424B2 1 gs-424b2.htm 424B2 gs-424b2.htm

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

 

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)

Registration Statement No. 333-253421

 

 

 

Subject to Completion. Dated June 3, 2022.

GS Finance Corp.

$

Market Linked Notes — Upside Participation to a Cap and Principal Return at Maturity

Notes Linked to the S&P 500® Index due July 6, 2027

guaranteed by

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

The notes are unsecured notes issued by GS Finance Corp. and guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The notes do not bear interest. The amount that you will be paid on your notes on the stated maturity date (expected to be July 6, 2027) is based on the performance of the S&P 500® Index as measured from the pricing date (expected to be June 29, 2022) to and including the determination date (expected to be June 28, 2027).

If the final underlier level on the determination date is greater than the initial underlier level (determined on the pricing date), the return on your notes will be positive and will equal the underlier return, subject to the maximum settlement amount (at least $1,400 (set on the pricing date) for each $1,000 face amount of your notes).  

If the final underlier level is equal to or less than the initial underlier level, you will receive the face amount of your notes, but you will not receive any positive return on your investment.

To determine your payment at maturity, we will calculate the underlier return, which is the percentage increase or decrease in the final underlier level from the initial underlier level. At maturity, for each $1,000 face amount of your notes, you will receive an amount in cash equal to:

if the underlier return is positive (the final underlier level is greater than the initial underlier level), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the underlier return, subject to the maximum settlement amount; or

if the underlier return is zero or negative (the final underlier level is equal to or less than the initial underlier level), $1,000.

The notes have more complex features than conventional debt securities and involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. You should read the disclosure herein to better understand the terms and risks of your investment, including the credit risk of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. See page S-13.

The information in this prospectus supplement supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed below under “About Your Prospectus”. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes.

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date is expected to be between $900 and $930 per $1,000 face amount. For a discussion of the estimated value and the price at which Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”) would initially buy or sell your notes, if it makes a market in the notes, see the following page.

Issue date:

expected to be July 5, 2022

Original issue price:

100% of the face amount

Underwriting discount:

up to 4.37% of the face amount1,2

Net proceeds to the issuer:

95.63% of the face amount1

1 See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-27.

2 In addition to the 4.37%, GS&Co. may pay to selected securities dealers a fee of up to 0.10% of the face amount in consideration for marketing and other services in connection with the distribution of the notes to other securities dealers.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

 

Wells Fargo Securities

Prospectus Supplement No.      dated         , 2022.

 

 


 

 

GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in the initial sale of the notes. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC or any other affiliate of GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in a market-making transaction in a note after its initial sale. Unless GS Finance Corp. or its agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this prospectus is being used in a market-making transaction.

Wells Fargo Advisors (“WFA”) is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company.

Estimated Value of Your Notes

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) and taking into account our credit spreads) is expected to be between $900 and $930 per $1,000 face amount, which is less than the original issue price. The value of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted; however, the price (not including GS&Co.s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise is equal to approximately the estimated value of your notes at the time of pricing, plus an additional amount (initially equal to $     per $1,000 face amount).

Prior to        , the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) will equal approximately the sum of (a) the then-current estimated value of your notes (as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models) plus (b) any remaining additional amount (the additional amount will decline to zero on a straight-line basis from the time of pricing through         ). On and after        , the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market) will equal approximately the then-current estimated value of your notes determined by reference to such pricing models.

 

About Your Prospectus

The notes are part of the Medium-Term Notes, Series F program of GS Finance Corp. and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. This prospectus includes this prospectus supplement and the accompanying documents listed below. This prospectus supplement constitutes a supplement to the documents listed below, does not set forth all of the terms of your notes and therefore should be read in conjunction with such documents:

Market linked notes with upside participation to a cap and principal return at maturity product summary supplement dated May 26, 2022 (the “product summary supplement”)

Underlier supplement no. 27 dated April 26, 2022

Prospectus supplement dated March 22, 2021

Prospectus dated March 22, 2021

The information in this prospectus supplement supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed above. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes.

We refer to the notes we are offering by this prospectus supplement as the “offered notes” or the “notes”. Each of the offered notes has the terms described below. Please note that in this prospectus supplement, references to “GS Finance Corp.”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean only GS Finance Corp. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates, references to “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.”, our parent company, mean only The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates and references to “Goldman Sachs” mean The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. Additionally, please note that, for purposes of this prospectus supplement, references in the underlier supplement no. 27 to “trade date” shall be deemed to refer to “pricing date”.

Please note that, for purposes of this prospectus supplement, references in the accompanying product summary supplement to “Market Linked Notes”, “market measure”, “starting level”, “ending level”, “payment at maturity” and “original offering price” shall be deemed to refer to “notes”, “underlier”, “initial underlier level”, “final underlier level”, “cash settlement amount” and “original issue price”, respectively.

The notes will be issued under the senior debt indenture, dated as of October 10, 2008, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 20, 2015, each among us, as issuer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. This indenture, as so supplemented and as further supplemented thereafter, is referred to as the “GSFC 2008 indenture” in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

The notes will be issued in book-entry form and represented by master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021.

 

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

CUSIP / ISIN: 40057M7A1 / US40057M7A17

Company (Issuer): GS Finance Corp.

Guarantor: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Underlier: the S&P 500® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “SPX Index”), or any successor underlier, as it may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein

Face amount: $            in the aggregate on the issue date

Authorized denominations: $1,000 or any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof

Principal amount: On the stated maturity date, the company will pay, for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount, an amount in cash equal to the cash settlement amount.

Cash settlement amount:

if the final underlier level is greater than or equal to the cap level, the maximum settlement amount;

if the final underlier level is greater than the initial underlier level but less than the cap level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the participation rate times (c) the underlier return; or

if the final underlier level is equal to or less than the initial underlier level, $1,000

Initial underlier level (set on the pricing date): the closing level of the underlier on the pricing date

Final underlier level: the closing level of the underlier on the determination date, subject to adjustment as provided in “— Consequences of a market disruption event or non-trading day” and “— Discontinuance or modification of the underlier” below

Cap level (set on the pricing date): at least 140% of the initial underlier level

Maximum settlement amount (set on the pricing date): at least $1,400

Participation rate: 100%

Underlier return: the quotient of (i) the final underlier level minus the initial underlier level divided by (ii) the initial underlier level, expressed as a percentage

Pricing date: expected to be June 29, 2022

Issue date (set on the pricing date): expected to be July 5, 2022

Determination date (set on the pricing date): expected to be June 28, 2027, unless the calculation agent determines that a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on such day or such day is not a trading day. In that event, the determination date will be the first following trading day on which the calculation agent determines that a market disruption event does not occur and is not continuing. In no event, however, will the determination date be postponed by more than eight trading days. If a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on the day that is the last possible determination date or such last possible day is not a trading day, that day will nevertheless be the determination date.

Stated maturity date (set on the pricing date): expected to be July 6, 2027, unless that day is not a business day, in which case the stated maturity date will be postponed to the next following business day. The stated maturity date will also be postponed if the determination date is postponed as described under “— Determination date” above. In such a case, the stated maturity date will be postponed by the same number of business day(s) from but excluding the originally scheduled determination date to and including the actual determination date.

Closing level: for any given trading day, the official closing level of the underlier or any successor underlier published by the underlier sponsor on such trading day

Trading day: a day, as determined by the calculation agent, on which (i) the relevant stock exchanges with respect to each underlier stock are scheduled to be open for trading for their respective regular trading sessions and (ii) each related futures or options exchange is scheduled to be open for trading for its regular trading session

 

Relevant stock exchange: with respect to an underlier stock, the primary exchange or quotation system on which such security is traded, as determined by the calculation agent

Related futures or options exchange: with respect to the underlier, an exchange or quotation system where trading has a material effect (as determined by the calculation agent) on the overall market for futures or options contracts relating to the underlier

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Successor underlier: any substitute underlier approved by the calculation agent as a successor underlier as provided under “— Discontinuance or modification of the underlier” below

Underlier sponsor: at any time, the person or entity, including any successor sponsor, that determines and publishes the underlier as then in effect. The notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the underlier sponsor or any of its affiliates and the underlier sponsor and its affiliates make no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the notes.

