022). Before joining the Adviser** in 2020, she was Chief Compliance Officer at WestEnd Advisors, LLC from 2013 until 2019.

Phyllis J. Clarke,

63

Controller Vice President of AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. ("ABIS")**, with which she has been associated since prior to 2019.
Moderate Buffer

Alexander Barenboym,

53

Vice President Senior Vice President of the Adviser**, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019.

Joshua Lisser,

57

Vice President Senior Vice President of the Adviser**, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019. He is also Head of Index Strategies.

Benjamin Sklar,

42

Vice President Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of the Adviser**, with which he has been associated since prior to 2019.
International Buffer

Alexander Barenboym,

53

Vice President See biography above.

Joshua Lisser,

57

Vice President See biography above.

Benjamin Sklar,

42

Vice President See biography above.
_______________
* The address for each of the Fund's officers is 66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
** The Adviser, ABI and ABIS are affiliates of each Fund.
54
Table of Contents

The Funds do not pay any fees to, or reimburse expenses of, their Directors who are considered "interested persons" (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Funds, except that Ms. Wrapp will receive fees and reimbursed expenses on behalf of the Funds commencing in 2025. The estimated aggregate compensation paid to each of the Directors and to the Advisory Board member for the Funds' fiscal year ended November 30, 2024, the aggregate compensation paid to each of the Directors and to the Advisory Board member during calendar year 2023 by the AB Fund Complex, and the total number of registered investment companies (and separate investment portfolios within the companies) in the AB Fund Complex with respect to which each of the Directors or the Advisory Board member serves as a director, trustee or advisory board member are set forth below. Neither the Funds nor any other fund in the AB Fund Complex provides compensation in the form of pension or retirement benefits to any of its directors, trustees or the Advisory Board member. Each of the Directors or the Advisory Board member is a director, trustee or advisory board member of one or more other registered investment companies in the AB Fund Complex.

Name of Director Estimated Aggregate Compensation from International Buffer Estimated Aggregate Compensation from Moderate Buffer
Jorge A. Bermudez $2,297 $2,297
Michael J. Downey $2,297 $2,297
Onur Erzan $0 $0
Nancy P. Jacklin $2,297 $2,297
Jeanette W. Loeb $2,642 $2,642
Carol C. McMullen $2,757 $2,757
Garry L. Moody $3,331 $3,331
Marshall C. Turner, Jr. $2,297 $2,297
Name of Advisory Board Member
Emilie D. Wrapp^ $0 $0
Name of Director Total Compensation from the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds Total Number of Registered Investment Companies in the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds, as to which the Director is a Director or Trustee Total Number of Investment Portfolios within the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds, as to which the Director is a Director or Trustee
Jorge A. Bermudez $330,000 28 81
Michael J. Downey $330,000 28 81
Onur Erzan $0 28 81
Nancy P. Jacklin $358,875 28 81
Jeanette W. Loeb $350,625 28 81
Carol C. McMullen $379,500 28 81
Garry L. Moody $478,500 28 81
Marshall C. Turner, Jr. $330,000 28 81
55
Table of Contents
Name of Advisory Board Member Total Compensation from the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds Total Number of Registered Investment Companies in the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds, as to which Advisory Board Member is an Advisory Board Member Total Number of Investment Portfolios within the AB Fund Complex, including the Funds, as to which Advisory Board Member is an Advisory Board Member
Emilie D. Wrapp^ $0 28 81

_______________

^ As Ms. Wrapp was appointed an Advisory Board member of the AB Funds effective January 1, 2024, she did not receive compensation during the calendar year 2024. Effective January 1, 2024, she receives the same compensation as the Directors of the Funds who are not "interested persons" of the Company.

As of October 1, 2024, the Directors, Advisory Board member and officers of each Fund as a group owned less than 1% of the shares of each Fund.

Additional Information About the Funds' Portfolio Managers

INTERNATIONAL BUFFER

The management of, and investment decisions for, the Fund's portfolio are made by the Adviser's Buffer Investment Team. Alexander Barenboym, Joshua Lisser and Benjamin Sklar are the investment professionals1 with the most significant responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio. For additional information about the portfolio management of the Fund, see "Management of the Fund - Portfolio Managers" in the Fund's Prospectus.

As of September 30, 2024, the Fund's portfolio managers owned none of the Fund's equity securities directly or beneficially.

As of September 30, 2024, employees of the Adviser had approximately $26,823,932 invested in shares of all AB Mutual Funds and ETFs(excluding AB Government Money Market Portfolio) through their interests in certain deferred compensation plans, including the Partners Compensation Plan, including both vested and unvested amounts.

The following tables provide information regarding registered investment companies other than the Fund, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts over which the Fund's portfolio managers also have day-to-day management responsibilities. The tables provide the numbers of such accounts, the total assets in such accounts and the number of accounts and total assets whose fees are based on performance. The information is provided as of July 31, 2024.

_______________
1 Investment professionals at the Adviser include portfolio managers and research analysts. Investment professionals are part of investment groups (or teams) that service individual fund portfolios. The number of investment professionals assigned to a particular fund will vary from fund to fund.
56
Table of Contents

REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES

(excluding the Fund)

Portfolio Manager Total Number of Registered Investment Companies Managed Total Assets of Registered Investment Companies Managed Number of Registered Investment Companies Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Registered Investment Companies Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 85 $9,272,000,000 None None
Joshua Lisser 56 $46,766,000,000 None None
Benjamin Sklar 54 $46,547,000,000 None None
OTHER POOLED INVESTMENT VEHICLES
Portfolio Manager Total Number of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Total Assets of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Number of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 30 $1,200,000,000 None None
Joshua Lisser 10 $1,804,000,000 None None
Benjamin Sklar 10 $1,804,000,000 None None
OTHER ACCOUNTS
Portfolio Manager Total Number of Other Accounts Managed Total Assets of Other Accounts Managed Number of Other Accounts Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Other Accounts Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 31 $848,000,000 1 $4,000,000
Joshua Lisser 1,746 $29,865,000,000 1 $97,000,000
Benjamin Sklar 1,741 $28,638,000,000 1 $97,000,000

MODERATE BUFFER

The management of, and investment decisions for, the Fund's portfolio are made by the Adviser's Buffer Investment Team. Alexander Barenboym, Joshua Lisser and Benjamin Sklar are the investment professionals1 with the most significant responsibility for the day-to-day

_______________
1 Investment professionals at the Adviser include portfolio managers and research analysts. Investment professionals are part of investment groups (or teams) that service individual fund portfolios. The number of investment professionals assigned to a particular fund will vary from fund to fund.
57
Table of Contents

management of the Fund's portfolio. For additional information about the portfolio management of the Fund, see "Management of the Fund - Portfolio Managers" in the Fund's Prospectus.

As of Septenber 30, 2024, the Fund's portfolio managers owned none of the Fund's equity securities directly or beneficially.

As of Septenber 30, 2024, employees of the Adviser had approximately $26,823,932 invested in shares of all AB Mutual Funds and ETFs(excluding AB Government Money Market Portfolio) through their interests in certain deferred compensation plans, including the Partners Compensation Plan, including both vested and unvested amounts.

The following tables provide information regarding registered investment companies other than the Fund, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts over which the Fund's portfolio managers also have day-to-day management responsibilities. The tables provide the numbers of such accounts, the total assets in such accounts and the number of accounts and total assets whose fees are based on performance. The information is provided as of July 31, 2024.

REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES

(excluding the Fund)

Portfolio Manager Total Number of Registered Investment Companies Managed Total Assets of Registered Investment Companies Managed Number of Registered Investment Companies Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Registered Investment Companies Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 85 $9,272,000,000 None None
Joshua Lisser 56 $46,766,000,000 None None
Benjamin Sklar 54 $46,547,000,000 None None
OTHER POOLED INVESTMENT VEHICLES
Portfolio Manager Total Number of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Total Assets of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed Number of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 30 $1,200,000,000 None None
Joshua Lisser 10 $1,804,000,000 None None
Benjamin Sklar 10 $1,804,000,000 None None
58
Table of Contents
OTHER ACCOUNTS
Portfolio Manager Total Number of Other Accounts Managed Total Assets of Other Accounts Managed Number of Other Accounts Managed with Performance-based Fees Total Assets of Other Accounts Managed with Performance-based Fees
Alexander Barenboym 31 $848,000,000 1 $4,000,000
Joshua Lisser 1,746 $29,865,000,000 1 $97,000,000
Benjamin Sklar 1,741 $28,638,000,000 1 $97,000,000

Investment Professional Conflict of Interest Disclosure

As an investment adviser and fiduciary, the Adviser owes its clients and shareholders an undivided duty of loyalty. The Adviser recognizes that conflicts of interest are inherent in its business and accordingly has developed policies and procedures (including oversight monitoring) reasonably designed to detect, manage and mitigate the effects of actual or potential conflicts of interest in the area of employee personal trading, managing multiple accounts for multiple clients, including AB Mutual Funds and ETFs, and allocating investment opportunities. Investment professionals, including portfolio managers and research analysts, are subject to the above-mentioned policies and oversight monitoring to ensure that all clients are treated equitably. The Adviser places the interests of its clients first and expects all of its employees to meet their fiduciary duties.

Employee Personal Trading. The Adviser has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that is designed to detect and prevent conflicts of interest when investment professionals and other personnel of the Adviser own, buy or sell securities which may be owned by, or bought or sold for, clients. Personal securities transactions by an employee may raise a potential conflict of interest when an employee owns or trades in a security that is owned or considered for purchase or sale by a client, or recommended for purchase or sale by an employee to a client. Subject to the reporting requirements and other limitations of its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, the Adviser permits its employees to engage in personal securities transactions, and also allows them to acquire investments in certain funds managed by the Adviser. The Adviser's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires disclosure of all personal accounts and maintenance of brokerage accounts with designated broker-dealers approved by the Adviser. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics also requires preclearance of all securities transactions (except transactions in U.S. Treasuries and open-end mutual funds other than funds advised by the Adviser) and imposes a 60-day holding period for securities purchased by employees to discourage short-term trading.

Managing Multiple Accounts for Multiple Clients. The Adviser has compliance policies and oversight monitoring in place to address conflicts of interest relating to the management of multiple accounts for multiple clients. Conflicts of interest may arise when an investment professional has responsibilities for the investments of more than one account because the investment professional may be unable to devote equal time and attention to each account. The investment professional or investment professional teams for each client may have responsibilities

59
Table of Contents

for managing all or a portion of the investments of multiple accounts with a common investment strategy, including other registered investment companies, unregistered investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, pension plans, separate accounts, collective trusts and charitable foundations. Among other things, the Adviser's policies and procedures provide for the prompt dissemination to investment professionals of initial or changed investment recommendations by analysts so that investment professionals are better able to develop investment strategies for all accounts they manage. In addition, investment decisions by investment professionals are reviewed for the purpose of maintaining uniformity among similar accounts and ensuring that accounts are treated equitably. Investment professional compensation reflects a broad contribution in multiple dimensions to long-term investment success for clients of the Adviser and is generally not tied specifically to the performance of any particular client's account, nor is it generally tied directly to the level or change in level of assets under management.

Allocating Investment Opportunities and Order Aggregation. The investment professionals at the Adviser routinely are required to select and allocate investment opportunities among accounts. The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures intended to address conflicts of interest relating to the allocation of investment opportunities. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that information relevant to investment decisions is disseminated promptly within its portfolio management teams and investment opportunities are allocated equitably among different clients, subject to the exceptions noted below. The policies and procedures require, among other things, objective allocation for limited investment opportunities (e.g., on a rotational basis), and documentation and review of justifications for any decisions to make investments only for select accounts or in a manner disproportionate to the size of the account. Portfolio holdings, position sizes, and industry and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar accounts, which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest relating to the allocation of investment opportunities. Nevertheless, access to portfolio funds or other investment opportunities (including IPOs) may be allocated differently among accounts due to the particular characteristics of an account, such as size of the account, cash position, tax status, risk tolerance and investment restrictions or for other reasons. Additional information about the Adviser's policy relating to the allocation of investment opportunities may be found in the Adviser's Form ADV, which is updated from time to time.

Generally, all orders in the same security are aggregated in each trading system by the Adviser to facilitate best execution and to reduce overall trading costs. Executions for aggregated orders with the same executing broker are combined to determine one average price. The securities are then allocated to participating accounts using automated algorithms designed to achieve a fair, equitable and objective distribution of the securities over time. When the liquidity in a market is not sufficient to fill all client orders, the Adviser may give priority to certain orders over others. This prioritization is based on objective factors driving the order. Under such circumstances, the Adviser aggregates orders by these factors and subjects each aggregated order to the trade allocation algorithms discussed above. The factors used, in order of priority, are (1) correction of guideline breaches; (2) avoidance of guideline breaches; (3) investing significant new funding and completing tax strategy implementations; (4) investing in services that focus on specific financial instruments or market sectors; (5) avoidance of tracking error on the service/product level; and (6) portfolio rebalancing and optimization. Separate orders with the same priority may be traded using a rotational process that is fair and objective.

