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

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)

Registration Statement No. 333-269296

The information in this preliminary pricing supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary pricing 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject To Completion, dated April 27, 2023

Pricing Supplement No. [ ] dated [ ], 2023

(To WFS Product Supplement No. 3 dated February 24, 2023,

Prospectus Supplement dated February 13, 2023

and Prospectus dated February 13, 2023)

 

 

 

GS Finance Corp.

Medium-Term Notes, Series F

guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Equity ETF Linked Securities

 

Market Linked Securities—Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

  Linked to the lowest performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (each referred to as an “underlier”)

The return on your securities is linked, in part, to the performance of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, and not to that of the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index® (the “fund underlying index”) on which the VanEck Gold Miners ETF is based. The performance of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF may significantly diverge from that of its fund underlying index.

  Unlike ordinary debt securities, the securities do not pay interest, do not repay a fixed amount of principal at maturity and are subject to potential automatic call upon the terms described below. Whether the securities are automatically called for a fixed call premium or, if not automatically called, the maturity payment amount to be paid at maturity, will depend, in each case, on the performance of the lowest performing underlier on the call date or the calculation day, as applicable. The lowest performing underlier on the call date or calculation day is the underlier that has the lowest underlier return on that day.

  Automatic Call.  If the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than or equal to its starting price, the securities will be automatically called for the face amount plus a call premium of at least 23.00% of the face amount (to be determined on the pricing date)

  Maturity Payment Amount. If the securities are not automatically called, you will receive a maturity payment amount that may be greater than, equal to or less than the face amount of the securities, depending on the performance of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day from its starting price to its ending price. The maturity payment amount will reflect the following terms:

 If the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day increases, you will receive the face amount plus a positive return equal to 150% of the percentage increase in the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day from its starting price

 If the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day remains flat or decreases, but the decrease is not more than the buffer amount of 20%, you will receive the face amount

 If the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day decreases by more than the buffer amount, you will receive less than the face amount and have 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease in the price of the lowest performing underlier in excess of the buffer amount

  Investors may lose up to 80% of the face amount

  If the securities are automatically called, the positive return on the securities will be limited to the call premium, even if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date significantly exceeds its starting price. If the securities are automatically called, you will not have the opportunity to participate in any appreciation of any underlier at the upside participation rate.

Your return on the securities will depend solely on the performance of the underlier that is the lowest performing underlier on the call date or calculation day, as applicable.  You will not benefit in any way from the performance of the better performing underlier.  Therefore, you will be adversely affected if any underlier performs poorly, even if the other underlier performs favorably

  All payments on the securities are subject to credit risk, and you will have no ability to pursue any underlier or any securities included in the VanEck Gold Miners ETF for payment; if GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, default on their obligations, you could lose some or all of your investment

  No periodic interest payments or dividends

  No exchange listing; designed to be held to maturity

The estimated value of your securities at the time the terms of your securities are set on the pricing date is expected to be between $890 and $920 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 securities, if it makes a market in the securities, see page PS-9.

The securities 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 PS-9.

 

Original Offering Price

Underwriting Discount(1)(2)

Proceeds to Issuer(1)

Per Security

$1,000.00

up to $25.75

$974.25

Total

 

 

 

(1) 

See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest” on page PS-43.

(2) 

In addition to the 2.575%, 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 securities 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 securities 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

 


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Terms of the Securities

Company (Issuer):

GS Finance Corp.

Guarantor:

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Market Measures:

The iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (each referred to as an “underlier,” and collectively as the “underliers”).

Fund Underlying Index:

With respect to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index®

Pricing Date*:

May 31, 2023.

Original Issue Date*:

June 5, 2023.

Original Offering Price:

$1,000 per security.

Face Amount:

$1,000 per security. References in this pricing supplement to a “security” are to a security with a face amount of $1,000.

Principal Amount:

Subject to redemption by the company as provided under “— Automatic Call” below, 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 maturity payment amount.

Automatic Call:

If the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than or equal to its starting price, the securities will be automatically called, and on the call settlement date the company will pay, for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount, an amount in cash equal to $1,000 plus the call premium.  

If the securities are automatically called, the positive return on the securities will be limited to the call premium, even if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date significantly exceeds its starting price. If the securities are automatically called, you will not have the opportunity to participate in any appreciation of any underlier at the upside participation rate.

If the securities are automatically called, they will cease to be outstanding on the call settlement date and you will have no further rights under the securities after the call settlement date.  You will not receive any notice from us if the securities are automatically called.



Maturity Payment Amount:

If the securities are not automatically called on the call date, on the stated maturity date, you will be entitled to receive a cash payment per security in U.S. dollars equal to the maturity payment amount. The “maturity payment amount” per security will equal:

•     if the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is greater than its starting price: $1,000 plus:

$1,000 × underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day × upside participation rate;

•     if the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than or equal to its starting price but greater than or equal to its threshold price: $1,000; or

•      if the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its threshold price:

$1,000 + [$1,000 × (underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day + buffer amount)]

If the securities are not automatically called and the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its threshold price, you will have 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease in the price of the lowest performing underlier in excess of the buffer amount and will lose some, and possibly up to 80%, of the face amount of your securities at maturity.

 

PS-2


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Starting Price

With respect to the iShares® Silver Trust:         , its fund closing price on the pricing date.

With respect to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF:         , its fund closing price on the pricing date.

Fund Closing Price:

With respect to each underlier, fund closing price, closing price and adjustment factor have the meanings set forth under “General Terms of the Securities—Certain Terms for Securities Linked to a Fund —Certain Definitions” in the accompanying product supplement.

Ending Price:

The “ending price” of an underlier will be its fund closing price on the calculation day.

Upside Participation Rate:

150.00%.

Lowest Performing Underlier:

For the call date or the calculation day, the “lowest performing underlier” will be the underlier with the lowest underlier return on that day.

Underlier Return:

For the call date or the calculation day, the “underlier return” with respect to an underlier is the percentage change from its starting price to its fund closing price on that day, measured as follows:

fund closing price on such day – starting price

starting price

Call Date*:

June 5, 2024, subject to postponement.

Call Premium:

At least 23.00% of the face amount (at least $230.00 per security) (to be determined on the pricing date)

Call Settlement Date:

Five business days after the call date (as the call date may be postponed pursuant to “—Market Disruption Events and Postponement Provisions” below, if applicable).

Calculation Day*:

May 29, 2026, subject to postponement.

Stated Maturity Date*:

June 5, 2026, subject to postponement. The securities are not subject to repayment at the option of any holder of the securities prior to the stated maturity date.

Threshold Price:

With respect to an underlier, 80% of its starting price.

Buffer Amount:

20%.

Market Disruption Events and Postponement Provisions:

The call date and the calculation day are each subject to postponement due to non-trading days and the occurrence of a market disruption event. In addition, the call settlement date and the stated maturity date will be postponed if the call date or the calculation day, as applicable, is postponed and will be adjusted for non-business days.

For more information regarding adjustments to the call date, the calculation day, the call settlement date and the stated maturity date, see “General Terms of the Securities—Consequences of a Market Disruption Event; Postponement of a Calculation Day—Securities Linked to Multiple Market Measures” and “—Payment Dates” in the accompanying product supplement. For purposes of the accompanying product supplement, the call date is a “calculation day” and the call settlement date is a “payment date.” In addition, for information regarding the circumstances that may result in a market disruption event, see “General Terms of the Securities—Certain Terms for Securities Linked to a Fund —Market Disruption Events” in the accompanying product supplement.

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.

PS-3


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Calculation Agent:

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”)

Material Tax Consequences:

For a discussion of the material U.S. federal income and certain estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of the securities, see “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Denominations:

$1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000.

Overdue Principal Rate:

The effective Federal Funds rate

Defeasance:

Not applicable

CUSIP:

40057RM62

____________________

* To the extent that we make any change to the expected pricing date or expected original issue date, the call date, the calculation day and stated maturity date may also be changed in our discretion to ensure that the term of the securities remains the same.

PS-4


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

Additional Information about the Issuer, the Guarantor and the Securities

You should read this pricing supplement together with WFS product supplement no. 3 dated February 24, 2023, the prospectus supplement dated February 13, 2023 and the prospectus dated February 13, 2023 for additional information about the securities. Information included in this pricing supplement supersedes information in the product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus to the extent it is different from that information. Certain defined terms used but not defined herein have the meanings set forth in the product supplement, prospectus supplement or prospectus.

When we refer to “we,” “us” or “our” in this pricing supplement, we refer only to GS Finance Corp. and not to any of 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.

You may access the product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus on the SEC website www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our filing for the relevant date on the SEC website):

WFS Product Supplement No. 3 dated February 24, 2023:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886982/000156459023002399/gs-424b2.htm

Prospectus Supplement dated February 13, 2023:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886982/000119312523036241/d407224d424b2.htm

Prospectus dated February 13, 2023:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886982/000119312523036147/d457531d424b2.htm

The securities 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 securities will be issued in book-entry form and represented by master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021. References herein to “calculation day” or “final calculation day” shall be deemed to refer to “determination date” in such master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021.

 

 

PS-5


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in the initial sale of the securities. 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 security 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 the Securities

The estimated value of your securities at the time the terms of your securities 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 $890 and $920 per $1,000 face amount, which is less than the original offering price. The value of your securities 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 securities (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 securities 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 securities (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 securities (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 securities (if it makes a market) will equal approximately the then-current estimated value of your securities determined by reference to such pricing models.

 

PS-6


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

Investor Considerations

The securities are not appropriate for all investors. The securities may be an appropriate investment for investors who:

seek the potential for a fixed return if each underlier has appreciated at all as of the call date in lieu of 150% leveraged participation in any potential appreciation of any underlier;

if the securities are not automatically called prior to maturity, seek exposure to any upside performance of the lowest performing underlier by participating 150% in the percentage increase, if any, in the price of the lowest performing underlier from its starting price to its ending price on the calculation day;

are willing to accept the risk that, if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier is less than its starting price on the call date and on the calculation day, they will not receive any positive return on their investment in the securities;

are willing to accept the risk that, if the securities are not automatically called and the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its starting price by more than the buffer amount, they will lose some, and possibly up to 80%, of the face amount per security at maturity;

understand that the term of the securities may be reduced;

understand that the return on the securities will depend solely on the performance of the underlier that is the lowest performing underlier on the call date or the calculation and that they will not benefit in any way from the performance of the better performing underlier;

understand that the securities are riskier than alternative investments linked to only one of the underliers or linked to a basket composed of each underlier;

understand and are willing to accept the full downside risks of each underlier;

are willing to forgo interest payments on the securities and dividends on the shares of the underliers and securities included in the VanEck Gold Miners ETF; and

are willing to hold the securities until maturity.

The securities may not be an appropriate investment for investors who:

seek a liquid investment or are unable or unwilling to hold the securities to maturity;

seek certainty of receiving a positive return on their investment;

require full payment of the face amount of the securities at stated maturity;

believe that the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier will be less than its starting price on the call date and the calculation day;

seek a security with a fixed term;

are unwilling to accept the risk that, if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier is less than its starting price on the call date and the calculation day, they will not receive any positive return on their investment in the securities;

are unwilling to accept the risk that the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day may decrease from its starting price by more than the buffer amount, in which case, they will lose some, and possibly up to 80%, of the face amount at maturity;

are unwilling to purchase securities with an estimated value as of the pricing date that is lower than the original offering price and that may be as low as the lower estimated value set forth on the cover page;

seek current income;

seek exposure to a basket composed of each underlier or a similar investment in which the overall return is based on a blend of the performances of the underliers, rather than solely on the lowest performing underlier;

are unwilling to accept the risk of exposure to the underliers;

seek exposure to the underliers but are unwilling to accept the risk/return trade-offs inherent in the terms of the securities;

are unwilling to accept the credit risk of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. to obtain exposure to the underliers generally, or to the exposure to the underlier that the securities provide specifically; or

prefer the lower risk of fixed income investments with comparable maturities issued by companies with comparable credit ratings.