Underlier stocks: at any time, the stocks that comprise the underlier as then in effect, after giving effect to any additions, deletions or substitutions

Market disruption event: With respect to any given trading day, market disruption event means any of the following events as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion:

 

(A)

the occurrence or existence of a material suspension of or limitation imposed on trading by the relevant stock exchanges or otherwise relating to underlier stocks which then comprise 20% or more of the level of the underlier at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day, whether by reason of movements in price exceeding limits permitted by those relevant stock exchanges or otherwise.

 

(B)

the occurrence or existence of a material suspension of or limitation imposed on trading by any related futures or options exchange or otherwise in futures or options contracts relating to the underlier on any related futures or options exchange at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day, whether by reason of movements in price exceeding limits permitted by the related futures or options exchange or otherwise.

 

(C)

the occurrence or existence of any event, other than an early closure, that materially disrupts or impairs the ability of market participants in general to effect transactions in, or obtain market values for, underlier stocks that then comprise 20% or more of the level of the underlier on their relevant stock exchanges at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day.

 

(D)

the occurrence or existence of any event, other than an early closure, that materially disrupts or impairs the ability of market participants in general to effect transactions in, or obtain market values for, futures or options contracts relating to the underlier on any related futures or options exchange at any time during the one-hour period that ends at the close of trading on that day.

 

(E)

the closure of the relevant stock exchanges on which the underlier stocks that then comprise 20% or more of the level of the underlier are traded or any related futures or options exchange prior to its scheduled closing time unless the earlier closing time is announced by the relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange, as applicable, at least one hour prior to the earlier of (1) the actual closing time for the regular trading session on such relevant stock exchange or related  futures or options exchange, as applicable, and (2) the submission deadline for orders to be entered into the relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange, as applicable, system for execution at such actual closing time on that day.

 

(F)

the relevant stock exchange for any underlier stock or any related futures or options exchange fails to open for trading during its regular trading session.

However, none of the above will constitute a market disruption event unless the calculation agent determines in good faith and in its sole discretion that such event could materially interfere with the ability of the company or any of its affiliates or a similarly situated party to unwind all or a material portion of a hedge that could be effected with respect to this note.

For purposes of determining whether a market disruption event has occurred:

 

(1)

the relevant percentage contribution of an underlier stock included in the underlier to the level of such underlier will be based on a comparison of (x) the portion of the level of such underlier attributable to that underlier stock to (y) the overall level of the underlier, in each case immediately before the occurrence of the market disruption event;

 

(2)

the “close of trading” on any trading day for the underlier means the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchanges with respect to the underlier stocks on such trading day; provided that, if the actual closing time of the regular trading session of any such relevant stock exchange is earlier than its scheduled closing time on such trading day, then (x) for purposes of clauses (A) and (C) of the definition of “market disruption event” above, with respect to any underlier stock for which such relevant stock exchange is its relevant stock exchange, the “close of trading” means such actual closing time and (y) for purposes of clauses (B) and (D) of the definition of “market disruption event” above, with respect to any futures or options contract relating to the underlier, the “close of trading” means the latest actual closing time of the regular trading session of any

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of the relevant stock exchanges, but in no event later than the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchanges; and

 

(3)

the “scheduled closing time” of any relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange on any trading day for the underlier means the scheduled weekday closing time of such relevant stock exchange or related futures or options exchange on such trading day, without regard to after hours or any other trading outside the regular trading session hours.

As is the case throughout this prospectus supplement, references to the underlier in this description of market disruption events includes the underlier and any successor underlier as it may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time.

Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day: If a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on a day that would otherwise be the determination date or such day is not a trading day, then the determination date will be postponed as described under “— Determination date” above.

If the determination date has been postponed by eight trading days after the originally scheduled determination date and a market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to the underlier on such eighth trading day, the calculation agent will determine the final underlier level on such eighth trading day in accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the closing level of the underlier last in effect prior to commencement of the market disruption event, using the closing price (or, with respect to any underlier stock, if a market disruption event has occurred with respect to such underlier stock, its good faith estimate of the value of such underlier stock at the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchange for such underlier stock or, if earlier, the actual closing time of the regular trading session of such relevant stock exchange) on such date of each underlier stock. As used herein, “closing price” means, with respect to any underlier stock on any date, the relevant stock exchange traded or quoted price of such underlier stock as of the scheduled closing time of the relevant stock exchange for such underlier stock or, if earlier, the actual closing time of the regular trading session of such relevant stock exchange.  

Discontinuance or modification of the underlier: If the underlier sponsor discontinues publication of the underlier and the underlier sponsor or anyone else publishes a substitute underlier that the calculation agent determines is comparable to the underlier and approves as a successor underlier, or if the calculation agent designates a substitute underlier, then the calculation agent will determine the amount payable on the stated maturity date by reference to such successor underlier.

If the calculation agent determines that the publication of the underlier is discontinued and there is no successor underlier, the calculation agent will calculate a substitute closing level for the underlier in accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the underlier last in effect prior to the discontinuance, but using only those securities that comprised the underlier immediately prior to that discontinuance.

If on the determination date the underlier sponsor fails to calculate and announce the level of the underlier, the calculation agent will calculate a substitute closing level of the underlier in accordance with the formula for and method of calculating the underlier last in effect prior to the failure, but using only those securities that comprised the underlier immediately prior to that failure; provided that, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on such day, then the provisions set forth above under “— Market disruption event” shall apply in lieu of the foregoing.

If at any time the underlier sponsor makes a material change in the formula for or the method of calculating the underlier, or in any other way materially modifies the underlier (other than a modification prescribed in that formula or method to maintain the underlier in the event of changes in underlier stock and capitalization and other routine events), in either case, such that the underlier does not, in the opinion of the calculation agent, fairly represent the value of the underlier had such changes or modifications not been made, then, from and after that time, the calculation agent will, at the close of business in New York, New York, on each date that the closing level of the underlier is to be calculated, make such adjustments in the underlier or the method of its calculation as, in the good faith judgment of the calculation agent, are appropriate to ensure that the closing level of the underlier used to determine the payment at stated maturity on the stated maturity date is equitable.

In addition, if the method of calculating the underlier is modified so that the level of the underlier is a fraction or a multiple of what it would have been if it had not been modified (e.g., due to a split or reverse split in the underlier), and such modification does not constitute a material change or a material modification that triggers the calculation agent action described in the immediately preceding paragraph, then, from and after that time, the calculation agent will, at the close of business in New York, New York, on each date that the closing level of the underlier is to be calculated, make adjustments to the underlier as, in the good faith judgment of the calculation agent, are necessary to arrive at a level of the underlier as if such modification had not been made.

All determinations and adjustments to be made by the calculation agent may be made by the calculation agent in its sole discretion. The calculation agent is not obligated to make any such adjustments.

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Business day: each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday that is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close.

Calculation agent: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”)

Default amount: If an event of default occurs and the maturity of this note is accelerated, the company will pay the default amount in respect of the principal of this note at the maturity, instead of the amount payable on the stated maturity date as described earlier. The default amount for this note on any day (except as provided in the last sentence under “Default quotation period” below) will be an amount, in U.S. dollars, for the face amount of this note, equal to the cost of having a qualified financial institution, of the kind and selected as described below, expressly assume all of the company’s payment and other obligations with respect to this note as of that day and as if no default or acceleration had occurred, or to undertake other obligations providing substantially equivalent economic value to you with respect to this note. That cost will equal:

the lowest amount that a qualified financial institution would charge to effect this assumption or undertaking, plus

the reasonable expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by the holder of this note in preparing any documentation necessary for this assumption or undertaking.