60
Table of Contents

The Adviser may not require orders in the same security from different managers to be aggregated where one manager's investment strategy requires rapid trade execution, provided the Adviser believes that disaggregation will not materially impact other client orders. Certain other clients of the Adviser have investment objectives and policies similar to those of the Funds. The Adviser may, from time to time, make recommendations that result in the purchase or sale of a particular security by its other clients simultaneously with a purchase or sale thereof by one or more Funds. If transactions on behalf of more than one client during the same period increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price or the quantity of securities available at a particular price. It is the policy of the Adviser to allocate advisory recommendations and the placing of orders in a manner that is deemed equitable by the Adviser to the accounts involved, including the Funds. When two or more clients of the Adviser (including a Fund) are purchasing or selling the same security on a given day through the same broker or dealer, such transactions are averaged as to price. The securities are then allocated to participating accounts using automated algorithms designed to achieve a fair, equitable and objective distribution of the securities over time.

The Adviser's procedures are also designed to address potential conflicts of interest that may arise when the Adviser has a particular financial incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, relating to an account. The Adviser is conscious of these potential conflicts. When the Adviser is providing fiduciary services, the goal of the Adviser's policies and procedures is to act in good faith and to treat all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner over time, regardless of their strategy, fee arrangements or the influence of their owners or beneficiaries.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

The Adviser's compensation program for portfolio managers is designed to align with clients' interests, emphasizing each portfolio manager's ability to generate long-term investment success for the Adviser's clients, including the Funds. The Adviser also strives to ensure that compensation is competitive and effective in attracting and retaining the highest caliber employees.

Portfolio managers receive a base salary, incentive compensation and contributions to AllianceBernstein's 401(k) plan. Part of the annual incentive compensation is generally paid in the form of a cash bonus, and part through an award under the firm's Incentive Compensation Award Plan (ICAP). The ICAP awards vest over a three-year period. Deferred awards are paid in the form of restricted grants of the firm's Master Limited Partnership Units, and award recipients have the ability to receive a portion of their awards in deferred cash. The amount of contributions to the 401(k) plan is determined at the sole discretion of the Adviser. On an annual basis, the Adviser endeavors to combine all of the foregoing elements into a total compensation package that considers industry compensation trends and is designed to retain its best talent.

The incentive portion of total compensation is determined by quantitative and qualitative factors. Quantitative factors, which are weighted more heavily, are driven by investment performance. Qualitative factors are driven by contributions to the investment process and client success.

61
Table of Contents

The quantitative component includes measures of absolute, relative and risk-adjusted investment performance. Relative and risk-adjusted returns are determined based on the benchmark in the Funds' Prospectus and versus peers over one-, three- and five-year calendar periods, with more weight given to longer-time periods. Peer groups are chosen by Chief Investment Officers, who consult with the product management team to identify products most similar to our investment style and most relevant within the asset class. Portfolio managers of the Funds do not receive any direct compensation based upon the investment returns of any individual client account, and compensation is not tied directly to the level or change in level of assets under management.

Among the qualitative components considered, the most important include thought leadership, collaboration with other investment colleagues, contributions to risk-adjusted returns of other portfolios in the firm, efforts in mentoring and building a strong talent pool and being a good corporate citizen. Other factors can play a role in determining portfolio managers' compensation, such as the complexity of investment strategies managed, volume of assets managed and experience.

The Adviser emphasizes four behavioral competencies-relentlessness, ingenuity, team orientation and accountability-that support its mission to be the most trusted advisor to its clients. Assessments of investment professionals are formalized in a year-end review process that includes 360-degree feedback from other professionals from across the investment teams and the Adviser.

EXPENSES OF THE FUNDS

Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds under the Administration Agreement, Custody Agreement and Transfer Agency and Services Agreement, respectively. State Street's principal address is One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, MA 02114. Pursuant to the Administration Agreement with the Company, State Street provides necessary administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and the Funds. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant to the Custody Agreement with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and the Funds, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for the Funds. State Street is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the U.S. Pursuant to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for each Fund's authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these

62
Table of Contents

services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are paid monthly by the Adviser from its management fee.

Distribution Agreement

The Company has entered into a distribution agreement (the "Distribution Agreement") with Foreside Fund Services, LLC ("Foreside" or the "Distributor"), each Fund's principal underwriter. Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor uses all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to secure purchases for the Funds' shares. The Company shall bear any costs associated with printing Prospectuses, Statements of Additional Information and all other such materials. Under the Distribution Agreement, the Company, on behalf of each Fund, has agreed to indemnify Foreside, in the absence of its willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

The Adviser, from time to time, and from its own funds or such other resources as may be permitted by rules of the SEC, makes payments for distribution services to the Distributor; the latter may in turn pay part or all of such compensation to brokers or other persons for their distribution assistance.

The Directors approved the Distribution Agreement for an initial two-year term at their meetings on July 30-31, 2024. After the initial term, the Distribution Agreement continues in effect with respect to each Fund and shares thereof for successive one-year periods provided that each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Directors of the Fund, including a majority of Independent Directors who are not interested persons of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution Agreement or in any agreements related to the Distribution Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Distribution Agreement.

All material amendments to the Distribution Agreement will become effective only upon approval as provided in the preceding paragraph. The Distribution Agreement may be terminated without penalty at any time, as to each Fund, (a) by a majority vote of the holders of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, or by a majority vote of the Independent Directors or (b) by the Distributor. To terminate the Distribution Agreement, any party must give the other parties 60 days' written notice. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.

Rule 12b-1 Plan

The Funds have adopted a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan that has been duly adopted and approved in accordance with Rule 12b-1 adopted by the SEC under the 1940 Act (the "Plan"). Currently, no payments are authorized under the Plan. In approving the Plan, the Directors of each Fund determined that there was a reasonable likelihood that the Plan would benefit the Funds and their shareholders. The maximum amount permitted to be expended by a Fund pursuant to the Plan is 0.25% of average daily net assets of a Fund.

63
Table of Contents

The Directors approved the Plan for an initial one-year term at their meetings on July 30-31, 2024. After the initial term, the Plan continues in effect with respect to each Fund and shares thereof for successive one-year periods provided that each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a majority of the Directors of the Fund, including a majority of Independent Directors who are not interested persons of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan.

In the event that the Plan is terminated by either party or not continued with respect to Fund shares, (i) no distribution services fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Fund to a distributor under the Plan with respect to Fund shares and (ii) accrued amounts shall be calculated and paid to the service provider.

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES IN CREATION UNITS

The following information supplements that set forth in your Prospectus under the heading "Investing in the Funds".

General

The Company issues and redeems shares of the Funds only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load (but subject to a transaction fee, if applicable), at their NAV per share next determined after receipt, of an order in proper form on any business day in accordance with the AP Agreement. The NAV per share of the Funds is calculated each business day as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the Exchange, generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A "business day" with respect to a Fund is any day on which the Exchange is open for business. A Creation Unit for International Buffer is normally 25,000 shares. A Creation Unit for Moderate Buffer is normally 25,000 shares. The Company does not issue fractional shares.

In addition, to the extent permitted by law, a Fund reserves the right to merge or reorganize itself, or to close and liquidate itself at any time.

Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees

A fixed creation transaction fee and/or redemption transaction fee is imposed on each Creation Unit transaction from an Authorized Participant on a given business day, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction, for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable. The amount of the fee, which may be changed by a Fund from time to time at its sole discretion, is made available daily to Authorized Participants, market makers, and other interested parties. For transactions outside the NSCC Clearing Process, the fixed transaction fee is up to four times the normal fee. As described below, an additional charge or a variable charge will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole

64
Table of Contents

or partial cash purchases or redemptions, Advance Orders, transactions involving cash-in-lieu creations, or for creations outside the NSCC Clearing Process to offset brokerage, transaction and other expenses associated with the cash transaction. A Fund may waive all or a portion of the applicable transaction fee with respect to a particular Creation Unit transaction. With respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of a Fund and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities received on redemption from the Fund to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee for such services by such broker or intermediary.

- Creation Transaction Fee. The maximum creation transaction fee (fixed and variable) is up to 3% of the value of the creation order.

- Redemption Transaction Fee. The maximum redemption fee (fixed and variable) is up to 2% of the value of the Creation Units redeemed. An additional variable charge for cash redemptions or partial cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are permitted or required for a Fund) may also be imposed to compensate the Fund for the costs associated with selling the applicable securities in order to satisfy redemption requests. When a redemption order cannot be satisfied solely by the in-kind transfer of securities, the Fund expects to sell, in the secondary market, the portfolio securities or settle any financial instruments pursuant to local law or market convention, or for other reasons ("Market Sales"). When the Fund makes Market Sales in connection with a redemption order, the Authorized Participant may be required to reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were sold or settled by the Fund and the cash in lieu amount, applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions, other transaction expenses, and certain taxes ("transaction costs"). The Adviser may adjust the additional variable transaction fee to the extent the composition of the securities that a Fund delivers upon redemption ("Redemption Securities") changes or when cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect existing shareholders.

In no event will transaction fees charged by a Fund in connection with a redemption exceed 2% of the value of each Creation Unit being redeemed. To the extent a Fund cannot recoup the amount of transaction costs incurred in connection with a redemption from the redeeming shareholder because of the 2% cap or otherwise, those transaction costs will be borne by the Fund's remaining shareholders and negatively affect the Fund's performance.

Book Entry Only System

The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") acts as securities depositary for the shares. Shares of a Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares.

DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (the "DTC Participants") and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry

65
Table of Contents

changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (the "Indirect Participants").

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as "Beneficial Owners") is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares. The Company recognizes DTC or its nominee as the record owner of all Fund shares for all purposes. Each Beneficial Owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and any DTC Participant and/or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial Owner holds its interest to exercise any rights of a holder of shares.

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows: Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company, upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company, a listing of the Company shares held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Company shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

The Company has no responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records

66
Table of Contents

relating to such beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.

DTC may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to the shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Company shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the Company makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Exchange.

Continuous Offering

The method by which Creation Units are issued may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued by a Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that, depending on the circumstances, some activities on their part may result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the Securities Act.

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it purchases Creation Units from a Fund, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells such shares directly to customers or if an investor chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for such shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to the person's activities in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a person being deemed to be an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of a Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.

67
Table of Contents

Portfolio Deposit

The consideration for a purchase of Creation Units generally consists of the in-kind deposit of designated portfolio securities (the Deposit Securities) and the Cash Component. Each Fund reserves the right, at any time, to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a "cash in lieu" amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security.

If a Fund requires Deposit Securities in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the portfolio of securities required may differ from the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares.

The Cash Component together with the Deposit Securities, as applicable, are referred to as the "Portfolio Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund. If a Fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will be entitled to receive an amount equal to the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.

The Fund, through the NSCC, makes available on each business day, immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous business day), as well as information regarding the Cash Component for a Fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available. Each Fund reserves the right to accept a basket of securities that differs from the Fund's Portfolio Deposit with respect to a given business day (a "Custom Order").

Procedures for Creation of Creation Units

Only Authorized Participants may place orders to purchase Creation Units of Fund shares. Investor orders to purchase Creation Units of a Fund shall be placed with an Authorized Participant in the form required by such Authorized Participant as described below. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an AP Agreement, and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units of a Fund may have to be placed by the investor's broker through a Participating Party or a DTC Participant who has executed an AP

68
Table of Contents

Agreement. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed an AP Agreement with the Company.

To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent or Distributor to purchase Creation Units of a Fund, an entity or person either must be (1) a "Participating Party," i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC; or (2) a DTC Participant (see "Book Entry Only System"); and, in either case, the entity or person must have executed an AP Agreement with the Distributor, which may be amended from time to time in accordance with its terms. A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an "Authorized Participant." All Creation Units of a Fund are entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.

Except as described below all orders to purchase Creation Units, whether through the NSCC Clearing Process or outside the NSCC Clearing Process through DTC or otherwise, must be received by the Transfer Agent or Distributor using a transmission method acceptable to the Distributor and consistent with the terms of the AP Agreement. For both creation and redemption transactions, each Fund reserves the right to advance, and for certain NSCC processed transactions has advanced, the time by which orders must be received for same business day credit (e.g., same day settlement), as may be permitted by the SEC. Effective May 28, 2024, transactions in Creation Units typically are settled on a "T+1 basis", subject to certain exceptions. However, as described herein, each Fund reserves the right to settle such transactions on a basis other than T+1, including in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, closures and settlement cycles, and to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates. The business day on which a creation order (or order to redeem as discussed below) is placed is herein referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent or Distributor and consistent with the terms of the AP Agreement. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to the Transfer Agent or Distributor.

Creation Units of a Fund may be purchased in advance of receipt by the Fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below ("Advance Order"). The initial deposit with respect to an Advance Order will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the creation order is placed in proper form because, in addition to available Deposit Securities, the Participating Party or DTC Participant must deliver the Cash Component, plus additional cash equal to a maximum of 120%, which a Fund may change from time to time, of the marked-to-market value of the non-delivered Deposit Securities (the "Additional Cash Deposit"). To the extent that non-delivered Deposit Securities are not received by the specified time on the settlement date, or in the event a marked-to market payment is not made within one business day following notification by the Custodian that such a payment is required, the Fund may use the cash on deposit to purchase the non-delivered Deposit Securities. The Authorized Participant will be liable to the Fund for the costs incurred by the Fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the non-delivered Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such non-delivered

69
Table of Contents

Deposit Securities on the transmittal date plus the brokerage and related transaction costs, if any, associated with such purchases. In an Advance Order, the Authorized Participant remains obligated to the Fund for the full Portfolio Deposit including for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing any non-delivered Deposit Securities and the value of collateral posted as the Additional Cash Deposit. The Fund will have no liability for any such shortfall. The Fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit with respect to an Advance Order once all of the non-delivered Deposit Securities have been properly received by the Custodian or purchased by the Fund and deposited on behalf of the Fund. In addition, a transaction fee will be charged in all cases.

