N-CSRS 1 fp0085958-3_ncsrs.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM N-CSR

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT 

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

Investment Company Act file number 811-23336

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

c/o UMB Fund Services, Inc.

235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

 

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

Terrance P. Gallagher

235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

 

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (414) 299-2270

 

 

Date of fiscal year end: April 30 

 

 

Date of reporting period: October 31, 2023

 

 

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

 

 

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549-1090. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.

 

ITEM 1. REPORTS TO STOCKHOLDERS.

 

(a)The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.

 

 

 

 

VARIANT ALTERNATIVE INCOME FUND

 

 

 

 

Semi-Annual Report

 

October 31, 2023

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Table of Contents
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

   

Schedule of Investments

2-10

Portfolio Allocation

11

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

12

Statement of Operations

13

Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

14

Statement of Cash Flows

15

Financial Highlights

16-17

Notes to Financial Statements

18-36

Other Information

37

 

This report and the financial statements contained herein are provided for the general information of the shareholders of the Variant Alternative Income Fund. This report is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors in the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus.

 

1

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Investments in private investment companies — 23.3%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Cost /
Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Litigation Finance

                                                                       

EAJF ESQ FUND LP (a)(e)(f)

                            5/26/2022           $ 35,000,000     $ 39,961,704       1.3 %

Equal Access Justice Fund LP (a)(e)(f)

                            3/30/2021             45,000,000       52,586,342       1.7  

Series 4 -Virage Capital Partners LP (a)(e)(f)

                            9/1/2018             883,896       1,701,341       0.1  

Series 6 - Virage Capital Partners LP (a)(e)(f)

                            10/31/2019             16,000,000       22,819,406       0.8  

Virage Recovery Fund (Cayman) LP (a)(f)

                      152,590       8/6/2019             15,286,170       13,972,939       0.5  

 

                                                    112,170,066       131,041,732       4.4  

Portfolio Finance

                                                                       

C L Levi Co-Invest, L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            6/27/2022             11,972,880       13,986,193       0.5  

Crestline Portfolio Financing Fund II (US), L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            8/26/2021             2,111,621       2,514,513       0.1  

Crestline Portfolio Financing Fund Offshore B, L.P. and Subsidiary (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            4/25/2018             437,427       742,532       0.0  

Crestline Praeter, L.P. - Zoom (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            12/26/2019             2,826,366       3,765,303       0.1  

RIVER HORSE HOLDINGS II LP (a)(e)(f)

                            1/6/2023             3,600,000       4,032,000       0.1  

 

                                                    20,948,294       25,040,541       0.8  

Real Estate Debt

                                                                       

Oak Harbor Capital NPL VII, LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            3/1/2019             6,466,749       7,625,785       0.3  

Setpoint Residential Fintech Fund LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            2/4/2022             16,830,000       16,505,187       0.6  

Setpoint Residential Fintech Fund II L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            8/17/2023             4,076,991       4,032,590       0.1  

 

                                                    27,373,740       28,163,562       1.0  

Real Estate Equity

                                                                       

Montreux Healthcare Fund PLC (a)(f)(t)

                      48,220       2/1/2018             63,438,714       81,649,179       2.7  

Prime Storage Fund II (Cayman), LP (a)(e)(f)

                            11/20/2017             996,147       1,471,058       0.0  

 

                                                    64,434,861       83,120,237       2.7  

Royalties

                                                                       

MEP Capital II, L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/27/2020             6,965,253       8,356,119       0.3  

MEP Capital II, L.P. - Co-investment Sound Royalties (a)(e)(f)

                            8/3/2021             2,000,000       2,656,345       0.1  

MEP Capital III, L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/1/2021             21,931,971       22,920,565       0.8  

MEP Capital III, L.P. - Co-investment CultureWorks (a)(e)(f)

                            11/3/2021             0       20,670       0.0  

MEP Capital III, L.P. - NGL (a)(e)(f)

                            3/24/2022             7,750,000       8,343,889       0.3  

 

                                                    38,647,224       42,297,588       1.5  

Secondaries

                                                                       

Black Forest Structured Lending Fund (a)(f)(v)

                      3,728       12/30/2022             3,685,091       4,395,027       0.1  

CAMPBELL OPPORTUNITY TIMBER FUND-A, L.P. (a)(e)(f)

                            11/1/2021             0       184,542       0.0  

Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund LP (a)(e)(f)

                            10/19/2023             5,093,772       6,320,199       0.2  

North Haven Offshore Infrastructure Partners A LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            7/18/2019             1,566,729       1,593,139       0.1  

PWP Asset Based Income ASP Fund (a)(e)(f)

                            3/29/2019             916,560       855,502       0.0  

Taiga Special Opportunities LP (a)(f)

                      20,240,597       4/22/2022             14,432,899       19,602,783       0.7  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

2

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in private investment companies — 23.3%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Cost /
Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Secondaries (continued)

                                                                       

Thor Urban Property Fund II, Inc. (a)(f)(v)

                      35,695       12/30/2019           $ 4,161,214     $ 258,790       0.0 %

 

                                                    29,856,265       33,209,982       1.1  

Specialty Finance

                                                                       

ACM JEEVES CO-INVEST VEHICLE LLC (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/21/2022             730,288       745,524       0.0  

ATALAYA EQUIPMENT LEASING FEEDER EVERGREEN LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            5/23/2022             25,375,000       25,722,217       0.8  

BSRF Tax-Exempt LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            5/17/2022             20,000,000       20,348,088       0.7  

CoVenture - Amzn Credit Opportunities Fund LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            3/11/2021             30,573,720       31,321,923       1.1  

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            12/12/2019             1,000,000       1,007,984       0.0  

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC (A-2 Series) (a)(e)(f)

                            2/5/2021             3,000,000       3,025,783       0.1  

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC (A-3 Series) (a)(e)(f)

                            7/12/2021             7,500,000       7,575,018       0.3  

CoVenture Credit Opportunities Partners Fund LP (a)(e)(f)

                            2/28/2020             20,000,000       20,315,194       0.7  

DelGatto Diamond Fund QP, LP (a)(e)(f)

                            10/3/2019             18,750,000       26,537,545       0.9  

OHP II LP Class B (a)(e)(f)

                            3/7/2019             0       457,599       0.0  

OHPC LP (a)(e)(f)

                            5/27/2021             11,206,083       11,408,061       0.4  

RIVONIA ROAD FUND LP (a)(e)(f)

                            7/29/2022             10,000,000       11,147,575       0.4  

Silverview Special Situations Lending Onshore Fund LP (a)(e)(f)

                            10/19/2021             9,150,287       10,665,050       0.4  

Sound Point Discovery Fund LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            3/31/2022             10,000,000       10,663,655       0.4  

SP TECHNOLOGY PAYMENTS II, LLC (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/10/2022             4,480,000       4,906,008       0.1  

Turning Rock Fund I LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/29/2019             4,027,117       5,302,881       0.2  

Turning Rock Fund II LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            11/29/2021             14,832,267       15,594,119       0.5  

Upper90 Fund III, LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            7/28/2022             894,521       853,835       0.0  

 

                                                    191,519,283       207,598,059       7.0  

Transportation Finance

                                                                       

Aero Capital Solutions Fund, LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            1/17/2019             954,672       1,252,300       0.0  

Aero Capital Solutions Fund II, LP (a)(e)(f)

                            9/16/2019             21,625,119       37,616,054       1.3  

Aero Capital Solutions Feeder Fund III, LP (a)(e)(f)

                            9/13/2021             35,000,000       46,887,862       1.6  

Aero Capital Solutions Fund IV, LP (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            8/28/2023             11,554,400       11,436,324       0.4  

Hudson Transport Real Asset Fund LP (a)(e)(f)

                            8/31/2018             836,720       1,096,218       0.0  

ITE Rail Fund, L.P. (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            5/25/2022             16,371,049       16,817,825       0.5  

American Rivers Fund, LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            5/2/2019             22,972,826       29,060,951       1.0  

 

                                                    109,314,786       144,167,534       4.8  

Total investments in private investment companies

                                                    594,264,519       694,639,235       23.3  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

3

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in credit facilities — 60.0%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Litigation Finance

                                                                       

888 FUND I LLC (a)(b)(o)

    14.00%                         4/18/2022       4/18/2025     $ 65,166,826     $ 65,166,826       2.2 %

CAGE HEALTH LLC (a)(b)(o)(v)

    16.50%                         8/28/2023       8/15/2028       909,344       909,344       0.0  

Experity Ventures, LLC (a)(b)(v)

    15.00%                         11/10/2021       11/10/2026       19,941,040       19,941,040       0.7  

Kerberos Capital Management SPV I LLC (a)(b)(o)

    17.00%                         10/7/2019       8/16/2024       53,836,611       53,836,611       1.8  

Kerberos Capital Management SPV I LLC (Luckett) (a)(b)(o)

    19.00%                         1/29/2020       8/16/2024       8,282,200       8,282,200       0.3  

Kerberos Capital Management SPV I LLC (Pulvers) (a)(b)(o)

    12.00%                         10/7/2019       8/16/2024       11,974,267       11,974,267       0.4  

KERBEROS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SPV V, LLC (a)(b)(o)

    15.00%                         5/17/2022       5/17/2026       23,623,258       23,623,258       0.8  

Legal Capital Products, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    14.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.00%             10/7/2021       10/7/2026       31,795,841       31,795,841       1.1  

Nighthawk Borrower SPV, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    14.57%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.25%             8/30/2023       8/30/2026       21,685,191       21,685,191       0.7  

RL SPV, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.82%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       10.50%             7/13/2023       7/13/2028       2,950,000       2,950,000       0.1  

SCPFL I, LLC, (a)(b)(o)(v)

    10.00%                         4/21/2023       12/16/2026       96,861,202       96,861,202       3.2  

STENO AGENCY FUNDING I, LLC (a)(b)(c)(n)(v)

    16.32%       1 Month CME Term SOFR       11.00%             11/12/2021       10/28/2024       4,714,811       4,714,811       0.2  

Stifel Syndicated Credit LLC (a)(b)(o)

    20.00%                         8/15/2022       6/15/2026       4,881,182       4,881,182       0.2  

STRATFORD CRESSON MT2, LLC (a)(b)(c)(o)(v)

    17.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       12.00%             5/12/2023       1/5/2028       5,323,430       5,323,430       0.2  

 

                                                    351,945,203       351,945,203       11.9  

Portfolio Finance

                                                                       

BA Tech Master, LP (a)(b)(o)

    19.50%                         10/2/2018       4/1/2024       1,971,843       1,971,843       0.1  

Cirrix Finance, LLC, (a)(b)(j)(o)

    15.00%                         11/4/2021             10,906,289       10,906,289       0.4  

Delgatto Diamond Finance Fund, L.P. (a)(b)(v)

    10.50%                         5/28/2021       3/28/2025       72,340,000       72,340,000       2.4  

Fairway America Fund (VII and VIIQP) LP (a)(b)(c)

    10.00%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       6.00%             8/7/2020       7/1/2024       7,500,000       7,500,000       0.3  

Stage Point Capital, LLC (a)(b)(c)

    12.00%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       8.00%             9/5/2019       12/31/2023       14,000,000       14,000,000       0.5  

Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC (a)(b)(c)(o)

    18.32%       1 Month CME Term SOFR       14.00%             10/27/2021       10/28/2024       6,964,555       6,964,555       0.2  

 

                                                    113,682,687       113,682,687       3.9  

Real Estate Debt

                                                                       

CDMX II Fund, LLC (a)(b)(v)

    13.00%                         12/1/2022       11/30/2027       22,072,588       22,072,588       0.7  

CITY CENTRE WEST, LLC, (a)(b)(c)(o)

    14.42%       1 Month CME Term SOFR       10.00%             10/11/2023       8/30/2026       25,000,000       25,000,000       0.8  

Drummond Ross Limited (a)(b)(o)

    10.00%                         1/7/2022       1/31/2024       5,074,515       5,152,775       0.2  

Montreux Holdings Limited (a)(b)(o)

    14.00%                         5/22/2023       5/22/2026       36,901,081       36,420,241       1.2  

Tailor Ridge REIT, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    10.00%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       6.00%             8/18/2021       7/31/2025       10,800,000       10,800,000       0.4  

TruNorth Star RTL Co-Invest, LLC (a)(b)(o)

    13.00%                         2/27/2023       2/27/2026       12,188,892       12,188,892       0.4  

 

                                                    112,037,076       111,634,496       3.7  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

4

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in credit facilities — 60.0%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Royalties

                                                                       

ARC LPW I, LLC (a)(b)

