Dear Unitholders,
We, AllianceBernstein Investment Management Australia Limited ABN 58 007 212 606, AFSL 230683, are the responsible entity of the Fund (“Responsible Entity”) and AllianceBernstein Australia Limited ABN 53 095 022 718, AFSL 230698 is appointed as the investment manager for the Fund.
Important Fund Update
The Responsible Entity makes this announcement to notify existing holders of units in the Fund ("Units") that the Responsible Entity has made an application to Cboe Australia Pty Limited ("Cboe”) to enable Units to be quoted for trading as an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) on the Cboe securities exchange ("Securities Exchange"). It is intended the ETF will be structured as a Dual Access Model ETF (“Dual Access Fund”), providing a new method for investors to enter and exit the Fund. Once the application is approved by Cboe, investors will have the opportunity to transact in Units via the Securities Exchange directly or via the current process (i.e. by completing an Application Form or a Withdrawal Request and submitting it to the AllianceBernstein Unit Registry ("Registry")).
Existing holders of Units in the Fund ("Unitholders") are not required to take any action.
Lodgement of new Product Disclosure Statement
The Responsible Entity lodged a new Product Disclosure Statement for the Dual Access Fund (“New PDS”) with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”) on 31 March 2026 ("Issue Date"). A copy of the New PDS is available on AllianceBernstein's website at www.alliancebernstein.com.au and referred to on the ASIC Offer Notice Board at regulatoryportal.asic.gov.au/offer-notice-board.
The New PDS will be subject to a minimum seven-day exposure period from the date of lodgement with ASIC on 31 March 2026 which may be extended by ASIC for a further period of up to seven days (including for as many days as there are national public holidays during the initial 7-day exposure period). The New PDS is provided for information purposes only during the exposure period.
The Fund’s current Product Disclosure Statement and Additional Information Booklet dated 8 October 2025 (“Current PDS”) will continue to be available during the exposure period. Unitholders and new investors should continue to transact under the Current PDS until the end of the exposure period.
Units will not be issued by the Responsible Entity pursuant to an application made in response to the New PDS until the exposure period has expired. Unitholders will only be able to trade their Units on the Securities Exchange once they have been approved for quotation by Cboe. No representation is made concerning the quotation of Units on the Securities Exchange.
Information for Unitholders
Certain changes will apply to the Fund once it becomes a Dual Access Fund and Units are quoted for trading on the Securities Exchange. A summary of the main changes under the New PDS is provided below. These changes and others are further described in the New PDS. It is important that Unitholders read and understand the information in this notice and also refer to the New PDS.
Information directly relevant to existing Unitholders
- Name change: The marketing name of the Fund will be updated to AB Global Strategic Core Equities Fund - Active ETF in accordance with regulatory requirements. The legal name of the Fund remains unchanged.
- Dual Access Fund: Under the New PDS, new investors can acquire Units either by applying directly with the Responsible Entity using an Application Form (via the Registry) or by buying Units on the Securities Exchange. Unitholders will also be able to withdraw from the Fund by making a Withdrawal Request to the Responsible Entity directly (via the Registry) or by selling their Units on the Securities Exchange. The method by which a Unitholder invests in the Fund does not limit the method by which a Unitholder can withdraw from the Fund. However, a Unitholder may be required to first 'convert' their Units (see below). There are important differences between buying and selling Units on the Securities Exchange and applying and withdrawing Units directly with the Responsible Entity. These differences are outlined in section 3 of the New PDS under the sub-heading ‘Key Differences Between the Two Methods of Investing in and Disposing of GSC ETF Units’.
- Conversion: Unitholders will be able to move Units they currently hold on the issuer sponsored sub-register with the Responsible Entity to quoted Units held on the broker sponsored sub-register and tradeable via the Securities Exchange (and vice versa) through a process known as a ‘conversion’. Further information on the conversion process is set out in section 3 of the New PDS under the sub-heading ‘Changing Sub-Registers’.