If an Authorized Participant determines to post an Additional Cash Deposit as collateral for any undelivered Deposit Securities, such Authorized Participant must deposit with the Custodian the appropriate amount of federal funds by an applicable settlement time as specified by a Fund on the date of requested settlement. If the Custodian does not receive the Additional Cash Deposit in the appropriate amount by such time, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to a Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom.

In the case of cash creations, Advance Orders or where the Fund permits an Authorized Participant to substitute cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the Deposit Securities, an additional variable charge may be assessed to compensate a Fund for the costs associated with purchasing the applicable securities. For such orders, the Fund expects to purchase in the secondary market or otherwise gain exposure to the portfolio securities that could have been delivered as a result of an in-kind creation order pursuant to local law or market convention, or for other reasons ("Market Purchases"). When the Fund makes Market Purchases, the Authorized Participant may be required to reimburse the Fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities and/or financial instruments were purchased by the Fund and the cash amount delivered as part of the Portfolio Deposit (as adjusted, for cash creations, Advance Orders (including the Additional Cash Amount or cash-in-lieu creations), applicable registration fees, brokerage commissions, other transaction expenses, and certain taxes). The additional variable charge may be capped or otherwise limited, at the Adviser's discretion. The Adviser may adjust the variable transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Portfolio Deposit is altered to protect existing shareholders. Costs incurred in excess of any additional variable charge will be borne by a Fund.

Orders for the purchase of Creation Units that are effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the NSCC Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the NSCC Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.

Placement of Creation Orders Using NSCC Clearing Process

Portfolio Deposits created through the NSCC Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed an AP Agreement.

70
Table of Contents

The AP Agreement authorizes the Transfer Agent to transmit to the NSCC on behalf of the Participating Party such trade instructions as are necessary to effect the Participating Party's creation order. Pursuant to such trade instructions from the Transfer Agent to the NSCC, the Participating Party agrees to transfer the requisite Deposit Securities (or contracts to purchase such Deposit Securities) and the Cash Component to a Fund, together with such additional information as may be required by the Distributor by the applicable settlement time. An order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the closing time on such Transmittal Date and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the AP Agreement are properly followed. Each Fund reserves the right to advance, and for certain NSCC processed transactions has advanced, the time by which a creation order must be received for same business day credit (e.g., same day settlement), as may be permitted by the SEC.

Placement of Creation Orders Outside NSCC Clearing Process

- Domestic Funds. Portfolio Deposits created outside the NSCC Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed an AP Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the NSCC Clearing Process and that the purchase of Creation Units will instead be effected through a transfer of securities and cash. Authorized Participants must transmit orders using a transmission method acceptable to the Distributor and consistent with the terms of the AP Agreement. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. An order to purchase Creation Units of a Fund outside the NSCC Clearing Process is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the closing time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the AP Agreement are properly followed. However, if the Distributor does not receive both the requisite Deposit Securities and the Cash Component in a timely fashion on the next business day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order may be cancelled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such cancelled order may be resubmitted the following business day using the Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of Creation Units so created will occur no later than the appropriate settlement time following the day on which the creation order is deemed received by the Distributor.

Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to transactions effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process (through a DTC Participant) and in circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit Securities to purchase Creation Units. (See "Creation and Redemption Transaction Fees" section above.)

- Foreign Funds. The Transfer Agent will inform the Adviser and the Custodian upon receipt of a creation order. The Custodian will then provide such information to

71
Table of Contents

the appropriate sub-custodian. For each Fund, the Custodian will cause the sub-custodian of such Fund to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or "cash in lieu" amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The Fund must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the creation transaction fee described above.

Once the Distributor has accepted a creation order, the Transfer Agent will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the Fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. The Transfer Agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.

Creation Units will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian, the Distributor and the Adviser will be notified of such delivery and the Transfer Agent will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.

Acceptance of Creation Orders

For all orders, a Fund and the Distributor reserve the right to reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order transmitted to it in respect of the Fund, so long as the rejection or revocation does not result in a complete suspension of sales of creation units of a Fund in violation of Rule 6c-11 and SEC interpretations thereof. For example, a Fund may reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order if (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the purchaser or group of related purchasers, upon obtaining the Creation Units of shares, would own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of such Fund; (c) the Portfolio Deposit as delivered is not as disseminated through the facilities of the NSCC for that date and a custom basket has not been previously agreed; (d) the acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the Fund, be unlawful, as in the case of a purchaser who was banned from trading in securities; or (e) there exist circumstances outside the control of the Fund that make it impossible to process purchases of Creation Units of shares for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include: acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outage resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; events preventing the transfer of securities or cash (including sanctions); systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Funds, the Adviser, any sub-adviser, the Transfer Agent, the Custodian, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC or any other participant in the purchase process; and similar extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent will notify the Authorized Participant, acting for itself or on behalf of a prospective creator, of its rejection of the order. None of the Company, the Custodian, any sub-custodian, the Transfer Agent or the Distributor are under any duty, however, to notify Authorized Participants of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability to Authorized Participants for failing to give any such notification. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities

72
Table of Contents

and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Company, and the Company's determination shall be final and binding.

Redemption of Creation Units

Shares may be redeemed from a Fund only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Transfer Agent or Distributor, only on a business day and only through an Authorized Participant. A Fund will not redeem Shares in amounts less than one Creation Unit. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public (secondary) trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.

The Adviser, through the NSCC, makes available on each business day prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the identity of a Fund's securities and/or an amount of cash that will be delivered in exchange for a redemption request received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (subject to possible amendment, correction or modification based on the particular securities). The Redemption Securities may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to purchases of Creation Units.

An Authorized Participant submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to a Fund that it (or its client) (i) owns outright or has full legal authority and legal beneficial right to tender for redemption the requisite number of Fund shares to be redeemed and can receive the entire proceeds of the redemption, and (ii) the Fund shares to be redeemed have not been loaned or pledged to another party nor are they the subject of a repurchase agreement, securities lending agreement or such other arrangement which would preclude the delivery of such Fund shares to the Fund for redemption. A Fund reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity (25% or more of a Fund's outstanding shares) and/or short interest (short interest equal to or greater than 100% of a Fund's outstanding shares). If the Authorized Participant, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Fund, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Fund.

Unless cash redemptions are permitted or required for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Redemption Securities as announced on the business day of the request for redemption, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Redemption Securities (the "Cash Redemption Amount"), less the redemption transaction fee and variable transaction fees as described above. A Fund may substitute another security or a "cash in lieu" amount for any Redemption Security that cannot be delivered to a redeeming Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act,

73
Table of Contents

will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A and will receive cash instead. Should the Redemption Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee will be required to be paid to the Fund by the Authorized Participant. The Fund reserves the right to honor a redemption request by delivering a basket of securities or cash that differs from the Redemption Securities.

Placement of Redemption Orders Using NSCC Clearing Process

Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund through the NSCC Clearing Process, if available, must be delivered through a Participating Party that has executed the AP Agreement. Authorized Participants must transmit orders using a transmission method acceptable to the Distributor and consistent with the terms of the AP Agreement. The requisite Redemption Securities (or contracts to purchase such Redemption Securities which are expected to be delivered in a "regular way" manner) and the applicable cash payment will be transferred by the applicable settlement time. Each Fund reserves the right to advance the time by which redemption orders must be received for same business day credit (e.g., same day settlement) as may be permitted by the SEC.

Placement of Redemption Orders Outside NSCC Clearing Process

- Domestic Funds. Orders to redeem Creation Units of a Fund outside the NSCC Clearing Process must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the AP Agreement. A DTC Participant who wishes to place an order for redemption of Creation Units of a Fund to be effected outside the NSCC Clearing Process need not be a Participating Party, but such orders must state that the DTC Participant is not using the Clearing Process and that redemption of Creation Units of the Fund will instead be effected through transfer of Creation Units of the Fund directly through DTC. Authorized Participants must transmit orders using a transmission method acceptable to the Distributor and consistent with the terms of the AP Agreement.

After the Transfer Agent or Distributor has deemed an order for redemption outside the NSCC Clearing Process received, the Transfer Agent will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Redemption Securities (or contracts to purchase such Redemption Securities) which are expected to be delivered by the applicable settlement time and the cash redemption payment to the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the applicable settlement time following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed received by the Transfer Agent. Each Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a different settlement basis if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. An additional variable redemption transaction fee of up to four times the basic transaction fee is applicable to redemptions outside the NSCC Clearing Process.

To the extent contemplated by the AP Agreement, if an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund's Transfer Agent, the Transfer Agent will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to

74
Table of Contents

deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) of a maximum of 120%, which the Fund may change from time to time, of the value of the missing shares.

The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately available funds and shall be held by the Custodian and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the Custodian and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The AP Agreement permits the Company, on behalf of the Fund, to purchase the missing shares in the secondary market at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Company of purchasing such shares and the value of the collateral.

- Foreign Funds. Arrangements satisfactory to the Company must be in place for a Participating Party to transfer the Creation Units through DTC on or before the settlement date. Redemptions of shares in exchange for Redemption Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and a Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits or requires cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Redemption Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Deposit Securities under such laws, or for any other reason, in the Fund's discretion.

In connection with taking delivery of shares for Redemption Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Redemption Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Redemption Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Redemption Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Redemption Securities in such jurisdictions, the Company may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.

Each Fund expects to deliver redemption proceeds in accordance with the settlement requirements applicable to such transactions. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries or for other reasons, however, the Fund's delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than the timing for settlement of such transactions set forth in those requirements. Each Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions involving Creation Units as may be necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable non-U.S. market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle, with respect to the affected Fund Redemption Securities, may be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. The timing of settlement may also be affected by the proclamation

75
Table of Contents

of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as "informal holidays" (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices. To the extent the Redemption Securities include securities that trade on days that the Exchange is closed or on days that are not business days for the Funds, it is possible that an Authorized Participant or other Participating Party may not be able to redeem their shares of a Fund on days when the NAV of a Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.

Exchange Listing and Trading

A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in the "Investing in the Funds" section of the Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, such section of the Prospectus.

The shares of each Fund will be listed for trading on the Exchange. The shares trade on the Exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from NAV. The price difference may be greater for the Fund than for traditional ETFs that disclose their full portfolio holdings on a daily basis. See "Share Prices" section. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Funds will continue to be met.

The Exchange may consider the suspension of trading and will commence delisting proceedings under any of the following circumstances: (i) if any of the continued listing requirements are not continuously maintained, (ii) if a Fund's portfolio holdings is not made available to all market participants at the same time; (iii) if following the initial twelve-month period after commencement of trading on the Exchange, there are fewer than 50 beneficial holders of the shares of a Fund, (iv) if the Exchange is notified that a Fund is not in compliance with the conditions of any currently applicable exemptive order or no-action relief granted by the SEC, (v) if any statements or representations regarding the description of the portfolio, limitations on portfolio holdings or the applicability of Exchange listing rules is not continuously maintained, or (vi) if such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. In addition, the Exchange will remove the shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of a Fund.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell shares through a broker-dealer, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker-dealer.

The Funds reserve the right to adjust the share prices of the Funds in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of a Fund or an investor's equity interest in a Fund.

76
Table of Contents

The base and trading currencies of each Fund is the U.S. dollar. The base currency is the currency in which a Fund's NAV per share is calculated and the trading currency is the currency in which shares of a Fund are listed and traded on the Exchange.

Additional Payments to Brokers, Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

The Adviser and its affiliates, at their own expense, provide additional payments to brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries and service providers for distribution, marketing, promotional, educational and other services. These payments are often referred to as "revenue sharing" payments and are in addition to the commissions paid to or charged by intermediaries at the time of sale of Fund shares. These sums may include payments for distribution analytical data regarding sales by financial advisors and to reimburse directly or indirectly the costs incurred by firms and/or their employees in connection with educational seminars and training efforts about the Funds for the firms' employees and/or their clients and potential clients. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, entertainment and meals.

In some circumstances, these payments may relate to information provided by brokers, dealers and financial intermediaries about investors in a Fund. In other circumstances, these payments may relate to intermediaries making Fund shares available to their clients, including through technology platforms, "preferred fund" programs, reduced commission programs or to defray or reduce a portion of "ticket" or other transactional charges imposed by a financial intermediary.

Often, the purpose of these revenue sharing payments is to make the financial advisors who interact with current and prospective investors and shareholders more knowledgeable about the AB Funds so that they can provide suitable information and advice about the Funds and related investor services.

These types of payments may be viewed as an incentive for a broker, dealer or financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or offer shares of a Fund to its customers. You should ask your dealer or financial intermediary for more details about any such payments it receives.