    13.00%                         9/26/2019       10/31/2025     $ 70,671,553     $ 63,985,877       2.1 %

BEATFUND II, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       10.00%             11/25/2022       11/25/2025       19,823,647       19,823,647       0.7  

CASCADE ENERGY GROUP, LLC (a)(b)(c)(u)

    Blended       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.75%-10.75%             8/21/2023       7/20/2025       5,554,239       5,600,031       0.2  

MARINE STREET, L.P. (a)(b)(g)(h)(k)(o)

    Blended             8.50%-9.00%             3/22/2022             80,120,436       75,304,450       2.5  

 

                                                    176,169,875       164,714,005       5.5  

Specialty Finance

                                                                       

5 Core Capital LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    14.57%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.75%             10/28/2020       4/25/2026       11,632,150       11,632,150       0.4  

ACMV Factor Finance SPV LLC (a)(b)(g)

    12.00%                         11/24/2021       11/30/2023       34,823,968       34,823,968       1.2  

ADVANTECH SERVICIOS FINANCIEROS, SOCIEDAD ANÓNIMA PROMOTORA DE INVERSIÓN DE CAPITAL VARIABLE (a)(b)(c)(v)

    13.59%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       8.00%             11/5/2020       8/13/2026       31,650,000       31,650,000       1.1  

Aion Acquisition, LLC (a)(b)(j)

                            3/31/2021             1,217,193       267,676       0.0  

Aion Acquisition, LLC (a)(b)(j)

                            3/31/2021             538,513       141,079       0.0  

App Academy Financial, LLC (a)(b)(v)

    12.00%                         3/23/2021       2/23/2024       2,473,447       2,473,447       0.1  

Art Lending, Inc. (Dart Milano S.R.L 1) (a)(b)(j)(n)

    9.50%                         4/14/2021             12,553,485       12,235,763       0.4  

Art Lending, Inc. (Dart Milano S.R.L 2) (a)(b)(j)(n)

    8.68%                         12/17/2021             14,208,141       13,806,737       0.5  

Art Lending, Inc. (Procacini S.L. - 1) (a)(b)(j)(n)

    10.00%                         8/26/2020             1,967,917       1,967,917       0.1  

Art Lending, Inc. (Procacini S.L. - 2) (a)(b)(j)(n)

    9.50%                         4/14/2021             4,047,827       4,047,827       0.1  

Art Money International, Co. (a)(b)(o)

    8.00%                         12/9/2019       12/9/2023       435,000       435,000       0.0  

Art Money International, Co. (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       10.00%             6/12/2018       1/1/2024       5,500,000       5,500,000       0.2  

AVISTA COLOMBIA S.A.S (a)(b)(g)(v)

    14.00%                         3/29/2021       9/28/2025       10,295,400       10,295,400       0.3  

Bandon VAIF, LLC (a)(b)(j)

    12.00%                         2/10/2020             4,108,841       1,706,396       0.1  

Bandon VAIF, LLC (a)(b)

    15.00%                         2/15/2022       1/24/2024       82,000       82,000       0.0  

BPIIHR HOLDCO, LLC (a)(b)(o)

    15.00%                         11/1/2021       10/28/2026       3,369,627       1,810,431       0.1  

BUNDLED UP LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.82%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       10.50%             11/18/2022       10/1/2025       33,884,959       33,884,959       1.1  

CDXFI SPECIALTY FINANCE LLC (a)(b)(v)

    13.25%                         9/18/2023       8/25/2026       2,200,000       2,200,000       0.1  

CF Holdings II, LLC (a)(b)(c)(n)(v)

    15.63%       3 Month CME Term SOFR       11.00%             12/28/2021       12/9/2024       4,834,076       4,834,076       0.2  

CIBANCO, S.A. INSTITUCIÓN DE BANCA MÚLTIPLE (a)(b)(o)(v)

    14.55%                         4/5/2023       3/27/2027       3,790,998       3,790,998       0.1  

Coromandel SPV LLC (a)(b)(g)(v)

    10.00%                         1/13/2020       7/1/2024       118,610,012       118,610,012       4.0  

Corporación Nomi Fin S.A. de C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R. (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.90%       3 Month CME Term SOFR       12.00%             9/1/2023       2/25/2027       1,848,000       1,848,000       0.1  

CRUSOE ENERGY SYSTEMS LLC (a)(b)(v)

    17.00%                         9/28/2023       2/28/2027       6,227,664       6,227,664       0.2  

ECG BOREAL FUNDING, LLC (a)(b)(c)(m)(n)(v)

    Blended       3 Month CME Term SOFR       10.00%—13.00%             12/28/2021       8/29/2024       8,307,692       8,307,692       0.3  

Envest (Canada) Holdings Corp. (a)(b)

    12.00%                         11/30/2022       11/30/2024       20,952,800       20,952,800       0.7  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in credit facilities — 60.0%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Specialty Finance (continued)

                                                                       

EQUITY LINK, S.A.P.I. DE C.V., SOFOM E.N.R. (a)(b)(c)(v)

    13.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.50%             4/29/2021       7/28/2024     $ 10,530,000     $ 10,530,000       0.4 %

F88 Business JSC (a)(b)(n)

    11.00%                         1/13/2023       12/13/2023       6,750,000       6,750,000       0.2  

FilmRise Acquisitions LLC (a)(b)

    13.50%                         9/14/2022       9/17/2025       6,299,433       6,299,433       0.2  

First Class Securities Pty Ltd as trustee for the Oceana Australian Fixed Income Trust (a)(b)(o)

    11.25%                         4/14/2021       4/15/2024       7,652,000       6,365,966       0.2  

First Class Securities Pty Ltd as trustee for the Oceana Australian Fixed Income Trust (a)(b)(o)

    11.25%                         1/20/2021       1/18/2024       10,000,000       7,965,990       0.3  

First Class Securities Pty Ltd as trustee for the Oceana Australian Fixed Income Trust (a)(b)(o)

    12.00%                         11/6/2020       11/9/2023       30,000,000       24,676,224       0.8  

First Class Securities Pty Ltd as trustee for the Oceana Australian Fixed Income Trust - C Class (a)(b)(o)

    12.00%                         3/21/2022       3/22/2024       5,000,000       3,621,525       0.1  

First Class Securities Pty Ltd as trustee for the Oceana Australian Fixed Income Trust (a)(b)(o)

    12.00%                         9/8/2023       9/8/2024       8,540,492       8,494,432       0.3  

Grupo Olinx, S.A.P.I. de C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R. (a)(b)

    11.00%                         8/12/2021       8/12/2025       9,500,000       9,500,000       0.3  

HFP SPV I, LLC (a)(c)(n)(v)

    17.50%       PRIME       9.00%             5/17/2023       3/12/2025       30,517,619       30,517,619       1.0  

KSPV 2, LLC (a)(b)(c)(n)(v)

    13.84%       3 Month CME Term SOFR       12.50%             12/28/2021       7/15/2024       4,700,000       4,700,000       0.2  

KY LAN ASSET FINANCE 1 (a)(b)

    9.50%                         1/26/2022       1/26/2024       6,039,474       6,039,474       0.2  

LAMBDA SCHOOL III SPV LLC (a)(b)(j)

    12.00%                         6/18/2021             1,091,952       1,091,952       0.0  

Lima Impact Fund Pte. Ltd (a)(b)(n)

    11.00%                         11/15/2022       12/13/2023       4,000,000       4,000,000       0.1  

OSPREY AV I LLC (a)(b)(v)

    13.25%                         6/14/2023       6/12/2026       15,208,625       15,208,625       0.5  

OSPREY AV II LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    11.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       6.00%             10/5/2023       8/18/2026       2,890,000       2,890,000       0.1  

Payjoy Inc. (a)(b)(n)

    14.50%                         1/13/2021       11/25/2024       10,000,000       10,000,000       0.3  

Pier Asset Management LLC (Series 6) (a)(b)(c)(n)(v)

    17.44%       SONIA       13.50%             2/9/2022       2/10/2024       49,584,933       49,584,933       1.7  

Pier Asset Management LLC (Series 9) (a)(b)(c)(n)(v)

    18.07%       1 Month CME Term SOFR       14.00%             12/23/2022       6/22/2024       8,455,000       8,455,000       0.3  

PT AWAN TUNAI INDONESIA (a)(b)

    5.00%                         9/9/2020       4/1/2024       22,500,200       22,500,200       0.7  

RAINFOREST LIFE PTE. LTD. (a)(b)(l)

    Blended             12.70%-14.00%             8/20/2021       8/20/2024       15,735,368       15,735,368       0.5  

RKB BRIDGE SOLUTIONS, LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    9.75%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       6.75%             4/21/2022       3/31/2025       8,371,500       8,371,500       0.3  

Salaryo Capital II LLC (a)(b)(j)

    12.00%                         1/30/2020             10,750,000       9,650,457       0.3  

SEIA Purchasing LLC (a)(b)(g)(v)

    13.00%                         10/12/2022       10/12/2024       17,492,511       17,492,511       0.6  

ShopUp Pte. Ltd. (a)(b)(n)

    12.00%                         6/2/2023       5/26/2024       20,000,000       20,000,000       0.7  

SPV. Collections LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.25%       PRIME       7.75%             10/31/2022       3/6/2024       22,074,560       22,074,560       0.8  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

6

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in credit facilities — 60.0%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Principal

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Specialty Finance (continued)

                                                                       

SQUARE KILOMETER CAPITAL SPV LLC, (a)(b)(c)(v)

    16.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       11.00%             11/9/2022       11/8/2024     $ 8,500,000     $ 8,500,000       0.3 %

SSC SPV No.1 LLC (a)(b)(g)

    9.00%                         8/9/2019       1/24/2025       73,202,487       73,202,487       2.5  

SSL DB WEST LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    15.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       10.00%             4/14/2023       4/7/2026       59,897,208       59,897,208       2.0  

Star Strong Funding LLC (a)(b)(o)

    8.00%                         2/4/2022       12/31/2023       753,211       753,211       0.0  

STAT CAPITAL SPV LLC (a)(b)(c)(v)

    14.57%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       9.75%             4/29/2022       4/25/2026       12,000,000       12,000,000       0.4  

STEEL RIVER SYSTEMS LLC (a)(b)(i)

                            12/22/2022       12/22/2024       2,457,960       2,457,960       0.1  

STRIDE ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION FUND 1 (a)(b)

    14.00%                         6/13/2022       6/10/2029       6,818,000       6,818,000       0.2  

TCM Card LLC (a)(b)(n)

    13.50%                         5/1/2023       11/30/2024       500,000       500,000       0.0  

TCM Produce LLC (a)(b)(n)

    14.00%                         5/19/2021       12/31/2024       10,295,000       10,295,000       0.3  

Terra Payment Services (Mauritius) (a)(b)(n)

    10.75%                         1/10/2022       12/26/2024       3,571,429       3,571,429       0.1  

Vantage Borrower SPV I LLC (a)(b)

    12.00%                         9/11/2020       4/30/2024       3,000,000       3,000,000       0.1  

Wallace Management Co. LLC (a)(b)(c)

    18.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       13.00%             9/8/2022       12/31/2023       7,222,222       7,222,222       0.2  

Watu Holdings Ltd (a)(b)(n)

    14.00%                         4/11/2022       5/7/2024       10,000,000       10,000,000       0.3  

Zanifu Limited (a)(b)(c)(v)

    18.32%       30 Day Avg. SOFR       13.00%             4/18/2023       4/17/2026       883,924       883,924       0.0  

 

                                                    882,344,818       865,149,202       29.0  

Trade Finance

                                                                       

DRIP CAPITAL SPV VASCO LLC - Series 2022-X (a)(b)

    8.00%                         12/15/2022       12/15/2023       300,000       300,000       0.0  

DRIP CAPITAL SPV VASCO LLC - Series 2023-E (a)(b)

    8.00%                         1/31/2023       11/1/2023       625,000       625,000       0.0  

DRIP CAPITAL SPV VASCO LLC - Series 2023-L (a)(b)

    8.00%                         3/31/2023       12/29/2023       550,000       550,000       0.0  

DRIP CAPITAL SPV VASCO LLC - Series 2023-S (a)(b)

    9.00%                         5/25/2023       12/10/2023       5,000,000       5,000,000       0.2  

MEDTRADE CAPITAL LLC, (a)(b)(i)(o)

                            4/30/2022       7/31/2025       132,392,573       126,713,645       4.2  

Octagon Asset Management, LLC - (Deal: Tru Grit 7) (a)(b)(j)(o)(i)

                            3/9/2021             22,729,620       22,729,620       0.8  

 