The considerations identified above are not exhaustive. Whether or not the securities are an appropriate investment for you will depend on your individual circumstances, and you should reach an investment decision only after you and your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors have carefully considered the appropriateness of an investment in the securities in light of your particular circumstances. You should also review carefully the “Selected Risk Considerations” herein, as well as the risks and considerations described in the accompanying prospectus, in the accompanying prospectus supplement and the “Risk Factors” in the accompanying product supplement for risks related to an investment in the securities. For more information about the underliers, please see the sections titled “The iShares® Silver Trust” and “The VanEck Gold Miners ETF” below.

 

PS-7


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

Determining Timing and Amount of Payment on the Securities

Whether the securities are automatically called on the call date for the call premium will each be determined based on the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date as follows:

PS-8


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

Selected Risk Considerations

 

 

An investment in your securities 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 “Risk Factors” in the accompanying WFS product supplement no. 3. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the terms of the securities described herein and in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying WFS product supplement no. 3. Your securities are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your securities are not equivalent to investing directly in the underlier stocks, i.e., with respect to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF to which your securities are linked, the stocks comprising such underlier. You should carefully consider whether the offered securities are appropriate given your particular circumstances.

Risks Related to Structure, Valuation and Secondary Market Sales

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

The original offering price for your securities exceeds the estimated value of your securities as of the time the terms of your securities 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 Securities; 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 securities (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 securities 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 Securities”) 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 Securities”. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your securities 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 securities at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured securities.

In estimating the value of your securities as of the time the terms of your securities are set on the pricing date, as disclosed above under “Estimated Value of Your Securities, 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 securities. 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 securities in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your securities 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 Securities May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” below.

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

In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your securities at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted. If GS&Co. makes a market in the securities, 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 securities, including the price you may receive for your securities in any market making transaction. To the extent that GS&Co. makes a market

PS-9


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

in the securities, 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 securities (and subject to the declining excess amount described above).

Furthermore, if you sell your securities, 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 securities in a secondary market sale.

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

The Securities Are Subject to the Credit Risk of the Issuer and the Guarantor.

Although the return on the securities will be based on the performance of each underlier, the payment of any amount due on the securities is subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp., as issuer of the securities, and the credit risk of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the securities. The securities are our unsecured obligations. Investors are dependent on our ability to pay all amounts due on the securities, 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 securities, to pay all amounts due on the securities, 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 Call Premium You Will Receive on the Call Settlement Date If Your Securities Are Automatically Called and the Amount You Will Receive on the Stated Maturity Date If Your Securities Are Not Automatically Called is Not Linked to the Fund Closing Price of the Underliers at Any Time Other Than on the Call Date or the Calculation Day, as the Case May Be.

Your securities will not be automatically called, and you will not receive the call premium on the call settlement date, unless the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than or equal to its starting price. Therefore, the fund closing prices of the underliers on dates other than the call date will have no effect on whether your securities are automatically called. In addition, if your securities are not automatically called, the maturity payment amount you will receive on the stated maturity date will be based on the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day. Therefore, if the fund closing price of an underlier dropped precipitously on the calculation day, the maturity payment amount for your securities may be significantly less than it would have been had the maturity payment amount been linked to the fund closing prices of the underliers prior to such drop. Although the actual fund closing prices of the underliers on the call settlement date, the stated maturity date or at other times during the life of your securities may be higher than the fund closing prices of the underliers on the call date or the calculation day, you will not benefit from the fund closing prices of the underliers at any time other than on the call date or the calculation day.

You May Lose a Substantial Portion of Your Investment in the Securities.

You can lose a substantial portion of your investment in the securities. Assuming your securities are not automatically called, the cash payment on your securities on the stated maturity date will be based on the performance of the lowest performing of the underliers as measured from their starting prices set on the pricing date to their fund closing prices on the calculation day. If the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its threshold price, you will have 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease in the price of the lowest performing underlier in excess of the buffer amount. Thus, you may lose a substantial portion of your investment in the securities.

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

PS-10


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Because the Securities Are Linked to the Performance of the Lowest Performing Underlier, You Have a Greater Risk of Sustaining a Significant Loss on Your Investment Than If the Securities Were Linked to Just One Underlier.

The risk that you will suffer a significant loss on your investment, is greater if you invest in the securities as opposed to substantially similar securities that are linked to the performance of just one underlier. With multiple underliers, it is more likely that at least one underlier will close below its starting price on the call date, or below its threshold price on the calculation day, than if the securities were linked to only one underlier. Therefore, it is more likely that you will suffer a significant loss on your investment.

Movements in the values of the underliers may be correlated or uncorrelated at different times during the term of the securities and, if there is correlation, such correlation may be positive (the underliers move in the same direction) or negative (the underliers move in reverse directions). You should not take the historical correlation (or lack thereof) of the underliers as an indication of the future correlation, if any, of the underliers. Such correlation could have an adverse effect on your return on the securities. For example, if the underliers are negatively correlated on the call date or the calculation day, as applicable, and the price of one underlier increases, it is likely that the other underlier will decrease and such decrease could cause one or both of the underliers to close below its starting price on the call date, or below its threshold price on the calculation day. As discussed below in “A Higher Call Premium, a Lower Fund Closing Price at or Above Which the Securities Will Be Automatically Called and/or a Lower Threshold Price May Reflect Greater Expected Volatility of the Underliers, and Greater Expected Volatility Generally Indicates An Increased Risk of Declines in the Prices of the Underliers and, Potentially, a Significant Loss at Maturity”, higher call premium and lower threshold price indicate a greater potential for a loss on your investment at maturity, which are risks generally associated with underliers that have lower correlation. In addition, other factors and inputs other than correlation may impact how the terms of the securities are set and the performance of the securities.

A Higher Call Premium, a Lower Fund Closing Price at or Above Which the Securities Will Be Automatically Called and/or a Lower Threshold Price May Reflect Greater Expected Volatility of the Underliers, and Greater Expected Volatility Generally Indicates An Increased Risk of Declines in the Prices of the Underliers and, Potentially, a Significant Loss at Maturity.

The economic terms for the securities, including the call premium, the fund closing prices of the underliers on the call date at or above which the securities will be automatically called and the threshold prices, are based, in part, on the expected volatility of each underlier at the time the terms of the securities are set. “Volatility” refers to the frequency and magnitude of changes in the prices of the underliers.

Higher expected volatility with respect to each underlier as of the pricing date generally indicates a greater expectation as of that date that (i) the fund closing price of one or more of the underliers on the call date will be less than its starting price, in which case your securities will not be automatically called and you will not receive the call premium, or (ii) the ending price of the lowest performing underlier could ultimately be less than its threshold price on the calculation day, which would result in a loss of a significant portion of your investment in the securities. At the time the terms of the securities are set, higher expected volatility will generally be reflected in a higher call premium, lower fund closing prices of the underliers at or above which the securities will be automatically called and/or a lower threshold price, as compared to otherwise comparable securities issued by the same issuer with the same maturity (taking into account any ability of the issuer to redeem the securities prior to maturity) but with one or more different underliers. However, there is no guarantee that a higher call premium or lower threshold price set for your securities on the pricing date will adequately compensate you, from a risk-potential reward perspective, for the greater risk of your securities not being automatically called or of losing some of your investment in the securities.

A relatively higher call premium (as compared to otherwise comparable securities), which would increase the positive return if the fund closing price of each underlier is greater than or equal to its starting price on the call date, or a relatively lower fund closing price of the underliers at or above which the securities will be automatically called, may generally indicate an increased risk that your securities will not be automatically called on the call settlement date.

Similarly, a relatively lower threshold price (as compared to otherwise comparable securities), which would increase the buffer against the loss of principal, may generally indicate an increased risk that the price of each underlier will decrease substantially.  This would result in a significant loss at maturity if the ending price of any

PS-11


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

underlier is less than its threshold price.  Further, a relatively lower threshold price may not indicate that the securities have a greater likelihood of a return of principal at maturity based on the performance of each underlier.

You should not take the historical volatility of any underlier as an indication of its future volatility. You should be willing to accept the downside market risk of each underlier and the potential to lose a significant portion of your investment in the securities.

The Amount You Will Receive on the Call Settlement Date Will Be Capped Due to the Call Premium.

Regardless of the fund closing prices of the underliers on the call date, the amount in cash you may receive on the call settlement date is capped. Even if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date exceeds its starting price, causing the securities to be automatically called, the amount in cash payable on the call settlement date will be capped, and you will not benefit from the increases in the fund closing price of the underliers above their starting prices on the call date. If your securities are automatically called on the call date, the maximum payment you will receive for each $1,000 face amount of your securities will be at least $1,230.00.

The Maturity Payment Amount Will Be Based Solely on the Lowest Performing Underlier.

If the securities are not automatically called, the maturity payment amount will be based on the lowest performing underlier without regard to the performance of the other underlier. As a result, you could lose some of your initial investment if the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its threshold price, even if there is an increase in the price of the other underlier. This could be the case even if the other underlier increased by an amount greater than the decrease in the lowest performing underlier.

Your Securities Are Subject to Automatic Redemption.

We will automatically call and redeem all, but not part, of your securities on the call settlement date if the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than or equal to its starting price. Therefore, the term for your securities may be reduced. You may not be able to reinvest the proceeds from an investment in the securities at a comparable return for a similar level of risk in the event the securities are automatically called prior to maturity. For the avoidance of doubt, if your securities are automatically called, no discounts, commissions or fees described herein will be rebated or reduced.

Your Securities Do Not Bear Interest.

You will not receive any interest payments on your securities. As a result, even if the maturity payment amount payable for your securities on the stated maturity date exceeds the face amount of your securities, the overall return you earn on your securities 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 Return on Your Securities Will Not Reflect Any Dividends Paid on the Underliers or Any Underlier Stocks.

The return on your securities will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned shares of the underliers or underlier stocks and received the distributions paid on the shares of the underliers. You will not receive any dividends that may be paid on any of the underlier stocks by the underlier stock issuers or the shares of the underliers. See “—You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the Underlier or Any Underlier Stock” below for additional information.

You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the Underliers or Any Underlier Stock.

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

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

When we refer to the market value of your securities, we mean the value that you could receive for your securities if you chose and are able to sell them in the open market before the stated maturity date. A number of factors,

PS-12


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

many of which are beyond our control and impact the value of bonds and options generally, will influence the market value of your securities, including:

the prices of the underliers;

the volatility — i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes — in the prices of the underliers;

the correlation among the underliers — i.e., the extent to which the prices of the underliers tend to fluctuate at the same time, in the same direction and in similar magnitudes;

the dividend rates of the underlier stocks;

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

interest rates and yield rates in the market;

the time remaining until your securities 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 securities may be negatively impacted by increasing interest rates. Such adverse impact of increasing interest rates could be significantly enhanced in securities 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 securities before maturity, including the price you may receive for your securities in any market-making transaction. If you sell your securities before maturity, you may receive less than the face amount of your securities or less than you would have received had you held your securities to maturity.