The Funds may use brokers and dealers that are also Authorized Participants to effectuate portfolio transactions. The Funds do not consider Authorized Participants' activities as a factor when selecting brokers or dealers to effect portfolio transactions.

The Adviser or an affiliate may pay fees to an exchange as part of a program to provide compensation to market makers for liquidity and secondary market support services. These fees are provided to market makers that meet certain liquidity and other market quality standards with respect to a Fund. These fees are subject to approval by the SEC and are not paid by a Fund.

77
Table of Contents
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES

The following information supplements that set forth in your Prospectus under the heading "Investing in the Funds".

Statements and Reports

Each Fund will transmit to shareholders its semi-annual and annual reports and, upon request, will send to shareholders other materials such as the Fund's schedule of investments and financial statements. In addition, shareholders also receive a confirmation of each purchase and redemption.

NET ASSET VALUE

The NAV of each Fund is calculated at the close of regular trading on any day the Exchange is open (ordinarily, 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, but sometimes earlier, as in the case of scheduled half-day trading or unscheduled suspensions of trading) following receipt of a purchase or redemption order by a Fund on each Fund business day on which such an order is received and on such other days as the Board deems appropriate or necessary in order to comply with Rule 22c-1 under the 1940 Act. A Fund's per share NAV is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund's total assets, less its liabilities, by the total number of its shares then outstanding.

The following describes the typical methods for valuing investments commonly held by the Funds:

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at "fair value" as determined in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and the Fund's pricing policies and procedures.

Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Fund's Board has designated the Adviser as the valuation designee with responsibility for performing all fair valuations of the Fund's portfolio investments, subject to the Board's oversight. The Adviser has established a valuation committee of senior officers and employees to fulfill its responsibilities as the Fund's valuation designee, which operates under policies and procedures approved by the Fund's Board, to value the Fund's assets.

Equity securities listed on the Exchange or another national exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ), are valued at their last sale prices reflected on the consolidated tape at the close of the exchange. Securities listed and trading on the NASDAQ are

78
Table of Contents

valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price. If there are no sales on the relevant business day, closing prices provided by the exchange, last trade prices from other exchanges, other trade prices available or fair value methodology may be used to value the securities. OTC equity securities trading on "Pink Sheets" are valued at the mid-level between current bid and asked prices. If mid-prices are not available, securities will be valued at bid prices.

Foreign markets normally close earlier in the day than U.S. markets. The Funds generally determine the value of a security that is primarily traded on a non-U.S. exchange as of the close of trading on that exchange. The value of that security is then converted to its U.S. dollar equivalent at the foreign exchange rate in effect at 4:00 p.m., London time, on the day the value of the security is determined.

Fixed-income instruments are typically valued on the basis of bid prices provided by an approved pricing service when the Adviser reasonably believes that such prices reflect the fair value of the instruments. The market convention may be to use the mid-price between bid and offer in certain markets, and fixed-income instruments may be valued on the basis of the mid-prices when such prices reflect the convention of the particular markets. If the Adviser determines that an appropriate pricing vendor does not exist for a fixed-income instrument, the Adviser may use broker quotations consistent with the manner in which the instruments are quoted and traded, or another valuation methodology deemed reasonable by the Adviser.

The fair value of listed derivatives and OTC derivatives are determined with market quotations, settlement prices, or market models with inputs sourced from market data providers. Fair value is determined based on the terms of the instruments and with inputs as of the valuation date. Indicative broker quotations and/or values provided by counterparties may be used if an OTC instrument is not easily modeled and pricing vendors are not able to price the instrument.

When making a fair value determination, the Adviser may take into account any factors it deems appropriate. The Adviser may determine fair value based upon developments related to a specific security, current valuations of foreign stock indices (as reflected in U.S. futures markets) and/or U.S. sector or broader stock market indices. The prices of securities used by a Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Making a fair value determination involves subjective judgments, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security.

Each Fund expects to use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded on U.S. exchanges under certain circumstances, such as the early closing of the exchange on which a security is traded or suspension of trading in the security, or for securities for which market prices are not readily available or deemed unreliable (including restricted securities). Factors considered in fair value pricing may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer or analysts, or by analysis of the issuers' financial statements. The Funds may value their securities using fair value prices based on independent pricing services.

79
Table of Contents

The Funds may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because, among other things, most foreign markets close well before a Fund ordinarily values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events may have occurred in the interim. The Adviser monitors for significant events following the close of trading in foreign markets.

The Funds' Board may suspend the determination of its NAV (and the offering and sale of shares), subject to the rules of the SEC and other governmental rules and regulations, at a time when: (1) the Exchange is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (2) an emergency exists as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of securities owned by it or to determine fairly the value of its net assets; or (3) for the protection of shareholders, if the SEC by order permits a suspension of the right of redemption or a postponement of the date of payment on redemption.

For purposes of determining a Fund's NAV per share, all assets and liabilities initially expressed in a foreign currency will be converted into U.S. Dollars at the mean of the current bid and asked prices of such currency against the U.S. Dollar as provided by a third-party pricing service on the valuation date. If such quotations are not available as of 4:00 p.m., London time, the rate of exchange will be determined by the Adviser subject to the oversight of the Board.

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of Dividends and Distributions

General. Each Fund intends for each taxable year to qualify to be taxed as a "regulated investment company" under the Code. To so qualify, a Fund must, among other things: (i) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currency, certain other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures contracts or forward currency exchange contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in stock, securities or currency or net income derived from interests in certain "qualified publicly traded partnerships"; and (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, the following two conditions are met: (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's assets is represented by cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities with respect to which the Fund's investment is limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund's assets is invested in securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies), securities (other than securities of other regulated investment companies) of any two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or securities of one or more "qualified publicly traded partnerships".

80
Table of Contents

If a Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company for any taxable year and makes timely distributions to its shareholders of 90% or more of its investment company taxable income for that year (calculated without regard to its net capital gain, i.e., the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) it will not be subject to federal income tax on the portion of its taxable income for the year (including any net capital gain) that it distributes to shareholders.

It is the present policy of each Fund to distribute to shareholders all net investment income annually and to distribute net realized capital gains, if any, annually. The amount of any such distributions must necessarily depend upon the realization by the Fund of income and capital gains from investments.

Each Fund will also avoid the 4% United States federal excise tax that would otherwise apply to certain undistributed income for a given calendar year if it makes timely distributions to the shareholders equal to at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for that year, (ii) 98.2% of its capital gain net income and foreign currency gains for the twelve-month period ending on October 31 of that year or, if later during the calendar year, the last day of the Fund's taxable year (i.e., November 30 or December 31) if the Fund is permitted to so elect and so elects, and (iii) any ordinary income or capital gain net income from the preceding calendar year that was not distributed during such year. For this purpose, income or gain retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by the Fund during such year. For federal income and excise tax purposes, dividends declared and payable to shareholders of record as of a date in October, November or December of a given year but actually paid during the immediately following January will be treated as if paid by the Fund on December 31 of such earlier calendar year, and will be taxable to these shareholders in the year declared, and not in the year in which the shareholders actually receive the dividend.

The information set forth in the Prospectus and the following discussion relate solely to the significant United States federal income taxes on dividends and distributions by a Fund and assume that the Fund qualifies to be taxed as a regulated investment company. An investor should consult his or her own tax advisor with respect to the specific tax consequences of being a shareholder in a Fund, including the effect and applicability of United States federal, state, local and foreign tax laws to his or her own particular situation and the possible effects of changes therein.

Dividends and Distributions. Each Fund intends to make timely distributions of the Fund's taxable income (including any net capital gain) so that the Fund will not be subject to United States federal income and excise taxes. Dividends of each Fund's net ordinary income and distributions of any net realized short-term capital gain are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.

Some or all of the distributions from each Fund may be treated as "qualified dividend income", taxable to individuals, trusts and estates at the reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that both the fund and the shareholder satisfy certain holding

81
Table of Contents

period and other requirements. Based upon the investment policies of the Fund, it is expected that only a small portion, if any, of the Fund's distributions would be treated as "qualified dividend income".

Distributions of net capital gain are taxable as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares in a Fund. Any dividend or distribution received by a shareholder on shares of a Fund will have the effect of reducing the NAV of such shares by the amount of such dividend or distribution. Furthermore, a dividend or distribution made shortly after the purchase of such shares by a shareholder, although in effect a return of capital to that particular shareholder, would be taxable to him or her as described above. Dividends are taxable in the manner discussed regardless of whether they are paid to the shareholder in cash or are reinvested in additional shares of a Fund. The investment objectives of each Fund are such that only a small portion, if any, of a Fund's distributions is expected to qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.

Income dividends are typically declared and paid annually; capital gains distributions typically occur annually in December.

After the end of the calendar year, a Fund will notify shareholders of the United States federal income tax status of any distributions made by the Fund to shareholders during such year.

Sales and Redemptions. Any gain or loss arising from a sale or redemption of Fund shares generally will be a capital gain or loss if Fund shares are held as a capital asset, and will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder has held such shares for more than one year at the time of the sale or redemption; otherwise it will be a short-term capital gain or loss. If a shareholder has held shares in the Fund for six months or less and during that period has received a distribution of net capital gain, any loss recognized by the shareholder on the sale of those shares during the six-month period will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the distribution. In determining the holding period of such shares for this purpose, any period during which a shareholder's risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted.

Any loss realized by a shareholder on a sale or exchange of shares of a Fund will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are reacquired within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are sold or exchanged. For this purpose, acquisitions pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan would constitute a reacquisition if made within the period. If a loss is so disallowed, then such loss will be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.

Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between (x) the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and (y) the sum of the Authorized Participant's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such

82
Table of Contents

Creation Units. An Authorized Participant who redeems Creation Units will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between (x) the sum of the aggregate market value of any securities received plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units and (y) its tax basis in the Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS"), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing "wash sales," or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons purchasing or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.

Cost Basis Reporting. As part of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, mutual funds are required to report to the IRS the "cost basis" of shares acquired by a shareholder on or after January 1, 2012 ("covered shares") and subsequently redeemed. These requirements do not apply to investments through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement plan. The "cost basis" of a share is generally its purchase price adjusted for dividends, return of capital, and other corporate actions. Cost basis is used to determine whether a sale of the shares results in a gain or loss. The amount of gain or loss recognized by a shareholder on the sale or redemption of shares is generally the difference between the cost basis of such shares and their sale price. If you redeem covered shares during any year, then the Funds will report the cost basis of such covered shares to the IRS and you on Form 1099-B along with the gross proceeds received on the redemption, the gain or loss realized on such redemption and the holding period of the redeemed shares.

Your cost basis in your covered shares is permitted to be calculated using any one of three alternative methods: Average Cost, First In-First Out (FIFO) and Specific Share Identification. You may elect which method you want to use by notifying the Funds. This election may be revoked or changed by you at any time up to the date of your first redemption of covered shares. If you do not affirmatively elect a cost basis method then a Fund's default cost basis calculation method, which is currently the Average Cost method - will be applied to your account(s). The default method will also be applied to all new accounts established unless otherwise requested.

If you hold Fund shares through a broker (or another nominee), please contact that broker (nominee) with respect to the reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.

You are encouraged to consult your tax advisor regarding the application of the new cost basis reporting rules and, in particular, which cost basis calculation method you should elect.

Qualified Plans. A dividend or capital gains distribution with respect to shares of a Fund held by a tax-deferred or qualified plan, such as an individual retirement account, section 403(b)(7) retirement plan or corporate pension or profit-sharing plan, generally will not be taxable to the plan. Distributions from such plans will be taxable to individual participants under applicable tax rules without regard to the character of the income earned by the qualified plan.

Backup Withholding. Any distributions and redemption proceeds payable to a shareholder may be subject to "backup withholding" tax (at a rate of 24%) if such shareholder

83
Table of Contents

fails to provide a Fund with his or her correct taxpayer identification number, fails to make certain required certifications or is notified by the IRS that he or she is subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather, a shareholder generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under backup withholding rules that exceed such shareholder's United States federal income tax liability by filing a refund claim with the IRS, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Income Taxes. Investment income received by a Fund also may be subject to foreign income taxes, including taxes withheld at the source. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries which entitle a Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of a Fund's assets to be invested within various countries is not known.

The United States federal income tax status of each year's distributions by the Fund will be reported to shareholders and to the IRS. The foregoing is only a general description of the treatment of foreign taxes under the United States federal income tax laws. Because the availability of a foreign tax credit or deduction will depend on the particular circumstances of each shareholder, potential investors are advised to consult their own tax advisers.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of the Funds

The following discussion relates to certain significant United States federal income tax consequences to a Fund with respect to the determination of its "investment company taxable income" each year. This discussion assumes that each Fund will be taxed as a regulated investment company for each of its taxable years.