                                                    161,597,193       155,918,265       5.2  

Transportation Finance

                                                                       

Inclusion South Africa Proprietary Limited (a)(b)(c)(n)

    17.82%       1 Month CME Term SOFR       12.50%             9/27/2022       9/23/2025       17,801,250       17,801,250       0.6  

 

                                                                       

Warehouse Facilities

                                                                       

edly WH Investors 2019-1, LLC (a)(b)(v)

    12.00%                         10/9/2019       12/7/2023       5,896,289       5,896,289       0.2  

Homelight Homes Real Estate, LLC (a)(b)

    13.50%                         10/8/2020       8/31/2024       917,449       917,449       0.0  

 

                                                    6,813,738       6,813,738       0.2  

Total investments in credit facilities

                                                    1,822,391,840       1,787,658,846       60.0  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

7

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in special purpose vehicles — 7.4%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Cost

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Litigation Finance

                                                                       

YS Law Firm Financing VII (a)(e)(f)

                            4/5/2018           $ 233,133     $ 347,773       0.0 %

Finitive IP Litigation Facility (a)(b)(e)(o)

                            8/24/2023             2,220,000       2,220,000       0.1  
                                                      2,453,133       2,567,773       0.1  

Real Estate Debt

                                                                       

CDMX DEBT FUND, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            4/25/2022             14,911,719       27,053,412       0.9  

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 48 (a)(e)(f)

                            7/23/2021             2,249,583       2,280,917       0.1  

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 49 (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            8/16/2021             828,857       839,142       0.0  

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 54 (a)(e)(f)

                            12/17/2021             1,990,161       2,015,376       0.1  

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 55 (a)(e)(f)

                            12/17/2021             2,500,000       2,531,424       0.1  

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 56 (a)(e)(f)

                            12/17/2021             7,155,449       7,227,813       0.2  

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-52 (a)(e)(f)(v)

                            3/30/2022             1,500,000       1,521,011       0.1  

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-62 (a)(e)(f)

                            5/6/2022             800,000       810,974       0.0  

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-71 (a)(e)(f)

                            9/5/2023             1,000,000       1,006,303       0.0  

 

                                                    32,935,769       45,286,372       1.5  

Real Estate Equity

                                                                       

PHX Industrial Portfolio AMP SPV, LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            12/20/2021             8,493,394       11,343,948       0.5  

CX LIVELY INDIGO RUN DEPOSITOR, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            5/9/2022             7,082,190       6,947,157       0.2  

CX Midwest Industrial Logistics Depositor, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            6/24/2022             9,420,000       8,894,028       0.3  

CX Mode at Hyattsville Depositor, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            10/18/2022             10,184,160       10,184,160       0.3  

CX Owings Mills Multifamily Depositor, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            7/12/2022             9,860,000       8,989,875       0.3  

CX Residences at Congressional Village Depositor, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            6/27/2022             9,020,000       8,654,664       0.3  

CX Station at Clift Farm Depositor, LLC (a)(b)(e)

                            12/27/2021             8,218,700       8,112,136       0.2  

 

                                                    62,278,444       63,125,968       2.1  

Royalties

                                                                       

Round Hill Music Carlin Coinvest, LP (a)(d)(e)(f)

                            10/1/2017             929,104       1,382,874       0.1  
                                                                         

Specialty Finance

                                                                       

Cirrix Investments, LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            1/27/2022             5,000,000       6,067,034       0.2  

Lendable SPC (behalf of Segregated Investment Vehicle 1) (a)(e)(f)

                            7/31/2020             102,900,000       97,571,280       3.3  

PSC US BADGER LLC (a)(e)(f)

                            10/20/2021             3,201,101       3,229,764       0.1  

 

                                                    111,101,101       106,868,078       3.6  

Transportation Finance

                                                                       

Vessel Deconstruction I (a)(b)(e)

                            6/26/2018             500,000       200,000       0.0  

Total investments in special purpose vehicles

                                                    210,197,551       219,431,065       7.4  
                                                                         

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

8

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Investments in direct equities — 0.2%

 

Interest
Rate

   

Reference
Rate

   

Spread

   

Shares/
Units

   

First
Acquisition
Date

   

Maturity
Date

   

Cost

   

Fair Value

   

Percent of
Net Assets

 

Specialty Finance

                                                                       

Aion Financial - Equity (a)(b)

                      219,220       3/31/2021           $ 22     $ 34,913       0.0 %

Art Money International, Co. - Convertible Shares (a)(b)(w)

                            11/5/2021             0       59,661       0.0  

Coromandel SPV LLC (a)(b)(w)

                            9/8/2021             0       268,297       0.0  

INTERNEX CAPITAL LLC (a)(b)

                      359,701       4/1/2022             1,250,000       1,250,000       0.0  

Preteur Inc. (a)(b)(w)

                      400,000       3/28/2023             0       2,000,000       0.1  

STAR STRONG FUNDING LLC (a)(b)

                            4/27/2022             348,000       1,851,219       0.1  

 

                                                    1,598,022       5,464,090       0.2  

Transportation Finance

                                                                       

Inclusion South Africa Proprietary Limited (a)(b)(p)(w)

                            9/27/2022             0       57,574       0.0  

Total investments in direct equities

                                                    1,598,022       5,521,664          
                                                                      0.2  

Investments in warrants — 0.1%

                                                                       

Litigation Finance

                                                                       

KERBEROS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SPV V, LLC (a)(b)(q)(w)

                            5/17/2022             0       2,845,599       0.1  
                                                                         

Specialty Finance

                                                                       

RAINFOREST LIFE PTE. LTD. (a)(b)(r)(w)

                            8/20/2021             0       791,196       0.0  

Vantage Borrower SPV I LLC (a)(b)(s)(w)

                      29,206       1/27/2021             0       509,659       0.0  

 

                                                            1,300,855       0.0  

Total investments in warrants

                                                    0       4,146,454       0.1  
                                                                         

Investments in money market instruments — 7.9%

                                                                       

GS Financial Square Government Fund, Institutional Shares (a)(x)

    5.25 %                 236,002,216                   236,002,216       236,002,216       7.9  

Total investments in money market instruments

                                                    236,002,216       236,002,216       7.9  
                                                                         

Total Investments (cost $2,864,454,148)

                                                          $ 2,947,399,480       98.9  

Other assets less liabilities

                                                            34,196,731       1.1  

Net Assets

                                                          $ 2,981,596,211       100.0  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

9

 

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Schedule of Investments
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

 

FUTURES CONTRACTS

 

Expiration
Date

 

Number of
Contracts
Long
(Short)

   

Notional
Value

   

Value at
October 31,
2023

   

Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)

 

Foreign Exchange Futures

                                 

CME Australian Dollar

Dec 2023

    (924)     $ (59,587,538 )   $ (58,692,480 )   $ 895,058  

CME British Pound

Dec 2023

    (608)       (46,971,754 )     (46,185,200 )     786,554  

CME Euro Dollar

Dec 2023

    (36)       (4,851,874 )     (4,771,125 )     80,749  

CME Mexican Peso

Dec 2023

    (598)       (17,165,298 )     (16,486,860 )     678,438  

TOTAL FUTURES CONTRACTS

            $ (128,576,464 )   $ (126,135,665 )   $ 2,440,799  

 

 

Investment Abbreviations:

 

SOFR - Secured Overnight Financing Role

 

CME - Chicago Mercantile Exchange

 

PRIME - Prime Lending Rate

 

SONIA - Sterling Overnight Index Average

 

(a)

Security serves as collateral for the Fund’s revolving credit facility, when in use during the year. See Note 11.

 

(b)

Value was determined using significant unobservable inputs. See Note 4.

 

(c)

Variable rate security.

 

(d)

100% of this special purpose vehicle is invested in one music catalog.

 

(e)

Private investment company or special purpose vehicle does not issue shares or units.

 

(f)

Investment valued using net asset value per share (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient. See Note 13 for respective investment strategies, unfunded commitments and redemptive restrictions.

 

(g)

This investment is structured with a profit sharing component.

 

(h)

Security has a blended interest rate of 8.50% and 9.00% based on underlying collateral.

 

(i)

The security is structured as profit sharing agreement subject to a preferred return.

 

(j)

Security is in winddown with no specific maturity date.

 

(k)

Variable maturity dates maturing through 4/30/2024.

 

(l)

Security has a blended interest rate of 14.00% for draws up to $13,000,500 and 12.70% for draws above $13,000,500.

 

(m)

Security has a blended interest rate of 3 Month CME Term SOFR plus 10.00% for 85% advance rates and 3 Month CME Term SOFR plus 13.00% for 90% advance rates.

 

(n)

This investment was made through a participation.

 

(o)

The security is PIK interest. This indicates that interest accrued within a period may be capitalized into the principal balance of the security or interest is collected periodically with no specific terms.

 

(p)

This investment is a grant. The grant can be exercised at 200 EUR when an equity investment is made by the participation through Rivonia Road Capital, LLC.

 

(q)

This warrant’s expiration date is on the tenth anniversary of its date of issue (5/17/2022). The exercise price is $0.01.

 

(r)

This warrant’s expiration date is on the tenth anniversary of its effective date (7/13/2021). The exercise price is $0.01.

 

(s)

This warrant’s expiration date is on the tenth anniversary of its initial vest date (5/1/2020). The exercise price is $0.01.

 

(t)

This security has a component that resembles a synthetic put, which has a 14% return floor.

 

(u)

This security has a blended interest rate of 10.75% plus 30 Day Avg. SOFR (with a 1% Floor and 4% Ceiling) for draws before 8/14/2023 and 9.75% plus 30 Day Avg. SOFR (with a 1% Floor and 4% Ceiling) for draws on or after 8/14/2023.

 

(v)

This investment has been committed to but has not been fully funded by the Fund as of October 31, 2023. See Note 13 for total unfunded investment commitments.

 

(w)

This investment was acquired at zero cost through the structuring of another security.

 

(x)

Rate listed is the 7-day effective yield at 10/31/2023.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

10

 

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Portfolio Allocation
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Investment Type as a percentage of Total Net Assets as follows

 

Security Type/Sector

 

Percent of
Total
Net Assets

 

Credit Facilities

    60.0 %

Private Investment Companies

    23.3 %

Special Purpose Vehicles

    7.4 %

Short-Term Investments

    7.9 %

Direct Equities

    0.2 %

Warrants

    0.1 %

Total Investments

    98.9 %

Other assets less liabilities

    1.1 %

Total Net Assets

    100.0 %

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

11

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Assets

       

Investments in unaffiliated securities, at fair value (cost $2,864,454,148)

  $ 2,947,399,480  

Unrealized appreciation on open futures contracts

    2,440,799  

Cash

    749,056  

Cash deposited with broker for futures contracts

    11,087,428  

Receivable for Fund shares sold

    3,653,261  

Interest receivable

    17,021,461  

Interest receivable - PIK

    51,460,063  

Dividends receivable

    189,965  

Prepaid expenses

    1,268,240  

Total Assets

    3,035,269,753  
         

Liabilities

       

Borrowings Under Credit Facility

    50,000,000  

Foreign currency due to broker, at value (proceeds $544)

    537  

Due to Investment Manager

    2,426,517  

Audit fees payable

    148,678  

Legal fees payable

    250,470  

Accounting and administration fees payable

    342,990  

SEC fees payable

    30,102  

Custody fees payable

    27,744  

Interest received not yet earned

    386,344  

Other Liabilities

    60,160  

Total Liabilities

    53,673,542  
         

Commitments and contingencies (Note 13)

       

Net Assets

  $ 2,981,596,211  
         

Components of Net Assets:

       

Paid-in Capital (par value of $0.01 with an unlimited amount of shares authorized)

  $ 2,790,581,920  

Total distributable earnings

    191,014,291  

Net Assets

  $ 2,981,596,211  
         

Institutional Class Shares:

       

Net assets applicable to shares outstanding

  $ 2,981,596,211  

Shares of beneficial interest issued and outstanding

    101,433,949  

Net asset value per share

  $ 29.39  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

12

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Statement of Operations
For the Six Months Ended October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Investment Income

       

Interest (net of withholding taxes, $0)

  $ 73,200,491  

Interest PIK

    44,105,314  

Distributions from private investment funds and special purpose vehicles

    16,330,164  

Total Investment Income

    133,635,969  
         

Expenses

       

