GS Finance Corp. buffered S&P 500 notes due 2027
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
GS Finance Corp. priced Buffered S&P 500® Index-Linked Notes due August 5, 2027, guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The notes pay no interest and return a cash amount per $1,000 face based on S&P 500 performance from the trade date to the determination date, subject to a 30% buffer (buffer level 70%) and a capped maximum settlement amount of at least $1,072.50. Trade date is July 31, 2026, original issue date August 5, 2026, determination date August 2, 2027. If the final index level is below the buffer level, investors can lose a substantial portion of principal; if above, upside is capped at the stated maximum.
Positive
- None.
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Insights
Buffered note offers limited upside with principal-at-risk below a 30% decline.
The notes provide downside protection only for index declines up to 30%; below that threshold losses are linear and can be substantial. The upside is capped at a maximum settlement amount of at least $1,072.50 per $1,000 face, which limits participation in strong index gains.
Key dependencies include the final S&P 500 closing level on August 2, 2027, the original issue price paid by investors, and the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp. and its guarantor. Cash‑flow treatment and market liquidity are governed by the pricing and GS&Co.'s market-making decisions.
Credit and market-value risk are material drivers of returns before maturity.
These notes are unsecured senior debt of GS Finance Corp., guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Investors bear issuer/guarantor credit risk; secondary market value will reflect credit spreads, interest rates, volatility, and bid/ask spreads. GS&Co.’s proprietary pricing models produce an estimated value below the original issue price.
Relevant watch items include any change in perceived creditworthiness of the issuer/guarantor and whether GS&Co. provides market-making liquidity; the pricing supplement states no assurance of an active secondary market.
Key Figures
Key Terms
Buffer rate financial
Maximum settlement amount financial
Contingent payments regulatory
Calculation agent financial
Offering Details
FAQ
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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2) Registration Statement No. 333-284538 |
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.
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Subject to Completion. Dated July 2, 2026. |
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GS Finance Corp. $ Buffered S&P 500® Index-Linked Notes due 2027 guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. |
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Payment at Maturity: The amount that you will be paid on your notes on the stated maturity date is based on the performance of the underlier as measured from the trade date to and including the determination date.
• If the final underlier level on the determination date is greater than the initial underlier level, the return on your notes will be positive and will equal the underlier return, subject to the maximum settlement amount. |
• If the final underlier level is equal to or less than the initial underlier level, but not by more than the buffer amount, you will receive the face amount of your notes. |
• If the final underlier level is less than the initial underlier level by more than the buffer amount, the return on your notes will be negative and you will lose 1% of the face amount of your notes for every 1% that the final underlier level has declined below the buffer level. You could lose a significant portion of the face amount of your notes. |
Interest: The notes do not bear interest. |
The terms included in the “Key Terms” table below are expected to be as indicated, but such terms will be set on the trade date. 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-5.
Key Terms |
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Company (Issuer) / Guarantor: |
GS Finance Corp. / The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. |
Aggregate face amount: |
$ |
Cash settlement amount: |
On the stated maturity date, the company will pay, for each $1,000 face amount of the notes, an amount in cash equal to: |
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• if the final underlier level is greater than the initial underlier level: $1,000 + ($1,000 × the underlier return), subject to the maximum settlement amount; |
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• if the final underlier level is equal to or less than the initial underlier level, but greater than or equal to the buffer level: $1,000; or |
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• if the final underlier level is less than the buffer level: $1,000 + ($1,000 × the buffer rate × (the underlier return + the buffer amount)) |
Underlier: |
the S&P 500® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “SPX Index”) |
Maximum settlement amount: |
at least $1,072.50 |
Buffer level: |
70% of the initial underlier level |
Buffer amount: |
30% |
Buffer rate: |
100% |
Trade date: |
July 31, 2026 |
Original issue date: |
August 5, 2026 |
Determination date: |
August 2, 2027* |
Stated maturity date: |
August 5, 2027* |
Initial underlier level: |
set on the trade date and will be an intra-day level or the closing level of the underlier on the trade date |
Final underlier level: |
the closing level of the underlier on the determination date* |
Underlier return: |
(the final underlier level - the initial underlier level) ÷ the initial underlier level |
Calculation agent: |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”) |
CUSIP / ISIN: |
40054XJ33 / US40054XJ333 |
* subject to adjustment as described in the accompanying general terms supplement
Our estimated value of the notes on trade date / Additional amount / Additional amount end date: |
$925 to $965 per $1,000 face amount, which is less than the original issue price. The additional amount is $ and the additional amount end date is . See “The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes.” |
Original issue price |
Underwriting discount |
Net proceeds to the issuer |
100% of the face amount1 |
% of the face amount1 |
% of the face amount |
1 The original issue price will be % for certain investors; see “Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest”.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC |
Pricing Supplement No. dated , 2026.