Options, Futures Contracts, and Forward Currency Exchange Contracts. Certain listed options, regulated futures contracts, and forward currency exchange contracts are considered "section 1256 contracts" for United States federal income tax purposes. Section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of each taxable year will be "marked to market" and treated for United States federal income tax purposes as though sold for fair market value on the last business day of such taxable year. Gain or loss realized by a Fund on section 1256 contracts other than forward currency exchange contracts will be considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. The FLEX Options included in a Fund's portfolio are listed options. However, the Funds believe that the FLEX Options typically held in their portfolios will not be treated as section 1256 contracts, and disposition of such options will likely result in long-term or short-term capital gains or losses, depending upon the Fund's holding period with respect to such option. If contrary to this belief, the FLEX Options held by a Fund are treated as section 1256 contracts, and a Fund is unable to distribute any mark-to-market gains to its shareholders, the Fund may lose its RIC qualification and be taxed as a regular corporation. Each Fund may also invest in certain other listed options that are section 1256 contracts.

Tax Straddles. Any option, futures contract or other position entered into or held by a Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Fund may constitute a "straddle"

84
Table of Contents

for United States federal income tax purposes. A straddle of which at least one, but not all, the positions are section 1256 contracts may constitute a "mixed straddle". A Fund's positions with respect to an Underlying ETF may constitute a straddle. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Fund's gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (i)loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (ii) the Fund's holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (iii) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which are part of a mixed straddle and which are non-section 1256 positions be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (iv) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (v) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles. In general, the straddle rules described above do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund, all of the offsetting positions of which consist of section 1256 contracts.

Other Taxation

A Fund may be subject to additional United States state and local taxes. A shareholder's state of residence may impose income tax on distributions of tax-exempt interest income, which are exempt from United States federal income tax. Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the state and local income tax consequences of an investment in the Funds.

Taxation of Foreign Shareholders

Taxation of a shareholder who, under the Code, is a nonresident alien individual, foreign trust or estate, foreign corporation or foreign partnership ("foreign shareholder"), depends on whether the income from the Fund is "effectively connected" with a United States trade or business carried on by the foreign shareholder.

If the income from a Fund is not effectively connected with the foreign shareholder's U.S. trade or business, then, except as discussed below, distributions of the Fund attributable to ordinary income paid to a foreign shareholder by the Fund will be subject to United States withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) upon the gross amount of the distribution. Distributions of a Fund attributable to U.S. source portfolio interest income, exempt-interest dividends, net long-term capital gain and short-term capital gain will not be subject to this withholding tax if so designated.

A foreign shareholder generally would be exempt from United States federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or redemption of shares of the Fund. Special rules apply in the case of a shareholder that is a foreign trust or foreign partnership.

If the income from a Fund is effectively connected with a foreign shareholder's U.S. trade or business, then ordinary income distributions, capital gain distributions, and any gain

85
Table of Contents

realized upon the sale of shares of the Fund will be subject to United States federal income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. citizens or U.S. corporations.

The tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein.

The tax rules of other countries with respect to an investment in a Fund can differ from the United States federal income taxation rules described above. These foreign rules are not discussed herein. Foreign shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors as to the consequences of foreign tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS

Subject to the general oversight of the Funds' Board, the Adviser is responsible for the investment decisions and the placing of orders for portfolio transactions for the Funds. The Adviser determines the broker or dealer to be used in each specific transaction with the objective of negotiating a combination of the most favorable commission (for transactions on which a commission is payable) and the best price obtainable on each transaction (generally defined as "best execution"). In connection with seeking best execution, a Fund does not consider sales of shares of the Fund or other investment companies managed by the Adviser as a factor in the selection of brokers and dealers to effect portfolio transactions and has adopted a policy and procedures reasonably designed to preclude such considerations.

Most transactions for the Funds, including transactions in listed securities, are executed in the OTC market by market maker dealers with whom the Adviser maintains regular contact. Most transactions made by the Funds will be principal transactions at net prices and the Funds will incur little or no brokerage costs. However, a Fund may make opportunistic investments in equities from time to time. The Funds will incur brokerage commissions on those transactions. Where possible, securities will be purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities unless the Adviser believes a better execution is available elsewhere. Purchases from underwriters of newly-issued securities for inclusion in a Fund usually will include a concession paid to the underwriter by the issuer and purchases from dealers serving as market makers will include the spread between the bid and ask price.

When consistent with the objective of obtaining best execution, brokerage may be directed to persons or firms supplying investment information to the Adviser. There may be occasions where the transaction cost charged by a broker may be greater than that which another broker may charge if it is determined in good faith that the amount of such transaction cost is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage, research and statistical services provided by the executing broker.

The Funds may deal in some instances in securities that are not listed on a national stock exchange but are traded in the OTC market. The Funds may also purchase listed securities through the third market, i.e., from a dealer that is not a member of the exchange on

86
Table of Contents

which a security is listed. Where transactions are executed in the OTC market or third market, a Fund will seek to deal with the primary market makers, but when necessary in order to obtain the best execution, the Fund will utilize the services of others. In all cases, the Funds will attempt to negotiate best execution.

The Funds' portfolio transactions in equity securities may occur on foreign stock exchanges. Transactions on stock exchanges involve the payment of brokerage commissions. Securities traded in foreign OTC markets (including most fixed-income securities) are purchased from and sold to dealers acting as principal. OTC transactions generally do not involve the payment of a stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission or markup. The prices of underwritten offerings, however, generally include a stated underwriter's discount. The Adviser expects to effect the bulk of its transactions in securities of companies based in foreign countries through brokers, dealers or underwriters located in such countries.

No Fund has an obligation to enter into transactions in portfolio securities with any broker, dealer, issuer, underwriter or other entity. In placing orders, it is the policy of a Fund to obtain the best execution for its transactions. Where best execution may be obtained from more than one broker or dealer, the Adviser may, in its discretion, purchase and sell securities through brokers and dealers who provide research, statistical and other information to the Adviser. Such services may be used by the Adviser for all of its investment advisory accounts and, accordingly, not all such services may be used by the Adviser in connection with the Funds. The supplemental information received from a dealer is in addition to the services required to be performed by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, and the expenses of the Adviser will not necessarily be reduced as a result of the receipt of such information.

Neither the Funds nor the Adviser have entered into agreements or understandings with any brokers regarding the placement of securities transactions because of research services they provide. To the extent that such persons or firms supply investment information to the Adviser for use in rendering investment advice to the Funds, such information may be supplied at no cost to the Adviser and, therefore, may have the effect of reducing the expenses of the Adviser in rendering advice to the Funds. While it is impracticable to place an actual dollar value on such investment information, the Adviser believes that its receipt probably does not reduce the overall expenses of the Adviser to any material extent.

The investment information provided to the Adviser is of the type described in Section 28(e)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is designed to augment the Adviser's own internal research and investment strategy capabilities. Research services furnished by brokers through which a Fund effects securities transactions are used by the Adviser in carrying out its investment management responsibilities with respect to all its clients' accounts but not all such services may be used by the Adviser in connection with the Fund.

Investment decisions for a Fund are made independently from those for other investment companies and other advisory accounts managed by the Adviser. It may happen, on occasion, that the same security is held in the portfolio of a Fund and one or more of such other companies or accounts. Simultaneous transactions are likely when several funds or accounts are

87
Table of Contents

managed in accordance with a similar strategy by the Adviser, particularly when a security is suitable for the investment objectives of more than one of such companies or accounts. When two or more companies or accounts managed by the Adviser are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the transactions are allocated to the respective companies or accounts both as to amount and price, in accordance with a method deemed equitable to each company or account. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtainable for the Fund.

Allocations are made by the Adviser. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are determined by the Adviser and are placed with broker-dealers by the trading department of the Adviser.

As of the date of this SAI, the Funds have not commenced operations, so the Funds have not paid any brokerage commissions.

The Adviser continuously monitors and evaluates the performance and execution capabilities of brokers that transact orders for the Funds to ensure consistent quality executions. This information is reported to the Adviser's Research Allocation Committee and Best Execution Committee, which oversee broker-selection issues. In addition, the Adviser periodically reviews the Funds' transaction costs in light of current market circumstances using internal tools and analysis as well as statistical analysis and other relevant information from external vendors.

The Funds may, from time to time, place orders for the purchase or sale of securities (including listed call options) with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., BSG France, S.A., Bernstein Institutional Services LLC and Bernstein Autonomous LLP (a U.K. broker-dealer), affiliates of the Adviser (the "Affiliated Brokers"). In such instances, the placement of orders with the Affiliated Brokers would be consistent with the Fund's objective of obtaining best execution and would not be dependent upon the fact that the Affiliated Brokers are affiliates of the Adviser. With respect to orders placed with the Affiliated Brokers for execution on a national securities exchange, commissions received must conform to Section 17(e)(2)(A) of the 1940 Act and Rule 17e-1 thereunder, which permit an affiliated person of a registered investment company (such as the Funds), or any affiliated person of such person, to receive a brokerage commission from such registered investment company provided that such commission is reasonable and fair compared to the commissions received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities during a comparable period of time.

As of the date of this SAI, the Funds have not commenced operations, so the Funds have not purchased securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act).

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Fund includes portfolio holdings information as required in regulatory filings and shareholder reports, discloses portfolio holdings information as required by federal or state securities laws and may disclose portfolio holdings information in response to requests by

88
Table of Contents

governmental authorities. The Adviser has adopted policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Fund's portfolio holdings and characteristics, which are described below.

Distribution to the Public. Each of the Funds is a fully transparent ETF. As an ETF, information about the Fund's portfolio holdings is made available on a daily basis in accordance with the provisions of Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act, regulations of the Fund's Exchange and other applicable SEC regulations, orders and no-action relief. On each business day of a Fund, before commencement of trading in shares on a national securities exchange, the Funds will disclose on their website the identities and quantities of each Fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for each Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of that business day.

Portfolio holdings are also disclosed in annual and semiannual shareholder reports. Quarterly portfolio disclosures will be filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT within 60 days of each fiscal quarter end.

Disclosures in Connection with the Creation/Redemption Process. Each business day, the Funds' portfolio holdings information will be provided to the Funds' transfer agent or other agents for dissemination through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") and/or other fee-based subscription services to NSCC members and/or subscribers to those other fee-based subscription services, including large institutional investors (known as "Authorized Participants") that have been authorized to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements, and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading shares of the Funds in the secondary market.

Portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.

Other Distributions. The Adviser may distribute or authorize the distribution of information about a Fund's portfolio holdings that is not publicly available, on the website or otherwise, to the Adviser's employees and affiliates that provide services to the Fund. In addition, the Adviser may distribute or authorize distribution of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings that is not publicly available, on the website or otherwise, (i) to the Fund's service providers who require access to the information in order to fulfill their contractual duties relating to the Fund (including, without limitation, pricing services and proxy voting services), (ii) to facilitate the review of the Fund by NRSROs, (iii) for the purpose of due diligence regarding a merger or acquisition, (iv) for the purpose of effecting in-kind redemption of securities to facilitate orderly redemption of portfolio assets and minimal impact on remaining Fund shareholders, or (v) to other persons approved by the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) in accordance with the conditions described below that are part of the policies

89
Table of Contents

and procedures relating to disclosure of the Funds' portfolio securities. The Adviser does not expect to disclose information about a Fund's portfolio holdings that is not publicly available to the Fund's individual or institutional investors or to intermediaries that distribute the Fund's shares. Information may be disclosed with any frequency and any lag, as appropriate.

Before any non-public disclosure of information about the Fund's portfolio holdings is permitted, however, the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) must determine that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for providing the portfolio holdings information, that the disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund's shareholders, and that the recipient agrees or has a duty to keep the information confidential and agrees not to trade directly or indirectly based on the information or to use the information to form a specific recommendation about whether to invest in the Fund or any other security. Under no circumstances may the Adviser or its affiliates receive any consideration or compensation for disclosing the information.

The Adviser has established procedures to ensure that each Fund's portfolio holdings information is only disclosed in accordance with these policies. Only the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) may approve the disclosure, and then only if he or she and a designated senior officer in the Adviser's product management group determine that the disclosure serves a legitimate business purpose of the Fund and is in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders. The Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) approves disclosure only after considering the anticipated benefits and costs to the Fund and its shareholders, the purpose of the disclosure, any conflicts of interest between the interests of the Fund and its shareholders and the interests of the Adviser or any of its affiliates, and whether the disclosure is consistent with the policies and procedures governing disclosure. Only someone approved by the Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) may make approved disclosures of portfolio holdings information to authorized recipients. The Adviser reserves the right to request certifications from senior officers of authorized recipients that the recipient is using the portfolio holdings information only in a manner consistent with the Adviser's policy and any applicable confidentiality agreement. The Adviser's Chief Compliance Officer (or his designee) or another member of the compliance team reports all arrangements to disclose portfolio holdings information to the Funds' Board on a quarterly basis. If the Board determines that disclosure was inappropriate, the Adviser will promptly terminate the disclosure arrangement.

In accordance with these procedures, each of the following third parties has been approved to receive information concerning each Fund's portfolio holdings: (i) the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, for use in providing audit opinions; (ii) Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc., Data Communique International and, from time to time, other financial printers, for the purpose of preparing Fund regulatory filings; (iii) the Fund's custodian in connection with its custody of the Fund's assets; (iv) Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. for proxy voting services; (v) the Investment Company Institute, a trade association that represents registered investment companies such as mutual funds, closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds, in connection with confidential industry matters; and (vi) data aggregators, such as Vestek. Information may be provided to these parties at any time with no time lag. Each of these parties is contractually and ethically prohibited from sharing the Fund's portfolio holdings information unless specifically authorized.