Investment management fees

    13,676,472  

Accounting and administration fees

    1,003,458  

Legal fees

    345,208  

Audit fees

    130,678  

Transfer Agent fees

    207,497  

Blue sky fees

    56,893  

Custody fees

    66,521  

Trustee fees

    44,258  

Insurance fees

    26,537  

Chief Compliance Officer fees

    30,196  

Other expenses

    175,596  

Total expenses

    15,763,314  
         

Net Expenses, before revolving credit facility fees

    15,763,314  

Revolving credit facility fees

    126,789  

Interest expense

    2,183,252  
         

Net Expenses

    18,073,355  
         

Net Investment Income

    115,562,614  
         

Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)

       

Net realized gain (loss) on:

       

Investments in unaffiliated issuers

    (1,001,833 )

Futures contracts

    (188,201 )

Foreign currency transactions

    (63,110 )

Net realized gain

    (1,253,144 )

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:

       

Investments in unaffiliated issuers

    11,846,928  

Foreign currency translations

    (226,374 )

Futures contracts

    3,144,530  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    14,765,084  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    13,511,940  
         

Net Increase in Net Assets resulting from Operations

  $ 129,074,554  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

13

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

   

For the
Six Months Ended
October 31, 2023
(Unaudited)

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2023

 

Increase (decrease) in Net Assets from:

               

Operations:

               

Net investment income

  $ 115,562,614     $ 171,310,801  

Net realized gain (loss)

    (1,253,144 )     2,061,780  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

    14,765,084       4,517,592  

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

    129,074,554       177,890,173  
                 

Distributions to Shareholders:

               

Distributions:

               

Institutional Class

    (84,347,535 )     (117,696,281 )

From return of capital:

               

Institutional Class

          (15,410,214 )

Total distributions to shareholders

    (84,347,535 )     (133,106,495 )
                 

Capital Share Transactions:

               

Institutional Class Shares

               

Net proceeds from shares sold:

    550,651,101       904,881,803  

Exchange from Investor Class

           

Reinvestment of distributions:

    18,725,023       31,500,940  

Cost of shares repurchased:

    (193,726,308 )     (277,213,241 )

Net increase in net assets from Institutional Class Shares capital transactions

    375,649,816       659,169,502  
                 

Net increase in net assets resulting from capital transactions

    375,649,816       659,169,502  
                 

Total increase in net assets

    420,376,835       703,953,180  
                 

Net Assets:

               

Beginning of period

    2,561,219,376       1,857,266,196  

End of period

  $ 2,981,596,211     $ 2,561,219,376  
                 

Share Transactions:

               

Institutional Class Shares

               

Issued

    18,869,070       31,576,941  

Exchange from Investor Class

    0        

Reinvested

    645,768       1,105,906  

Repurchased

    (6,598,569 )     (9,613,260 )

Change in Institutional Class Shares

    12,916,269       23,069,587  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

14

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Statement of Cash Flows
For the Six Months Ended October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

       

Net Increase in net assets resulting from Operations

  $ 129,074,554  

Adjustments to reconcile Net Increase in net assets resulting from

       

Operations to net cash used in operating activities:

       

Net realized (gain) loss on:

       

Investments

    1,001,833  

Futures contracts

    188,201  

Investments

    (11,846,928 )

Futures contracts

    (3,144,530 )

Purchases of long-term investments

    (538,612,014 )

Proceeds from long-term investments sold

    199,561,189  

Interest on securities paid in kind

    (48,970,739 )

Purchase of short-term investments, net

    (43,194,631 )

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

       

Interest receivable

    (5,269,295 )

Interest receivable on PIK securities

    (16,761,129 )

Investments sold

    451,435  

Prepaid expenses

    (396,282 )

Increase in dividends receivable

    (189,965 )

Due to Investment Manager

    434,410  

Audit fees payable

    (103,322 )

Legal fees payable

    200,469  

Accounting and administration fees payable

    42,353  

SEC fees

    (46,898 )

Custody fees payable

    (7,584 )

Interest received not yet earned

    386,344  

Other liabilities

    (76,975 )

Net cash used in operating activities

    (337,279,504 )
         

Cash flows from financing activities:

       

Cash proceeds from reorganization (See Note 12)

     

Proceeds from shares sold, net of receivable for fund shares sold

    548,232,612  

Payments for shares repurchased

    (193,726,308 )

Distributions to shareholders, net of reinvestments

    (65,622,512 )

Proceeds from revolving credit facility

    50,000,000  

Net cash provided by financing activities

    338,883,792  
         

Net Increase in Cash and Restricted Cash

    1,604,288  
         

Cash and Restricted Cash:

       

Beginning of period

    10,232,196  

End of period (a)

  $ 11,836,484  

 

(a)

Cash and restricted cash include cash and cash deposited with broker for written options contracts and futures, as outlined further on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

 

Non-cash financing activities not included consist of reinvestment of dividends and distributions of $18,725,023.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

15

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Financial Highlights
Institutional Class

 

 

Per share operating performance.

For a capital share outstanding throughout each year/period.

 

   

For the
Six Months
Ended
October 31,
2023
(Unaudited)

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2023

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2022

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2021

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2020

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 20191

 

Net asset value, beginning of year/period

  $ 28.93     $ 28.38     $ 26.96     $ 26.32     $ 25.79     $ 25.00  

Income from Investment Operations:

                                               

Net investment income2

    1.20       2.22       1.89       1.66       1.33       0.97  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    0.14       0.06       1.21       0.59       0.79       0.69  

Total from investment operations

    1.34       2.28       3.10       2.25       2.12       1.66  
                                                 

Less Distributions:

                                               

From net investment income

    (0.88 )     (1.53 )     (1.43 )     (0.99 )     (1.59 )     (0.87 )

From return of capital

          (0.20 )     (0.25 )     (0.62 )            

Total distributions

    (0.88 )     (1.73 )     (1.68 )     (1.61 )     (1.59 )     (0.87 )
                                                 

Net asset value, end of year/period

  $ 29.39     $ 28.93     $ 28.38     $ 26.96     $ 26.32     $ 25.79  
                                                 

Total return 3

    4.66 %     8.28 %     11.79 %     8.81 %     8.38 %     6.29 %4
                                                 

Ratios and Supplemental Data:

                                               

Net assets, end of period (in thousands)

  $ 2,979,241     $ 2,561,219     $ 1,857,266     $ 846,571     $ 378,040     $ 62,603  
                                                 

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                               

(including interest and revolving credit facility expense)

                                               

Before fees waived/recovered 6

    1.29 %     1.24 %     1.14 %     1.21 %     1.53 %     3.05 %5

After fees waived/recovered 6

    1.29 %     1.24 %     1.14 %     1.28 %     1.50 %     1.60 %5

Ratio of expenses to average net assets:

                                               

(excluding interest and revolving credit facility expense)

                                               

Before fees waived/recovered 6

    1.12 %     1.14 %     1.12 %     1.20 %     1.48 %     2.90 %5

After fees waived/recovered 6

    1.12 %     1.14 %     1.12 %     1.27 %     1.45 %     1.45 %5
                                                 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets:

                                               

(including interest and revolving credit facility expense)

                                               

Before fees waived/recovered 6

    8.23 %     7.75 %     6.75 %     6.28 %     4.96 %     5.13 %5

After fees waived/recovered 6

    8.23 %     7.75 %     6.75 %     6.21 %     4.99 %     6.58 %5

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets:

                                               

(excluding interest and revolving credit facility expense)

                                               

Before fees waived/recovered 6

    8.40 %     7.85 %     6.77 %     6.29 %     5.01 %     5.28 %5

After fees waived/recovered 6

    8.40 %     7.85 %     6.77 %     6.22 %     5.04 %     6.73 %5
                                                 

Portfolio turnover rate

    8 %     27 %     42 %     52 %     21 %     21 %4
                                                 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

16

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Financial Highlights
Institutional Class (continued)

 

 

Per share operating performance.

For a capital share outstanding throughout each year/period.

 

   

For the
Six Months
Ended
October 31,
2023
(Unaudited)

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2023

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2022

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2021

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 2020

   

For the
Year Ended
April 30, 20191

 

Senior Securities

                                               

Total borrowings (000’s omitted)

  $ 50,000     $     $     $     $     $  

Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtness 7

    60,632                                

 

1

For the period October 1, 2018 (commencement of operations) to April 30, 2019. See Note 12 “Reorganization Information” in the Notes to the Financial Statements.

2

Based on average shares outstanding for the period.

3

Total returns would have been lower had expenses not been waived by the Investment Manager. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

4

Not annualized.

5

Annualized.

6

The expenses and net investment loss ratios include income or expenses of the private investment companies and special purpose vehicles valued at practical expedient in which the Fund invests.

7

Calculated by subtracting the Fund’s total liabilities (not including borrowings) from the Fund’s total assets and dividing this by the total number of senior indebtedness units, where one unit equals $1,000 of senior indebtedness.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.

 

17

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

1. Organization

 

The Variant Alternative Income Fund (the “Fund”) is a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and reorganized as a Delaware statutory trust at the close of business on September 28, 2018. Variant Investments, LLC serves as the investment adviser (the “Investment Manager”) of the Fund. The Fund operates as an interval fund pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act, and has adopted a fundamental policy to conduct quarterly repurchase offers at net asset value (“NAV”). The Fund commenced operations on October 1, 2018 with Institutional Class Shares. Investor Class Shares were offered at a later date and commenced operations on October 31, 2018. The Board of Trustees (“Board”) of the Fund approved the closure of the Fund’s Investor Class Shares. On September 17, 2021, all of the Fund’s Investor Class Shares were converted into Institutional Class Shares and Investor Class Shares as a class of Shares of the Fund were terminated.

 

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek to provide a high level of current income by investing, directly or indirectly, a majority of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in alternative income generating investments. The Fund may allocate its assets through direct investments, and investments in a wide range of investment vehicles.

 

2. Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Preparation and Use of Estimates

 

The Fund is an investment company and follows the accounting and reporting guidance under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

 

Investment Transactions and Related Investment Income

 

Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses on investment transactions are determined using cost calculated on a specific identification basis. Dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date and interest is recognized on an accrual basis. Distributions from private investments that represent returns of capital in excess of cumulative profits and losses are credited to investment cost rather than investment income.

 

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Distributions are paid at least quarterly on the Shares in amounts representing substantially all of the Fund’s net investment income, if any, earned each year. The Fund determines annually whether to distribute any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including capital loss carryover); however, it may distribute any excess annually to its shareholders. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

 

The exact amount of distributable income for each fiscal year can only be determined at the end of the Fund’s tax year. Under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act, the Fund is required to indicate the sources of certain distributions to shareholders. The estimated distribution composition may vary from quarter to quarter because it may be materially impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which Fund assets are denominated.

 

Valuation of Investments

 

The Fund calculates its NAV as of the close of business on each business day and at such other times as the Board may determine, including in connection with repurchases of Shares, in accordance with the procedures described below or as may be determined from time to time in accordance with policies established by the Board.

 

In December 2020, the SEC adopted a new rule providing a framework for fund valuation practices (“Rule 2a-5”). Rule 2a-5 establishes requirements for determining fair value in good faith for purposes of the Investment Company Act. Rule 2a-5 permits fund boards to designate certain parties to perform fair value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions. Rule 2a-5 also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the Investment

 

18

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

2. Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Company Act and the threshold for determining whether a fund must fair value a security. In connection with Rule 2a-5, the SEC also adopted related recordkeeping requirements and is rescinding previously issued guidance, including with respect to the role of a board in determining fair value and the accounting and auditing of fund investments.

 

The Board has approved valuation procedures for the Fund (the “Valuation Procedures”). The Valuation Procedures provide that the Fund will value its investments at fair value. The Board has delegated the day-to-day responsibility for fair value determinations in accordance with the Valuation Procedures to the Investment Manager (the “Valuation Designee”), subject to oversight by the Board.

 

Short-term securities, including bonds, notes, debentures and other debt securities, such as certificates of deposit, commercial paper, bankers’ acceptances and obligations of domestic and foreign banks, with maturities of 60 days or less, for which reliable market quotations are readily available shall each be valued at current market quotations as provided by an independent pricing service or principal market maker. Money market funds will be valued at NAV.

 

For equity, equity related securities, and options that are freely tradable and listed on a securities exchange or over-the-counter market, the Fund fair values those securities at their last sale price on that exchange or over-the-counter market on the valuation date. If the security is listed on more than one exchange, the Fund will use the price from the exchange that it considers to be the principal exchange on which the security is traded. Securities listed on the NASDAQ will be valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price, which may not necessarily represent the last sale price. If there has been no sale on such exchange or over-the-counter market on such day, the security will be valued at the mean between the last bid price and last ask price on such day.