During the default quotation period for this note, which is described below, the holder of this note and/or the company may request a qualified financial institution to provide a quotation of the amount it would charge to effect this assumption or undertaking. If either party obtains a quotation, it must notify the other party in writing of the quotation. The amount referred to in the first bullet point above will equal the lowest — or, if there is only one, the only — quotation obtained, and as to which notice is so given, during the default quotation period. With respect to any quotation, however, the party not obtaining the quotation may object, on reasonable and significant grounds, to the assumption or undertaking by the qualified financial institution providing the quotation and notify the other party in writing of those grounds within two business days after the last day of the default quotation period, in which case that quotation will be disregarded in determining the default amount.

Default quotation period: The default quotation period is the period beginning on the day the default amount first becomes due and ending on the third business day after that day, unless:

no quotation of the kind referred to above is obtained, or

every quotation of that kind obtained is objected to within five business days after the day the default amount first becomes due.

If either of these two events occurs, the default quotation period will continue until the third business day after the first business day on which prompt notice of a quotation is given as described above. If that quotation is objected to as described above within five business days after that first business day, however, the default quotation period will continue as described in the prior sentence and this sentence.

In any event, if the default quotation period and the subsequent two business day objection period have not ended before the determination date, then the default amount will equal the principal amount of this note.

Qualified financial institutions: For the purpose of determining the default amount at any time, a qualified financial institution must be a financial institution organized under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States of America, Europe or Japan, which at that time has outstanding debt obligations with a stated maturity of one year or less from the date of issue and that is, or whose securities are, rated either:

A-1 or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services or any successor, or any other comparable rating then used by that rating agency, or

P-1 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or any successor, or any other comparable rating then used by that rating agency.

Overdue principal rate: the effective Federal Funds rate

Defeasance: not applicable

 

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DEFAULT AMOUNT ON ACCELERATION

If an event of default occurs and the maturity of your notes is accelerated, the company will pay the default amount in respect of the principal of your notes at the maturity, instead of the amount payable on the stated maturity date as described earlier. We describe the default amount under “Terms and Conditions” above.

For the purpose of determining whether the holders of our Series F medium-term notes, which include your notes, are entitled to take any action under the indenture, we will treat the outstanding face amount of your notes as the outstanding principal amount of that note. Although the terms of the offered notes differ from those of the other Series F medium-term notes, holders of specified percentages in principal amount of all Series F medium-term notes, together in some cases with other series of our debt securities, will be able to take action affecting all the Series F medium-term notes, including your notes, except with respect to certain Series F medium-term notes if the terms of such notes specify that the holders of specified percentages in principal amount of all of such notes must also consent to such action. This action may involve changing some of the terms that apply to the Series F medium-term notes or waiving some of our obligations under the indenture. In addition, certain changes to the indenture and the notes that only affect certain debt securities may be made with the approval of holders of a majority in principal amount of such affected debt securities. We discuss these matters in the accompanying prospectus under “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Default, Remedies and Waiver of Default” and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Modification of the Debt Indentures and Waiver of Covenants”.


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DETERMINING CASH SETTLEMENT AMOUNT

 

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HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES

The following examples are provided for purposes of illustration only. They should not be taken as an indication or prediction of future investment results and merely are intended to illustrate the impact that the various hypothetical underlier levels on the determination date could have on the cash settlement amount at maturity assuming all other variables remain constant.

The examples below are based on a range of final underlier levels that are entirely hypothetical; the underlier level on any day throughout the life of the notes, including the final underlier level on the determination date, cannot be predicted. The underlier has been highly volatile in the past — meaning that the underlier level has changed considerably in relatively short periods — and its performance cannot be predicted for any future period.

The information in the following examples reflects hypothetical rates of return on the offered notes assuming that they are purchased on the issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date. If you sell your notes in a secondary market prior to the stated maturity date, your return will depend upon the market value of your notes at the time of sale, which may be affected by a number of factors that are not reflected in the examples below, such as interest rates, the volatility of the underlier, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor. In addition, the estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the original issue price of your notes. For more information on the estimated value of your notes, see “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Pricing Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes” on page S-13 of this prospectus supplement. The information in the examples also reflects the key terms and assumptions in the box below.

Key Terms and Assumptions

Face amount

$1,000

Participation rate

100%

Cap level

140% of the initial underlier level

Maximum settlement amount

$1,400

Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs on the originally scheduled determination date

No change in or affecting any of the underlier stocks or the method by which the underlier sponsor calculates the underlier

Notes purchased on the issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date

Moreover, we have not yet set the initial underlier level that will serve as the baseline for determining the underlier return and the amount that we will pay on your notes at maturity. We will not do so until the pricing date. As a result, the actual initial underlier level may differ substantially from the underlier level prior to the pricing date.

For these reasons, the actual performance of the underlier over the life of your notes, as well as the amount payable at maturity may bear little relation to the hypothetical examples shown below or to the historical underlier levels shown elsewhere in this prospectus supplement. For information about the historical levels of the underlier during recent periods, see “The Underlier — Historical Closing Levels of the Underlier” below. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the underlier between the date of this prospectus supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered notes.

Also, the hypothetical examples shown below do not take into account the effects of applicable taxes. Because of the U.S. tax treatment applicable to your notes, tax liabilities could affect the after-tax rate of return on your notes to a comparatively greater extent than the after-tax return on the underlier stocks.

The levels in the left column of the table below represent hypothetical final underlier levels and are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level. The amounts in the middle and right columns represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level, and are expressed as percentages of the face amount of a note (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth of a percent) and in U.S. dollars (rounded to the nearest one-hundredth), respectively. Thus, a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% means that the value of the cash payment that we would deliver for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount of the offered notes on the stated maturity date would equal 100.000% of the face amount of a note, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level and the assumptions noted above.


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Hypothetical Final Underlier Level

(as Percentage of Initial Underlier Level)

Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount

(as Percentage of Face Amount)

Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount ($)

 

200.000%

140.000%

$1,400.00

 

198.000%

140.000%

$1,400.00

 

197.000%

140.000%

$1,400.00

 

140.000%

140.000%

$1,400.00

 

130.000%

130.000%

$1,300.00

 

125.000%

125.000%

$1,250.00

 

110.000%

110.000%

$1,100.00

 

100.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

95.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

85.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

75.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

50.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

25.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

 

0.000%

100.000%

$1,000.00

If, for example, the final underlier level were determined to be 25.000% of the initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 100.000% of the face amount of your notes (or $1,000.00), as shown in the table above. As a result, if you purchased your notes on the issue date at the face amount and held them to the stated maturity date, you would receive no return on your investment. In addition, if the final underlier level were determined to be 200.000% of the initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be capped at the maximum settlement amount, or 140.000% of each $1,000 face amount of your notes (or $1,400.00), as shown in the table above. As a result, if you held your notes to the stated maturity date, you would not benefit from any increase in the final underlier level over 140.000% of the initial underlier level.

The following chart shows a graphical illustration of the hypothetical cash settlement amounts that we would pay on your notes on the stated maturity date, if the final underlier level were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The hypothetical cash settlement amounts in the chart are expressed as percentages of the face amount of your notes and the hypothetical final underlier levels are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level. The chart shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of less than 100.000% (the section left of the 100.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% of the face amount of your notes. The chart also shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of greater than or equal to 140.000% (the section right of the 140.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a capped return on your investment.


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Set forth below are three examples of cash settlement amount calculations based on the specified hypothetical initial underlier levels and final underlier levels and the assumptions noted above. These examples are for purposes of illustration only and the values used in the examples may have been rounded for ease of analysis.

Example 1: The final underlier level is greater than the cap level. The cash settlement amount is subject to the maximum settlement amount and is equal to $1,400.00 for each $1,000 face amount of your notes.