90
Table of Contents
GENERAL INFORMATION

All Funds

It is anticipated that annual shareholder meetings will not be held; shareholder meetings will be held only when required by federal or state law. Shareholders have available certain procedures for the removal of directors.

A shareholder will be entitled to share pro rata with other holders of the same class of shares all dividends and distributions arising from a Fund's assets and, upon redeeming shares, will receive the then current NAV of the Fund represented by the redeemed shares. A Fund is empowered to establish, without shareholder approval, additional portfolios, which may have different investment objectives and policies than those of the Fund. If an additional portfolio or class were established in the Company, each share of the portfolio or class would normally be entitled to one vote for all purposes. Generally, shares of each portfolio and class would vote together as a single class on matters, such as the election of Directors, that affect each portfolio and class in substantially the same manner. Each class of shares of a Fund represents an interest in the same portfolio of investments and has the same rights and is identical in all respects. Each class of shares of a Fund votes separately with respect to the Fund's Plan and other matters for which separate class voting is appropriate under applicable law. Shares are, when issued, fully paid and non-assessable, freely transferable, entitled to dividends as determined by the Directors and, in liquidation of a Fund, are entitled to receive the net assets of the Fund.

A Fund's Board may, without shareholder approval, increase or decrease the number of authorized but unissued shares of a Fund.

Principal and Controlling Holders

INTERNATIONAL BUFFER

To the knowledge of the Fund, as of October 1, 2024, no persons owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the shares of the Fund.

A shareholder who beneficially owns more than 25% of the Fund's outstanding voting securities is presumed to "control" the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, and may have a significant impact on matters submitted to a shareholder vote. To the knowledge of the Fund, no person beneficially owned more than 25% of the Fund's outstanding voting securities as of October 1, 2024.

MODERATE BUFFER

To the knowledge of the Fund, as of October 1, 2024, no persons owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the shares of the Fund.

91
Table of Contents

A shareholder who beneficially owns more than 25% of the Fund's outstanding voting securities is presumed to "control" the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, and may have a significant impact on matters submitted to a shareholder vote. To the knowledge of the Fund, no person beneficially owned more than 25% of the Fund's outstanding voting securities as of October 1, 2024.

Counsel

Legal matters in connection with the issuance of the shares of the Funds offered hereby are passed upon by Seward & Kissel LLP, 901 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20001.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[_______], has been appointed as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Funds.

Code of Ethics and Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

The Funds, the Adviser and ABI have each adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit personnel subject to the codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Funds.

The Funds have adopted the Adviser's proxy voting policies and procedures. A description of the Adviser's proxy voting policies and procedures is attached as Appendix A.

Information regarding how each Fund voted proxies related to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (1) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 227-4618; or through the Fund's website at www.abfunds.com; or both; and (2) on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Additional Information

Shareholder inquiries may be directed to the shareholder's financial intermediary or to Foreside at the address or telephone numbers shown on the front cover of this SAI. This SAI does not contain all the information set forth in the Registration Statement filed by a Fund with the SEC under the Securities Act. Copies of the Registration Statement may be obtained at a reasonable charge from the SEC or may be examined, without charge, at the offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

92
Table of Contents
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

No financial statements are available for the Funds because they have not yet commenced operations as of the date of the Prospectus.

93
Table of Contents

Appendix A

Proxy Voting and Governance Policy Statement

Introduction

AllianceBernstein L.P.'s ("AB," "we," "us," "our" and similar terms) mission is to work in our clients' best interests to deliver better investment outcomes through differentiated research insights and innovative portfolio solutions. As a fiduciary and investment adviser, we place the interests of our clients first and treat all our clients fairly and equitably, and we have an obligation to responsibly allocate, manage and oversee their investments to seek sustainable, long-term shareholder value. AB has authority to vote proxies relating to securities in certain client portfolios and, accordingly, AB's fiduciary obligations extend to AB's exercise of such proxy voting authority for each client AB has agreed to exercise that duty. AB's general policy is to vote proxy proposals, amendments, consents or resolutions relating to client securities, including interests in private investment funds, if any (collectively, "proxies"), in a manner that serves the best interests of each respective client as determined by AB in its discretion, after consideration of the relevant clients' investment strategies, and in accordance with this Proxy Voting and Governance Policy ("Proxy Voting and Governance Policy" or "Policy") and the operative agreements governing the relationship with each respective client. This Policy outlines our principles for proxy voting, includes a wide range of issues that often appear on voting ballots, and applies to all of AB's internally managed assets, globally. It is intended for use by those involved in the proxy voting decision-making process and those responsible for the administration of proxy voting ("members of the Responsible Investing team"), in order to ensure that this Policy and its procedures are implemented consistently.

To be effective stewards of our client's investments and maximize shareholder value, we need to vote proxies on behalf of our clients responsibly. This Policy forms part of a suite of policies and frameworks beginning with AB's Stewardship Statement that outline our approach to responsibility, responsible investing, stewardship, engagement, climate change, human rights, global slavery and human trafficking, and controversial investments. Proxy voting is an integral part of this process, enabling us to support strong corporate governance structures, shareholder rights, transparency and disclosure, and encourage corporate action on material environmental, social and governance and climate issues.

This Policy is overseen by the Proxy Voting and Governance Committee ("Proxy Voting and Governance Committee" or "Committee"), which provides oversight and includes senior representatives from Equities, Fixed Income, Responsibility, Legal and Operations. It is the responsibility of the Committee to evaluate and maintain proxy

A-1

voting procedures and guidelines, to evaluate proposals and issues not covered by these guidelines, to consider changes in the Policy, and to review the Policy no less frequently than annually. In addition, the Committee meets at least three times a year and as necessary to address special situations.

Research Underpins Decision Making

As a research-driven firm, we approach our proxy voting responsibilities with the same commitment to rigorous research and engagement that we apply to all our investment activities. The different investment philosophies utilized by our investment teams may occasionally result in different conclusions being drawn regarding certain proposals. In turn, our votes on some proposals may vary by issuer, while maintaining the goal of maximizing the value of the securities in client portfolios.

Research Services

We subscribe to the corporate governance and proxy research services of vendors such as Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS") and Glass Lewis at different levels. All our investment professionals can access these materials via the members of the Responsible Investing team and/or the Proxy Voting and Governance Committee.

Engagement

In evaluating proxy issues and determining our votes, we welcome and seek out points of view from various parties. Internally, the members of the Responsible Investing team may consult the Proxy Voting and Governance Committee, Chief Investment Officers, Directors of Research, and/or Research Analysts across our Equities platforms, and Portfolio Managers in whose managed accounts a stock is held. Externally, we may engage with companies in advance of their Annual General Meeting, and throughout the year. We believe engagement provides the opportunity to share our philosophy, our corporate governance values, and more importantly, affect positive change that we believe will drive shareholder value. Also, these meetings often are joint efforts between the investment professionals, who are best positioned to comment on company-specific details, and the members of the Responsible Investing team, who offer a more holistic view of governance practices and relevant trends. In addition, we engage with shareholder proposal proponents and other stakeholders to understand different viewpoints and objectives.

Proxy Voting Guidelines

Our proxy voting guidelines are both principles-based and rules-based. We adhere to a core set of principles that are described in the Proxy Voting and Governance Policy. We assess each proxy proposal in light of these principles. Our proxy voting "litmus test" will always be what we view as most likely to maximize long-term shareholder value. We believe that authority and accountability for setting and executing corporate policies, goals and compensation generally should rest with the board of directors and senior

A-2

management. In return, we support strong investor rights that allow shareholders to hold directors and management accountable if they fail to act in the best interests of shareholders.

Our proxy voting guidelines pertaining to specific issues are set forth in the Policy and include guidelines relating to board and director proposals, compensation proposals, capital changes and anti-takeover proposals, auditor proposals, shareholder access and environmental, social related proposals. The following are examples of specific issues within each of these broad categories:

Board and Director Proposals: Election of Directors

The election of directors is an important vote. We expect directors to represent shareholder interests at the company and maximize shareholder value. We generally vote in favor of the management-proposed slate of directors while considering a number of factors, including local market best practice. We believe companies should have a majority of independent directors and independent key committees. However, we will incorporate local market regulation and corporate governance codes into our decision making. We may support more progressive requirements than those implemented in a local market if we believe more progressive requirements may improve corporate governance practices. We will generally regard a director as independent if the director satisfies the criteria for independence (i) espoused by the primary exchange on which the company's shares are traded, or (ii) set forth in the local market best practice code in the country where the subject company is domiciled and may take into account affiliations, related-party transactions and prior service to the company. We consider the election of directors who are "bundled" on a single slate to be a poor governance practice and vote on a case-by-case basis considering the amount of information available and an assessment of the group's qualifications.

Capital Changes and Anti-Takeover Proposals: Authorize Share Repurchase

We generally support share repurchase proposals that are part of a well-articulated and well-conceived capital strategy. We assess proposals to give the board unlimited authorization to repurchase shares on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, we would generally support the use of derivative instruments (e.g., put options and call options) as part of a share repurchase plan absent a compelling reason to the contrary. Also, absent a specific concern at the company, we will generally support a repurchase plan that could be continued during a takeover period.

Auditor Proposals: Appointment of Auditors

We believe that the company is in the best position to choose its accounting firm, and we generally support management's recommendation.

We recognize that there may be inherent conflicts when a company's independent auditor performs substantial non-audit related services for the company. Therefore, in reviewing a proposed auditor, we will consider the amount of fees paid for non-audit related services performed compared to the total audit fees paid by the company to the auditing firm, and whether there are any other reasons for us to question the

A-3

independence or performance of the firm's auditor such as, for example, tenure. We generally will deem as excessive the non-audit fees paid by a company to its auditor, if those fees account for 50% or more of total fees paid. In the U.K. market, which utilizes a different standard, we adhere to a non-audit fee cap of 100% of audit fees. Under these circumstances, we generally vote against the auditor and the directors, in particular the members of the company's audit committee. In addition, we generally vote against authorizing the audit committee to set the remuneration of such auditors. We exclude from this analysis non-audit fees related to IPOs, bankruptcy emergence, and spin-offs and other extraordinary events. We may vote against or abstain due to a lack of disclosure of the name of the auditor while taking into account local market practice.

Shareholder Access and Voting Proposals: Proxy Access for Annual Meetings

These proposals allow "qualified shareholders" to nominate directors. We generally vote in favor of management and shareholder proposals for proxy access that employ guidelines reflecting the SEC framework for proxy access (adopted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in 2010, but vacated by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011), which would have allowed a single shareholder, or group of shareholders, who hold at least 3% of the voting power for at least three years continuously to nominate up to 25% of the current board seats, or two directors, for inclusion in the subject company's annual proxy statement alongside management nominees.

We may vote against proposals that use requirements that are stricter than the SEC's framework including implementing restrictions and against individual board members, or entire boards, who exclude from their ballot properly submitted shareholder proxy access proposals or include their own competing, more strict, proposals on the same ballot.

We will evaluate on a case-by-case basis proposals with less stringent requirements than the vacated SEC framework.

Occasionally, we may receive requests to join with other shareholders to support a shareholder action. We may, for example, receive requests to join a voting block for purposes of influencing management. If the third parties requesting our participation are not affiliated with us and have no business relationships with us, we will consider the request on a case-by-case basis. However, where the requesting party has a business relationship with us (e.g., the requesting party is a client or a significant service provider), agreeing to such a request may pose a potential conflict of interest. As a fiduciary we have an obligation to vote proxies in the best interest of our clients (without regard to our own interests in generating and maintaining business with our other clients) and given our desire to avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we will generally decline such a request.

A-4

Environmental, Social Related Disclosure Proposals Including Lobbying and Political Spending

We generally vote in favor of proposals requesting increased disclosure of political contributions and lobbying expenses, including those paid to trade organizations and political action committees, whether at the federal, state, or local level. These proposals may increase transparency.

We generally vote proposals in accordance with these guidelines but, consistent with our "principles-based" approach to proxy voting, we may deviate from the guidelines if warranted by the specific facts and circumstances of the situation (i.e., if, under the circumstances, we believe that deviating from our stated policy is necessary to help maximize long-term shareholder value). In addition, these guidelines are not intended to address all issues that may appear on all proxy ballots. Proposals not specifically addressed by these guidelines, whether submitted by management or shareholders, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, always keeping in mind our fiduciary duty to make voting decisions that, by maximizing long-term shareholder value, are in our clients' best interests.

Conflicts of Interest

As a fiduciary, we always must act in our clients' best interests. We strive to avoid even the appearance of a conflict that may compromise the trust our clients have placed in us, and we insist on strict adherence to fiduciary standards and compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws. We have adopted a comprehensive Code of Business Conduct and Ethics ("Code") to help us meet these obligations. As part of this responsibility and as expressed throughout the Code, we place the interests of our clients first and attempt to avoid any perceived or actual conflicts of interest.