 

Fixed income securities (i.e. credit facilities, other than the short-term securities as described above) shall be valued by (a) using readily available market quotations based upon the last updated sale price or a market value from an approved pricing service generated by a pricing matrix based upon yield data for securities with similar characteristics or (b) by obtaining a direct written broker- dealer quotation from a dealer who has made a market in the security. If no price is obtained for a security in accordance with the foregoing, because either an external price is not readily available or such external price is believed by the Investment Manager not to reflect the market value, the Valuation Designee will make a determination in good faith of the fair value of the security in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. In general, fair value represents a good faith approximation of the current value of an asset and will be used when there is no public market or possibly no market at all for the asset. The fair values of one or more assets may not be the prices at which those assets are ultimately sold and the differences may be significant.

 

The Fund may acquire interests in loans either directly (by way of original issuance, sale or assignment) or indirectly (by way of participation). The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, its rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution. Participation interests in a portion of a debt obligation typically result in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating in the interest, not with the borrower. In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation.

 

Prior to investing in any private investment companies or special purpose vehicles (collectively, “Underlying Funds”), the Investment Manager will conduct an initial due diligence review of the valuation methodologies utilized by the Underlying Fund, which generally shall be based upon readily observable market values when available, and otherwise utilize principles of fair value that are reasonably consistent with those used by the Fund for valuing its own investments. Subsequent to investment in an Underlying Fund, the Investment Manager will monitor the valuation methodologies used by each Underlying Fund. The Fund values its interests in Underlying Funds using the NAV provided by the managers of the Underlying Funds and/ or their agents. These valuations involve significant judgment by the managers of the Underlying Funds and may differ from their actual realizable value. Under certain circumstances, the Valuation Designee may modify the managers’ valuations based on updated information received since the last valuation date. The Valuation Designee may also modify valuations if the valuations are deemed to not fully reflect the fair value of the investment. Valuations will be provided to the Fund based on interim unaudited financial records of the Underlying Funds, and, therefore, will be estimates and may fluctuate as a result. The Board, the Investment Manager and the Valuation Designee may have limited ability to assess the accuracy of these valuations.

 

19

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

2. Accounting Policies (continued)

 

In circumstances in which market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable, or in the case of the valuation of private, direct investments, such investments may be valued as determined in good faith using Valuation Procedures approved by the Board. In these circumstances, the Fund determines fair value in a manner that seeks to reflect the market value of the security on the valuation date based on consideration by the Valuation Designee of any information or factors deemed appropriate. The Valuation Designee may engage third party valuation consultants on an as-needed basis to assist in determining fair value.

 

Fair valuation involves subjective judgments, and there is no single standard for determining the fair value of an investment. The fair value determined for an investment may differ materially from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the investment. Fair values used to determine the Fund’s NAV may differ from quoted or published prices, or from prices that are used by others, for the same investment. Thus, fair valuation may have an unintended dilutive or accretive effect on the value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier. Prospective investors should be aware that situations involving uncertainties as to the value of investments could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV if the judgments of the Valuation Designee regarding appropriate valuations should prove incorrect.

 

Written Options

 

The Fund may write call and put options. Writing put options tends to increase the Fund’s exposure to the underlying instrument. Writing call options tends to decrease the Fund’s exposure to the underlying instrument. When the Fund writes a call or put option, an amount equal to the premium received is recorded as a liability and subsequently marked-to-market to reflect the current value of the option written. These liabilities are reflected as written options outstanding in the Schedule of Investments. Payments received or made, if any, from writing options with premiums to be determined on a future date are reflected as such in the Schedule of Investments. Premiums received from writing options that expire are treated as realized gains. Premiums received from writing options that are exercised or closed are added to the proceeds or offset against amounts paid on the underlying future, security or currency transaction to determine the realized gain or loss. The Fund, as a writer of an option, has no control over whether the underlying future, security or currency may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and, as a result, bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security underlying the written option. The risk exists that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market.

 

Foreign Currency Exchange Future Contracts

 

The Fund may utilize foreign currency future contracts (“contracts”) under which they are obligated to exchange currencies on specified future dates at specified rates, and are subject to the translations of foreign exchange rates fluctuations. All contracts are “marked-to-market” daily and any resulting unrealized gains or losses are recorded as unrealized appreciation or depreciation on foreign currency translations. The Fund records realized gains or losses at the time the forward contract is settled. Counter-parties to these contracts are major U.S. financial institutions. As of October 31, 2023, the Fund had two-thousand one-hundred sixty-six outstanding forward currency contracts sold short. Futures contracts are carried at fair value using the primary exchange’s closing (settlement) price and are generally categorized in Level 1.

 

The Fund may enter into futures contracts in U.S. domestic markets or on exchanges located outside the United States. Foreign markets may offer advantages such as trading opportunities or arbitrage possibilities not available in the United States. Foreign markets, however, may have greater risk potential than domestic markets. For example, some foreign exchanges are principal markets so that no common clearing facility exists and an investor may look only to the broker for performance of the contract. In addition, any profits that might be realized in trading could be eliminated by adverse changes in the exchange rate, or a loss could be incurred as a result of those changes. Transactions on foreign exchanges may include both commodities which are traded on domestic exchanges and those which are not. Unlike trading on domestic commodity exchanges, trading on foreign commodity exchanges is not regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

 

Engaging in these transactions involves risk of loss, which could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s net assets. No assurance can be given that a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. Many futures exchanges and boards of trade limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond that limit or trading may be suspended for specified periods during the trading day. Futures contract prices could move to the limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and potentially subjecting the Fund to substantial losses.

 

20

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

2. Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Federal Income Taxes

 

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Fund utilizes a tax-year end of October 31 and the Fund’s income and federal excise tax returns and all financial records supporting the 2020, 2021 and 2022 returns are subject to examination by the federal and Delaware revenue authorities. If so qualified, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent it distributes substantially all of its net investment income and capital gains to shareholders. Therefore, no federal income tax provision is required. Management of the Fund is required to determine whether a tax position taken by the Fund is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, based on the technical merits of the position. Based on its analysis, there were no tax positions identified by management of the Fund which did not meet the “more likely than not” standard as of October 31, 2023.

 

3. Principal Risks

 

Indemnifications

 

In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these agreements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund, and therefore cannot be established; however, the risk of loss from such claims is considered remote.

 

Borrowing, Use of Leverage

 

The Fund may leverage its investments by “borrowing,” use of swap agreements, options or other derivative instruments, use of short sales or issuing preferred stock or preferred debt. The use of leverage increases both risk and profit potential. The Fund expects that under normal business conditions it will utilize a combination of the leverage methods described above. The Fund is subject to the Investment Company Act requirement that an investment company limit its borrowings to no more than 50% of its total assets for preferred stock or preferred debt and 33 1/3% of its total assets for debt securities, including amounts borrowed, measured at the time the investment company incurs the indebtedness. Although leverage may increase profits, it exposes the Fund to credit risk, greater market risks and higher current expenses. The effect of leverage with respect to any investment in a market that moves adversely to such investment could result in a loss to the investment portfolio of the Fund that would be substantially greater than if the investment were not leveraged. Also, access to leverage and financing could be impaired by many factors, including market forces or regulatory changes, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to secure or maintain adequate leverage or financing. The ability of the Fund to transact business with any one or number of counterparties, the lack of any independent evaluation of such counterparties’ financial capabilities and the absence of a regulated market to facilitate settlement may increase the potential for losses by the Fund.

 

Margin borrowings and transactions involving forwards, swaps, futures, options and other derivative instruments could result in certain additional risks to the Fund. In such transactions, counterparties and lenders will likely require the Fund to post collateral to support its obligations. Should the securities and other assets pledged as collateral decline in value or should brokers increase their maintenance margin requirements (i.e., reduce the percentage of a position that can be financed), the Fund could be subject to a “margin call,” pursuant to which it must either deposit additional funds with the broker or suffer mandatory liquidation of the pledged assets to compensate for the decline in value. In the event of a precipitous drop in the value of pledged securities, the Fund might not be able to liquidate assets quickly enough to pay off the margin debt or provide additional collateral and may suffer mandatory liquidation of positions in a declining market at relatively low prices, thereby incurring substantial losses.

 

Limited Liquidity

 

Shares in the Fund provide limited liquidity since Shareholders will not be able to redeem Shares on a daily basis. A Shareholder may not be able to tender its Shares in the Fund promptly after it has made a decision to do so. There is no assurance that you will be able to tender your Shares when or in the amount that you desire. In addition, with very limited exceptions, Shares are not transferable, and liquidity will be provided only through repurchase offers made quarterly by the Fund. Shares in the Fund are therefore suitable only for investors who can bear the risks associated with the limited liquidity of Shares and should be viewed as a long-term investment.

 

21

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

3. Principal Risks (continued)

 

Non-Diversified Status

 

The Fund is a “non-diversified” management investment company. Thus, there are no percentage limitations imposed by the Investment Company Act on the Fund’s assets that may be invested, directly or indirectly, in the securities of any one issuer. Consequently, if one or more securities are allocated a relatively large percentage of the Fund’s assets, losses suffered by such securities could result in a higher reduction in the Fund’s capital than if such capital had been more proportionately allocated among a larger number of securities. The Fund may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company.

 

Private Markets Risk

 

The securities in which the Fund, directly or indirectly, may invest include privately issued securities of both public and private companies. Private securities have additional risk considerations than investments in comparable public investments. Whenever the Fund invests in companies that do not publicly report financial and other material information, it assumes a greater degree of investment risk and reliance upon the Investment Manager’s ability to obtain and evaluate applicable information concerning such companies’ creditworthiness and other investment considerations. Certain private securities may be illiquid. Because there is often no readily available trading market for private securities, the Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell them if they were more widely traded. Private securities that are debt securities generally are of below-investment grade quality, frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as investing in below-investment grade public debt securities. Investing in private debt instruments is a highly specialized investment practice that depends more heavily on independent credit analysis than investments in other types of obligations.

 

LIBOR Transition Risk

 

Many financial instruments were historically tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies, or investment value. As of June 30, 2023, almost all settings of LIBOR have ceased to be published, except that certain widely used U.S. dollar LIBORs will continue to be published on a temporary, synthetic and non-representative basis through at least September 30, 2024. In some instances, regulators have restricted new use of LIBORs prior to the date when synthetic LIBORs will cease to be published. Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions, is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the Adjustable Interest Rate Act, which provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR, by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in certain financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The full impact of the transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests can be difficult to determine. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, and there may be a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Fund.

 

SOFR Risk

 

SOFR is intended to be a broad measure of the cost of borrowing funds overnight in transactions that are collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities. SOFR is calculated based on transaction-level repo data collected from various sources. For each trading day, SOFR is calculated as a volume-weighted median rate derived from such data. SOFR is calculated and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”). If data from a given source required by the FRBNY to calculate SOFR is unavailable for any day, then the most recently available data for that segment will be used, with certain adjustments. If errors are discovered in the transaction data or the calculations underlying SOFR after its initial publication on a given day, SOFR may be republished at a later time that day. Rate revisions will be effected only on the day of initial publication and will be republished only if the change in the rate exceeds one basis point.

 

Because SOFR is a financing rate based on overnight secured funding transactions, it differs fundamentally from LIBOR. LIBOR is intended to be an unsecured rate that represents interbank funding costs for different short-term maturities or tenors. It is a forward-looking rate reflecting expectations regarding interest rates for the applicable tenor. Thus, LIBOR is intended to be sensitive, in certain respects, to bank credit risk and to term interest rate risk. In contrast, SOFR is a secured overnight rate reflecting the credit of U.S. Treasury securities as collateral. Thus, it is largely insensitive to credit-risk considerations and to short-term interest rate risks. SOFR is a transaction-based rate, and it has been more volatile than other benchmark or market rates, such as three-month LIBOR, during certain periods. For these reasons, among others, there is no assurance that SOFR, or rates derived from SOFR, will perform in the same or a similar way as LIBOR would have performed at any time,

 

22

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

3. Principal Risks (continued)

 

and there is no assurance that SOFR-based rates will be a suitable substitute for LIBOR. SOFR has a limited history, having been first published in April 2018. The future performance of SOFR, and SOFR-based reference rates, cannot be predicted based on SOFR’s history or otherwise. Levels of SOFR in the future, including following the discontinuation of LIBOR, may bear little or no relation to historical levels of SOFR, LIBOR or other rates.