 

Hypothetical initial underlier level:  100

Hypothetical final underlier level:  200

 

Since the hypothetical final underlier level is greater than the cap level, the cash settlement amount is equal to the maximum settlement amount of $1,400.00 for each $1,000 face amount of your notes.

 

Example 2:  The final underlier level is greater than the initial underlier level, but less than the cap level. The cash settlement amount is greater than the $1,000 face amount.

 

Hypothetical initial underlier level:  100

Hypothetical final underlier level:  110

 

Since the hypothetical final underlier level is greater than the hypothetical initial underlier level, but less than the cap level, the cash settlement amount is greater than the $1,000 face amount, calculated as follows:

 

 

On the stated maturity date, we will pay you $1,100.00 for each $1,000 face amount of your notes.

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Example 3:  The final underlier level is less than the initial underlier level.  The cash settlement amount is equal to the $1,000 face amount of your notes.

 

Hypothetical initial underlier level:  100

Hypothetical final underlier level:  95

Since the hypothetical final underlier level is equal to or less than the hypothetical initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount is equal to the $1,000 face amount of your notes.

The cash settlement amounts shown above are entirely hypothetical; they are based on market prices for the underlier stocks that may not be achieved on the determination date and on assumptions that may prove to be erroneous. The actual market value of your notes on the stated maturity date or at any other time, including any time you may wish to sell your notes, may bear little relation to the hypothetical cash settlement amounts shown above, and these amounts should not be viewed as an indication of the financial return on an investment in the offered notes. Please read “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” on page S-15.

Payments on the notes are economically equivalent to the amounts that would be paid on a combination of other instruments. For example, payments on the notes are economically equivalent to a combination of an interest-bearing bond bought by the holder and one or more options entered into between the holder and us (with one or more implicit option premiums paid over time). The discussion in this paragraph does not modify or affect the terms of the notes or the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the notes, as described elsewhere in this prospectus supplement.

We cannot predict the actual final underlier level or what the market value of your notes will be on any particular trading day, nor can we predict the relationship between the underlier level and the market value of your notes at any time prior to the stated maturity date. The actual amount that you will receive at maturity and the rate of return on the offered notes will depend on the actual initial underlier level, the cap level and the maximum settlement amount, which we will set on the pricing date, and the actual final underlier level determined by the calculation agent as described above. Moreover, the assumptions on which the hypothetical returns are based may turn out to be inaccurate. Consequently, the amount of cash to be paid in respect of your notes on the stated maturity date may be very different from the information reflected in the examples above.


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ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS SPECIFIC TO YOUR NOTES

An investment in your notes is subject to the risks described below, as well as the risks and considerations described in the accompanying prospectus, in the accompanying prospectus supplement and under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Securities” in the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the terms of the notes described herein and in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the underlier stocks, i.e., the stocks comprising the underlier to which your notes are linked. You should carefully consider whether the offered notes are appropriate given your particular circumstances.

Risks Related to Structure, Valuation and Secondary Market Sales

The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Pricing Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes

The original issue price for your notes exceeds the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date, as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models and taking into account our credit spreads. Such estimated value on the pricing date is set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes; after the pricing date, the estimated value as determined by reference to these models will be affected by changes in market conditions, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and other relevant factors. The price at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell your notes (if GS&Co. makes a market, which it is not obligated to do), and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise, also exceeds the estimated value of your notes as determined by reference to these models. As agreed by GS&Co. and the distribution participants, this excess (i.e., the additional amount described under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”) will decline to zero on a straight line basis over the period from the date hereof through the applicable date set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your notes it will do so at prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to such pricing models at that time. The price at which GS&Co. will buy or sell your notes at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes.

In estimating the value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date, as disclosed above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes, GS&Co.’s pricing models consider certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold your notes in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your notes determined by reference to our models due to, among other things, any differences in pricing models or assumptions used by others. See “— The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” below.

The difference between the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date and the original issue price is a result of certain factors, including principally the underwriting discount and commissions, the expenses incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes, and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to GS&Co. and the amounts GS&Co. pays to us in connection with your notes. We pay to GS&Co. amounts based on what we would pay to holders of a non-structured note with a similar maturity. In return for such payment, GS&Co. pays to us the amounts we owe under your notes.

In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted. If GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the price quoted by GS&Co. would reflect any changes in market conditions and other relevant factors, including any deterioration in our creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness or the creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. To the extent that GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the quoted price will reflect the estimated value determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models at that time, plus or minus its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes (and subject to the declining excess amount described above).

Furthermore, if you sell your notes, you will likely be charged a commission for secondary market transactions, or the price will likely reflect a dealer discount. This commission or discount will further reduce the proceeds you would receive for your notes in a secondary market sale.

There is no assurance that GS&Co., WFS or any other party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price and, in this regard, GS&Co. and WFS are not obligated to make a market in the notes. See “— Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market” below.

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The Notes Are Subject to the Credit Risk of the Issuer and the Guarantor

Although the return on the notes will be based on the performance of the underlier, the payment of any amount due on the notes is subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp., as issuer of the notes, and the credit risk of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. as guarantor of the notes. The notes are our unsecured obligations. Investors are dependent on our ability to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore investors are subject to our credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness. Similarly, investors are dependent on the ability of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes, to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore are also subject to its credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of its creditworthiness. See “Description of the Notes We May Offer — Information About Our Medium-Term Notes, Series F Program — How the Notes Rank Against Other Debt” on page S-5 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Guarantee by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.” on page 67 of the accompanying prospectus.

The Amount Payable on Your Notes Is Not Linked to the Level of the Underlier at Any Time Other Than the Determination Date

The final underlier level will be based on the closing level of the underlier on the determination date (subject to adjustment as described elsewhere in this prospectus supplement). Therefore, if the closing level of the underlier dropped precipitously on the determination date, the cash settlement amount for your notes may be significantly less than it would have been had the cash settlement amount been linked to the closing level of the underlier prior to such drop in the level of the underlier. Although the actual level of the underlier on the stated maturity date or at other times during the life of your notes may be higher than the final underlier level, you will not benefit from the closing level of the underlier at any time other than on the determination date.

Also, the market price of your notes prior to the stated maturity date may be significantly lower than the purchase price you pay for your notes. Consequently, if you sell your notes before the stated maturity date, you may receive far less than the amount of your investment in the notes.

You May Receive Only the Face Amount of Your Notes at Maturity

If the underlier return is zero or negative on the determination date, the cash settlement amount will be limited to the face amount. Even if the amount paid on your notes at maturity exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a note with the same stated maturity that bears interest at the prevailing market rate.

Your Notes Do Not Bear Interest

You will not receive any interest payments on your notes. As a result, even if the cash settlement amount payable for your notes on the stated maturity date exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a non-indexed debt security of comparable maturity that bears interest at a prevailing market rate.

The Potential for the Value of Your Notes to Increase Will Be Limited

Your ability to participate in any change in the value of the underlier over the life of your notes will be limited because of the cap level. The maximum settlement amount will limit the cash settlement amount you may receive for each of your notes at maturity, no matter how much the level of the underlier may rise beyond the cap level over the life of your notes. Accordingly, the amount payable for each of your notes may be significantly less than it would have been had you invested directly in the underlier.

You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Underlier Stock

Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any of the underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to the underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any right to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of the underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any underlier stocks.

The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors

When we refer to the market value of your notes, we mean the value that you could receive for your notes if you chose and are able to sell them in the open market before the stated maturity date. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our control and impact the value of bonds and options generally, will influence the market value of your notes, including:

the level of the underlier;

the volatility — i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes — in the level of the underlier;

the dividend rates of the underlier stocks;

S-14


 

economic, financial, regulatory, political, military, public health and other events that affect stock markets generally and the underlier stocks, and which may affect the level of the underlier;

interest rates and yield rates in the market;

the time remaining until your notes mature; and

our creditworthiness and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., whether actual or perceived, including actual or anticipated upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or changes in other credit measures.