We recognize that there may be a potential material conflict of interest when we vote a proxy solicited by an issuer that sponsors a retirement plan we manage (or administer), that distributes AB-sponsored mutual funds, or with which we or one or more of our employees have another business or personal relationship that may affect how we vote on the issuer's proxy. Similarly, we may have a potential material conflict of interest when deciding how to vote on a proposal sponsored or supported by a shareholder group that is a client. In order to avoid any perceived or actual conflict of interest, we have established procedures for use when we encounter a potential conflict to ensure that our voting decisions are based on our clients' best interests and are not the product of a conflict. These procedures include compiling a list of companies and organizations whose proxies may pose potential conflicts of interest (e.g., if such company is our client) and reviewing our proposed votes for these companies and organizations in light of the Policy and proxy advisors' recommendations. If our proposed vote is contrary to, or not contemplated in, the Policy, we refer to proposed vote to our Conflicts Officer for his determination.

In addition, our Proxy Voting and Governance Committee takes reasonable steps to verify that our primary proxy advisor, ISS, continues to be independent, including an

A-5

annual review of ISS's conflict management procedures. When reviewing these conflict management procedures, we consider, among other things, whether ISS (i) has the capacity and competency to adequately analyze proxy issues; and (ii) can offer research in an impartial manner and in the best interests of our clients.

Voting Transparency

We publish our voting records on our Internet site (www.alliancebernstein.com) one business day after the company's shareholder meeting date. Many clients have requested that we provide them with periodic reports on how we voted their proxies. Clients may obtain information about how we voted proxies on their behalf by contacting their Advisor. Alternatively, clients may make a written request to the Chief Compliance Officer.

Pre-Disclosure of Vote Intentions on Select Proposals

As part of our engagement and stewardship efforts, AB publishes our vote intentions on certain proposals in advance of select shareholder meetings, with an emphasis on issuers where our discretionary managed accounts have significant economic exposure. The select proposals are chosen because they impact one or more of a range of key topics where AB may have expressed our viewpoints publicly, through prior engagement or proxy voting. We do not pre-disclose our vote intentions on mergers and acquisition activity. The published vote intentions are available on our RI webpage.

Recordkeeping

All of the records referenced in our Policy will be kept in an easily accessible place for at least the timeframe required by local regulation and custom, with the minimum timeframe being the U.S. record retention requirement of six-plus years. We maintain the vast majority of these records electronically.

Loaned Securities

Many of our clients have entered into securities lending arrangements with agent lenders to generate additional revenue. We will not be able to vote securities that are on loan under these types of arrangements. However, for AB managed funds, the agent lenders have standing instructions to recall all securities on loan systematically in a timely manner on a best effort basis in order for AB to vote the proxies on those previously loaned shares.

AB Active ETFs, Inc.

Part C - Other Information.

Item 28. Exhibits

The following Exhibits are filed as part of the Registrant's Registration Statement:

(a) (1) Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated May 4, 2022 and filed May 5, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2022.
(2) Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated August 2, 2022 and filed August 4, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(3) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated November 3, 2022 and filed November 4, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(3) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2022.
(4) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated December 16, 2022 and filed December 19, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(4) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2022.
(5) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated February 1, 2023 and filed February 2, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(5) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 3, 2023.
(6) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated August 2, 2023 and filed August 3, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(6) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 7, 2023.
(7) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated November 2, 2023 and filed November 3, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(7) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2023.
C-1
(8) Articles Supplementary to the Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant dated July 31, 2024 and filed August 2, 2024 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(8) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2024.
(b) Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (b) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2022.
(c) Not Applicable.
(d) (1) Investment Advisory Contract between the Registrant and AllianceBernstein L.P. dated August 4, 2022, as amended November 3, 2022, March 15, 2023, May 9, 2023, September 11, 2023, December 1, 2023, May 24, 2024 and June 26, 2024 - Filed herewith.
(2) Form of Investment Advisory Contract between the Registrant and AllianceBernstein L.P., dated August 4, 2022, as amended November 3, 2022, March 15, 2023, May 9, 2023, September 11, 2023, December 1, 2023, May 24, 2024, June 26, 2024 and [_____], 2024 - Filed herewith.
(e) (1) ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC dated August 1, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (e) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(2) First Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective March 15, 2023 - Filed herewith.
(3) Second Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective June 12, 2023 - Filed herewith.
(4) Third Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective September 20, 2023 - Filed herewith.
(5) Fourth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective December 13, 2023 - Filed herewith.
(6) Fifth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective June 1, 2024 - Filed herewith.
C-2
(7) Sixth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, effective July 11, 2024 - Filed herewith.
(8) Form of Amendment to Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC, dated August 1, 2022, as amended [_____], 2024 - Filed herewith.
(f) Not Applicable.
(g) (1) Custody Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated July 22, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(1) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(2) Amendment to Custody Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated March 8, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2023.
(3) Form of Amendment to Custody Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated July 22, 2022, as amended [_____], 2024 - Filed herewith.
(h) (1) Fund Administration Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated August 8, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(2) Amendment to Fund Administration Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated March 8, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) to Registrant's Registration Statement Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2023.
(3) Form of Amendment to Fund Administration Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated August 8, 2022, as amended [_____], 2024 - Filed herewith.
(4) Form of Authorized Participant Agreement - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(5) Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated August 8, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(3) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
C-3
(6) Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated March 8, 2023 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(6) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2023.
(7)

Form of Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated August 8, 2022, as amended [____], 2024 - Filed herewith.

(8) Form of Acquiring Fund of Funds Investment Agreement - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(4) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(i) Opinion and Consent of Seward & Kissel LLP - Filed herewith.
(j) Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - To be filed by amendment.
(k) Not Applicable.
(l) Certificate of Initial Shareholder, with respect to AB Ultra Short Income ETF and AB Tax-Aware Short Duration Municipal ETF, dated August 24, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (l) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(m) (1) Rule 12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan, dated August 5, 2022 - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (m) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
(2) Form of Amendment to Rule 12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan, dated August 5, 2022, as amended [____], 2024 - Filed herewith.
(n) Not Applicable.
(o) Reserved.
(p) (1) Code of Ethics for the Registrant - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) to Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25, 2022.
C-4
(2) Code of Ethics for AllianceBernstein L.P. and AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. - Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (p)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 294 of the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of AB Cap Fund, Inc. (File Nos. 2-29901 and 811-01716), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 5, 2023.

Other Exhibits:

Powers of Attorney for: Jorge A. Bermudez, Michael J. Downey, Onur Erzan, Nancy P. Jacklin, Jeanette W. Loeb, Carol C. McMullen, Garry L. Moody, and Marshall C. Turner, Jr. - Incorporated by reference to Other Exhibits of Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 811-23799 and 333-264818), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 20, 2023.
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.
No such persons.
Item 30. Indemnification.
C-5

It is the Registrant's policy to indemnify its directors and officers, employees and other agents to the maximum extent permitted by Section 2-418 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Maryland, which is incorporated by reference herein, and as set forth in Article EIGHTH of Registrant's Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Articles of Incorporation filed as Exhibit (a), Article IX of the Registrant's Amended and Restated By-laws filed as Exhibit (b) and Section 6 of the Distribution Services Agreement filed as Exhibit (e), as set forth below. The Adviser's liability for any loss suffered by the Registrant or its shareholders is set forth in Section 4 of the Investment Advisory Contract filed as Exhibit (d), as set forth below.

The liability of the Registrant's directors and officers is dealt with in Article EIGHTH of Registrant's Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Articles of Incorporation, as set forth below.

ARTICLE EIGHTH OF THE REGISTRANT'S ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION READS AS FOLLOWS:

(1) To the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time permits limitation of the liability of directors and officers of a corporation, no present or former director or officer of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for money damages.

(2) The Corporation shall have the power, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to obligate itself to indemnify, and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to, (a) any individual who is a present or former director or officer of the Corporation or (b) any individual who, while a director or officer of the Corporation and at the request of the Corporation, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, limited liability company or any other enterprise from and against any claim or liability to which such person may become subject or which such person may incur by reason of his or her service in such capacity. The Corporation shall have the power, with the approval of the Board of Directors, to provide such indemnification and advancement of expenses to a person who served a predecessor of the Corporation in any of the capacities described in (a) or (b) above and to any employee or agent of the Corporation or a predecessor of the Corporation.

(3) The provisions of this Article EIGHTH shall be subject to the limitations of the Investment Company Act.

(4) Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Article EIGHTH, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the Charter or Bylaws inconsistent with this Article EIGHTH, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of the preceding sections of this Article EIGHTH with respect to any act or failure to act which occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.

C-6

ARTICLE IX OF THE REGISTRANT'S AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS READS AS FOLLOWS:

To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, the Corporation shall indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, shall pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (a) any individual who is a present or former director or officer of the Corporation and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in any such capacity or (b) any individual who, while a director or officer of the Corporation and at the request of the Corporation, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in any such capacity. The rights to indemnification and advance of expenses provided by the Charter and these Bylaws shall vest immediately upon election of a director or officer. The Corporation may, with the approval of its Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee thereof, provide such indemnification and advance for expenses to a person who served a predecessor of the Corporation in any of the capacities described in (a) or (b) above and to any employee or agent of the Corporation or a predecessor of the Corporation. The termination of any claim, action, suit or other proceeding involving any person, by judgment, settlement (whether with or without court approval) or conviction or upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that such person did not meet the standards of conduct required for indemnification or payment of expenses to be required or permitted under Maryland law, these Bylaws or the Charter. Any indemnification or advance of expenses made pursuant to this Article shall be subject to applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. The indemnification and payment of expenses provided in these Bylaws shall not be deemed exclusive of or limit in any way other rights to which any person seeking indemnification or payment of expenses may be or may become entitled under any bylaw, regulation, insurance, agreement or otherwise.

Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Article, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the Bylaws or Charter inconsistent with this Article, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of the preceding paragraph with respect to any act or failure to act which occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.

The Investment Advisory Contract between the Registrant and AllianceBernstein L.P. provides that AllianceBernstein L.P. will not be liable under such agreement for any mistake of judgment or in any event whatsoever, except for lack of good faith, and that nothing therein shall be deemed to protect, or purport to protect, AllianceBernstein L.P. against any liability to Registrant or its security holders to which it would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties hereunder, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties thereunder.

The Distribution Services Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the "Distributor") provides that the Registrant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor, its affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers and employees and agents and any person who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") (any of the Distributor, its officers, employees, agents and directors or such control persons, for purposes of this paragraph, a "Distributor Indemnitee") against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) ("Losses") that a Distributor Indemnitee may incur arising out of or based upon: (i) Distributor serving as distributor for the Registrant pursuant to the Distribution Services Agreement; (ii) the allegation of any wrongful act of the Registrant or any of its directors, officers, employees or affiliates in connection with its duties and responsibilities in the Distribution Services Agreement; (iii) any claim that the Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, product description, shareholder reports, Marketing Materials and advertisements specifically approved by the Registrant and Investment Adviser or other information filed or made public by the Registrant (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein (and in the case of the Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information and product description, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading under the 1933 Act, or any other statute or the common law, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Registrant, in writing, by the Distributor for use in such Registration Statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, product description, shareholder report, Marketing Materials or advertisement; (iv) the breach by the Registrant of any obligation, representation or warranty contained in the Distribution Services Agreement; or (v) the Registrant's failure to comply in any material respect with applicable securities laws. The Distributor shall act in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner to mitigate any Losses it may suffer.

In no case (i) is the indemnification provided by an indemnifying party to be deemed to protect against any liability the indemnified party would otherwise be subject to by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the Distribution Services Agreement, or (ii) is the indemnifying party to be liable under Section 6 of the Distribution Services Agreement with respect to any claim made against any indemnified party unless the indemnified party notifies the indemnifying party in writing of the claim within a reasonable time after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the indemnified party (or after the indemnified party shall have received notice of service on any designated agent).

The foregoing summaries are qualified by the entire text of Registrant's articles of Restatement of Articles of Incorporation, Amended and Restated By-Laws, the Investment Advisory Contract between the Registrant and AllianceBernstein L.P. and the Distribution Services Agreement between the Registrant and Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

C-7

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the 1933 Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant by the Registrant pursuant to the Registrant's organizational instruments or otherwise, the Registrant is aware that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and, therefore, is unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

In accordance with Release No. IC-11330 (September 2, 1980), the Registrant will indemnify its directors, officers, investment adviser and principal underwriters only if (1) a final decision on the merits was issued by the court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that the person to be indemnified (the "indemnitee") was not liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office ("disabling conduct") or (2) a reasonable determination is made, based upon a review of the facts, that the indemnitee was not liable by reason of disabling conduct, by (a) the vote of a majority of a quorum of the directors who are neither "interested persons" of the Registrant as defined in section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 nor parties to the proceeding ("disinterested, non-party directors"), or (b) an independent legal counsel in a written opinion. The Registrant will advance attorneys fees or other expenses incurred by its directors, officers, investment adviser or principal underwriters in defending a proceeding, upon the undertaking by or on behalf of the indemnitee to repay the advance unless it is ultimately determined that he is entitled to indemnification and, as a condition to the advance, (1) the indemnitee shall provide a security for his undertaking, (2) the Registrant shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (3) a majority of a quorum of disinterested, non-party directors of the Registrant, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

The Registrant participates in a joint director's liability insurance policy issued by the ICI Mutual Insurance Company. Under this policy, outside trustees and directors are covered up to the limits specified for any claim against them for acts committed in their capacities as trustee or director. A pro rata share of the premium for this coverage is charged to each participating investment company. In addition, the Adviser's liability insurance policy, which is issued by a number of underwriters, including Greenwich Insurance Company as primary underwriter, extends to officers of the Registrant and such officers are covered up to the limits specified for any claim against them for acts committed in their capacities as officers of the investment companies sponsored by the Adviser.