You cannot predict the future prices of the underliers based on their historical fluctuations. The actual prices of the underliers over the life of the securities may bear little or no relation to the historical fund closing prices of the underliers or to the hypothetical examples shown elsewhere in this pricing supplement.

Additional Risks Related to the iShares® Silver Trust

The Policies of the Trustee of the iShares® Silver Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Securities and Their Market Value.

The trustee of the iShares® Silver Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon (the “trustee”), may be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments concerning the valuation of the assets held by the iShares® Silver Trust, the calculation of the net asset value and net asset value per share, and additions, deletions or substitutions of assets in the iShares® Silver Trust. Such determinations could affect the market price of the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust, and therefore, the amount payable on your securities on the stated maturity date. The amount payable on your securities and their market value could also be affected if the trustee changes these policies, for example, by changing or discontinuing the manner in which it evaluates the assets held by the iShares® Silver Trust and the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of the iShares® Silver Trust, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your securities.

If events such as these occur, the calculation agent — which initially will be GS&Co. — may determine the fund closing price of the iShares® Silver Trust on the call date or the calculation day — and thus the amount payable on the call settlement date or the stated maturity date, if any — in a manner it considers appropriate, in its sole discretion.

There is No Assurance That an Active Trading Market Will Continue for the iShares® Silver Trust or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the iShares® Silver Trust Is Subject to Custody Risks.

Although the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) and a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

PS-13


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

The purpose of the iShares® Silver Trust is to own silver transferred to the iShares® Silver Trust in exchange for shares issued by the iShares® Silver Trust. The iShares® Silver Trust is not actively managed and may be affected by a decline in the price of silver.

In addition, the iShares® Silver Trust is subject to custody risk, which refers to the risks in safekeeping the iShares® Silver Trust’s silver bullion.

The iShares® Silver Trust is a Concentrated Investment in a Single Commodity and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure.

The price of shares of the iShares® Silver Trust is linked to the price of silver and not to a diverse basket of commodities or a broad-based commodity index. The price of silver may not correlate to the price of commodities generally and may diverge significantly from the prices of commodities generally. Because the securities are linked, in part, to the iShares® Silver Trust that is itself linked to the price of a single commodity, the securities may carry greater risk and may be more volatile than a security linked to the prices of multiple commodities or a broad-based commodity index.

The Price of the iShares® Silver Trust is Linked to the Price of Silver, Which May Change Unpredictably and Affect the Value of the Securities in Unforeseeable Ways.

The iShares® Silver Trust attempts to mirror, as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the performance of the price of silver, and the value of the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust is most directly affected by the value of the silver bullion held by the iShares® Silver Trust. The silver markets are generally subject to temporary distortions or other disruptions due to various factors, including the lack of liquidity in the markets and government regulation and intervention.

Silver prices are subject to volatile price movements over short periods of time and are generally affected by numerous factors. These include:

a change in economic conditions, such as a recession. Silver is used in a wide range of industrial applications, and an economic downturn could have a negative impact on its demand and, consequently, its price and the price of the iShares® Silver Trust;

a significant increase in silver hedging activity by silver producers. Traditionally, silver producers have not hedged to the same extent that other producers of precious metals (gold, for example) have. Should there be an increase in the price of hedging activity of silver producing companies, a decline in world silver prices could result, adversely affecting the price of the iShares® Silver Trust;

a significant change in the attitude of speculators and investors towards silver. Should the speculative community take a negative view towards silver, a decline in world silver prices could occur, negatively impacting the price of the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust;

global silver supply and demand, which is influenced by such factors as silver’s uses in jewelry, technology and industrial applications, purchases made by investors in the form of bars, coins and other silver products, forward selling by silver producers, purchases made by silver producers to unwind silver hedge positions, central bank purchases and sales, and production and cost levels in major silver-producing countries such as China, Mexico and Peru;

global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations, especially those unexpected in nature;

investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation;

interest rates;

investment and trading activities of hedge funds and commodity funds;

other economic variables such as income growth, economic output, and monetary policies; and

investor confidence.

It is not possible to predict the aggregate effect of all or any combination of these factors. Conversely, several factors may trigger a temporary increase in the price of silver prior to the pricing date for the securities. If that is the case, the starting price of the iShares® Silver Trust will be affected by the temporarily high prices of silver, which will negatively affect your payments on the securities when the causes for the temporary increase disappear.

PS-14


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Investing in Securities Linked to the iShares® Silver Trust is Not the Same as Investing Directly in Silver.

The performance of the iShares® Silver Trust may not fully replicate the performance of the price of silver due to the fees and expenses charged by the iShares® Silver Trust or by restrictions on access to silver due to other circumstances. The iShares® Silver Trust does not generate any income and as the iShares® Silver Trust regularly sells silver to pay for its ongoing expenses, the amount of silver represented by each share of the iShares® Silver Trust has gradually declined over time. The iShares® Silver Trust sells silver to pay expenses on an ongoing basis irrespective of whether the trading price of the shares rises or falls in response to changes in the price of silver. The sale of the iShares® Silver Trust’s silver to pay expenses at a time of low silver prices could adversely affect the value of the iShares® Silver Trust and, therefore, the value of your securities. Additionally, there is a risk that part or all of the iShares® Silver Trust’s silver could be lost, damaged or stolen due to war, terrorism, theft, natural disaster or otherwise, which could adversely affect the value of your securities.

An Investment in the Securities is Subject to Risks Associated with the London Bullion Market.

The price of one share of the iShares® Silver Trust is closely related to the price of silver.

The net asset value of the iShares® Silver Trust is obtained by subtracting all accrued fees, expenses and other liabilities of the trust on any day from the total value of the silver and all other assets of the trust on that day.

In addition, the price at which silver is traded on over-the-counter markets around the world has an effect on the value of shares in the trust. Most of such over-the-counter market trading clears through the London bullion market, which is the market in London on which the members of the LBMA quote prices.

Investments in commodities that are traded on non-U.S. markets involve risks associated with the markets in those countries, including risks of volatility and governmental intervention in those markets. The LBMA is a self-regulatory association of bullion market participants. Although the LBMA sets out good practices for participants in the bullion market, the LBMA itself is not a regulated entity. If the LBMA should cease operations, if bullion trading should become subject to a value added tax or other tax or any other form of regulation currently not in place, or if the LBMA should change any rule or bylaw or take emergency action under its rules, the market for silver, and consequently the prices of the iShares® Silver Trust, as well as the value of the securities, may be affected. The London bullion market is a principals’ market which operates in a manner more closely analogous to an over-the-counter physical commodity market than a regulated futures market, and certain features of U.S. futures contracts are not present in the context of London bullion market trading. For example, there are no daily price limits on the London bullion market which would otherwise restrict fluctuations in the prices of London bullion market contracts. In a declining market, it is possible that prices would continue to decline without limitation within a trading day or over a period of trading days.

Termination of the iShares® Silver Trust Could Adversely Affect the Value of the Securities.

The iShares® Silver Trust may be required to terminate and liquidate at a time that is disadvantageous to you, such as when the price of silver is lower than the price of silver at the time when you purchased your securities.

The Correlation Between the Performance of the iShares® Silver Trust and the Price of Silver May Be Imperfect.

A discrepancy may exist between the performance of the iShares® Silver Trust and the price of silver. Since the shares of the iShares® Silver Trust are traded on an exchange and are subject to market supply and investor demand, the market value of one share of the iShares® Trust may differ from the net asset value per share of the iShares® Silver Trust. As a result of the potential discrepancies identified above, the iShares® Silver Trust return may not correlate perfectly with the return on silver over the same period. For more information, see “The Underliers iShares® Silver Trust” on page PS-26.

Legal and Regulatory Changes Could Adversely Affect the Return on and Value of Your Securities.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), which effected substantial changes to the regulation of the futures and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets, was enacted in July 2010. Dodd-Frank required regulators, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to adopt regulations to implement many of the requirements of the legislation. While the CFTC has adopted the required regulations, some of them have only recently become effective. The ultimate impact of the regulatory scheme, therefore, cannot yet be fully determined. Under Dodd-Frank, in October 2020 the CFTC adopted a rule to impose

PS-15


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

limits on the size of positions that can be held by market participants in futures and OTC derivatives on physical commodities. Required compliance with the new position limits rule began on January 1, 2022 for physical commodity futures (and any associated referenced contracts other than economically equivalent swaps) and on January 1, 2023 for economically equivalent swaps. Despite the compliance date for economically equivalent swaps having passed, there remains substantial market uncertainty as to the exact scope of what constitutes an economically equivalent swap. The CFTC also has adopted rules governing the aggregation of positions by market participants under common control and by trading managers. While the ultimate scope and impact of the position limit and aggregation rules, as well as other CFTC rules cannot be conclusively determined at present, these new requirements could restrict the ability of certain market participants to participate in the commodities, futures and swap markets and markets for other OTC derivatives on physical commodities to the extent and at the levels that they have in the past. These factors may also have the effect of reducing liquidity and increasing costs in these markets as well as affecting the structure of the markets in other ways.

In addition, these legislative and regulatory changes have increased, and will continue to increase, the level of regulation of markets and market participants, and therefore the costs of participating in the commodities, futures and OTC derivatives markets. Without limitation, these changes require many OTC derivatives transactions to be executed on regulated exchanges or trading platforms and cleared through regulated clearing houses. Swap dealers (as defined by the CFTC) are also required to be registered and are subject to various regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to, posting and collecting margin for un-cleared OTC swaps traded bilaterally with financial entities, recordkeeping, reporting and various business conduct requirements, as well as proposed minimum financial capital requirements. These legislative and regulatory changes, and the resulting increased costs and regulatory oversight requirements, could result in market participants being required to, or deciding to, limit their trading activities, which could cause reductions in market liquidity and increases in market volatility. In addition, transaction costs incurred by market participants are likely to be higher than in the past, reflecting the costs of compliance with the new regulations. These consequences could adversely affect the price of the underliers, which could in turn adversely affect the return on and value of your securities.

In addition, other regulatory bodies have passed or proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to Dodd-Frank or other legislation containing other restrictions that could adversely impact the liquidity of and increase costs of participating in the commodities markets. For example, the European Union (“EU”) Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014) (together “MiFID II”), which has applied since January 3, 2018, governs the provision of investment services and activities in relation to, as well as the organized trading of, financial instruments such as shares, bonds, units in collective investment schemes and derivatives. In particular, MiFID II requires EU Member States to apply position limits to the size of a net position which a person can hold at any time in commodity derivatives traded on EU trading venues and in “economically equivalent” OTC contracts. By way of further example, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 648/2012) (“EMIR”) introduced certain requirements in respect of OTC derivatives including: (i) the mandatory clearing of OTC derivative contracts declared subject to the clearing obligation; (ii) risk mitigation techniques in respect of uncleared OTC derivative contracts, including the mandatory margining of uncleared OTC derivative contracts; and (iii) reporting and recordkeeping requirements in respect of all derivative contracts. In the event that the requirements under EMIR and MiFID II apply, these are expected to increase the cost of transacting derivatives.

Ongoing Commodities-Related Regulatory Investigations And Private Litigation Could Affect Prices for Commodities, Which Could Adversely Affect Your Securities.