 

Repurchase Offers

 

The Fund is a closed-end investment company structured as an “interval fund” and, as such, has adopted a fundamental policy to make quarterly repurchase offers, at per-class NAV, of not less than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares on the repurchase request deadline. The Fund will offer to purchase only a small portion of its Shares each quarter, and there is no guarantee that Shareholders will be able to sell all of the Shares that they desire to sell in any particular repurchase offer. Under current regulations, such offers must be for not less than 5% nor more than 25% of the Fund’s Shares outstanding on the repurchase request deadline. If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed, the Fund may repurchase only a pro rata portion of the Shares tendered by each Shareholder. The potential for proration may cause some investors to tender more Shares for repurchase than they wish to have repurchased.

 

Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risks

 

Certain local, regional or global events such as war (including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illnesses and/or other public health issues, or other events may have a significant impact on a security or instrument. These types of events and other like them are collectively referred to as “Market Disruptions and Geopolitical Risks” and they may have adverse impacts on the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Some of the impacts noted in recent times include but are not limited to embargos, political actions, supply chain disruptions, restrictions to investment and/or monetary movement including the forced selling of securities or the inability to participate impacted markets. The duration of these events could adversely affect the Fund’s performance, the performance of the securities in which the Fund invests and may lead to losses on your investment. The ultimate impact of Market Disruptions and Geopolitical Risks on the financial performance of the Fund’s investments is not reasonably estimable at this time. Management is actively monitoring these events.

 

4. Fair Value of Investments

 

(a) Fair value - Definition

 

The Fund uses a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

 

Level 1 – Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 – Valuations based on inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, that are observable either directly or indirectly.

 

Level 3 – Valuations based on inputs that are both significant and unobservable to the overall fair value measurement.

 

Investments in private investment companies measured based upon NAV as a practical expedient to determine fair value are not required to be categorized in the fair value hierarchy.

 

The availability of valuation techniques and observable inputs can vary from investment to investment and are affected by a wide variety of factors, including type of investment, whether the investment is new and not yet established in the marketplace, the liquidity of markets, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, determining fair value requires more

 

23

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

4. Fair Value of Investments (continued)

 

judgment. Because of the inherent uncertainly of valuation, estimated values may be materially higher or lower than the values that would have been used had a ready market for the investments existed. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Investment Manager in determining fair value is greatest for investments categorized in Level 3.

 

In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

 

(b) Fair Value – Valuation Techniques and Inputs

 

When determining fair value, the Fund uses valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

 

Investments in Private Investment Companies

 

The Fund values private investment companies using the NAV’s provided by the underlying private investment companies as a practical expedient. The Fund applies the practical expedient to private investment companies on an investment-by-investment basis, and consistently with the Fund’s entire position in a particular investment, unless it is probable that the Fund will sell a portion of an investment at an amount different from the NAV of the investment. Each of these investments has certain restrictions with respect to rights of withdrawal by the Fund as specified in the respective agreements. Generally, the Fund is required to provide notice of its intent to withdraw after the investment has been maintained for a certain period of time. The management agreements of the private investment companies provide for compensation to the managers in the form of fees ranging from 0% to 4.25% annually of net assets and performance incentive allocations or fees ranging from 0% to 20% on net profits earned.

 

Investments in Special Purpose Vehicles

 

Special purpose vehicles (“SPV”) consist of an investment by the Fund in an entity that invests directly or indirectly in a note secured by expected value of contingency fees received from future case settlements, real estate, specialty finance investments, and royalties. The debt offerings are short-term in nature and carry a fixed interest rate. During the six months ended October 31, 2023, the Investment Manager determined there were minimal credit impairments. Investments in SPV are generally measured based on NAV as a practical expedient, while others are categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Investments in Credit Facilities

 

The Fund has invested in credit facilities that are either secured by the borrower’s assets or are unsecured in nature. The credit facilities have been made directly or through participation with private investment or operating companies. The investments in credit facilities will generally be held at cost subject to certain revisions, such as (i) a material change in interest rates for similar notes or (ii) if the Investment Manager becomes aware of a fundamental change that has not been reflected in the cost. The Fund has determined to value its investments in credit facilities generally at cost although some are above or below cost as of October 31, 2023. Investments in credit facilities are categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

Investments in Direct Equities

 

As a part of some of the credit facilities, the Fund receives direct equity in the private investments or operating companies of the borrower via common stock shares, warrants, or profit sharing instruments. The Fund has determined to value its investments in direct equities through a discounted cash flow or market approach method as of October 31, 2023. Investments in direct equities are categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

 

24

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

4. Fair Value of Investments (continued)

 

(c) Fair Value - Hierarchy

 

The Fund’s assets recorded at fair value have been categorized based on a fair value hierarchy as described in the Fund’s significant accounting policies. The following table presents information about the Fund’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of October 31, 2023. Assets valued using NAV as a practical expedient, an indicator of fair value, are listed in a separate column to permit reconciliation to totals in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities:

 

Assets

 

Level 1

   

Level 2

   

Level 3

   

Investments
Valued at Net
Asset Value

   

Total

 

Investments

                                       

Private Investment Companies

  $     $     $     $ 694,639,235     $ 694,639,235  

Credit Facilities

                1,787,658,846             1,787,658,846  

Special Purpose Vehicles

                81,255,430       138,175,635       219,431,065  

Direct Equities

                5,521,664             5,521,664  

Warrants

                4,146,454             4,146,454  

Short-Term Investments

    236,002,216                         236,002,216  

Total Investments

  $ 236,002,216     $     $ 1,878,582,394     $ 832,814,870     $ 2,947,399,480  
                                         

Other Financial Instruments1

                               

Futures Contracts

    2,440,799                         2,440,799  

Total Assets

  $ 238,443,015     $     $ 1,878,582,394     $ 832,814,870     $ 2,949,840,279  

 

1

Other financial instruments are derivative instruments such as futures contracts, forward contracts and swap contracts. Futures contracts, forward contracts and swap contracts are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument.

 

25

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

4. Fair Value of Investments (continued)

 

(d) Fair Value - Changes in Level 3 Measurements

 

The following table presents the changes in assets and transfers in and out which are classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy for the six months ended October 31, 2023:

 

 

 

Credit Facilities

   

Special Purpose
Vehicles

   

Direct Equities

   

Warrants

 

April 30, 2023

  $ 1,411,380,108     $ 79,096,321     $ 5,614,288     $ 3,477,714  

Realized gains (losses)

                       

Unrealized gains (losses)

    (9,772,586 )     8,355,261       (92,624 )     668,740  

Transfers Into Level 3

                       

Transfers Out of Level 3

                       

Purchases

    544,287,546       3,062,238              

Sales

    (158,236,222 )     (9,258,390 )            

October 31, 2023

  $ 1,787,658,846     $ 81,255,430     $ 5,521,664     $ 4,146,454  

Net change in unrealized appreciation/ (depreciation) attributable to Level 3 investments held at October 31, 2023

    (6,072,272 )     9,630,999       73,042        

 

(e) Fair Value - Significant Unobservable Inputs

 

The following table summarizes the valuation techniques and significant unobservable inputs used for the Fund’s investments that are categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as of October 31, 2023.

 

Investments

Fair Value

Valuation
Technique

Unobservable
Inputs

Range
of Inputs

Weighted
Average
(1)

Impact on
Valuation from
an increase in
input

Credit Facilities

$ 1,787,658,845

Market Approach

 

 

 

 

 

Income Approach

Recent transaction price
Ownership % Multiple
Recovery %

Interest rate Discount rate

N/A

 

45.00%

8.00x

25.00%-65.00%

8.68% - 12.50% 9.75% - 13.00%

N/A

 

N/A

N/A

44.58%

10.70%

11.40%

Increase

Increase
Increase
Increase

Decrease Decrease

Special Purpose Vehicles

$ 81,255,430

Market Approach

Capitalization Rate

4.85%-5.25%

5.11%

Increase

 

26

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

4. Fair Value of Investments (continued)

 

Investments

Fair Value

Valuation
Technique

Unobservable
Inputs

Range
of Inputs

Weighted
Average
(1)

Impact on
Valuation from
an increase in
input

Direct Equities

$ 5,521,664

Income Approach

 

 

 

 

Market Approach

Discount Rate Growth Rate Market Multiple Ownership %

 

Discount Rate Loan Loss Reserve Market Multiple Market Valuation

 

Ownership % Price Per Share Strike Price

20.00% - 65.00% 3.00%-5.00% 8.15x

1.95%-8.00%

 

15.00% - 30.00%

6.00%

10.00x - 20.00x $17,500,000-$50,000,000 1.33% - 2.82% $3.48

EUR 200

25.70%

3.25%

N/A

2.72%

 

20.03%

N/A

15.00x $29,497,721

 

2.27%

$3.48

N/A

Decrease

Increase

Increase

Increase

 

Decrease

Increase

Decrease

Increase

 

Increase

Increase

Increase

Warrants

$ 4,146,454

Market Approach

Agent Fee % Discount Rate Market Mutiple Market Valuation Ownership % Price Per Share

15.00%

15.00% - 25.00%

10.00x $18,885,500 0.60% - 15.00% $20.99

NA

20.00%

10.00x $18,855,500 12.06%

NA

Decrease

Decrease

Increase

Increase

Increase

Increase

 

(1)

Unobservable inputs were weighted by the fair value of the instruments as of the six months ended October 31, 2023

 

5. Derivative and Hedging Disclosure

 

U.S. GAAP requires enhanced disclosures about the Fund’s derivative and hedging activities, including how such activities are accounted for and their effects on the Fund’s financial position, performance and cash flows. The Fund invested in futures and options contracts during the six months ended October 31, 2023.

 

The effects of these derivative instruments on the Fund’s financial position and financial performance as reflected in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations are presented in the tables below. The fair values of derivative instruments as of October 31, 2023, by risk category are as follows:

 

           

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

Derivatives not
designated as hedging
instruments

   

Value

   

Value

 

Unrealized appreciation/depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts

    Foreign Exchange Contracts     $ 2,440,799     $  

 

The effects of derivative instruments on the Statement of Operations for the six months ended October 31, 2023, are as follows:

 

Amount of Realized Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives Recognized in Income

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments

 

Futures
Contracts

 

Foreign exchange contracts

  $ (188,201 )

Total

  $ (188,201 )

 

27

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

5. Derivative and Hedging Disclosure (continued)

 

Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Derivatives Recognized in Income

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments

 

Forward Foreign
Currency Exchange
Contracts

   

Total

 

Foreign exchange contracts

  $ 3,144,530     $ 3,144,530  

Total

  $ 3,144,530     $ 3,144,530  

 

The number of contracts is included on the Schedule of Investments. The quarterly average volumes of derivative instruments as of October 31, 2023, are as follows:

 

Derivative

 

Quarterly Average

   

Amount

 

Options Contracts - Purchased

Average Notional Value

  $  

Options Contracts - Written

Average Notional Value

  $  

Foreign exchange contracts

Average Notional Value

  $ (265,511,561 )

 

6. Capital Stock

 

The Fund is authorized as a Delaware statutory trust to issue an unlimited number of Shares in one or more classes, with a par value of $0.001. The Fund currently offers one class of Shares: Institutional Class Shares. The Fund may offer additional classes of Shares in the future. The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class Shares by any investor is $1 million. However, the Fund, in its sole discretion, may accept investments below this minimum. Shares may be purchased by principals and employees of the Investment Manager or its affiliates and their immediate family members without being subject to the minimum investment requirement.

 

Institutional Class Shares are not subject to any initial sales charge. Shares will generally be offered for purchase on each business day, except that Shares may be offered more or less frequently as determined by the Board in its sole discretion. The Board may also suspend or terminate offerings of Shares at any time.

 

A substantial portion of the Fund’s investments are illiquid. For this reason, the Fund is structured as a closed-end interval fund which means that the Shareholders will not have the right to redeem their Shares on a daily basis. In addition, the Fund does not expect any trading market to develop for the Shares. As a result, if investors decide to invest in the Fund, they will have very limited opportunity to sell their Shares. For each repurchase offer the Board will set an amount between 5% and 25% of the Fund’s Shares based on relevant factors, including the liquidity of the Fund’s positions and the Shareholders’ desire for liquidity. A Shareholder whose Shares (or a portion thereof) are repurchased by the Fund will not be entitled to a return of any sales charge that was charged in connection with the Shareholder’s purchase of the Shares.

 

Pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act, on a quarterly basis, the Fund offers shareholders the option of redeeming Shares at NAV. The Board determines the quarterly repurchase offer amount (“Repurchase Offer Amount”), which can be no less than 5% and no more than 25% of all Shares of all classes outstanding on the repurchase request deadline. If shareholders tender more than the Repurchase Offer Amount, the Fund may, but is not required to, repurchase an additional amount of Shares not to exceed 2% of all outstanding Shares of the Fund on the repurchase request deadline. If the Fund determines not to repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount, or if shareholders tender Shares in an amount exceeding the Repurchase Offer Amount plus 2% of all outstanding Shares on the repurchase request deadline, the

 

28

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

6. Capital Stock (continued)

 

Fund shall repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis. There is no guarantee that a shareholder will be able to sell all of the Shares tendered in a quarterly repurchase offer. Limited liquidity will be provided to shareholders only through the Fund’s quarterly repurchases.