Without limiting the foregoing, the market value of your notes may be negatively impacted by increasing interest rates. Such adverse impact of increasing interest rates could be significantly enhanced in notes with longer-dated maturities, the market values of which are generally more sensitive to increasing interest rates.

These factors will influence the price you will receive if you sell your notes before maturity, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market-making transaction. If you sell your notes before maturity, you may receive less than the face amount of your notes or less than you would have received had you held your notes to maturity.

You cannot predict the future levels of the underlier based on its historical fluctuations. The actual level of the underlier over the life of the notes may bear little or no relation to the historical closing level of the underlier or to the hypothetical examples shown elsewhere in this prospectus supplement.

As Calculation Agent, GS&Co. Will Have the Authority to Make Determinations that Could Affect the Value of Your Notes, When Your Notes Mature and the Amount You Receive at Maturity

As calculation agent for your notes, GS&Co. will have discretion in making various determinations that affect your notes, including determining the final underlier level on the determination date, which we will use to determine the amount we must pay on the stated maturity date; determining whether to postpone the determination date because of a market disruption event or a non-trading day; the stated maturity date; the default amount and any amount payable on your notes. The calculation agent also has discretion in making certain adjustments relating to a discontinuation or modification of the underlier. See “Terms and Conditions — Discontinuance or modification of the underlier” below. The exercise of this discretion by GS&Co.  could adversely affect the value of your notes and may present GS&Co. with a conflict of interest.  We may change the calculation agent at any time without notice and GS&Co. may resign as calculation agent at any time upon 60 days’ written notice to us.

Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market

Your notes will not be listed or displayed on any securities exchange or included in any interdealer market quotation system, and there may be little or no secondary market for your notes. Even if a secondary market for your notes develops, it may not provide significant liquidity and we expect that transaction costs in any secondary market would be high.  As a result, the difference between bid and asked prices for your notes in any secondary market could be substantial.

The Calculation Agent Can Postpone the Determination Date If a Market Disruption Event or a Non-Trading Day Occurs or is Continuing

If the calculation agent determines that, on the date that would otherwise be the determination date, a market disruption event has occurred or is continuing or if such date is not a trading day, the determination date will be postponed until the first following trading day on which no market disruption event occurs or is continuing. In no event, however, will such date be postponed by more than eight trading days. Moreover, if the determination date is postponed to the last possible day, but a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on that day or that day is not a trading day, that day will nevertheless be the determination date.

If the determination date is postponed as a result of any of the foregoing, the stated maturity date for your notes will also be postponed, as described under “Terms and Conditions — Stated maturity date” on page S-3. In such a case, you may not receive the cash payment that we are obligated to deliver on the stated maturity date until several days after the originally scheduled stated maturity date.

Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest

Hedging Activities by Goldman Sachs or Our Distributors (including WFS) May Negatively Impact Investors in the Notes and Cause Our Interests and Those of Our Clients and Counterparties to be Contrary to Those of Investors in the Notes

Goldman Sachs has hedged or expects to hedge our obligations under the notes by purchasing listed or over-the-counter options, futures and/or other instruments linked to the underlier or the underlier stocks. Goldman Sachs also expects to adjust the hedge by, among other things, purchasing or selling any of the foregoing, and perhaps other instruments linked to the underlier or the underlier stocks, at any time and from time to time, and to unwind the hedge by selling any of the

S-15


 

foregoing on or before the determination date for your notes. Alternatively, Goldman Sachs may hedge all or part of our obligations under the notes with unaffiliated distributors of the notes which we expect will undertake similar market activity. Goldman Sachs may also enter into, adjust and unwind hedging transactions relating to other index-linked notes whose returns are linked to changes in the level of the underlier or the underlier stocks, as applicable.

In addition to entering into such transactions itself, or distributors entering into such transactions, Goldman Sachs may structure such transactions for its clients or counterparties, or otherwise advise or assist clients or counterparties in entering into such transactions. These activities may be undertaken to achieve a variety of objectives, including: permitting other purchasers of the notes or other securities to hedge their investment in whole or in part; facilitating transactions for other clients or counterparties that may have business objectives or investment strategies that are inconsistent with or contrary to those of investors in the notes; hedging the exposure of Goldman Sachs to the notes including any interest in the notes that it reacquires or retains as part of the offering process, through its market-making activities or otherwise; enabling Goldman Sachs to comply with its internal risk limits or otherwise manage firmwide, business unit or product risk; and/or enabling Goldman Sachs to take directional views as to relevant markets on behalf of itself or its clients or counterparties that are inconsistent with or contrary to the views and objectives of the investors in the notes.

Any of these hedging or other activities may adversely affect the level of the underlier — directly or indirectly by affecting the price of the underlier stocks — and therefore the market value of your notes and the amount we will pay on your notes, if any. In addition, you should expect that these transactions will cause Goldman Sachs or its clients, counterparties or distributors to have economic interests and incentives that do not align with, and that may be directly contrary to, those of an investor in the notes. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any distributor will have any obligation to take, refrain from taking or cease taking any action with respect to these transactions based on the potential effect on an investor in the notes, and may receive substantial returns on hedging or other activities while the value of your notes declines. In addition, if the distributor from which you purchase notes is to conduct hedging activities in connection with the notes, that distributor may otherwise profit in connection with such hedging activities and such profit, if any, will be in addition to the compensation that the distributor receives for the sale of the notes to you. You should be aware that the potential to earn fees in connection with hedging activities may create a further incentive for the distributor to sell the notes to you in addition to the compensation they would receive for the sale of the notes.

Goldman Sachs’ Trading and Investment Activities for its Own Account or for its Clients, Could Negatively Impact Investors in the Notes

Goldman Sachs is a global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. As such, it acts as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, investment advisor, market maker, trader, prime broker and lender. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs purchases, sells or holds a broad array of investments, actively trades securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for its own account or for the accounts of its customers, and will have other direct or indirect interests, in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equity, bank loan and other markets. Any of Goldman Sachs’ financial market activities may, individually or in the aggregate, have an adverse effect on the market for your notes, and you should expect that the interests of Goldman Sachs or its clients or counterparties will at times be adverse to those of investors in the notes.

Goldman Sachs regularly offers a wide array of securities, financial instruments and other products into the marketplace, including existing or new products that are similar to your notes, or similar or linked to the underlier or underlier stocks.  Investors in the notes should expect that Goldman Sachs will offer securities, financial instruments, and other products that will compete with the notes for liquidity, research coverage or otherwise.

Goldman Sachs’ or Our Distributors’ Market-Making Activities Could Negatively Impact Investors in the Notes

Goldman Sachs and our distributors actively make markets in, and trade financial instruments for, their own account and for the accounts of their customers. These financial instruments may include debt and equity securities, currencies, commodities, bank loans, indices, baskets and other products. Goldman Sachs’ and our distributors’ activities may include, among other things, executing large block trades and taking long and short positions directly and indirectly, through derivative instruments or otherwise. The securities and instruments in which Goldman Sachs or our distributors take positions, or expect to take positions, may include securities and instruments of the underlier or underlier stocks, securities and instruments similar to or linked to the foregoing or the currencies in which they are denominated. Market making is an activity where Goldman Sachs or a distributor buys and sells on behalf of their customers, or for their own account, to satisfy the expected demand of their customers. By its nature, market making involves facilitating transactions among market participants that have differing views of securities and instruments. As a result, you should expect that Goldman Sachs or our distributors will take positions that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the investment objectives of investors in the notes.

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If Goldman Sachs or our distributors become a holder of any securities of the underlier or underlier stocks in their capacity as a market-maker or otherwise, any actions that they take in their capacity as securityholder, including voting or provision of consents, will not necessarily be aligned with, and may be inconsistent with, the interests of investors in the notes.

You Should Expect That Goldman Sachs’ or Our Distributors’ Personnel Will Take Research Positions, or Otherwise Make Recommendations, Provide Investment Advice or Market Color or Encourage Trading Strategies That Might Negatively Impact Investors in the Notes

Goldman Sachs, our distributors and their respective personnel, including their sales and trading, investment research and investment management personnel, regularly make investment recommendations, provide market color or trading ideas, or publish or express independent views in respect of a wide range of markets, issuers, securities and instruments. They regularly implement, or recommend to clients that they implement, various investment strategies relating to these markets, issuers, securities and instruments. These strategies may include, for example, buying or selling credit protection against a default or other event involving an issuer or financial instrument. Any of these recommendations and views may be negative with respect to the underlier or underlier stocks, or other securities or instruments similar to or linked to the foregoing or result in trading strategies that have a negative impact on the market for any such securities or instruments, particularly in illiquid markets. In addition, you should expect that personnel in the trading and investing businesses of Goldman Sachs or our distributors will have or develop independent views of the underlier or underlier stocks, as applicable, or to the relevant industry or other market trends, which may not be aligned with the views and objectives of investors in the notes.

Goldman Sachs and Our Distributors Regularly Provide Services to, or Otherwise Has Business Relationships with, a Broad Client Base, Which May Include the Underlier Sponsor or the Issuers of the Underlier Stocks or Other Entities That Are Involved in the Transaction

Goldman Sachs and our distributors regularly provide financial advisory, investment advisory and transactional services to a substantial and diversified client base, and you should assume that Goldman Sachs or our distributors will, at present or in the future, provide such services or otherwise engage in transactions with, among others, the underlier sponsor or the issuers of the underlier stocks, or transact in securities or instruments or with parties that are, directly or indirectly, related to the foregoing. These services could include making loans to or equity investments in those companies, providing financial advisory or other investment banking services, or issuing research reports. You should expect that Goldman Sachs and our distributors, in providing such services, engaging in such transactions, or acting for their own account, may take actions that have direct or indirect effects on the underlier or underlier stocks, as applicable, and that such actions could be adverse to the interests of investors in the notes. In addition, in connection with these activities, certain personnel of Goldman Sachs or our distributors may have access to confidential material non-public information about these parties that would not be disclosed to Goldman Sachs or our distributors’ employees that were not working on such transactions as Goldman Sachs and our distributors have established internal information barriers that are designed to preserve the confidentiality of non-public information. Therefore, any such confidential material non-public information would not be shared with Goldman Sachs or our distributors’ employees involved in structuring, selling or making markets in the notes or with investors in the notes.

In any offering of notes, as well as in all other circumstances in which Goldman Sachs or our distributors receive any fees or other compensation in any form relating to services provided to or transactions with any other party, no accounting, offset or payment in respect of the notes will be required or made; Goldman Sachs and our distributors will be entitled to retain all such fees and other amounts, and no fees or other compensation payable by any party or indirectly by holders of the notes will be reduced by reason of receipt by Goldman Sachs or our distributors of any such other fees or other amounts.

The Offering of the Notes May Reduce an Existing Exposure of Goldman Sachs or Facilitate a Transaction or Position That Serves the Objectives of Goldman Sachs or Other Parties

A completed offering may reduce Goldman Sachs’ existing exposure to the underlier or underlier stocks, securities and instruments similar to or linked to the foregoing or the currencies in which they are denominated, including exposure gained through hedging transactions in anticipation of this offering. An offering of notes will effectively transfer a portion of Goldman Sachs’ exposure (and indirectly transfer the exposure of Goldman Sachs’ hedging or other counterparties) to investors in the notes.

The terms of the offering (including the selection of the underlier or underlier stocks, and the establishment of other transaction terms) may have been selected in order to serve the investment or other objectives of Goldman Sachs or another client or counterparty of Goldman Sachs. In such a case, Goldman Sachs would typically receive the input of other parties that are involved in or otherwise have an interest in the offering, transactions hedged by the offering, or related transactions.  The incentives of these other parties would normally differ from and in many cases be contrary to those of investors in the notes.

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Other Investors in the Notes May Not Have the Same Interests as You

Other investors in the notes are not required to take into account the interests of any other investor in exercising remedies or voting or other rights in their capacity as securityholders or in making requests or recommendations to Goldman Sachs as to the establishment of other transaction terms. The interests of other investors may, in some circumstances, be adverse to your interests. For example, certain investors may take short positions (directly or indirectly through derivative transactions) on assets that are the same or similar to your notes, underlier, underlier stocks or other similar securities, which may adversely impact the market for or value of your notes.

Additional Risks Related to the Underlier

Except to the Extent The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company (the parent company of WFS) Are Companies Whose Common Stock Comprises the S&P 500® Index, There Is No Affiliation Between the Underlier Stock Issuers or the Underlier Sponsor and Us or WFS

The common stock of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and the common stock of Wells Fargo & Company (the parent company of WFS) are each one of the underlier stocks comprising the S&P 500® Index. Neither we nor WFS are otherwise affiliated with the issuers of the underlier stocks or the underlier sponsor. As we have told you above, however, we or our affiliates may currently or from time to time in the future own securities of, or engage in business with the underlier sponsor or the underlier stock issuers. Neither we nor any of our affiliates have participated in the preparation of any publicly available information or made any “due diligence” investigation or inquiry with respect to the underlier or any of the other underlier stock issuers. You, as an investor in your notes, should make your own investigation into the underlier and the underlier stock issuers.

See “The Underlier” below for additional information about the underlier. Neither the underlier sponsor nor any of the other underlier stock issuers are involved in the offering of your notes in any way and none of them have any obligation of any sort with respect to your notes. Thus, neither the underlier sponsor nor any of the other underlier stock issuers have any obligation to take your interests into consideration for any reason, including in taking any corporate actions that might affect the market value of your notes.

Risks Related to Tax

Certain Considerations for Insurance Companies and Employee Benefit Plans

Any insurance company or fiduciary of a pension plan or other employee benefit plan that is subject to the prohibited transaction rules of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, which we call “ERISA”, or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including an IRA or a Keogh plan (or a governmental plan to which similar prohibitions apply), and that is considering purchasing the offered notes with the assets of the insurance company or the assets of such a plan, should consult with its counsel regarding whether the purchase or holding of the offered notes could become a “prohibited transaction” under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any substantially similar prohibition in light of the representations a purchaser or holder in any of the above categories is deemed to make by purchasing and holding the offered notes. This is discussed in more detail under “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” below.

Your Notes Will Be Treated as Debt Instruments Subject to Special Rules Governing Contingent Payment Debt Instruments for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes

The notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If you are a U.S. individual or taxable entity, you generally will be required to pay taxes on ordinary income from the notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you will not receive any payments from us until maturity. This comparable yield is determined solely to calculate the amount on which you will be taxed prior to maturity and is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of what the actual yield will be. In addition, any gain you may recognize on the sale, exchange or maturity of the notes will be taxed as ordinary interest income. If you are a secondary purchaser of the notes, the tax consequences to you may be different. Please see “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below for a more detailed discussion. Please also consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences to you of owning your notes in your particular circumstances.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding May Apply to Payments on Your Notes, Including as a Result of the Failure of the Bank or Broker Through Which You Hold the Notes to Provide Information to Tax Authorities

Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of FATCA to payments made on your notes.


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THE UNDERLIER

The S&P 500® Index includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy and is intended to provide a performance benchmark for the large-cap U.S. equity markets. For more details about the underlier, the underlier sponsor and license agreement between the underlier sponsor and the issuer, see “The Underliers — S&P 500® Index” on page S-106 of the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27.

The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, and has been licensed for use by GS Finance Corp. (“Goldman”). Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and sublicensed for certain purposes by Goldman. Goldman’s notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such notes.

Historical Closing Levels of the Underlier

The closing level of the underlier has fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the underlier has recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of the underlier during the period shown below is not an indication that the underlier is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical levels of the underlier as an indication of the future performance of the underlier, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of the underlier or the underlier stocks will result in your receiving an amount greater than the outstanding face amount of your notes on the stated maturity date.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the underlier. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the underlier between the date of this prospectus supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the underlier. The actual performance of the underlier over the life of the offered notes, as well as the cash settlement amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing levels shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing levels of the underlier from January 1, 2017 through June 1, 2022. As a result, the following graph does not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most equity securities and, as a result, the level of most equity indices. We obtained the closing levels in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.


S-19


 

 

Historical Performance of the S&P 500® Index

 

S-20


 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following section supplements the discussion of U.S. federal income taxation in the accompanying prospectus.

The following section is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp, counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. It applies to you only if you hold your notes as a capital asset for tax purposes. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:

a dealer in securities or currencies;

a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for your securities holdings;

a bank;

a regulated investment company;

an accrual method taxpayer subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of its use of financial statements;

a life insurance company;

a tax-exempt organization;

a partnership;

a person that owns the notes as a hedge or that is hedged against interest rate risks;

a person that owns the notes as part of a straddle or conversion transaction for tax purposes; or

a United States holder (as defined below) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S.  dollar.

This section is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

You should consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and other tax consequences of your investment in the notes, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

 

United States Holders

This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States holder. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of notes and you are:

 

a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

a domestic corporation;

 

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

If you are not a United States holder, this subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to “— Non-United States Holders” below.

Your notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period will be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for your notes and applying rules similar to those for accruing original issue discount on a hypothetical noncontingent debt instrument with that projected payment schedule. This method is applied by first determining the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes (the “comparable yield”) and then determining as of the issue date a payment schedule that would produce the comparable yield. These rules will generally have the effect of requiring you to include amounts in income in respect of your notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you will not receive any payments from us until maturity.

We have determined that the comparable yield for the notes is equal to         % per annum, compounded semi-annually. Based on the comparable yield set forth above, the projected payment schedule for a note (assuming an issue price of $1,000) consists of a single projected payment equal to $          due at maturity.

Based on this comparable yield, if you are an initial holder that holds a note until maturity and you pay your taxes on a calendar year basis, we have determined that you would be required to report the following amounts as ordinary income,

S-21


 

not taking into account any positive or negative adjustments you may be required to take into account based on the actual payments on the notes, from the note each year:


Accrual Period

 

Interest Deemed to Accrue During Accrual Period (per $1,000 note)

 

Total Interest Deemed to Have Accrued from Original Issue Date (per $1,000 note) as of End of Accrual Period

                           through December 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026

 

 

 

 

January 1, 2027 through

 

 

 

 

You are required to use the comparable yield and projected payment schedule that we compute in determining your interest accruals in respect of your notes, unless you timely disclose and justify on your U.S. federal income tax return the use of a different comparable yield and projected payment schedule.

The comparable yield and projected payment schedule are not provided to you for any purpose other than the determination of your interest accruals in respect of your notes, and we make no representation regarding the amount of contingent payments with respect to your notes.

If you purchase your notes at a price other than their adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes, you must determine the extent to which the difference between the price you paid for your notes and their adjusted issue price is attributable to a change in expectations as to the projected payment schedule, a change in interest rates, or both, and reasonably allocate the difference accordingly. The adjusted issue price of your notes will equal your notes’ original issue price plus any interest deemed to be accrued on your notes (under the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments) as of the time you purchase your notes. The original issue price of your notes will be the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold to persons other than bond houses, brokers or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. Therefore, you may be required to make the adjustments described above even if you purchase your notes in the initial offering if you purchase your notes at a price other than the original issue price.

If the adjusted issue price of your notes is greater than the price you paid for your notes, you must make positive adjustments increasing (i) the amount of interest that you would otherwise accrue and include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or decreasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule; if the adjusted issue price of your notes is less than the price you paid for your notes, you must make negative adjustments, decreasing (i) the amount of interest that you must include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or increasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule. Adjustments allocated to the interest amount are not made until the date the daily portion of interest accrues.

Because any Form 1099-OID that you receive will not reflect the effects of positive or negative adjustments resulting from your purchase of notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes, you are urged to consult with your tax advisor as to whether and how adjustments should be made to the amounts reported on any Form 1099-OID.

You will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the cash amount you receive at such time and your adjusted basis in your notes. In general, your adjusted basis in your notes will equal the amount you paid for your notes, increased by the amount of interest you previously accrued with respect to your notes (in accordance with the comparable yield and the projected payment schedule for your notes), and increased or decreased by the amount of any positive or negative adjustment, respectively, that you are required to make if you purchase your notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes.

Any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes will be ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at such time will be ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included as income in the current or previous

S-22


 

taxable years in respect of your notes, and, thereafter, capital loss. If you are a noncorporate holder, you would generally be able to use such ordinary loss to offset your income only in the taxable year in which you recognize the ordinary loss and would generally not be able to carry such ordinary loss forward or back to offset income in other taxable years.

Non-United States Holders

If you are a non-United States holder, please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the tax consequences relevant to you. You are a non-United States holder if you are the beneficial owner of the notes and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

a nonresident alien individual;

 

a foreign corporation; or

 

an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the notes.

The Treasury Department has issued regulations under which amounts paid or deemed paid on certain financial instruments (“871(m) financial instruments”) that are treated as attributable to U.S.-source dividends could be treated, in whole or in part depending on the circumstances, as a “dividend equivalent” payment that is subject to tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable treaty), which in the case of amounts you receive upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, could be collected via withholding. If these regulations were to apply to the notes, we may be required to withhold such taxes if any U.S.-source dividends are paid on any stocks included in the underlier during the term of the notes. We could also require you to make certifications (e.g., an applicable Internal Revenue Service Form W-8) prior to the maturity of the notes in order to avoid or minimize withholding obligations, and we could withhold accordingly (subject to your potential right to claim a refund from the Internal Revenue Service) if such certifications were not received or were not satisfactory. If withholding was required, we, or the applicable withholding agent, would not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so withheld. These regulations generally will apply to 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2023, but will also apply to certain 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) that have a delta (as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations) of one and are issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2017.  In addition, these regulations will not apply to financial instruments that reference a “qualified index” (as defined in the regulations).  We have determined that, as of the issue date of your notes, your notes will not be subject to withholding under these rules.  In certain limited circumstances, however, you should be aware that it is possible for non-United States holders to be liable for tax under these rules with respect to a combination of transactions treated as having been entered into in connection with each other even when no withholding is required.  You should consult your tax advisor concerning these regulations, subsequent official guidance and regarding any other possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding

Pursuant to Treasury regulations, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) withholding (as described in “United States Taxation—Taxation of Debt Securities—Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus) will generally apply to obligations that are issued on or after July 1, 2014; therefore, the notes will generally be subject to the FATCA withholding rules.

S-23


 

EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT

This section is only relevant to you if you are an insurance company or the fiduciary of a pension plan or an employee benefit plan (including a governmental plan, an IRA or a Keogh Plan) proposing to invest in the notes.

The U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), prohibit certain transactions (“prohibited transactions”) involving the assets of an employee benefit plan that is subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code (including individual retirement accounts, Keogh plans and other plans described in Section 4975(e)(1) of the Code) (a “Plan”) and certain persons who are “parties in interest” (within the meaning of ERISA) or “disqualified persons” (within the meaning of the Code) with respect to the Plan; governmental plans may be subject to similar prohibitions unless an exemption applies to the transaction. The assets of a Plan may include assets held in the general account of an insurance company that are deemed “plan assets” under ERISA or assets of certain investment vehicles in which the Plan invests. Each of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and certain of its affiliates may be considered a “party in interest” or a “disqualified person” with respect to many Plans, and, accordingly, prohibited transactions may arise if the notes are acquired by or on behalf of a Plan unless those notes are acquired and held pursuant to an available exemption. In general, available exemptions include: transactions effected on behalf of that Plan by a “qualified professional asset manager” (prohibited transaction exemption 84-14) or an “in-house asset manager” (prohibited transaction exemption 96-23), transactions involving insurance company general accounts (prohibited transaction exemption 95-60), transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts (prohibited transaction exemption 90‑1), transactions involving bank collective investment funds (prohibited transaction exemption 91-38) and transactions with service providers under Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and Section 4975(d)(20) of the Code where the Plan receives no less and pays no more than “adequate consideration” (within the meaning of Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and Section 4975(f)(10) of the Code). The person making the decision on behalf of a Plan or a governmental plan shall be deemed, on behalf of itself and the plan, by purchasing and holding the notes, or exercising any rights related thereto, to represent that (a) the plan will receive no less and pay no more than “adequate consideration” (within the meaning of Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and Section 4975(f)(10) of the Code) in connection with the purchase and holding of the notes, (b) none of the purchase, holding or disposition of the notes or the exercise of any rights related to the notes will result in a nonexempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code (or, with respect to a governmental plan, under any similar applicable law or regulation), and (c) neither The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates is a “fiduciary” (within the meaning of Section 3(21) of ERISA) or, with respect to a governmental plan, under any similar applicable law or regulation) with respect to the purchaser or holder in connection with such person's acquisition, disposition or holding of the notes, or as a result of any exercise by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or any of its affiliates of any rights in connection with the notes, and neither The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates has provided investment advice in connection with such person’s acquisition, disposition or holding of the notes.

 

If you are an insurance company or the fiduciary of a pension plan or an employee benefit plan (including a government plan, an IRA or a Keogh plan) and propose to invest in the notes, you should consult your legal counsel.

 

 

S-24


 

 

SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

GS Finance Corp. will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GS Finance Corp., the aggregate face amount of the offered notes specified on the front cover of this prospectus supplement. GS&Co. proposes initially to offer the notes to the public at the original issue price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“WFS”) is the agent for the distribution of the notes. WFS will receive the underwriting discount of up to 4.37% of the aggregate face amount of the notes sold (up to $43.70 per $1,000 face amount of notes). The agent may resell the notes to Wells Fargo Advisors (“WFA”) at the original issue price of the notes less a concession of 2.50% of the aggregate face amount of the notes ($25.00 per $1,000 face amount of notes). In addition to the selling concession received by WFA, WFS advises that WFA may also receive out of the underwriting discount a distribution expense fee of 0.12% for each $1,000 face amount of a note WFA sells ($1.20 per $1,000 face amount of notes). In addition, in respect of certain notes sold in this offering, GS&Co. may pay a fee of up to 0.10% of the aggregate face amount of the notes sold (up to $1.00 per $1,000 face amount of notes) to selected securities dealers in consideration for marketing and other services in connection with the distribution of the notes to other securities dealers. Please note that the information about the issue date and issue price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement relate only to the initial distribution.

For information related to hedging activities, see “Additional Risk Factors Specific To Your Notes — Hedging Activities by Goldman Sachs or Our Distributors May Negatively Impact Investors in the Notes and Cause Our Interests and Those of Our Clients and Counterparties to be Contrary to Those of Investors in the Notes.”

In the future, GS&Co. or other affiliates of GS Finance Corp. may repurchase and resell the offered notes in market-making transactions, with resales being made at prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of resale or at negotiated prices. GS Finance Corp. estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $           . For more information about the plan of distribution and possible market-making activities, see “Plan of Distribution” in the accompanying prospectus.

We expect to deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on July 5, 2022. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to two business days before delivery will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

We have been advised by GS&Co. and WFS that they intend to make a market in the notes. However, none of GS&Co., WFS nor any of their respective affiliates that makes a market is obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes.

The notes may not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (the “PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation. For the purposes of this provision:

(a)the expression “retail investor” means a person who is one (or more) of the following:

 

(i)

a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, “MiFID II”); or

 

(ii)

a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97 where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or

 

(iii)

not a qualified investor as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129; and

(b)

the expression an “offer” includes the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the notes.

The notes may not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the United Kingdom has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation. For the purposes of this provision:

S-25


 

(a)

the expression “retail investor” means a person who is one (or more) of the following:

 

(i)

a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (“EUWA”); or

 

(ii)

a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (the “FSMA”) and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA;

 

(iii)

or not a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA; and

(b)

the expression an “offer” includes the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the notes.

Any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of the notes may only be communicated or caused to be communicated in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to GS Finance Corp. or The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

All applicable provisions of the FSMA must be complied with in respect to anything done by any person in relation to the notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system.

Conflicts of Interest

GS&Co. is an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and, as such, will have a “conflict of interest” in this offering of notes within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell notes in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder.

 


 

S-26


 

 

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying product summary supplement, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying product summary supplement, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is an offer to sell only the notes offered hereby, but only under the circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying product summary supplement, the accompanying underlier supplement no. 27, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is current only as of the respective dates of such documents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement

 

Page

Terms and Conditions

S-3

Default Amount on Acceleration

S-7

Hypothetical Examples

S-9

Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes

S-13

The Underlier

S-19

Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

S-21

Supplemental Plan of Distribution

S-25

    Conflicts of Interest

S-26

 

Product Summary Supplement dated May 26, 2022

Market Linked Notes with Upside Participation to a Cap and Principal Return at Maturity

S-3

Which investments are right for you?

S-5

General risks and investment considerations

S-6

 

Underlier Supplement No. 27 dated April 26, 2022

Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Securities

S-2

The Underliers

S-17

Descriptions of the Indices

 

Dow Jones Industrial Average®

S-20

Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index

S-24

EURO STOXX 50® Index

S-34

FTSE® 100 Index

S-41

MSCI Indices

S-48

MSCI USA Momentum Top 50 Select Index

S-56

Nasdaq-100 Index®

S-60

Nasdaq-100 Technology Sector Index

S-68

Nikkei 225

S-74

Russell 2000® Index

S-78

Russell 2000® Value Index

S-86

S&P/ASX 200 Index

S-95

S&P 500® Daily Risk Control 10% USD Excess Return Index

S-102

S&P 500® Index

S-106

S&P 500® Value Index

S-114

S&P MidCap 400® Index

S-117

Swiss Market Index

S-125

TOPIX

S-129

Descriptions of the Exchange-Traded Funds

 

Financial Select Sector SPDR® Fund

S-135

iShares® MSCI EAFE ETF

S-138

iShares® MSCI Emerging Markets ETF

S-140

iShares® Russell 1000 Value ETF

S-143

SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF

S-153

SPDR® S&P® Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF

S-159

Prospectus Supplement dated March 22, 2021

Use of Proceeds

S-2

Description of Notes We May Offer

S-3

Considerations Relating to Indexed Notes

S-11

United States Taxation

S-14

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

S-15

Supplemental Plan of Distribution

S-16

Validity of the Notes and Guarantees

S-18

 

 

Prospectus dated March 22, 2021

Available Information

2

Prospectus Summary

4

Risks Relating to Regulatory Resolution Strategies and Long-Term Debt Requirements

8

Use of Proceeds

13

Description of Debt Securities We May Offer

14

Description of Warrants We May Offer

70

Description of Units We May Offer

88

GS Finance Corp.

93

Legal Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance

95

Considerations Relating to Indexed Securities

104

Considerations Relating to Securities Denominated or Payable in or Linked to a Non-U.S. Dollar Currency

105

United States Taxation

108

Plan of Distribution

126

     Conflicts of Interest

129

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

130

Validity of the Securities and Guarantees

131

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

132

Cautionary Statement Pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

132



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

GS Finance Corp.

 

 

Market Linked Notes — Upside Participation to a Cap and Principal Return at Maturity

Notes Linked to the S&P 500® Index due July 6, 2027

 

guaranteed by


The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

 

 


Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

 

Wells Fargo Securities