An increased focus on price setting and trading prices by regulators and exchanges recently have resulted in a number of changes to the ways in which prices are determined, including prices for commodities. This increased focus also resulted in the publication of standards for benchmark setting by the International Organization of Securities Commissions. Investigations by regulatory authorities, enforcement actions and criminal proceedings in the United States and around the world, and private litigation regarding potential direct and indirect manipulation of the trading prices of certain commodities, are ongoing against a number of firms.

These ongoing investigations, actions, proceedings and litigations may result in further review by exchanges and regulators of the methods by which commodities prices are determined and the manner in which commodities are traded and changes to those methods. In addition, changes to other commodity-related activities, such as storage facilities and delivery methods, may also occur. If any of these changes occur, the price of the commodity to which your securities may be linked may be affected, which may thereby adversely affect the price of the underliers and your securities.

PS-16


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

In addition, if alleged trading price manipulation or other alleged conduct that may have artificially affected prices has occurred or is continuing, certain published commodity prices (including historical prices) may have been, or may be in the future, artificially lower (or higher) than they would otherwise have been. In particular, the historical trading information of the commodity to which your securities may be linked may be incorrect and, as a result, may not be representative of the prices or changes in prices or the volatility of the commodity to which your securities may be linked. In the future, any such artificially lower (or higher) prices could have an adverse impact on the relevant commodities or commodity contracts and any payments on, and the value of, your securities and the trading market for your securities.

Additional Risks Related to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF

The Policies of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s Investment Advisor, Van Eck Associates Corporation, and the Sponsor of Its Fund Underlying Index, ICE Data Indices, LLC, Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Securities and Their Market Value.

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s investment advisor, Van Eck Associates Corporation (“Van Eck”), may from time to time be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments with respect to the implementation of policies of Van Eck concerning the calculation of the net asset value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, additions, deletions or substitutions of securities in the VanEck Gold Miners ETF and the manner in which changes affecting the fund underlying index are reflected in the VanEck Gold Miners ETF that could affect the market price of the shares of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, and therefore, the amount payable on your securities. The amount payable on your securities and their market value could also be affected if Van Eck changes these policies, for example, by changing the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, or if Van Eck discontinues or suspends calculation or publication of the net asset value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your securities.

If events such as these occur, the calculation agent — which initially will be GS&Co. — may determine the fund closing price of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF — and thus the amount payable on the securities — in a manner it considers appropriate, in its sole discretion.

In addition, ICE Data Indices, LLC, the fund underlying index sponsor of the fund underlying index, owns the fund underlying index and is responsible for the design and maintenance of the fund underlying index. The policies of the fund underlying index sponsor concerning the calculation of the fund underlying index, including decisions regarding the addition, deletion or substitution of the equity securities included in the fund underlying index, could affect the level of the fund underlying index and, consequently, could affect the market price of shares of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF and, therefore, the amount payable on your securities and their market value.

There is No Assurance That an Active Trading Market Will Continue for the VanEck Gold Miners ETF or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF Is Subject to Management Risks, Securities Risks, Lending Risks and Custody Risks.

Although the VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) and a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

In addition, the underlier is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the VanEck Gold Miners ETF investment advisor’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. The VanEck Gold Miners ETF is also not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to the fund underlying index.  Van Eck invests in securities included in, or representative of, the fund underlying index regardless of their investment merits.  Van Eck does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

In addition, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF is subject to custody risk, which refers to the risks in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.  Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.

PS-17


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Further, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF is subject to listing standards adopted by NYSE Arca. There can be no assurance that the VanEck Gold Miners ETF will continue to meet the applicable listing requirements, or that the VanEck Gold Miners ETF will not be delisted

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF is Concentrated in Gold and Silver Mining Companies and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure.

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s stocks are not diversified and are concentrated in gold and silver mining companies, which means the VanEck Gold Miners ETF is more likely to be more adversely affected by any negative performance of gold and silver mining companies than an underlier that includes more diversified stocks across a number of sectors. Investments related to gold and silver are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of gold and silver mining companies. Also, gold and silver mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold and silver bullion, respectively, and may be adversely affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold and silver may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the prices of gold and silver may be due to a number of factors, including changes in inflation, changes in currency exchange rates and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals (including fabricator demand). Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metal investments.

An Investment in the Offered Securities is Subject to Risks Associated with Foreign Securities Markets.

The value of your securities is linked, in part, to VanEck Gold Miners ETF, which holds, in part, stocks from one or more foreign securities markets, including stocks traded in the equity markets of emerging market countries. Investments linked to the value of foreign equity securities involve particular risks. Any foreign securities market may be less liquid, more volatile and affected by global or domestic market developments in a different way than are the U.S. securities market or other foreign securities markets. Both government intervention in a foreign securities market, either directly or indirectly, and cross-shareholdings in foreign companies, may affect trading prices and volumes in that market. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about those U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Further, foreign companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.

The prices of securities in a foreign country are subject to political, economic, financial and social factors that are unique to such foreign country’s geographical region. These factors include: recent changes, or the possibility of future changes, in the applicable foreign government’s economic and fiscal policies; the possible implementation of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other laws or restrictions applicable to foreign companies or investments in foreign equity securities; fluctuations, or the possibility of fluctuations, in currency exchange rates; and the possibility of outbreaks of hostility, political instability, natural disaster or adverse public health developments. The United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the European Union on January 31, 2020 (an event commonly referred to as “Brexit”). The effects of Brexit are uncertain, and, among other things, Brexit has contributed, and may continue to contribute, to volatility in the prices of securities of companies located in Europe (or elsewhere) and currency exchange rates, including the valuation of the euro and British pound in particular. Any one of these factors, or the combination of more than one of these factors, could negatively affect such foreign securities market and the price of securities therein. Further, geographical regions may react to global factors in different ways, which may cause the prices of securities in a foreign securities market to fluctuate in a way that differs from those of securities in the U.S. securities market or other foreign securities markets. Foreign economies may also differ from the U.S. economy in important respects, including growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources and self-sufficiency, which may have a positive or negative effect on foreign securities prices.

Because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the VanEck Gold Miners ETF is not traded, the value of the securities underlying the VanEck Gold Miners ETF may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell shares of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF. This could result in premiums or discounts to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF’s net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by an underlier that does not hold foreign assets.

The countries whose markets are represented by the VanEck Gold Miners ETF include emerging market countries. Countries with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of

PS-18


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. It will also likely be more costly and difficult for Van Eck to enforce the laws or regulations of a foreign country or trading facility, and it is possible that the foreign country or trading facility may not have laws or regulations which adequately protect the rights and interests of investors in the stocks included in the VanEck Gold Miners ETF.

Government Regulatory Action, Including Legislative Acts and Executive Orders, Could Result in Material Changes to the Composition of an Underlier with Underlier Stocks from One or More Foreign Securities Markets and Could Negatively Affect Your Investment in the Securities.

Government regulatory action, including legislative acts and executive orders, could cause material changes to the composition of an underlier with underlier stocks from one or more foreign securities markets and could negatively affect your investment in the securities in a variety of ways, depending on the nature of such government regulatory action and the underlier stocks that are affected. For example, recent executive orders issued by the United States Government prohibit United States persons from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities of certain companies that are determined to operate or have operated in the defense and related materiel sector or the surveillance technology sector of the economy of the People’s Republic of China, or publicly traded securities that are derivative of, or that are designed to provide investment exposure to, those securities (including indexed securities). If the prohibitions in those executive orders (or prohibitions under other government regulatory action) become applicable to underlier stocks that are currently included in an underlier or that in the future are included in an underlier, such underlier stocks may be removed from an underlier. If government regulatory action results in the removal of underlier stocks that have (or historically have had) significant weight in an underlier, such removal could have a material and negative effect on the price of such underlier and, therefore, your investment in the securities. Similarly, if underlier stocks that are subject to those executive orders or subject to other government regulatory action are not removed from an underlier, the value of the securities could be materially and negatively affected, and transactions in, or holdings of, the securities may become prohibited under United States law. Any failure to remove such underlier stocks from an underlier could result in the loss of a significant portion or all of your investment in the securities, including if you attempt to divest the securities at a time when the value of the securities has declined.

Your Investment in the Securities Will Be Subject to Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk.

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF holds assets that are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies. The value of the assets held by the VanEck Gold Miners ETF that are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies will be adjusted to reflect their U.S. dollar value by converting the price of such assets from the non-U.S. dollar currency to U.S. dollars. Consequently, if the value of the U.S. dollar strengthens against the non-U.S. dollar currency in which an asset is denominated, the price of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF may not increase even if the non-dollar value of the asset held by the VanEck Gold Miners ETF increases.

Foreign currency exchange rates vary over time, and may vary considerably during the term of your securities. Changes in a particular exchange rate result from the interaction of many factors directly or indirectly affecting economic and political conditions. Of particular importance are:

existing and expected rates of inflation;

existing and expected interest rate levels;

the balance of payments among countries;

the extent of government surpluses or deficits in the relevant foreign country and the United States; and

other financial, economic, military, public health and political factors.

All of these factors are, in turn, sensitive to the monetary, fiscal and trade policies pursued by the governments of the relevant foreign countries and the United States and other countries important to international trade and finance.

PS-19


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

The market price of the securities and price of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF could also be adversely affected by delays in, or refusals to grant, any required governmental approval for conversions of a local currency and remittances abroad or other de facto restrictions on the repatriation of U.S. dollars.

It has been reported that the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and regulators from other countries are in the process of investigating the potential manipulation of published currency exchange rates.  If such manipulation has occurred or is continuing, certain published exchange rates may have been, or may be in the future, artificially lower (or higher) than they would otherwise have been.  Any such manipulation could have an adverse impact on any payments on, and the value of, your securities and the trading market for your securities.  In addition, we cannot predict whether any changes or reforms affecting the determination or publication of exchange rates or the supervision of currency trading will be implemented in connection with these investigations.  Any such changes or reforms could also adversely impact your securities.

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF May Be Disproportionately Affected By the Performance of a Small Number of Stocks.

Although the VanEck Gold Miners ETF held 48 stocks as of April 25, 2023, approximately 18.56% of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF was invested in just two stocks – Newmont Corporation and Barrick Gold Corporation — and approximately 62.62% of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF was invested in just ten stocks. As a result, a decline in the prices of one or more of these stocks, including as a result of events negatively affecting one or more of these companies, may have the effect of significantly lowering the price of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF even if none of the other stocks held by the VanEck Gold Miners ETF are affected by such events. Because of the weighting of the holdings of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, the amount you receive at maturity could be less than the payment at maturity you would have received if you had invested in a product linked to an exchange-traded fund that capped the maximum weight of any one stock to a low amount or that equally weighted all stocks held by such fund.

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 securities 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 securities 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 securities.

The Tax Consequences of an Investment in Your Securities Are Uncertain.

The tax consequences of an investment in your securities are uncertain, both as to the timing and character of any inclusion in income in respect of your securities.

The Internal Revenue Service announced on December 7, 2007 that it is considering issuing guidance regarding the tax treatment of an instrument such as your securities, and any such guidance could adversely affect the value and the tax treatment of your securities. Among other things, the Internal Revenue Service may decide to require the holders to accrue ordinary income on a current basis and recognize ordinary income on payment at maturity, and could subject non-U.S. investors to withholding tax. Furthermore, in 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your securities after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your securities. We describe these developments in more detail under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — United States Holders — Possible Change in Law” below. You should consult your tax advisor about this matter. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, we intend to continue treating the securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” on page PS-39 below unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determines that some other treatment is more appropriate. Please also consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences to you of owning your securities in your particular circumstances.