 

   

Repurchase Offer

   

Repurchase Offer

 

Commencement Date

    May 24, 2023       August 24, 2023  

Repurchase Request Deadline

    June 15, 2023       September 15, 2023  

Repurchase Pricing Date

    June 15, 2023       September 15, 2023  
                 

Net Asset Value as of Repurchase Offer Date

               

Institutional Class

  $ 29.23     $ 29.48  
                 

Amount Repurchased

               

Institutional Class

  $ 93,480,021     $ 100,246,237  
                 

Percentage of Outstanding Shares Repurchased

               

Institutional Class

    3.38 %     3.37 %

 

7. Investment Management and Other Agreements

 

For a period not to exceed three years from the date on which a Waiver is made, the Investment Manager may recoup amounts waived or assumed, provided it is able to effect such recoupment and remain in compliance with the Expense Limitation. The Expense Limitation and Reimbursement Agreement is in effect until October 31, 2024 and will automatically renew for consecutive one-year terms thereafter. This agreement may be terminated at any time by the Fund’s Board of Trustees upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Investment Manager. This agreement may be terminated by the Investment Manager as of the end of its then-current term upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Fund.

 

Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the “Distributor”) is the distributor (also known as principal underwriter) of the Shares of the Fund and acts as the agent of the Fund in connection with the continuous offering of Shares of the Fund.

 

The Fund has retained an administrator, UMB Fund Services, Inc. (the “Administrator”) to provide administrative services, and to assist with operational needs. In consideration for these services, the Fund pays the Administrator a minimum monthly administration fee (the “Administration Fee”). The Administration Fee is paid to the Administrator out of the assets of the Fund and therefore decreases the net profits or increases the net losses of the Fund. The Administrator is also reimbursed by the Fund for out-of-pocket expenses relating to services provided to the Fund and receives a fee for transfer agency services. The Administration Fee and the other terms of the Administration Agreement may change from time to time as may be agreed to by the Fund management and the Administrator.

 

A trustee and an officer of the Fund are employees of the Administrator. The Fund does not compensate the trustee or officer affiliated with the Administrator. For the six months ended October 31, 2023, the Fund’s allocated fees incurred for trustees and advisory board member are reported on the Statement of Operations.

 

UMB Bank, n.a. (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of the Administrator, serves as the primary custodian of the assets of the Fund, and may maintain custody of such assets with U.S. and non-U.S. sub custodians (which may be banks and trust companies), securities depositories and clearing agencies in accordance with the requirements of Section 17(f) of the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder. Assets of the Fund are not held by the Investment Manager or commingled with the assets of other accounts other than to the extent that securities are held in the name of the Custodian or U.S. or non-U.S. sub custodians in a securities depository, clearing agency or omnibus customer account of such custodian. In consideration for these services, the Fund pays the Custodian a minimum monthly custodian fee.

 

29

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

8. Related Party Transactions

 

At October 31, 2023, the Investment Manager and its affiliates owned $10,509,691 (or 0.35% of net assets) of the Fund.

 

9. Federal Income Taxes

 

At October 31, 2023, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on investments and short securities, based on cost for federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

Cost of investments

  $ 2,812,909,824  

Gross unrealized appreciation

  $ 189,587,856  

Gross unrealized depreciation

    (55,098,200 )

Net unrealized appreciation on investments

  $ 134,489,656  

 

The difference between cost amounts for financial statement and federal income tax purposes is due primarily to timing differences in recognizing certain gains and losses in security transactions.

 

As of October 31, 2023, the Fund’s most recent tax year end, the components of distributable earnings on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

  $  

Undistributed long-term capital gains

     

Accumulated capital and other losses

     

Unrealized appreciation on investments

    134,489,656  

Total distributable earnings

  $ 134,489,656  

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the tax years ended October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023 were as follows:

 

   

2023

   

2022

 

Distribution paid from:

               

Ordinary income

  $ 156,000,707     $ 98,723,400  

Net long-term capital gains

          9,802,828  

Return of capital

          15,667,391  

Total distributions paid

  $ 156,000,707     $ 124,193,619  

 

10. Investment Transactions

 

For the six months ended October 31, 2023, purchases and sales of investments, excluding short-term investments, were $583,450,493 and $199,561,189, respectively.

 

11. Credit Facility

 

The Fund maintains a credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility” or “Facility”) with a maximum borrowing amount of up to $80,000,000. When in use, the Facility is secured by certain underlying investments of the Fund. The Facility bears an initial interest rate of 3.5% plus the then applicable 30-day average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which has a floor rate of 0.5%. The rate was 8.82% as of October 31, 2023. Interest and fees incurred for the six months ended October 31, 2023 are disclosed in the accompanying Statement of Operations. The Facility matures on May 20, 2025. The maximum and average loan balance during the six months ended October 31, 2023 was $50,000,000 and $48,913,043 (respectively). At October 31, 2023, the principal balance outstanding was $50,000,000.

 

30

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

12. Reorganization Information

 

Simultaneous with the commencement of the Fund’s operations (“Commencement of Operations”), the Variant Alternative Income Fund, L.P. (the “Predecessor Fund”), reorganized with and transferred substantially all its portfolio securities into the Fund. The Predecessor Fund maintained an investment objective, strategies and investment policies, guidelines and restrictions that were, in all material respects, equivalent to those of the Fund. The Fund and the Predecessor Fund shared the same investment adviser and portfolio managers. Below is a breakout of assets, liabilities, and total net assets transferred as of the date of reorganization at the end of business September 28, 2018.

 

Assets:

       

Investments at Cost

  $ 21,099,144  

Investments at Value

    21,406,197  

Cash

    3,424,801  

Interest Accrued

    387,807  

Miscellaneous Assets

    11,931  

Total Assets

    25,230,736  

Liabilities:

       

Management Fees Payable

  $ 47,756  

Other Payable

    96,516  

Total Liabilities

    144,272  

Net Assets:

  $ 25,086,464  

 

1,003,458.564 shares were issued with an initial NAV of $25.00.

 

13. Commitments

 

Senior credit facilities may be structured to be fully funded at the time of investment or include unfunded loan commitments, which are contractual obligations for future funding. As of October 31, 2023, the Fund had unfunded loan commitments to senior credit facilities of $417,667,741.

 

The following table represents investment strategies, unfunded commitments and redemptive restrictions of investments that are measured at NAV per share (or its equivalent) as a practical expedient as of October 31, 2023:

 

Security Description

Investment
Category

Fair Value

Total
Unfunded

Redemption
Frequency

Redemption Notice Period

ACM JEEVES CO-INVEST VEHICLE LLC(7)

Private LPs

$ 745,524

$ 4,269,712

None

N

Aero Capital Solutions Feeder Fund III, LP(2)

Private LPs

46,887,862

None

N

Aero Capital Solutions Fund II, LP(2)

Private LPs

37,616,054

None

N

Aero Capital Solutions Fund IV(2)

Private LPs

11,436,324

3,445,600

None

N

Aero Capital Solutions Fund, LP(2)

Private LPs

1,252,300

656,479

None

N

American Rivers Fund, LLC(2)

Private LPs

29,060,951

Annually

Subject to a 3 year lock up period from initial funding Redemptions are permitted in December every year paid out 25% per quarter

PHX Industrial Portfolio AMP SPV, LLC(5)

SPVs

11,343,948

None

N

 

31

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

13. Commitments (continued)

 

Security Description

Investment
Category

Fair Value

Total
Unfunded

Redemption
Frequency

Redemption Notice Period

ATALAYA EQUIPMENT LEASING FEEDER EVERGREEN LP(7)

 

Private LPs

 

$ 25,722,217

 

$ 9,625,000

 

Annually

After 36 months of lock up, each limited partner may provide written notice within 120 days to withdraw any portion of its capital account balance

Black Forest Structured Lending Fund(1)

Private LPs

4,395,027

3,709,994

None

N

BSRF Tax-Exempt LLC(7)

Private LPs

20,348,088

Quarterly

After 36 months of lock up, each limited partner may give a 180 day written notice to redeem any portion of its capital balance. Redemptions are subject to a cap of 20% of total partner interest during any rolling 12 month period

C L Levi Co-Invest, L.P.(6)

Private LPs

13,986,193

3,910,715

None

N

CAMPBELL OPPORTUNITY TIMBER FUND-A, L.P.(1)

Private LPs

184,542

None

N

Cirrix Investments, LLC(7)

SPVs

6,067,034

None

N

CoVenture - Amzn Credit Opportunities Fund LP(7)

 

Private LPs

 

31,321,923

 

4,426,280

 

Quarterly

At least a 90 day written notice to the general partner prior to each calendar quarter-end

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC(7)

 

Private LPs

 

1,007,984

 

 

Quarterly

After 36 months of funding, or additional funding date, limited partners may withdraw any portion of their capital account with 90 days’ notice as of the end of any calendar quarter.

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC (A-2 Series)(7)

 

Private LPs

 

3,025,783

 

 

Quarterly

After 36 months of funding, or additional funding date, limited partners may withdraw any portion of their capital account with 90 days’ notice as of the end of any calendar quarter.

CoVenture - No1 Credit Opportunities Fund LLC (A-3 Series)(7)

 

Private LPs

 

7,575,018

 

 

Quarterly

After 36 months of funding, or additional funding date, limited partners may withdraw any portion of their capital account with 90 days’ notice as of the end of any calendar quarter.

CoVenture Credit Opportunities Partners Fund LP(7)

 

Private LPs

 

20,315,194

 

 

Quarterly

Withdrawals are permitted quarterly, subject to a 1-year “soft” lockup period, with capital proceeds returned as and when they are realized. Withdrawal notification is 90 days

 

32

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

13. Commitments (continued)

 

Security Description

Investment
Category

Fair Value

Total
Unfunded

Redemption
Frequency

Redemption Notice Period

Crestline Portfolio Financing Fund II (US), L.P.(6)

Private LPs

$ 2,514,513

$ 3,409,939

None

N

Crestline Portfolio Financing Fund Offshore B, L.P. and Subsidiary(6)

Private LPs

742,532

519,657

None

N

Crestline Praeter, L.P. - Zoom(6)

Private LPs

3,765,303

1,440,594

None

N

DelGatto Diamond Fund QP, LP(7)

Private LPs

26,537,545

Monthly

Upon fully called committed capital, redemptions are permitted at the end of each calendar month with at least a 90 day notice. Any redemption made within 1 year of subscription is subject to a 5% early redemption penalty

Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund LP(1)

 

Private LPs

 

6,320,199

 

 

Annually

At least a 90 day written notice to the general partner prior to each fiscal year end to withdraw all of any portion of its capital account. No withdrawal on any portioon of its capital allocated to a Special Investment Account.

EAJF ESQ FUND LP(3)

Private LPs

39,961,704

Quarterly

After 36 months of lock up, each limited partner may initiate a withdrawal as of the last business day of each calendar quarter. Notice of any withdrawal must be provided in writing at least 60 days prior to the withdrawal date to withdraw any portion of its capital account balance

Equal Access Justice Fund LP(3)

Private LPs

52,586,342

Quarterly

After 36 months of lock up, each limited partner may provide a written notice 60 days prior to each calendar quarter-end to withdraw any portion of it’s capital account balance

Hudson Transport Real Asset Fund LP(2)

Private LPs

1,096,218

Quarterly

Subject to a 2 year lock up period. Subsequently, can submit a withdrawal of interest form effective as of the last day of any calendar quarter upon not less than 90 days prior written notice. Request must be greater than $100k. However, the GP of the Fund may designate additional withdrawal dates or reduce notice periods at its sole discretion

ITE Rail Fund, L.P.(2)

Private LPs

16,817,825

8,628,951

Annually

Subject to a 1 year lock up period from capital contribution date, a limited partner may give a 90 day written notice to withdraw any portion of its capital balance

Lendable SPC (behalf of Segregated Investment Vehicle 1)(7)

SPVs

97,571,280

None

N

 

33

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

13. Commitments (continued)

 

Security Description

Investment
Category

Fair Value

Total
Unfunded

Redemption
Frequency

Redemption Notice Period

MEP Capital II, L.P.(8)

Private LPs

$ 8,356,119

$ 426,235

None

N

MEP Capital II, L.P. - Co-investment Sound Royalties(8)

Private LPs

2,656,345

None

N

MEP Capital III, L.P. (8)

Private LPs

22,920,565

2,266,200

None

N

MEP Capital III, L.P. - Co-investment CultureWorks(8)

Private LPs

20,670

None

N

MEP Capital III, L.P. - NGL(8)

Private LPs

8,343,889

None

N

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 48(4)

SPVs

2,280,917

None

N

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 49(4)

SPVs

839,142

118,421

None

N

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 54(4)

SPVs

2,015,376

None

N

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 55(4)

SPVs

2,531,424

None

N

Monticello Funding, LLC Series BTH 56(4)

SPVs

7,227,813

None

N

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-52(4)

SPVs

1,521,011

711,340

None

N

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-62(4)

SPVs

810,974

None

N

Monticello Structured Products, LLC Series SH-71(4)

SPVs

1,006,303

None

N

Montreux Healthcare Fund PLC (Fund)(5)

 

Private LPs

 

81,649,179

 

 

Quarterly

180 Business Days’ prior written notice is required for a quarterly Valuation Day, such quarters being 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. Quarterly redemptions representing more than 10% of a Shareholder’s holding will require not less than 12 months’ notice.