The issue price, underwriting discount and net proceeds listed above relate to the notes we sell initially. We may decide to sell additional notes after the date of this pricing supplement, at issue prices and with underwriting discounts and net proceeds that differ from the amounts set forth above. The return (whether positive or negative) on your investment in notes will depend in part on the issue price you pay for such notes. |
GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in the initial sale of the notes. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC or any other affiliate of GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in a market-making transaction in a note after its initial sale. Unless GS Finance Corp. or its agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this prospectus is being used in a market-making transaction. |
About Your Prospectus |
The notes are part of the Medium-Term Notes, Series F program of GS Finance Corp. and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. This prospectus includes this pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed below. This pricing supplement constitutes a supplement to the documents listed below, does not set forth all of the terms of your notes and therefore should be read in conjunction with such documents: |
• General terms supplement no. 17,745 dated January 20, 2026 |
• Underlier supplement no. 49 dated June 24, 2026 |
• Prospectus supplement dated February 14, 2025 |
• Prospectus dated February 14, 2025 |
The information in this pricing supplement supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed above. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes. |
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in or incorporated by reference in this pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed above. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide. This pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed above are an offer to sell only the notes offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed above is current only as of the respective dates of such documents. |
We refer to the notes we are offering by this pricing supplement as the “offered notes” or the “notes”. Each of the offered notes has the terms described below. Please note that in this pricing supplement, references to “GS Finance Corp.”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean only GS Finance Corp. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates, references to “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.”, our parent company, mean only The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates and references to “Goldman Sachs” mean The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. The notes will be issued under the senior debt indenture, dated as of October 10, 2008, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 20, 2015, each among us, as issuer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. This indenture, as so supplemented and as further supplemented thereafter, is referred to as the “GSFC 2008 indenture” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. |
The notes will be issued in book-entry form and represented by master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021. |
PS-2
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES |
The following examples are provided for purposes of illustration only. The examples should not be taken as an indication or prediction of future investment results and merely are intended to illustrate the impact that the various hypothetical underlier levels on the determination date could have on the cash settlement amount at maturity assuming all other variables remain constant and are not intended to predict the final underlier level. |
The information in the following examples reflects hypothetical rates of return on the offered notes assuming that they are purchased on the original issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date. If you sell your notes in a secondary market prior to the stated maturity date, your return will depend upon the market value of your notes at the time of sale, which may be affected by a number of factors that are not reflected in the examples below, such as interest rates, the volatility of the underlier, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor. The information in the examples also reflects the key terms and assumptions in the box below. |
Key Terms and Assumptions |
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Face amount |
$1,000 |
Maximum settlement amount |
$1,072.50 |
Buffer level |
70% of the initial underlier level |
Buffer rate |
100% |
Buffer amount |
30% |
Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs on the originally scheduled determination date |
No change in or affecting any of the underlier stocks or the method by which the underlier sponsor calculates the underlier |
Notes purchased on original issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date |
For these reasons, the actual performance of the underlier over the life of your notes, as well as the amount payable at maturity, may bear little relation to the hypothetical examples shown below or to the historical underlier levels shown elsewhere in this pricing supplement. Also, the hypothetical examples shown below do not take into account the effects of applicable taxes. |
The levels in the left column of the table below represent hypothetical final underlier levels and are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level. The amounts in the right column represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level, and are expressed as percentages of the face amount of a note (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth of a percent). Thus, a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% means that the value of the cash payment that we would deliver for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount of the offered notes on the stated maturity date would equal 100.000% of the face amount of a note, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level and the assumptions noted above. |
Hypothetical Final Underlier Level (as Percentage of Initial Underlier Level) |
Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount (as Percentage of Face Amount) |
200.000% |
107.250% |
169.000% |
107.250% |
138.000% |
107.250% |
107.250% |
107.250% |
105.000% |
105.000% |
104.000% |
104.000% |
102.000% |
102.000% |
100.000% |
100.000% |
90.000% |
100.000% |
80.000% |
100.000% |
70.000% |
100.000% |
52.000% |
82.000% |
35.000% |
65.000% |
18.000% |
48.000% |
0.000% |
30.000% |
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PS-3
As shown in the table above: |