PS-20


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Your Securities May Be Subject to the Constructive Ownership Rules.

There exists a risk that the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could apply to your securities. If your securities were subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your securities would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the securities.

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

PS-21


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

Hypothetical Examples and Returns

 

 

The payout profile, return table and examples below illustrate hypothetical payments upon an automatic call or at stated maturity for a $1,000 face amount security on a hypothetical offering of securities under various scenarios, with the assumptions set forth in the table below. The terms used for purposes of these hypothetical examples do not represent any actual starting price or threshold price. The hypothetical starting price of $100.00 for each underlier has been chosen for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the actual starting price or threshold price for any underlier. The actual starting price and threshold price for each underlier will be determined on the pricing date and will be set forth under “Terms of the Securities” above. For historical data regarding the actual closing prices of the underliers, see the historical information set forth herein. The payout profile, return table and examples below assume that an investor purchases the securities for $1,000 per security. These examples are for purposes of illustration only and the values used in the examples may have been rounded for ease of analysis. The actual amount you receive at stated maturity or upon automatic call and the resulting pre-tax total rate of return will depend on the actual terms of the securities. The performance of the better performing underlier is not relevant to your return on the securities.

Upside Participation Rate:

150.00%

Hypothetical Call Premium:

23.00% of the face amount or $230.00 per security (the lowest possible call premium that may be determined on the pricing date)

Hypothetical Starting Price:

For each underlier, $100.00

Hypothetical Threshold Price:

For each underlier, $80.00 (80% of its hypothetical starting price)

Buffer Amount:

20%

Hypothetical Payout Profile

 

 

PS-22


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Hypothetical Returns

If the securities are automatically called:

If your securities are automatically called on the call date (i.e., on the call date the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier is greater than or equal to its starting price), on the call settlement date you will receive the face amount of your securities plus the call premium, resulting in a hypothetical pre-tax total rate of return of 23.00%.

If the securities are not automatically called:

If your securities are not automatically called on the call date (i.e., on the call date the fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier is less than its starting price), on the stated maturity date you will receive the maturity payment amount, as illustrated in the table below.

 

Hypothetical ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day

Hypothetical underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day (1)

Hypothetical maturity payment amount per security

Hypothetical pre-tax
total rate of return(2)

200.00

100.00%

$2,500.00

150.00%

175.00

75.00%

$2,125.00

112.50%

150.00

50.00%

$1,750.00

75.00%

125.00

25.00%

$1,375.00

37.50%

110.00

10.00%

$1,150.00

15.00%

100.00

0.00%

$1,000.00

0.00%

95.00

-5.00%

$1,000.00

0.00%

85.00

-15.00%

$1,000.00

0.00%

80.00

-20.00%

$1,000.00

0.00%

79.00

-21.00%

$990.00

-1.00%

70.00

-30.00%

$900.00

-10.00%

60.00

-40.00%

$800.00

-20.00%

50.00

-50.00%

$700.00

-30.00%

25.00

-75.00%

$450.00

-55.00%

0.00

-100.00%

$200.00

-80.00%

 

(1)

The underlier return of the lowest performing underlier is equal to the percentage change from its starting price to its ending price on the calculation day (i.e., the ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day minus its starting price, divided by its starting price).

(2)

The hypothetical pre-tax total rate of return is the number, expressed as a percentage, that results from comparing the maturity payment amount per security to the face amount of $1,000. 

 

PS-23


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Hypothetical Examples Of Payment Upon An Automatic Call Or At Stated Maturity

Example 1. The fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than its starting price, and the securities are automatically called on the call date:

 

iShares® Silver Trust

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Hypothetical starting price:

$100.00

$100.00

Hypothetical fund closing price on the call date:

$125.00

$130.00

Step 1: Determine which underlier is the lowest performing underlier on the call date.

In this example, the iShares® Silver Trust has the lowest underlier return and is, therefore, the lowest performing underlier on the call date.

Step 2: Determine whether the securities will be automatically called on the call date.

Because the hypothetical fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is greater than its hypothetical starting price, the securities are automatically called on the call date and you will receive on the call settlement date the face amount of your securities plus a call premium of 23.00% of the face amount. Even though the lowest performing underlier appreciated by 30.00% from its starting price to its fund closing price on the call date in this example, your return is limited to the call premium of 23.00%.

On the call settlement date, you would receive $1,230.00 per security.

Example 2. The securities are not automatically called. The ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is greater than its starting price and the maturity payment amount is greater than the face amount:

 

iShares® Silver Trust

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Hypothetical starting price:

$100.00

$100.00

Hypothetical fund closing price on the call date:

$75.00

$80.00

Hypothetical ending price:

$120.00

$110.00

Hypothetical underlier return

(ending price – starting price)/starting price:

20.00%

10.00%

Step 1: Determine which underlier is the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

In this example, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF has the lowest underlier return and is, therefore, the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Step 2: Determine the maturity payment amount based on the underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Because the hypothetical fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is less than its hypothetical starting price, the securities are not automatically called. Because the hypothetical ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is greater than its hypothetical starting price, the maturity payment amount per security would be equal to the face amount of $1,000 plus a positive return equal to:

$1,000 × underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day × upside participation rate

$1,000 × 10.00% × 150.00%

= $150.00

On the stated maturity date, you would receive $1,150.00 per security.

 

PS-24


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Example 3. The securities are not automatically called. The ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its starting price but greater than its threshold price and the maturity payment amount is equal to the face amount:

 

iShares® Silver Trust

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Hypothetical starting price:

$100.00

$100.00

Hypothetical fund closing price on the call date:

$75.00

$80.00

Hypothetical ending price:

$95.00

$90.00

Hypothetical threshold price:

$80.00

$80.00

Step 1: Determine which underlier is the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

In this example, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF has the lowest underlier return and is, therefore, the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Step 2: Determine the maturity payment amount based on the underlier return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Because the hypothetical fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is less than its hypothetical starting price, the securities are not automatically called. Because the hypothetical ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its hypothetical starting price, but not by more than the buffer amount, the maturity payment amount per security would equal the face amount.

On the stated maturity date, you would receive $1,000.00 per security.

Example 4. The securities are not automatically called. The ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its threshold price and the maturity payment amount is less than the face amount:

 

iShares® Silver Trust

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Hypothetical starting price:

$100.00

$100.00

Hypothetical fund closing price on the call date:

$75.00

$80.00

Hypothetical ending price:

$50.00

$120.00

Hypothetical threshold price:

$80.00

$80.00

Hypothetical underlier return

(ending price – starting price)/starting price:

-50.00%

20.00%

Step 1: Determine which underlier is the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

In this example, the iShares® Silver Trust has the lowest underlier return and is, therefore, the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Step 2: Determine the maturity payment amount based on the stock return of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day.

Because the hypothetical fund closing price of the lowest performing underlier on the call date is less than its hypothetical starting price, the securities are not automatically called. Because hypothetical ending price of the lowest performing underlier on the calculation day is less than its hypothetical starting price by more than the buffer amount, you would lose a portion of the face amount of your securities and receive the maturity payment amount equal to:

$1,000 + [$1,000 × (underlier return + buffer amount)]

$1,000 + [$1,000 × (-50.00% + 20%)]

= $700.00

On the stated maturity date, you would receive $700.00 per security.

 

PS-25


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

The iShares® Silver Trust

 

The iShares® Silver Trust (the “trust”) issues shares (the “shares”) representing fractional undivided beneficial interests in its net assets.

The purpose of the trust is to own silver transferred to the trust in exchange for shares issued by the trust.

The shares trade under the ticker symbol “SLV” on the NYSE Arca.

The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001330568.

The trust’s inception date was April 21, 2006.

The trust’s shares are issued or redeemed only in baskets of 50,000 shares.

We have derived all information regarding the trust and the shares contained in this pricing supplement from publicly available information without independent verification. For additional information regarding the trust, please consult the reports (including the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022) and other information the trust files with the Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Information provided to or filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC or reviewed through the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Additional information regarding the trust may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles, other publicly available documents, and the iShares® Silver Trust website at ishares.com. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement.

The Trust

The trust was formed on April 21, 2006 when an initial deposit of silver was made in exchange for the issuance of three baskets (a “basket” consists of 50,000 Shares). The trust is a grantor trust formed under the laws of the State of New York.

The trust’s activities are limited to: (i) issuing baskets of shares in exchange for the silver deposited with the custodian as consideration, (ii) selling silver as necessary to cover the sponsor’s fee, trust expenses not assumed by the sponsor and other liabilities and (iii) delivering silver in exchange for baskets of shares surrendered for redemption.

The sponsor of the trust is iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (the “sponsor”), a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). The trustee of the trust is The Bank of New York Mellon (the “trustee”) and the custodian of the trust is JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., London branch (the “custodian”).

The trust does not have any officers, directors or employees and is not actively managed. This means that the trustee does not sell silver during periods when its price is high, or acquire silver at low prices with the expectation of future price increases.

The sponsor does not exercise day-to-day oversight over the trustee or the custodian. The sponsor may remove the trustee and appoint a successor trustee if the trustee ceases to meet certain objective requirements (including the requirement that it have capital, surplus and undivided profits of at least $150 million) or if, having received written notice of a material breach of its obligations under the trust agreement, the trustee has not cured the breach within thirty days or fails to implement certain controls and procedures requested by the sponsor. The sponsor also has the right to replace the trustee during the ninety days following any merger, consolidation or conversion in which the trustee is not the surviving entity or, in its discretion, on the fifth anniversary of the creation of the trust or on any subsequent third anniversary thereafter. The sponsor also has the right to approve any new or additional custodian that the trustee may wish to appoint.

The trustee is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the trust. The responsibilities of the trustee include: (i) processing orders for the creation and redemption of baskets; (ii) coordinating with the custodian the receipt and delivery of silver transferred to, or by, the trust in connection with each issuance and redemption of baskets; (iii) calculating the net asset value of the trust on each business day; and (iv) selling the trust’s silver as needed to cover the trust’s expenses.

PS-26


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Owners of shares do not generally have any voting rights. However, registered holders of at least 25% of the shares have the right to require the trustee to cure any material breach by it of the trust agreement, and registered holders of at least 75% of the shares have the right to require the trustee to terminate the trust agreement. Each share entitles the holder to vote on the limited matters upon which shareholders may vote under the trust agreement. The shares do not entitle their holders to any conversion or pre-emptive rights or any redemption rights.

The trust is not a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act and is not required to register under such act. The trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act, and its sponsor is not subject to regulation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading advisor with respect to the trust.

Investment Objective

The purpose of the trust is to own silver transferred to the trust in exchange for shares issued by the trust. The investment objective of the trust is to reflect generally the performance of the price of silver, before expenses and liabilities. The shares are intended to constitute a simple and cost-effective means of making an investment similar to an investment in silver.

The trust is designed to have a perpetual existence; however, if certain events occur, at any time, the trustee will have to terminate the trust. Upon termination of the trust, the trustee will sell silver in the amount necessary to cover all expenses of liquidation, and to pay any outstanding liabilities of the trust. The remaining silver will be distributed among investors surrendering shares. Any silver remaining in the possession of the trustee after 90 days may be sold by the trustee and the proceeds of the sale will be held by the trustee until claimed by any remaining holders of shares. Sales of silver in connection with the liquidation of the trust at a time of low prices will likely result in losses, or adversely affect any gains, on an investment in shares.