- Fees and costs: The management fees charged by the Responsible Entity have not changed under the New PDS. As the Fund has been on issue for less than 11 months prior to the end of the previous financial year and not first offered in the current financial year, the management fees and costs and transaction costs figures in the New PDS reflects the Responsible Entity’s reasonable estimate of the management fees and costs and transaction costs for the 12 month period of the current financial year, at the date of this PDS. As is currently the case, except for abnormal costs and indirect costs, the Responsible Entity will continue to limit the per annum Management fees and costs to 0.70% p.a. of the net asset value of the Fund. The costs of obtaining quotation for the Units on the Securities Exchange is included in this limit. Any additional normal expenses incurred in operating the Fund as a Dual Access Fund will also be included in this limit. The Responsible Entity reserves the right to increase the management fee in accordance with the terms of the Constitution of the Fund at a future time.
- Cooling-off period: Unitholders will not have cooling-off rights in respect of Units in the Fund issued after the date on which they are quoted for trading on the Securities Exchange (regardless of whether they are bought on the Securities Exchange or issued directly by the Responsible Entity).
- Continuous disclosure: Once the Units are quoted for trading on the Securities Exchange the Responsible Entity will publish copies of the continuous disclosure notices on its website at alliancebernstein.com.au.
Information directly relevant to Unitholders who convert to quoted Units or trade via the Securities Exchange
- Entry and exit price: Units purchased or sold on the Securities Exchange will be done so at the prevailing market price at the time of the transaction. This price may vary each trading day and may be different to the application and withdrawal price available by dealing directly with the Responsible Entity via the Registry. Brokerage fees and commissions may also be incurred when purchasing and selling Units on the Securities Exchange.
- New risks: Certain new risks will apply to Unitholders who wish to trade their Units on the Securities Exchange. These are set out in detail in section 5 of the New PDS under the heading ‘Risks of Managed Investment Schemes’. These new risks include but are not limited to the following:
- Market making risk –The Responsible Entity has appointed at least one Market Maker and Authorised Participant to facilitate an orderly and liquid market in Units on the Securities Exchange. However, while the Responsible Entity will monitor each Market Maker to ensure compliance with the requirements under the operating rules of the Securities Exchange to place buy and sell orders for Units in the Fund, there is no guarantee of liquidity in the trading of Units, particularly if there is a failure by a Market Maker to make a market and there is no active trading by Authorised Participants.
- Securities Exchange liquidity risk – The liquidity of trading in Units on the Securities Exchange may be limited and Unitholders may not always be able to buy or sell Units on the Securities Exchange.
- Trading risk – The price at which investors may buy and sell units on the Securities Exchange may differ materially from the then current net asset value per Unit or the indicative net asset value per Unit ("iNAV") of the Fund.
- Conversion risk – There may be a delay in processing the conversion of Units between the issuer sub-register and the broker sponsored sub-register, and vice versa. This may delay the processing of a withdrawal request made directly with the Responsible Entity or the sale of Units on the Securities Exchange, until the conversion across sub-registers has completed.
- Removal from quotation risk: There is a possibility that the Units may be removed from quotation by the Securities Exchange, either on its own motion or on our request. The Securities Exchange imposes certain rules and requirements for the continued quotation of the Units. There is no assurance that the Units will continue to meet the requirements necessary to maintain quotation on the Securities Exchange, and the exchange may change its quotation requirements.
- Fees and costs: Investors who purchase their Units on the Securities Exchange will be charged the same management fee as investors who are issued Units directly by the Responsible Entity. The Responsible Entity reserves the right to increase the management fee in accordance with the terms of the Constitution of the Fund at a future time.
The rights and liabilities associated with Units once quoted for trading on the Securities Exchange as disclosed in the New PDS will apply equally to Units currently on issue. Existing Unitholders are encouraged to read the New PDS to familiarise themselves with any relevant information.
If you have any questions regarding the above changes, please contact the Responsible Entity on (02) 9255 1299 or by email on aust_clientservice@alliancebernstein.com.