North Haven Offshore Infrastructure Partners A LP(1)

Private LPs

1,593,139

544,827

None

N

Oak Harbor Capital NPL VII, LLC(4)

Private LPs

7,625,785

None

N

OHP II LP Class B(7)

Private LPs

457,599

None

N

OHPC LP(7)

Private LPs

11,408,061

Quarterly

Withdraw all or any portion of its capital account attributable to a particular capital contribution as of the last day of each calendar quarter that is on or after the expiration of the lock-up period. The lock-up-period is the first anniversary of such capital contribution

Prime Storage Fund II (Cayman), LP(5)

Private LPs

1,471,058

None

N

PSC US BADGER LLC(7)

SPVs

3,229,764

None

N

 

34

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

13. Commitments (continued)

 

Security Description

Investment
Category

Fair Value

Total
Unfunded

Redemption
Frequency

Redemption Notice Period

PWP Asset Based Income ASP Fund(1)

Private LPs

$ 855,502

$ —

None

N

RIVER HORSE HOLDINGS II LP(6)

Private LPs

4,032,000

None

N

RIVONIA ROAD FUND LP(7)

Private LPs

11,147,575

Bi-Annually

After 18 months of lock up, each limited partner may give a 90 day written notice to redeem any portion of its capital balance. Redemptions are subject to a cap of 25% of total partner interest

Round Hill Music Carlin Coinvest, LP(8)

SPVs

1,382,874

None

N

Series 4 -Virage Capital Partners LP(3)

Private LPs

1,701,341

None

N

Series 6 - Virage Capital Partners LP(3)

Private LPs

22,819,406

None

N

Setpoint Residential Fintech Fund LP(4)

Private LPs

16,505,187

2,369,786

None

N

Setpoint Residential Fintech Fund II L.P.(4)

Private LPs

4,032,590

4,076,991

None

N

Silverview Special Situations Lending Onshore Fund LP(7)

Private LPs

10,665,050

None

N

Sound Point Discovery Fund LLC(7)

Private LPs

10,663,655

Quarterly

A written notice to the fund administrator at least 60 days prior to the last business day of each calendar quarter

SP TECHNOLOGY PAYMENTS II, LLC(7)

Private LPs

4,906,008

520,000

Quarterly

A written notice to the fund administrator at least 60 days prior to the last business day of each calendar quarter

Taiga Special Opportunities LP(1)

Private LPs

19,602,783

None

N

Thor Urban Property Fund II, Inc.(1)

Private LPs

258,790

2,228,330

None

N

Turning Rock Fund I LP(7)

Private LPs

5,302,881

2,175,909

None

N

Turning Rock Fund II LP(7)

Private LPs

15,594,119

5,259,803

None

N

Upper90 Fund III, LP(7)

Private LPs

853,835

9,080,781

None

N

Virage Recovery Fund (Cayman) LP(3)

Private LPs

13,972,939

None

N

YS Law Firm Financing VII(3)

Private LPs

347,773

None

N

   

 

 

   
   

$ 832,814,868

$ 73,821,543

   

 

(1)

Private partnerships that are secondaries positions. These investments are purchased in the secondary market of a limited partner’s interest in a private credit fund from the primary owner.

 

(2)

Private partnerships in transportation finance. These partnerships provide financing of transportation assets (aircraft, ships, railcars, trucking, or shipping containers) through equity and/or debt investments.

 

(3)

Private partnerships and special purpose vehicles in litigation finance. These strategies consists of loans to law firms backed by the expected value of contingency fees received from future case settlements.

 

(4)

Real estate debt private partnerships. These are extensions of new debt backed by real estate assets or the purchase of existing loans backed by residential or commercial real estate assets.

 

(5)

Real estate equity partnerships that consists of equity investments backed by commercial real estate.

 

(6)

Private partnerships that are in portfolio finance, a special scenario where a loan to the borrower is collateralized by all of the assets in a private investment vehicle.

 

35

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

13. Commitments (continued)

 

(7)

Private partnerships or credit facilities that are in specialty finance investments. Such partnerships invests in institutional loan to a non-bank, private lender, which uses the capital to make loans in their particular vertical.

 

(8)

Private partnerships and special purpose vehicles that invests in and/or purchases royalties. These royalties are the financial claim to the revenue generated from an asset such as the usage of copyrighted music, licensing payments on intellectual property, or oil and gas production.

 

14. Subsequent Events

 

In preparing these financial statements, management has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of the financial statements included herein. There have been no subsequent events or transactions that occurred during this period that materially impacted the amounts or disclosures in the Fund’s financial statements except for the following:

 

The Fund commenced a repurchase offer on November 22, 2023 as follows:

 

   

Repurchase Offer

 

Commencement Date

    November 22, 2023  

Repurchase Request Deadline

    December 15, 2023  

Repurchase Pricing Date

    December 15, 2023  
         

Net Asset Value as of Repurchase Offer Date

       

Institutional Class

    $29.76  
         

Amount Repurchased

       

Institutional Class

    $188,285,062  
         

Percentage of Outstanding Shares Repurchased

       

Institutional Class

    6.05%  

 

 

36

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Other Information
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited)

 

 

Proxy Voting

 

The Fund is required to file Form N-PX, with its complete proxy voting record for the twelve months ended June 30, no later than August 31.The Fund’s Form N-PX filing and a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are available without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at 1-877-770-7717 or visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) website at www.sec.gov.

 

Availability of Quarterly Portfolio Schedules

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by calling the Fund at 1-877-770-7717.

 

Approval of Investment Management Agreement

 

At a meeting of the Board held on June 6, 2023 and June 7, 2023 (the “Meeting”), by a unanimous vote, the Board, including a majority of trustees who are not “interested persons” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act (the “Independent Trustees”) voting separately, approved the continuation of the Investment Management Agreement between the Investment Manager and the Fund.

 

In advance of the Meeting, the Independent Trustees requested and received materials from the Investment Manager to assist them in considering the approval of the Investment Management Agreement. The Independent Trustees reviewed reports from third parties and management about the below factors. The Board did not consider any single factor as controlling in determining whether to approve the Investment Management Agreement nor are the items described herein all-encompassing of the matters considered by the Board. Pursuant to relief granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic (the “Order”) and a determination by the Board that reliance on the Order was appropriate due to circumstances related to the current or potential effects of COVID-19, the Meeting was held by videoconference.

 

The Board engaged in a detailed discussion of the materials with management of the Investment Manager. The Independent Trustees then met separately with independent counsel to the Independent Trustees for a full review of the materials. Following this session, the full Board reconvened and after further discussion determined that the information presented provided a sufficient basis upon which to approve the Investment Management Agreement.

 

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services

 

The Board reviewed and considered the nature and extent of the investment advisory services provided by the Investment Manager to the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement, including the selection of Fund investments. The Board also reviewed and considered the nature and extent of the non-advisory, administrative services provided by the Investment Manager to the Fund, including, among other things, providing office facilities, equipment, and personnel. The Board reviewed and considered the qualifications of the portfolio managers and other key personnel of the Investment Manager who provide the investment advisory and administrative services to the Fund. The Board determined that the Investment Manager’s portfolio managers and key personnel are well-qualified by education and/or training and experience to perform the services for the Fund in an efficient and professional manner. The Board also took into account the Investment Manager’s compliance policies and procedures, including the procedures used to determine the value of the Fund’s investments. The Board concluded that the overall quality of the advisory and administrative services provided to the Fund was satisfactory.

 

Performance

 

The Board considered the investment performance of the Investment Manager with respect to the Fund, noting that the Investment Manager also managed a fund with a similar investment objective and strategy. The Board considered the performance of the Fund, noting that the Fund had strong year-to-date performance against two key indices and strong performance against its peers for the three-year period ended March 31, 2023 and since inception on October 1, 2018. The Board further considered performance information of the Fund compared to other comparable peer funds. The Board concluded that the performance of the Fund was satisfactory.

 

37

 

 

Variant Alternative Income Fund

 

 

Other Information
October 31, 2023 (Unaudited) (continued)

 

 

Fees and Expenses Relative to Comparable Funds Managed by Other Investment Managers

 

The Board reviewed the advisory fee rate and total expense ratio of the Fund. The Board compared the advisory fee and total expense ratio for the Fund with various comparative data, including third-party reports on the expenses of other comparable funds. The Board noted that the Fund’s advisory fees were comparable to the fees payable by other comparable funds. In addition, the Board noted that the Investment Manager has contractually agreed to limit total annual operating expenses until assets support the expenses of the Fund. The Board concluded that the advisory fees paid by the Fund and total expense ratio were reasonable and satisfactory in light of the services provided.

 

Breakpoints and Economies of Scale

 

The Board reviewed the structure of the Fund’s investment management fee under the Investment Management Agreement, which did not include breakpoints. The Board considered the Fund’s advisory fees and concluded that the fees were reasonable and satisfactory in light of the services provided. The Board also determined that, given the Fund’s increasing current size, the Fund is beginning to achieve economies of scale within modest ranges.

 

Profitability of Investment Manager

 

The Board considered and reviewed information concerning the costs incurred and profits realized by the Investment Manager from its relationship with the Fund. The Board also reviewed the Investment Manager’s financial condition. The Board noted that the financial condition of the Investment Manager appeared stable. The Board determined that the advisory fees and the compensation to the Investment Manager was reasonable and the financial condition was adequate.

 

Ancillary Benefits and Other Factors

 

The Board also discussed other benefits to be received by the Investment Manager from its management of the Fund including, without limitation, the ability to market its advisory services for similar products in the future. The Board noted that the Investment Manager does not have affiliations with the Fund’s transfer agent, fund accountant, custodian, or distributor and, therefore, they do not derive any benefits from the relationships these parties may have with the Fund. The Board concluded that the advisory fees were reasonable in light of the fall-out benefits.

 

General Conclusion

 

Based on its consideration of all factors that it deemed material, and assisted by the advice of its counsel, the Board concluded it would be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders to approve the continuance of the Investment Management Agreement.

 

38

 

 

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(b)Not applicable.

 

ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

 

Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

 

Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

 

Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

 

(a)Schedule of Investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers as of the close of the reporting period is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1(a) of this form.

 

(b)Not applicable

 

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

(a)Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

(b)Not applicable.

 

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

 

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which the shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant's board of trustees, where those changes were implemented after the registrant last provided disclosure in response to the requirements of Item 407(c)(2)(iv) of Regulation S-K (17CFR 229.407), or this Item.

 

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

 

(a)    The registrant's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

(b) There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting. 

 

ITEM 12. DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT COMPANIES.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 13. EXHIBITS.

 

(a)(1) Not applicable to semi-annual reports.

 

(a)(2) Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act and Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto.

 

(a)(3) Not applicable.

 

(a)(4) Not applicable.

 

(b)     Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act and Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are attached hereto. 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

(registrant) Variant Alternative Income Fund  
     
By (Signature and Title)* /s/Robert W. Elsasser  
  Robert W. Elsasser, President  
  (Principal Executive Officer)  
     
Date January 8, 2024  

  

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By (Signature and Title)* /s/Robert W. Elsasser  
  Robert W. Elsasser, President  
  (Principal Executive Officer)  
     
Date January 8, 2024  

 

By (Signature and Title)* /s/Curt Fintel  
  Curt Fintel, Treasurer  
  (Principal Financial Officer)  
     
Date January 8, 2024  

  

*Print the name and title of each signing officer under his or her signature.