Creation and Redemption of the Shares of the Trust

The trust creates and redeems shares on a continuous basis, but only in baskets of 50,000 shares. Only registered broker-dealers who have entered into written agreements with the sponsor and the trustee, can deposit silver and receive baskets of shares in exchange (each, an “authorized participant”). Silver deposited with the custodian must meet the specifications for weight, dimensions, fineness (or purity), identifying marks and appearance of silver bars and as of January 1, 2020, must be produced by refiners that meet certain throughput and tangible net worth requirements as set forth in “Good Delivery List Rules—Conditions for Listing for Good Delivery Refiners” published by the London Bullion Market Association (the “LBMA”).

Authorized participants, acting on authority of the registered holder of shares, may surrender baskets of shares in exchange for a corresponding amount of silver. Upon the surrender of shares and the payment of the trustee’s applicable fee and of any expenses, taxes or charges including stamp taxes, stock transfer taxes or fees, the trustee will deliver to the order of the redeeming authorized participant the amount of silver corresponding to the redeemed baskets. Redemptions may be suspended during any period while regular trading of the shares on NYSE Arca is suspended or restricted or the exchange is closed (other than scheduled holiday or weekend closings), or in which an emergency exists that makes it reasonably impracticable to dispose of, deliver, or evaluate silver. As a condition to redemption, an authorized participant must deliver a written request to the trustee, or submit a redemption order through the trustee’s electronic order entry system, specifying the number of baskets it intends to redeem and the location where it intends to take delivery of the silver represented by such baskets.

Termination Events

The trustee will terminate the trust agreement if:

the trustee is notified that the shares are delisted from NYSE Arca and are not approved for listing on another national securities exchange within five business days of their delisting;

holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares notify the trustee that they elect to terminate the Trust;

60 days have elapsed since the trustee notified the sponsor of the trustee’s election to resign and a successor trustee has not been appointed and accepted its appointment;

PS-27


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

the SEC determines that the trust is an investment company under the Investment Company Act, and the trustee has actual knowledge of that determination;

the aggregate market capitalization of the trust, based on the closing price for the shares, was less than $350 million on each of five consecutive trading days and the trustee receives, within six months from the last of those trading days, notice that the sponsor has decided to terminate the trust;

the CFTC determines that the trust is a commodity pool under the Commodity Exchange Act and the trustee has actual knowledge of that determination; or

the trust fails to qualify for treatment, or ceases to be treated, as a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes and the trustee receives notice that the sponsor has determined that the termination of the trust is advisable.

The term of the trust is perpetual (unless terminated earlier in certain circumstances). The trustee will notify DTC at least 30 days before the date for termination of the trust agreement. After termination, the trustee and its agents will do the following under the trust agreement but nothing else: (i) collect distributions pertaining to trust property; (ii) pay the trust’s expenses and sell silver as necessary to meet those expenses; and (iii) deliver trust property upon surrender and cancellation of shares. Ninety days or more after termination, the trustee may sell any remaining trust property by public or private sale. After that, the trustee will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the trust agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the registered holders that have not surrendered their shares. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. The trustee’s only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash, after deduction of applicable fees, trust expenses and taxes and governmental charges.

Valuation of Silver and NAV

The valuation of silver held by the trust is conducted by the trustee. On each business day, as soon as practicable after 4:00 p.m. (New York time), the trustee evaluates silver held by the trust and determines the net asset value of the trust and the net asset value per share (the “NAV”). The net asset value of the trust is obtained by subtracting all accrued fees, expenses and other liabilities of the trust on any day from the total value of the silver and all other assets of the trust on that day; the NAV is obtained by dividing the net asset value of the trust by the number of shares outstanding on the date the computation is made. For purposes of making these calculations, a business day means any day other than a day when NYSE Arca is closed for regular trading. The trustee values the silver held by the trust using that day’s LBMA Silver Price.

Expenses and Fees

The trust’s only ordinary recurring expense is expected to be the sponsor’s fee. In exchange for the sponsor’s fee, the sponsor assumes certain marketing and administrative expenses incurred by the trust including legal fees and expenses not exceeding $500,000 per annum. The sponsor may determine in its sole discretion to assume legal fees and expenses of the trust in excess of the $500,000 per annum required under the trust agreement. To the extent that the sponsor does not voluntarily assume such fees and expenses, they will be the responsibility of the trust. The sponsor’s fee is accrued daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.50% of the net asset value of the trust and is payable monthly in arrears. Along with the sponsor’s fee, the following expenses are also paid out of the assets of the trust: (i) expenses or liabilities of the trust that are not assumed by the sponsor, (ii) any taxes and other governmental charges that may be imposed on the trust or its property, (iii) expenses and costs related to any action taken by the trustee or the sponsor in connection with protecting the rights and interests of the trust and its shareholders, and (iv) any indemnification that might be paid to the sponsor pursuant to the trust’s organizational documents.

Understanding the LBMA Silver Price

Although the market for physical silver is global, most over the counter (“OTC”) market trades are cleared through London. In addition to coordinating market activities, the LBMA acts as the coordinator for activities conducted on behalf of its members and other market participants. A primary function of the LBMA is setting OTC silver trading industry standards.

The LBMA Silver Price is the price of an ounce, in U.S. dollars, of unallocated silver delivered in London determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration (the “IBA”) following an electronic auction consisting of one or

PS-28


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

more 30-second rounds starting at 12:00 p.m. (London time) on each day that the London silver market is open for business and published shortly thereafter. IBA, on behalf of the LBMA, has assumed responsibility for establishing the LBMA Silver Price as of October 2, 2017. At the start of each round of auction, IBA publishes a price for that round. Participants then have 30 seconds to enter, change or cancel their orders (i.e., how much silver they want to buy or sell at that price). At the end of each round, order entry is frozen, and the system checks to see if the imbalance (i.e., the difference between buying and selling) is within the threshold (normally 500,000 ounces for silver).

If the imbalance is outside of the threshold at the end of a round, then the auction is not balanced, the price is adjusted and a new round starts. If the imbalance is within the threshold then the auction is finished, and the price is set as the LBMA Silver Price for that day. Any imbalance is shared equally between all direct participants (even if they did not place orders or did not log in), and the net volume for each participant trades at the final price.

The prices during the auction are determined by an algorithm that takes into account current market conditions and activity in the auction. Each auction is actively supervised by IBA staff. The final price is then published as the LBMA Silver Price in US Dollars. If there is no LBMA Silver Price on any day, the trustee is authorized to use the most recently announced LBMA Silver Price unless the trustee, in consultation with the sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate as a basis for evaluation.

 

PS-29


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Historical Information

The closing price 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 price 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 securities.

You should not take the historical prices 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 its underlier stocks will result in you receiving an amount greater than the outstanding face amount of your securities 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 securities, you should consult publicly available information to determine the prices of the underlier between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered securities and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent prices of the underlier. The actual performance of the underlier over the life of the offered securities, as well as the maturity payment amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing prices shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing prices of the underlier from January 1, 2018 through April 25, 2023. 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 commodities and, as a result, the price of most commodity ETFs. We obtained the closing prices of the underlier in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.

Historical Performance of the iShares® Silver Trust


PS-30


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF

The shares of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (the “ETF”) are issued by VanEck ETF Trust (the “trust”), a registered investment company. The trust was incorporated in Delaware as a statutory trust on March 15, 2001.  The trust operates as a series fund and offers multiple investment portfolios, each of which represents a separate series of the trust.

The ETF seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index® (the “index”).

 

Van Eck Associates Corporation (“Van Eck”) acts as investment adviser to the ETF, and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the ETF.

 

The Board of Trustees of the trust has responsibility for the general oversight of the management of the ETF, including general supervision of Van Eck and other service providers, but is not involved in the day-to-day management of the trust.

 

The ETF shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “GDX”.

 

The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001137360.

 

The inception date for purposes of the ETF shares was May 16, 2006.

 

The ETF shares are issued or redeemed only in creation units of 50,000 shares.

 

Effective September 1, 2021, the trust changed its name from VanEck Vectors® ETF Trust to VanEck ETF Trust. In addition, effective September 1, 2021, the name of the ETF changed from the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF to the VanEck Gold Miners ETF.

We obtained the following fee information from the trust’s publicly available information without independent verification. Van Eck is entitled to receive a monthly management fee from the ETF based on a percentage of the ETF’s average daily net assets at an annual rate of 0.50%. As of March 31, 2023, the ETF’s net expense ratio was 0.51% per annum. Until at least May 1, 2023, Van Eck has agreed to waive fees and/or pay ETF expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the ETF (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.53% of its average daily net assets per year.

For additional information regarding the ETF, please consult the reports (including the Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSR for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021) and other information the trust files with the SEC. Information provided to or filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC or through the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Additional information regarding the trust (including the top ten holdings and weights, sector weights and country weights) may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles, other publicly available documents, and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF website at vaneck.com/etf/equity/gdx/overview/. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement.

Investment Objective and Strategy

The ETF seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the index. The ETF, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the index. The ETF normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the index. The ETF’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental, which means that the ETF’s investment policy may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. In addition, the ETF may invest in securities not included in the index, money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments, convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index) and/or certain derivatives, which Van Eck believes will help the ETF track the index. The ETF may invest in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) to the extent they are included in the index. MLPs are limited partnerships that are operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. The ownership interests/common units of an MLP are listed and publicly traded on

PS-31


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. Depositary receipts not included in the index may be used by the ETF in seeking performance that corresponds to the index and in managing cash flows, and may count towards compliance with the ETF’s 80% policy. The ETF may also invest, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, in other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, such as open-end and closed-end management investment companies, including other ETFs. The ETF does not invest in money market instruments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines.

Notwithstanding the ETF’s investment objective, the return on your securities will not reflect any dividends paid on the ETF shares, on the securities purchased by the ETF or on the securities that comprise the index.

Correlation

Although Van Eck intends to track the performance of the index as closely as possible, the ETF’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the index due to expenses and transaction costs incurred in adjusting the portfolio. When the index is rebalanced and the ETF in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the ETF’s portfolio and the index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing may be borne directly by the ETF and its shareholders. In addition, it is possible that the ETF may not always fully replicate the performance of the index as a result of not investing in certain securities included in the index, or not investing in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the index due to unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or due to other extraordinary circumstances (e.g., if trading in a security has been halted). The ETF’s performance may also deviate from the return of the index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the ETF’s listing exchange, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). The ETF may value certain of its investments and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the ETF calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the index is not based on fair value prices), the ETF’s ability to track the index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the ETF encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. For tax efficiency purposes, the ETF may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the ETF to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the index. In light of the factors discussed above, the ETF’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the index. Changes to the composition of the index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the index may cause the ETF to experience increased volatility, during which time the ETF’s index tracking risk may be heightened.

Industry Concentration Policy

The ETF will concentrate its investments in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries.

NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index®

The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index® (“index”) is a rules-based index designed to measure the performance of highly capitalized companies in the gold mining industry. The index is a modified market capitalization index but is not adjusted for free float, i.e., issued and outstanding shares of a company not closely held by company management or insiders (generally speaking, ownership positions that are greater than 10% of outstanding shares are considered to be closely held, meaning these shares are considered to be a long-term investment and are not expected to trade often enough to be considered part of the pool of shares readily available to investors). The index is calculated in U.S. dollars on a net total return basis. ICE Data Indices, LLC (“IDI”) is the index sponsor and the index administrator. The index was launched on September 23, 2013 and has a base date of September 20, 2013 and a base level of 779.30. Additional information about the index is available on the following website: theice.com/market-data/indices/equity-indices/ucits. We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this pricing supplement.

Index Universe and Selection Principle

Index Universe

Development and maintenance of the component universe for the index is undertaken by IDI. The universe is composed of all listed equity securities that are determined by the IDI to be representative of the gold mining industry. This determination is completed using publically available information on individual security issuers as

PS-32


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

well as the industry. Also instrumental in this determination is IDI employees’ expertise concerning index design and development and their knowledge surrounding index use and stakeholder feedback. IDI may change the composition of the universe at any time to reflect the conditions of the gold mining industry and to ensure that the pool of component securities continues to represent the gold mining industry, in accordance with the index requirements.

The index include common stocks, ADRs, or GDRs of selected companies involved in the mining for gold and silver ore and are listed for trading and electronically quoted on a major stock market that is accessible by foreign investors. This specifically includes those companies classified as being cross-listed, as an example those miners with both U.S. (NYSE, NYSE American, Nasdaq) and Canadian (TSX) listings. The criteria of being “electronically quoted” can be assumed to be met if the real-time market quotations and trades for securities listed on a particular exchange are available via the data feeds of the major market data vendors.

The index administrator has chosen not to specify the exact exchanges whose securities are eligible for inclusion in the index, but generally the exchanges in most developed markets and major emerging markets are regarded as appropriate. The index administrator uses its discretion to avoid those exchanges and markets that are considered “frontier” in nature or alternatively, have major restrictions to foreign ownership or investability.

The universe specifically includes those companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from gold mining and related activities. There will be a 10% buffer built in so that companies already existing in the index will only be removed from the universe and index in the next review if their gold mining revenues fall below the 40% level.

In addition, both streaming companies and royalty companies are eligible for inclusion in the index. At the discretion of the index administrator, companies that have not yet commenced production are also eligible for inclusion in the index, provided they do have tangible revenues that are related to either the mining of gold or silver ore. In addition, there are no restrictions imposed on the universe in how much a particular company has hedged in gold or silver production via futures, options, or forward contracts.

It should be noted that the index will maintain an exposure to companies with a significant revenue exposure to silver mining in addition to gold mining. This can be defined as those companies (“silver-tilted” companies) that either:

1.

Have a revenue exposure to silver mining that is greater than 50% or,

 

2.

Have a greater revenue exposure to silver mining than gold mining and have a combined gold/silver mining revenue exposure of greater than 50%

 

The index administrator will ensure, solely through the company selections in the index rebalances, that the percentage of the index weight that will consist of these “silver-tilted” companies will not exceed 20%.

Selection of Constituents

The index constituents are selected among the companies included in the universe that meet all of the following criteria. A buffer will be enforced for companies already in the index, as outlined below:

1.

Market capitalization is greater than $750 million (not adjusted for free float)

 

 

a.

For companies already in the index, the market capitalization requirement will be $450 million

 

2.

Average daily volume of at least 50,000 shares over the past three months

 

 

a.

For companies already in the index, the average daily volume requirement will be at least 30,000 shares over the past three months

 

3.

Average daily value traded of at least $1 million over the past three months

 

 

a.

For companies already in the index, the average daily value traded requirement will be at least $600,000 over the past three months

 

For reasons of practicality, the index administrator has the discretion to not include all companies that meet the minimum levels for inclusion. These include, but are not limited to, pending corporate actions, litigation or geo-political events that may affect a given stock. In addition, the index administrator has the discretion to include companies that do not meet the minimum levels for inclusion, if it determines that by doing so it maintains the quality and/or character of the index.

PS-33


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

Removal of Constituents

Components will be removed from the index during the quarterly review if they either fail on Criteria 1 below, or, alternatively fail on both Criteria 2 and 3 below:

1.

The market capitalization is lower than $450 million

 

2.

The average daily volume for the past three months is lower than 30,000 shares

 

3.

the average daily value traded for the past three months is lower than $600,000

 

Selected Line

Only one listing is permitted per company and the listing representing the company’s ordinary shares is generally used. If an ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing is available for a given stock and it satisfies the minimum liquidity requirements, that ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing will be used instead of the locally listed ordinary share. This logic will be followed even in the cases where the stock’s local listing has a greater liquidity than the ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing.

If multiple share classes are available for a particular listing line, the shares outstanding for each class will be added up and attributed to the most liquid class. There is no rules-based consideration of the amount of free float shares available for each company. Instead, the index administrator evaluates, on a discretionary basis, the amount of free float shares available to the public while performing its review of the universe. If the index administrator concludes that the amount of free float shares of a company is too low, it could decide to exclude such company from the universe.

Periodical Update of Weighting

Determining Constituent Weightings at Quarterly Index Rebalances

The index is weighted based on the market capitalization of each of the component stocks, modified to conform to the following asset diversification requirements, which are applied in conjunction with the scheduled quarterly adjustments to the index as described above. The information utilized in this modification process will be taken from the close of trading on the second Friday of the rebalance month:

1.

The weight of any single component stock may not account for more than 20% of the total value of the index;

 

2.

The component stocks are split into two subgroups – (1) large and (2) small, ranked by their unadjusted market capitalization weight in the index. Large stocks are defined as having a starting index weight greater than or equal to 5%. Small stocks are defined as having a starting index weight below 5%;

 

3.

The final aggregate weight of those component stocks which individually represent more than 4.5% of the total value of the index may not account for more than 45% of the total index value.

 

Adjustment Process

1.

Diversification Rule 1: If any component stock exceeds 20% of the total value of the index, then all stocks with weights greater than 20% of the index are reduced to represent 20% of the value of the index. The aggregate amount by which all component stocks are reduced is redistributed proportionately across the remaining stocks that represent less than 20% of the index value. After this redistribution, if any other stock then exceeds 20%, the stock is set to 20% of the index value and the redistribution is repeated.

 

If there is no component stock over 20% of the total value of the index to start, then Diversification Rule 1 is not executed.

2.

Diversification Rule 2: The components are sorted into two groups – (1) large components, with a starting index weight of 5% or greater, and (2) small components, with a weight of under 5% (after any adjustments for Diversification Rule 1).

 

If there are no components that classify as large components after Diversification Rule 1 is run, then Diversification Rule 2 is not executed. Alternatively, if the starting aggregate weight of the large components after Diversification Rule 1 is run is not greater than 45% of the starting index weight, then Diversification Rule 2 is not executed.

If Diversification Rule 2 is indeed executed, then the (1) large group and (2) small group will represent 45% and 55%, respectively, of the final index weight. This will be adjusted through the following process:

PS-34


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

a.

The weight of each of the large stocks will be scaled down proportionately (with a floor of 5%) so that the aggregate weight of the large components will be reduced to represent 45% of the index. If any large component stock falls below a weight equal to the product of 5% and the proportion by which the stocks were scaled down following this distribution, then the weight of the stock is set equal to 5% and the components with weights greater than 5% will be reduced proportionately.

 

b.

The weight of each of the small components will be scaled up proportionately from the redistribution of the large components. If any small component stock exceeds a weight equal to the product of 4.5% and the proportion by which the stocks were scaled down following this distribution, then the weight of the stock is set equal to 4.5%. The redistribution of weight to the remaining stocks is repeated until the entire amount has been redistributed.

 

Calculation of the Index

The ETF tracks the net total return version of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index® (current Bloomberg symbol : “GDMNTR”). A net total return index measures the period to period change in the value of its components due to changes in the valuation (price in U.S. dollars) of those components plus (by means of an adjustment to the divisor) any income produced by those components net of dividend withholding taxes. As the index level is expressed in U.S. dollars, the index converts non-U.S. currencies into U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates.

The current index level is calculated by dividing the current modified index market capitalization by the index divisor. The divisor was determined off of the initial capitalization base of the index and the base level. The divisor is updated as a result of dividends going ex-dividend on the calculation date and as a result of corporate actions and composition changes.

Notwithstanding that the ETF tracks the performance of the net total return version of the index, the return on your securities will not reflect any dividends paid on the ETF shares, on the securities purchased by the ETF or on the securities that comprise the index.

The closing level is the last level disseminated on the trading day and uses the official close prices from the primary listing market for each constituent. For constituents that have non-traded, halted or suspended status, or have not opened for the current day, the previous day’s reference prices (primary exchange official closes) or estimated prices (for IPOs, buyouts and swap offers) are used instead. The currency rate that will be utilized in the calculation of the closing level is the current day’s London 4:00 PM WM/Reuters Spot FX rate, or if not available, the prior day’s relevant London 4:00 PM WM/Reuters Spot FX rate. In the case of exceptional market conditions, the index administrator reserves the right to utilize other prices in the calculation of the official closing level.

The Consolidated Tape (CTS/UDTF) is the primary market data source for U.S. equity real-time and closing prices. Thomson Reuters and the ICE Data Services Consolidated Feed are the primary market data sources utilized for retrieving real-time and closing prices for international (ex-U.S.) equities and real-time spot currencies, all for use in index calculations. Closing spot currencies utilized for constituent conversion or index level conversion are sourced from WM/Reuters Spot FX fixings, specifically the 4 PM London fixing. The index utilizes tax withholding rates commonly released by various global accounting firms. The location/perspective for all tax withholding rates is that of Luxembourg. Additional sources of data less commonly used include market data vendors, company announcements, exchange announcements and other official sources.

The index administrator retains the right to delay the publication of the opening level of the index. Furthermore, the index administrator retains the right to suspend the publication of the level of the index if it believes that circumstances prevent the proper calculation of the index.

If index constituent prices are cancelled, the index will not be recalculated unless the index administrator decides otherwise.

Reasonable efforts are made to ensure the correctness and validity of data used in real-time index calculations. If incorrect price or corporate action data affects index daily closing values, they are corrected retroactively as soon as possible and all revisions are communicated out to the public and market data vendors.


PS-35


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Changes to the Index

Inclusion of New Constituents

The inclusion of new companies in the index will typically only occur during the quarterly reconstitutions or rebalances, although there could be exceptions based on a specific corporate action affecting a current constituent. The inclusion of the new company at the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date of the actual inclusion. For example, for the rebalance effective for March 19, 2018, the announcement occurred after the close on March 9, 2018.

Removal of Constituent

Components would be removed from the index as a result of periodic corporate actions as well as the result of the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions. All removals in the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date of the removal. It should be noted that in the case of mergers and acquisitions, every effort will be made to remove the company at some reasonable time ahead of the suspension in trading in the acquired company. There will be certain situations and corporate actions that would require the removal of a company that has already ceased trading. In those cases, the company will be removed from the index at its last traded price, or, at the discretion of the index administrator, at a derived price that most accurately represents its post-suspension value. There will be certain situations and corporate actions that would require a removal of a company with less than six trading days of notice. In those cases, the removal would be announced no later than 15:00 ET on the trading day preceding the effective date of the removal.

Corporate Actions

In case of an event that could affect one or more constituents, the index administrator will inform the market about the intended treatment of the event in the index shortly after the firm details have become available and have been confirmed. When possible, the corporate action will be announced, even if not all information is known, at least one trading day before the effective date of the action. Once the corporate action has been effectuated, the index administrator will confirm the changes in a separate announcement.

The following chart summarizes how the index sponsor will treat various corporate actions.

Corporate Action

Any changes?

Stock split

Price change

Shares change

Stock dividend

Price change

Shares change

Special cash

Price change

N/A

Regular dividends

Price Change

N/A

Equity offering

N/A

New listing

N/A

Delisting

Deletion

N/A

Spin off

Price change

N/A

Rights offering

Price change

Shares change

Rule Changes

Going forward, barring exceptional circumstances, the index administrator shall announce proposed rules changes to stakeholders prior to them being implemented. Stakeholders shall also be notified of when the changes shall take effect.


PS-36


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Index Reviews

IDI shall undertake regular reviews of the index, the methodology and the market which it represents to ensure it continues to meet the index objective, in accordance with IDI’s policies and procedures. Should changes to the index be required or proposed, this will be communicated to stakeholders in accordance with IDI’s policies and procedures.

Quarterly Reconstitution/Rebalance: Publication of Results

The new composition of the index, including the companies to be a part of the index and their corresponding new index shares, will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date.

Governance

Index Sponsor and Administrator

IDI is responsible for the day-to-day management of the index, including retaining primary responsibility for all aspects of the index determination process, including implementing appropriate governance and oversight, as required under the International Organization of Securities Commission’s Principles for Financial Benchmarks (the IOSCO Principles). The governance committee is responsible for helping to ensure IDI’s overall compliance with the IOSCO Principles, by performing the oversight function which includes overseeing the index development, design, issuance and operation of the index, as well as reviewing the control framework. IDI is also responsible for decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules and the governance committee is responsible for reviewing all rule book modifications and index constituent changes with respect to the index to ensure that they are made objectively, without bias, and in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI’s policies and procedures. Consequently, all IDI’s and the governance committee discussions and decisions are confidential until released to the public.

Cases Not Covered In Rules

In cases which are not expressly covered in the index methodology, operational adjustments will take place along the lines of the aim of the index. Operational adjustments may also take place if, in the opinion of the index administrator, it is desirable to do so to maintain a fair and orderly market in derivatives on this index and/or this is in the best interests of the investors in products based on the index and/or the proper functioning of the markets.

Any such modifications described under this section or exercise of expert judgment will also be governed by any applicable policies, procedures and guidelines in place by IDI at such time.

Rule Book Changes

The governance committee reviews all rule book modifications and index changes to ensure that they are made objectively, without bias and in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI’s policies and procedures. These rules may be supplemented, amended in whole or in part, revised or withdrawn at any time in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI applicable policies and procedures. Supplements, amendments, revisions and withdrawals may also lead to changes in the way the index is compiled or calculated or affect the index in another way.

Limitation of the Index

The index may be subject to potential limitations, such as a decline in the pool of available eligible securities due to advancements in technology, shifts in demographic spending or the economy, changes in regulation or accounting rules, consolidation in certain sectors or industries, or other factors. Other limitations may include the ability of the index to operate in illiquid or fragmented markets.

By design, the index is focused on the gold mining industry, and to a lesser extent, the silver mining industry. As the underlying markets transform due to consolidation and technology transformation, the companies included in the index will adjust and change accordingly.

IDI seeks to manage and mitigate these limitations through the index design, review and oversight process.

 

PS-37


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Historical Information

The closing price 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 price 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 securities.

You should not take the historical prices 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 its underlier stocks will result in you receiving an amount greater than the outstanding face amount of your securities 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 securities, you should consult publicly available information to determine the prices of the underlier between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered securities and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent prices of the underlier. The actual performance of the underlier over the life of the offered securities, as well as the maturity payment amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing prices shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing prices of the underlier from January 1, 2018 through April 25, 2023. 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 price of most equity ETFs. We obtained the closing prices of the underlier in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.

Historical Performance of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF


PS-38


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

 

 

The following section supplements, and to the extent inconsistent therewith supersedes, 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. In addition, it is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp that the characterization of the securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes that will be required under the terms of the securities, as discussed below, is a reasonable interpretation of current law.

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 life insurance company;

a tax exempt organization;

a partnership;

a regulated investment company;

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

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

a person that owns a security 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.

Although 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, no statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly addresses how your securities should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in your securities are uncertain. Moreover, 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 any other applicable tax consequences of your investments in the securities, 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 section applies to you only if you are a United States holder that holds your securities as a capital asset for tax purposes. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of each of your securities 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.

Tax Treatment. By purchasing the securities you agree— in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary — to characterize your securities for all tax purposes as pre-paid derivative contracts in respect of the underliers. Except as otherwise stated below, the discussion herein assumes that the securities will be so treated.

Upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your securities, you should recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of cash you receive at such time and your tax basis in your securities. Your tax basis in the securities will generally be equal to the amount that you paid for the securities. If you hold your securities for more than one year, the gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss. If you hold

PS-39


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

your securities for one year or less, the gain or loss generally will be short-term capital gain or loss. Short-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at the marginal tax rates applicable to ordinary income.

In addition, the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could possibly apply to your securities. If your securities were subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your securities would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the securities.

No statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how your securities should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the securities are uncertain and alternative characterizations are possible. Accordingly, we urge you to consult your tax advisor in determining the tax consequences of an investment in your securities in your particular circumstances, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

Alternative Treatments. There is no judicial or administrative authority discussing how your securities should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, the Internal Revenue Service might assert that a treatment other than that described above is more appropriate. For example, the Internal Revenue Service could treat your securities as a single debt instrument subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments. Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period would be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for the securities 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 comparable yield – i.e., the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your securities – and then determining a payment schedule as of the original issue date that would produce the comparable yield. These rules may have the effect of requiring you to include interest in income in respect of your securities prior to your receipt of cash attributable to that income.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your securities would be treated as ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at that time would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included as income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of your securities, and, thereafter, as capital loss.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, special rules would apply to a person who purchases securities at a price other than the adjusted issue price as determined for tax purposes.

It is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service could assert that your securities should be treated as partially giving rise to “collectibles” gain or loss if you have held your securities for more than one year, although we do not think such a treatment would be appropriate in this case because a sale or exchange of the securities is not a sale or exchange of a collectible but is rather a sale or exchange of a derivative contract that reflects (through the iShares® Silver Trust), in part, the price of a collectible. “Collectibles” gain is currently subject to tax at marginal rates of up to 28%.

It is also possible that your securities could be treated in the manner described above under “Tax Treatment”, except that any gain or loss that you recognize at maturity or upon redemption would be treated as ordinary gain or loss. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of such characterization and any possible alternative characterizations of your securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

It is possible that the Internal Revenue Service could seek to characterize your securities in a manner that results in tax consequences to you that are different from those described above. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of any possible alternative characterizations of your securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes.


PS-40


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Possible Change in Law

On December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released a notice stating that the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are actively considering issuing guidance regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of instruments such as the offered securities, including whether holders should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis and whether gain or loss should be ordinary or capital. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that under such guidance, holders of the securities will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a retroactive basis. The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are also considering other relevant issues, including whether foreign holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals and whether the special “constructive ownership rules” of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code might be applied to such instruments. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, we intend to continue treating the securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described above under “Tax Treatment” unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determines that some other treatment is more appropriate.

Furthermore, in 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your securities after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your securities.

It is impossible to predict what any such legislation or administrative or regulatory guidance might provide, and whether the effective date of any legislation or guidance will affect securities that were issued before the date that such legislation or guidance is issued. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the possibility that any legislative or administrative action may adversely affect the tax treatment of your securities.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — United States Holders” with respect to payments on your securities and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the securities as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your securities unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting—United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus. Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting—United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of the backup withholding and information reporting rules to payments made on your securities.

Non-United States Holders

This section applies to you only if you are a non-United States holder. You are a non-United States holder if you are the beneficial owner of securities 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 securities.

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — Non-United States Holders” with respect to payments on your securities and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the securities as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your securities unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus.

PS-41


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization of the securities, by reason of a change or clarification of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments with respect to the securities to become subject to withholding tax, we will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate and we or our agents, including WFS, will not make payments of any additional amounts. Prospective non-United States holders of the securities should consult their tax advisor in this regard.

Furthermore, on December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2008-2 soliciting comments from the public on various issues, including whether instruments such as your securities should be subject to withholding. It is therefore possible that rules will be issued in the future, possibly with retroactive effect, that would cause payments on your securities to be subject to withholding, even if you comply with certification requirements as to your foreign status.

In addition, 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 any amounts you receive upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of your securities, could be collected via withholding. If these regulations were to apply to the securities, we may be required to withhold such taxes if any U.S.-source dividends are paid on the underliers during the term of the securities. We could also require you to make certifications (e.g., an applicable Internal Revenue Service Form W-8) prior to the maturity of the securities 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 our agents, including WFS, 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, 2025, 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 original issue date of your securities, your securities 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 securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Under current law, while the matter is not entirely clear, individual non-United States holders, and entities whose property is potentially includible in those individuals’ gross estates for U.S. federal estate tax purposes (for example, a trust funded by such an individual and with respect to which the individual has retained certain interests or powers), should note that, absent an applicable treaty benefit, a security is likely to be treated as U.S. situs property, subject to U.S. federal estate tax. These individuals and entities should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal estate tax consequences of investing in a security.

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 securities will generally be subject to the FATCA withholding rules.

 

PS-42


Market Linked Securities — Auto-Callable with Leveraged Upside Participation and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside

Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Lowest Performing of the iShares® Silver Trust and the VanEck Gold Miners ETF due June 5, 2026

 

 

Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest

See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-41 of the accompanying product supplement and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 127 of the accompanying prospectus; GS Finance Corp. estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $         .

GS Finance Corp. will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GS Finance Corp., the aggregate face amount of the offered securities specified on the front cover of this pricing supplement. GS&Co. proposes initially to offer the securities to the public at the original offering price set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“WFS”) is the agent for the distribution of the securities. WFS will receive the underwriting discount of up to 2.575% of the aggregate face amount of the securities sold (up to $25.75 per $1,000 face amount of securities). The agent may resell the securities to Wells Fargo Advisors (“WFA”) at the original offering price of the securities less a concession of 2.00% of the aggregate face amount of the securities ($20.00 per $1,000 face amount of securities). 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 0.075% for each $1,000 face amount of a security WFA sells ($0.75 per $1,000 face amount of securities).  In addition, in respect of certain securities sold in this offering, GS&Co. may pay a fee of up to 0.10% of the aggregate face amount of the securities sold (up to $1.00 per $1,000 face amount of securities) to selected securities dealers in consideration for marketing and other services in connection with the distribution of the securities to other securities dealers. Please note that the information about the original issue date and original offering price set forth on the cover of this pricing supplement relate only to the initial distribution.

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 securities within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of securities will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell securities in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder.

For information related to hedging activities, see “Additional Risk Factors Specific To Your Securities —Hedging Activities by Goldman Sachs or Our Distributors May Negatively Impact Investors in the Securities and Cause Our Interests and Those of Our Clients and Counterparties to be Contrary to Those of Investors in the Securities.” on page S-10 of the accompanying product supplement.

We have been advised by GS&Co. and WFS that they intend to make a market in the securities. 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 securities.

 

PS-43