• If the final underlier level were determined to be 18.000% of the initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 48.000% of the face amount of your notes. As a result, if you purchased your notes on the original issue date at the face amount and held them to the stated maturity date, you would lose 52.000% of your investment (if you purchased your notes at a premium to face amount you would lose a correspondingly higher percentage of your investment). |
• If the final underlier level were determined to be 200.000% of the initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be capped at the maximum settlement amount, or 107.250% of each $1,000 face amount of your notes. As a result, if you held your notes to the stated maturity date, you would not benefit from any increase in the final underlier level over 107.250% of the initial underlier level. |
The following chart shows a graphical illustration of the hypothetical cash settlement amounts (expressed as percentages of the face amount of your notes) that we would pay on your notes on the stated maturity date, if the final underlier level (expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level) were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The chart shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of less than 70.000% (the section left of the 70.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of less than 100.000% of the face amount of your notes (the section below the 100.000% marker on the vertical axis) and, accordingly, in a loss of principal to the holder of the notes. The chart also shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of greater than or equal to 107.250% (the section right of the 107.250% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a capped return on your investment. |
PS-4
SELECTED RISK FACTORS
An investment in your notes is subject to the risks summarized below. These risks, as well as other risks and considerations, are explained in more detail in the accompanying documents listed above under “About Your Prospectus”. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the terms of the notes described herein and in such accompanying documents. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the underlier stocks (i.e., the stocks comprising the underlier to which your notes are linked). You should carefully consider whether the offered notes are appropriate given your particular circumstances. |
Risks Related to Structure, Valuation and Secondary Market Sales |
The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes |
The original issue price for your notes exceeds the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models and taking into account our credit spreads. After the trade date, the estimated value as determined by reference to these models will be affected by changes in market conditions, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and other relevant factors. The price at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell your notes (if GS&Co. makes a market, which it is not obligated to do), and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise, also exceeds the estimated value of your notes as determined by reference to these models. As agreed by GS&Co. and the distribution participants, this excess (i.e., the additional amount set forth on the cover of this pricing supplement) will decline to zero on a straight line basis over the period from the date hereof through the additional amount end date set forth on the cover of this pricing supplement. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your notes it will do so at prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to such pricing models at that time. The price at which GS&Co. will buy or sell your notes at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes. |
In estimating the value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, GS&Co.’s pricing models consider certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold your notes in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your notes determined by reference to our models due to, among other things, any differences in pricing models or assumptions used by others. See “The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” below. |
The difference between the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date and the original issue price is a result of certain factors, including principally the underwriting discount and commissions, the expenses incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes, and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to GS&Co. and the amounts GS&Co. pays to us in connection with your notes. We pay to GS&Co. amounts based on what we would pay to holders of a non-structured note with a similar maturity. In return for such payment, GS&Co. pays to us the amounts we owe under your notes. |
In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted. If GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the price quoted by GS&Co. would reflect any changes in market conditions and other relevant factors, including any deterioration in our creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness or the creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. To the extent that GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the quoted price will reflect the estimated value determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models at that time, plus or minus its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes (and subject to the declining excess amount described above). |
Furthermore, if you sell your notes, you will likely be charged a commission for secondary market transactions, or the price will likely reflect a dealer discount. This commission or discount will further reduce the proceeds you would receive for your notes in a secondary market sale. |
There is no assurance that GS&Co. or any other party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price and, in this regard, GS&Co. is not obligated to make a market in the notes. See “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes — Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market” in the accompanying general terms supplement. |
The Notes Are Subject to the Credit Risk of the Issuer and the Guarantor |
Investors are dependent on our ability and the ability of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes, to pay all amounts due on the notes. Therefore, investors are subject to the credit risk, and to changes in the market’s view of the creditworthiness, of the issuer and the guarantor. See “Description of the Notes We May Offer — Information About Our Medium-Term Notes, Series F Program — How the Notes Rank Against Other Debt” in the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Guarantee by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.” in the accompanying prospectus. |
PS-5
You May Lose a Substantial Portion of Your Investment |
If the final underlier level is less than the buffer level, you will have a loss for each $1,000 of the face amount of your notes equal to the product of (i) the buffer rate times (ii) the sum of the underlier return plus the buffer amount times (iii) $1,000. Thus, you may lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes, which would include any premium to face amount you paid when you purchased the notes. |
Also, the market price of your notes prior to the stated maturity date may be significantly lower than the purchase price you pay for your notes. Consequently, if you sell your notes before the stated maturity date, you may receive far less than the amount of your investment in the notes. |
Your Notes Do Not Bear Interest |
You will not receive any interest payments on your notes. The overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a non-indexed debt security of comparable maturity that bears interest at a prevailing market rate. |
The Potential for the Value of Your Notes to Increase Will Be Limited |
The maximum settlement amount will limit the cash settlement amount you may receive for each of your notes at maturity, no matter how much the level of the underlier may rise beyond the initial underlier level over the life of your notes. |
You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Underlier Stock |
Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any of the underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to the underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any rights to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of the underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any underlier stocks. |
The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors |
When we refer to the market value of your notes, we mean the value that you could receive for your notes if you chose to sell them in the open market before the stated maturity date. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of your notes, including: |
• the level of the underlier; |
• the volatility — i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes — in the closing level of the underlier; |
• 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 closing level of the underlier; |
• interest rates and yield rates in the market; |
• the time remaining until your notes mature; and |
• our creditworthiness and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., whether actual or perceived, and including actual or anticipated upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or changes in other credit measures. |
Without limiting the foregoing, the market value of your notes may be negatively impacted by increasing interest rates. Such adverse impact of increasing interest rates could be significantly enhanced in notes with longer-dated maturities, the market values of which are generally more sensitive to increasing interest rates. |
These factors may influence the market value of your notes if you sell your notes before maturity, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. If you sell your notes prior to maturity, you may receive less than the face amount of your notes. You cannot predict the future performance of the underlier based on its historical performance. |
Risks Related to Tax |
We Intend to Treat Your Notes as Short-Term Debt Instruments that Provide for Contingent Payments for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes |
We intend to treat the notes as short-term debt instruments that provide for contingent payments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under this treatment, if you are a U.S. individual or taxable entity, you generally should not recognize any income, gain or loss in respect of the notes until the earlier of the sale, exchange or maturity of the notes. Any gain recognized upon maturity of the notes generally should be treated as ordinary interest income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Any gain or loss realized upon a sale or exchange of the notes prior to maturity generally should be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Please see “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below for a more detailed discussion. Please also consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences to you of owning your notes in your particular circumstances. |
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PS-6
THE UNDERLIER
The S&P 500® Index includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy and is intended to provide a performance benchmark for the large-cap U.S. equity markets. |
For more details about the S&P 500® Index, the underlier sponsor and license agreement between the underlier sponsor and the issuer, see “The Underliers — S&P 500® Index” in the accompanying underlier supplement. |
The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, and has been licensed for use by GS Finance Corp. (“Goldman”). Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and sublicensed for certain purposes by Goldman. Goldman’s notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such notes. |
Historical Closing Levels of the Underlier |
The closing level of the underlier has fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. |
Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the underlier between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered notes. You should not take the historical levels of the underlier as an indication of the future performance of the underlier. |
The graph below shows the daily historical closing levels of the underlier from January 4, 2021 through June 30, 2026. We obtained the closing levels in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. |
Historical Performance of the S&P 500® Index
PS-7
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES |
The following section supplements the discussion of U.S. federal income taxation in the accompanying prospectus supplement. The following section is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp, counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. It applies to you only if you hold your notes as a capital asset for tax purposes. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as: ● a dealer in securities or currencies; ● a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for your securities holdings; ● a bank; ● a regulated investment company; ● a life insurance company; ● a tax-exempt organization; ● a partnership; ● an accrual method taxpayer subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of its use of financial statements; ● a person that owns the notes as a hedge or that is hedged against interest rate risks; ● a person that owns the notes as part of a straddle or conversion transaction for tax purposes; or ● a United States holder (as defined below) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar. This section is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. You should consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and other tax consequences of your investment in the notes, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.
United States Holders This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United States holder. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of the notes and you are: ● a citizen or resident of the United States; ● a domestic corporation; ● an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or ● a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust. Tax Treatment. You will be obligated pursuant to the terms of the notes – in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary – to characterize your notes for all tax purposes as short-term debt instruments that provide for contingent payments. Except as otherwise stated below, the discussion herein assumes that the notes will be so treated. Although there is no authority that specifically addresses the tax treatment of short-term debt instruments that provide for contingent payments, it is likely that you should not recognize any income prior to the sale, exchange or maturity of the notes. If you are an initial purchaser of the notes, upon the maturity of your notes you should recognize either ordinary income or short-term capital loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount you receive with respect to your notes at such time and the amount you paid for your notes. Upon a sale or exchange of your notes prior to the maturity of your notes, it would be reasonable for you to recognize short-term capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount you paid for your notes and the amount received by you upon such sale or exchange unless you sell or exchange your notes after the date on which all amounts payable on the notes have been fixed, in which case it would be reasonable for you to treat substantially all of any gain that you recognize as ordinary income and any loss that you recognize as a short-term capital loss. You may be required to defer interest deductions that are allocable to your purchase of the notes. For more information, please see the discussion under “United States Taxation – Taxation of Debt Securities – United States Holders – Short-Term Debt Securities” in the accompanying prospectus. No statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how your notes 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 notes 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 notes 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. |
PS-8
Alternative Treatments. There is no judicial or administrative authority discussing how your notes 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. It is possible that your notes could be treated in the manner described above, except that any gain or loss that you recognize at maturity would be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Alternatively, based upon certain Treasury regulations providing guidance relating to the maturity date of certain instruments, the Internal Revenue Service could treat your notes 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 notes and applying rules similar to those for accruing original issue discount on a hypothetical noncontingent debt instrument with that projected payment schedule. This method is applied by first determining the comparable yield – i.e., the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes – and then determining a payment schedule as of the 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 notes 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 or maturity of your notes 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 notes, and, thereafter, as capital loss. If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, special rules would apply to a person who purchases notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price as determined for tax purposes. It is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service could seek to characterize your notes 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 notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For a further discussion of the tax treatment of your notes, please see the discussion under the heading “United States Taxation—Taxation of Debt Securities—United States Holders—Short-Term Debt Securities” in the accompanying disclosure statement. Non-United States Holders If you are a non-United States holder, please see the discussion under “United States Taxation – Taxation of Debt Securities – Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the tax consequences relevant to you. You are a non-United States holder if you are the beneficial owner of the notes and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes: ● a nonresident alien individual; ● a foreign corporation; or ● an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the notes. The Treasury Department has issued regulations under which amounts paid or deemed paid on certain financial instruments (“871(m) financial instruments”) that are treated as attributable to U.S.-source dividends could be treated, in whole or in part depending on the circumstances, as a “dividend equivalent” payment that is subject to tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable treaty), which in the case of amounts you receive upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, could be collected via withholding. If these regulations were to apply to the notes, we may be required to withhold such taxes if any U.S.-source dividends are paid on the stocks included in the underlier during the term of the notes. We could also require you to make certifications (e.g., an applicable Internal Revenue Service Form W-8) prior to the maturity of the notes in order to avoid or minimize withholding obligations, and we could withhold accordingly (subject to your potential right to claim a refund from the Internal Revenue Service) if such certifications were not received or were not satisfactory. If withholding was required, we 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, 2027, but will also apply to certain 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) that have a delta (as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations) of one and are issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2017. In addition, these regulations will not apply to financial instruments that reference a “qualified index” (as defined in the regulations). We have determined that, as of the issue date of your notes, your notes will not be subject to withholding under these rules. In certain limited circumstances, however, you should be aware that it is possible for non-United States holders to be liable for tax under these rules with respect to a combination of transactions treated as having been entered into in connection with each other even when no withholding is required. You should consult your tax advisor concerning these regulations, subsequent official guidance and regarding any other possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
PS-9
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding Pursuant to Treasury regulations, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) withholding (as described in “United States Taxation—Taxation of Debt Securities—Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus) will generally apply to obligations that are issued on or after July 1, 2014; therefore, the notes will generally be subject to the FATCA withholding rules.
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PS-10
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION; CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” in the accompanying general terms supplement and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” in the accompanying prospectus. |
GS Finance Corp. will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GS Finance Corp., the aggregate face amount of the offered notes specified on the front cover of this pricing supplement. GS&Co. proposes initially to offer the notes to the public at the original issue price set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement, and to certain securities dealers at such price less a concession not in excess of % of the face amount. The original issue price for notes purchased by certain fee-based advisory accounts will be % of the face amount of the notes, which will reduce the underwriting discount specified on the cover of this pricing supplement with respect to such notes to %. GS&Co. is an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and, as such, will have a “conflict of interest” in this offering of notes within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell notes in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder. We have been advised that GS&Co. will also pay a fee to iCapital Markets LLC, a broker-dealer in which an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. holds an indirect minority equity interest, for services it is providing in connection with this offering. |
We will deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on the original issue date set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to one business day before delivery will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement. |
We have been advised by GS&Co. that it intends to make a market in the notes. However, neither GS&Co. nor any of our other affiliates that makes a market is obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes. |
The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system. |
PS-11