C-8

The independent directors and the interested advisory director (each an "Indemnitee") have entered into an indemnification agreement with the Registrant under which the Registrant has agreed to indemnify each Indemnitee against any covered expense and covered liability reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with any covered proceeding arising as a result of the Indemnitee's service to the Registrant, to the fullest extent permitted by law. In addition, the indemnification agreement adopts certain presumptions and procedures that may make the indemnification process and advancement of expenses more efficient.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser.

The descriptions of AllianceBernstein L.P. under the captions "Management of the Fund" in the Prospectuses and in the Statements of Additional Information constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Registration Statement are incorporated by reference herein.

The information as to the directors and executive officers of AllianceBernstein L.P., set forth in its Form ADV filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2014 (File No. 801-56720) and amended through the date hereof, is incorporated by reference.

Item 32. Principal Underwriters.
(a) Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the "Distributor") serves as principal underwriter for the following investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended:

1. AB Active ETFs, Inc.

2. ABS Long/Short Strategies Fund

3. Absolute Shares Trust

4. ActivePassive Core Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

5. ActivePassive Intermediate Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

6. ActivePassive International Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

7. ActivePassive U.S. Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

8. AdvisorShares Trust

9. AFA Private Credit Fund

10. AGF Investments Trust

11. AIM ETF Products Trust

12. Alexis Practical Tactical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

13. AlphaCentric Prime Meridian Income Fund

14. American Century ETF Trust

15. Amplify ETF Trust

16. Applied Finance Dividend Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

17. Applied Finance Explorer Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

18. Applied Finance Select Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

C-9

19. ARK ETF Trust

20. ARK Venture Fund

21. Bitwise Funds Trust

22. Bluestone Community Development Fund

23. BondBloxx ETF Trust

24. Bramshill Multi-Strategy Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

25. Bridgeway Funds, Inc.

26. Brinker Capital Destinations Trust

27. Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc.

28. Build Funds Trust

29. Calamos Antetokounmpo Global Sustainable Equities ETF, Series of Calamos ETF Trust

30. Calamos Convertible and High Income Fund

31. Calamos Convertible Equity Alternative ETF, Series of Calamos ETF Trust

32. Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund

33. Calamos Dynamic Convertible and Income Fund

34. Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund

35. Calamos Global Total Return Fund

36. Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund

37. Carlyle Tactical Private Credit Fund

38. Cascade Private Capital Fund

39. Catalyst Strategic Income Opportunities Fund

40. CBRE Global Real Estate Income Fund

41. Center Coast Brookfield MLP & Energy Infrastructure Fund

42. Clifford Capital Focused Small Cap Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

43. Clifford Capital International Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

44. Clifford Capital Partners Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

45. Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund

46. Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund

47. Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc.

48. Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

49. CornerCap Small-Cap Value Fund, Series of Managed Portfolio Series

50. CrossingBridge Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

51. Curasset Capital Management Core Bond Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

52. Curasset Capital Management Limited Term Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

53. CYBER HORNET S&P 500® and Bitcoin 75/25 Strategy ETF, Series of ONEFUND Trust

54. Davis Fundamental ETF Trust

55. Defiance Connective Technologies ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

56. Defiance Hotel, Airline, and Cruise ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

57. Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

58. Defiance Quantum ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

59. Denali Structured Return Strategy Fund

60. Dividend Performers ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

61. Dodge & Cox Funds

62. DoubleLine ETF Trust

63. DoubleLine Income Solutions Fund

64. DoubleLine Opportunistic Credit Fund

65. DoubleLine Yield Opportunities Fund

66. DriveWealth ETF Trust

67. EIP Investment Trust

68. Ellington Income Opportunities Fund

69. ETF Opportunities Trust

C-10

70. Evanston Alternative Opportunities Fund

71. Exchange Listed Funds Trust

72. Exchange Place Advisors Trust

73. FlexShares Trust

74. Forum Funds

75. Forum Funds II

76. Forum Real Estate Income Fund

77. Gramercy Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

78. Grayscale Future of Finance ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

79. Guinness Atkinson Funds

80. Harbor ETF Trust

81. Hawaiian Tax-Free Trust

82. Horizon Kinetics Blockchain Development ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

83. Horizon Kinetics Energy and Remediation ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

84. Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

85. Horizon Kinetics Medical ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

86. Horizon Kinetics SPAC Active ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

87. IDX Funds

88. Innovator ETFs Trust

89. Ironwood Institutional Multi-Strategy Fund LLC

90. Ironwood Multi-Strategy Fund LLC

91. Jensen Quality Growth ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

92. John Hancock Exchange-Traded Fund Trust

93. LDR Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

94. Mairs & Power Balanced Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

95. Mairs & Power Growth Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

96. Mairs & Power Minnesota Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

97. Mairs & Power Small Cap Fund, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

98. Manor Investment Funds

99. Milliman Variable Insurance Trust

100. Moerus Worldwide Value Fund, Series of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV

101. Morgan Stanley ETF Trust

102. Morningstar Funds Trust

103. Mutual of America Investment Corporation

104. NEOS ETF Trust

105. Niagara Income Opportunities Fund

106. NXG Cushing® Midstream Energy Fund

107. Opal Dividend Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

108. OTG Latin American Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

109. Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

110. Overlay Shares Foreign Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

111. Overlay Shares Hedged Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

112. Overlay Shares Large Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

113. Overlay Shares Municipal Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

114. Overlay Shares Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

115. Overlay Shares Small Cap Equity ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

116. Palmer Square Funds Trust

117. Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund

118. Partners Group Private Income Opportunities, LLC

119. Performance Trust Mutual Funds, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

C-11

120. Performance Trust Short Term Bond ETF, Series of Trust for Professional Managers

121. Perkins Discovery Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

122. Philotimo Focused Growth and Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

123. Plan Investment Fund, Inc.

124. Point Bridge America First ETF, Series of ETF Series Solutions

125. Precidian ETFs Trust

126. Preferred-Plus ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

127. Rareview Dynamic Fixed Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

128. Rareview Systematic Equity ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

129. Rareview Tax Advantaged Income ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

130. Rareview Total Return Bond ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

131. Renaissance Capital Greenwich Funds

132. Reynolds Funds, Inc.

133. RiverNorth Enhanced Pre-Merger SPAC ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

134. RiverNorth Patriot ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

135. RMB Investors Trust

136. Robinson Opportunistic Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

137. Robinson Tax Advantaged Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

138. Roundhill Alerian LNG ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

139. Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

140. Roundhill Cannabis ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

141. Roundhill ETF Trust

142. Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

143. Roundhill S&P Global Luxury ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

144. Roundhill Sports Betting & iGaming ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

145. Roundhill Video Games ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

146. Rule One Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

147. Securian AM Real Asset Income Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

148. Six Circles Trust

149. Sound Shore Fund, Inc.

150. SP Funds Trust

151. Sparrow Funds

152. Spear Alpha ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

153. STF Tactical Growth & Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

154. STF Tactical Growth ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

155. Strategic Trust

156. Strategy Shares

157. Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

158. Tekla World Healthcare Fund

159. Tema ETF Trust

160. The 2023 ETF Series Trust

161. The 2023 ETF Series Trust II

162. The Cook & Bynum Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

163. The Community Development Fund

164. The Finite Solar Finance Fund

165. The Private Shares Fund

166. The SPAC and New Issue ETF, Series of Collaborative Investment Series Trust

167. Third Avenue Trust

168. Third Avenue Variable Series Trust

169. Tidal ETF Trust

C-12

170. Tidal Trust II

171. Tidal Trust III

172. TIFF Investment Program

173. Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

174. Timothy Plan High Dividend Stock ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

175. Timothy Plan International ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

176. Timothy Plan Market Neutral ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

177. Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

178. Timothy Plan US Large/Mid Core Enhanced ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

179. Timothy Plan US Small Cap Core ETF, Series of The Timothy Plan

180. Total Fund Solution

181. Touchstone ETF Trust

182. T-Rex 2X Inverse Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust

183. T-Rex 2X Long Bitcoin Daily Target ETF, Series of World Funds Trust

184. TrueShares Active Yield ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

185. TrueShares Eagle Global Renewable Energy Income ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

186. TrueShares Structured Outcome (April) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

187. TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

188. TrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

189. TrueShares Structured Outcome (February) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

190. TrueShares Structured Outcome (January) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

191. TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

192. TrueShares Structured Outcome (June) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

193. TrueShares Structured Outcome (March) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

194. TrueShares Structured Outcome (May) ETF, Listed Funds Trust

195. TrueShares Structured Outcome (November) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

196. TrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

197. TrueShares Structured Outcome (September) ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

198. TrueShares Technology, AI & Deep Learning ETF, Series of Listed Funds Trust

199. U.S. Global Investors Funds

200. Union Street Partners Value Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

201. Vest Bitcoin Strategy Managed Volatility Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

202. Vest S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

203. Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

204. Vest US Large Cap 10% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

205. Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

206. Vest US Large Cap 20% Buffer Strategies VI Fund, Series of World Funds Trust

207. VictoryShares Core Intermediate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

208. VictoryShares Core Plus Intermediate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

209. VictoryShares Corporate Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

210. VictoryShares Developed Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

211. VictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

212. VictoryShares Emerging Markets Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

213. VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

214. VictoryShares Hedged Equity Income ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

215. VictoryShares International High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

216. VictoryShares International Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

217. VictoryShares International Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

218. VictoryShares NASDAQ Next 50 ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

219. VictoryShares Short-Term Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

C-13

220. VictoryShares THB Mid Cap ESG ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

221. VictoryShares US 500 Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

222. VictoryShares US 500 Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

223. VictoryShares US Discovery Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

224. VictoryShares US EQ Income Enhanced Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

225. VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

226. VictoryShares US Multi-Factor Minimum Volatility ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

227. VictoryShares US Small Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

228. VictoryShares US Small Cap Volatility Wtd ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

229. VictoryShares US Small Mid Cap Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

230. VictoryShares US Value Momentum ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

231. VictoryShares WestEnd Economic Cycle Bond ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

232. VictoryShares WestEnd Global Equity ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

233. VictoryShares WestEnd US Sector ETF, Series of Victory Portfolios II

234. Volatility Shares Trust

235. West Loop Realty Fund, Series of Investment Managers Series Trust

236. Wilshire Mutual Funds, Inc.

237. Wilshire Variable Insurance Trust

238. WisdomTree Digital Trust

239. WisdomTree Trust

240. WST Investment Trust

241. XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust

(b) The following are the Officers and Manager of the Distributor, the Registrant's underwriter. The Distributor's main business address is Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
Name Address Position with Underwriter Position with Registrant
Teresa Cowan

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

President/Manager None

Chris Lanza

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Vice President

None

Kate Macchia

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Vice President None
Nanette K. Chern

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer None

Kelly B. Whetstone

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Secretary

None

Susan L. LaFond

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Treasurer None
Weston Sommers

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, ME 04101

Financial and Operations Principal and Chief Financial Officer None
C-14
(c) Not applicable
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.

All accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are maintained at the following offices:

Registrant:

AB Active ETFs, Inc.

66 Hudson Boulevard East, 26th Floor

New York, New York 10001

Adviser:

AllianceBernstein L.P.

501 Commerce Street

Nashville, TN 37203

Principal Underwriter:

Foreside Fund Services, LLC

Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100

Portland, Maine 04101

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Administrator:

State Street Bank and Trust Company

One Congress Street, Suite 1

Boston, Massachusetts 02114

Item 34. Management Services.
No such management-related service contracts.
Item 35. Undertakings.
Not applicable.
C-15

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Amendment to its Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City and State of New York, on the 18th day of October, 2024.

AB ACTIVE ETFs, INC.
By: /s/ Onur Erzan
Onur Erzan
President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature Title Date
1) Principal Executive
Officer:
/s/ Onur Erzan President and October 18, 2024
Onur Erzan Chief Executive Officer
2) Principal Financial
And Accounting Officer:
/s/ Stephen M. Woetzel Treasurer and October 18, 2024
Stephen M. Woetzel Chief Financial Officer
3) All of the Directors:
Jorge A. Bermudez*
Michael J. Downey*
Onur Erzan*
Nancy P. Jacklin*
Jeanette W. Loeb*
Carol C. McMullen*
Garry L. Moody*
Marshall C. Turner, Jr.*
*By: /s/ Nancy E. Hay October 18, 2024
Nancy E. Hay
(Attorney-in-fact)
C-16


Index to Exhibits

Exhibit No. Description of Exhibits
(d)(1) Investment Advisory Contact
(d)(2) Form of Investment Advisory Contact
(e)(2) First Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(3) Second Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(4) Third Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(5) Fourth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(6) Fifth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(7) Sixth Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(e)(8) Form of Amendment to ETF Distribution Agreement
(g)(3) Form of Amendment to Custody Agreement
(h)(3) Form of Amendment to Administration Agreement
(h)(7) Form of Amendment to Transfer Agency
(i) Opinion and Consent of Seward & Kissel LLP
(m)(2) Form of Amendment to Rule 12B-1 Distribution & Service Plan
EX-101.INS XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CALC XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase