Goldman Sachs (GSCE) offers 2029 notes tied to Russell 2000 and S&P 500 with capped return
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
GS Finance Corp., fully guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., is offering index-linked notes maturing in 2029 under its Medium-Term Notes, Series F program. The notes are linked to the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P 500 Index.
For each $1,000 face amount, investors receive at maturity either the maximum settlement amount of at least $1,240 if the final level of each index is at or above its initial level, or $1,000 if any index is below its initial level. The notes do not pay periodic interest and upside is capped at a total return of 124.000% of face value.
The payoff is based solely on the lesser performing underlier, making the structure sensitive to the weaker index. The notes are subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp. and the guarantor, may trade below face value, and are expected to have an estimated value below the original issue price. For U.S. tax purposes, they are treated as contingent payment debt instruments, requiring accrual of ordinary income over their term.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Filing Explained
As of July 31, 2026, the proposed notes have no stated face amount or net proceeds, so the completed borrowing cannot yet be sized.
The July 31, 2026 filing describes a GS Finance Corp. index-linked note offering that remains subject to completion; the trade date is
The aggregate face amount, original issue price, underwriting discount and net proceeds fields are blank, so the filing does not yet establish the size of the borrowing or the cash raised.
The notes would be issued by GS Finance Corp. and guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., but delivery is scheduled only on the original issue date, leaving that obligation conditional on the proposed issuance.
GS&Co., an affiliate of both entities, would purchase the notes from GS Finance Corp. and initially offer them publicly; the filing identifies a FINRA conflict of interest.
The notes will not be listed on a securities exchange or interdealer quotation system, and affiliated market-making is not required, so the filing does not commit to a listed or continuously available secondary market.
The filing says the terms are expected to be set on the
Key Figures
Key Terms
lesser performing underlier financial
contingent payment debt instruments financial
comparable yield financial
Medium-Term Notes, Series F financial
871(m) financial instruments regulatory
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) regulatory
Offering Details
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
FAQ
How do the GSCE index-linked notes due 2029 determine the maturity payment?
Do the GSCE index-linked notes pay any periodic interest?
Which underliers are linked to the GSCE index-linked notes due 2029?
What is the maximum return on the GSCE index-linked notes?
What credit risks apply to the GSCE index-linked notes due 2029?
How are the GSCE index-linked notes treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes?
:Are the GSCE index-linked notes protected from loss of principal at maturity?
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 31, 2026. |
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GS Finance Corp. $ Index-Linked Notes due 2029 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 with the lowest underlier return as measured from the trade date to and including the determination date.
• If the final underlier level of each underlier on the determination date is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level, you will receive the maximum settlement amount. |
• If the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its initial underlier level, you will receive 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 of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level: the maximum settlement amount; or |
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• if the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its initial underlier level: $1,000 |
Underliers: |
the Russell 2000® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “RTY Index”) and the S&P 500® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “SPX Index”) |
Maximum settlement amount: |
at least $1,240 |
Trade date: |
August 31, 2026 |
Original issue date: |
September 3, 2026 |
Determination date: |
August 31, 2029* |
Stated maturity date: |
September 6, 2029* |
Initial underlier level: |
with respect to an underlier, an intra-day level or the closing level of such underlier on the trade date |
Final underlier level: |
with respect to an underlier, the closing level of such underlier on the determination date* |
Underlier return: |
with respect to an underlier: (its final underlier level - its initial underlier level) ÷ its initial underlier level |
Lesser performing underlier return: |
the underlier return of the lesser performing underlier (the underlier with the lowest underlier return) |
Calculation agent: |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”) |
CUSIP / ISIN: |
40058L3C2 / US40058L3C27 |
* 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 amount |
% of the face amount1 |
% of the face amount |
1 See "Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest" for additional information regarding the fees comprising the underwriting discount.
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 closing levels of the lesser performing underlier 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 of the lesser performing underlier. |
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 underliers, 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 |
$1,240 |
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 applicable underlier sponsor calculates any 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 underliers 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 of the lesser performing underlier and are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level of the lesser performing underlier. The amounts in the right column represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier, 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 of the lesser performing underlier and the assumptions noted above. |
Hypothetical Final Underlier Level of the Lesser Performing Underlier (as Percentage of Its Initial Underlier Level) |
Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount (as Percentage of Face Amount) |
200.000% |
124.000% |
167.000% |
124.000% |
133.000% |
124.000% |
100.000% |
124.000% |
99.999% |
100.000% |
67.000% |
100.000% |
33.000% |
100.000% |
0.000% |
100.000% |
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PS-3
As shown in the table above: |
• If the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were determined to be 33.000% of its initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 100.000% of the face amount of your notes. 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 receive no return on your investment. |
• If the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were determined to be 200.000% of its 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 124.000% 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 of the lesser performing underlier over its 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 of the lesser performing underlier (expressed as percentages of its initial underlier level) were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The chart shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier of less than 100.000% (the section left of the 100.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% of the face amount of your notes. The chart also shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier of greater than or equal to 100.000% (the section right of the 100.000% 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., with respect to an underlier to which your notes are linked, the stocks comprising such underlier). 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 Receive Only the Face Amount of Your Notes at Maturity |
If the underlier return of any underlier is negative, the return on your notes will be limited to the face amount. |
Even if the amount paid on your notes at maturity exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a note with the same stated maturity that bears interest at the prevailing market rate. |
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 Cash Settlement Amount Will Be Based Solely on the Lesser Performing Underlier |
The cash settlement amount will be based on the lesser performing underlier without regard to the performance of any other underlier, even if there is an increase in the level of any other underlier. |
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 any underlier may rise beyond its 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 levels of the underliers; |
• the volatility — i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes — in the closing levels of the underliers; |
• 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 levels of the underliers; |
• 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 underliers based on their historical performance. |
Risks Related to Tax |
Your Notes Will Be Treated as Debt Instruments Subject to Special Rules Governing Contingent Payment Debt Instruments for U.S. Federal Income Tax Purposes |
The notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If you are a U.S. individual or taxable entity, you generally will be required to pay taxes on ordinary income from the notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you will not receive any payments from us until maturity. This comparable yield is determined solely to calculate the amount on which you will be taxed prior to maturity and is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of what the actual yield will be. In addition, any gain you may recognize on the sale, exchange or maturity of the notes will be taxed as ordinary interest income. If you are a secondary purchaser of the notes, the tax consequences to you may be different. Please see “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below for a more detailed discussion. Please also consult your |
PS-6
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. |
PS-7
THE UNDERLIERS
Russell 2000® Index |
The Russell 2000® Index measures the composite price performance of stocks of 2,000 companies incorporated in the U.S., its territories and certain “benefit-driven incorporation countries.” The Russell 2000® Index is designed to track the performance of the small capitalization segment of the U.S. equity market. |
For more details about the Russell 2000® Index, the underlier sponsor and license agreement between the underlier sponsor and the issuer, see “The Underliers — Russell 2000® Index” in the accompanying underlier supplement. |
The Russell 2000® Index is a trademark of FTSE Russell (“Russell”) and has been licensed for use by GS Finance Corp. The notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Russell, and Russell makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the notes. |
S&P 500® Index |
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. |
PS-8
Historical Closing Levels of the Underliers |
The closing levels of the underliers have 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 each 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 an underlier as an indication of the future performance of that underlier. |
The graphs below show the daily historical closing levels of each underlier from January 4, 2021 through July 29, 2026. We obtained the closing levels in the graphs below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. Although the official closing levels of the Russell 2000® Index are published to six decimal places by the underlier sponsor, Bloomberg Financial Services reports the levels of the Russell 2000® Index to fewer decimal places. |
Historical Performance of the Russell 2000® Index
Historical Performance of the S&P 500® Index
PS-9
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. |
If you are not a United States holder, this section does not apply to you and you should refer to “— Non-United States Holders” below. |
Your notes will be treated as debt instruments subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period will be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for your notes and applying rules similar to those for accruing original issue discount on a hypothetical noncontingent debt instrument with that projected payment schedule. This method is applied by first determining the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes (the “comparable yield”) and then determining as of the issue date a payment schedule that would produce the comparable yield. These rules will generally have the effect of requiring you to include amounts in income in respect of your notes over their term based on the comparable yield for the notes, even though you will not receive any payments from us until maturity. |
We have determined that the comparable yield for the notes is equal to % per annum, compounded semi-annually, with a projected payment at maturity of $ based on an investment of $1,000. |
PS-10
Based on this comparable yield, if you are an initial holder that holds a note until maturity and you pay your taxes on a calendar year basis, we have determined that you would be required to report the following amounts as ordinary income, not taking into account any positive or negative adjustments you may be required to take into account based on the actual payments on the notes, from the note each year: |
Accrual Period |
Interest Deemed to Accrue During Accrual Period (per $1,000 note) |
Total Interest Deemed to Have Accrued from Original Issue Date (per $1,000 note) as of End of Accrual Period |
through December 31, 2026 |
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January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027 |
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January 1, 2029 through |
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You are required to use the comparable yield and projected payment schedule that we compute in determining your interest accruals in respect of your notes, unless you timely disclose and justify on your U.S. federal income tax return the use of a different comparable yield and projected payment schedule. |
The comparable yield and projected payment schedule are not provided to you for any purpose other than the determination of your interest accruals in respect of your notes, and we make no representation regarding the amount of contingent payments with respect to your notes. |
If you purchase your notes at a price other than their adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes, you must determine the extent to which the difference between the price you paid for your notes and their adjusted issue price is attributable to a change in expectations as to the projected payment schedule, a change in interest rates, or both, and reasonably allocate the difference accordingly. The adjusted issue price of your notes will equal your notes’ original issue price plus any interest deemed to be accrued on your notes (under the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments) as of the time you purchase your notes. The original issue price of your notes will be the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold to persons other than bond houses, brokers or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers. Therefore, you may be required to make the adjustments described above even if you purchase your notes in the initial offering if you purchase your notes at a price other than the issue price. |
If the adjusted issue price of your notes is greater than the price you paid for your notes, you must make positive adjustments increasing (i) the amount of interest that you would otherwise accrue and include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or decreasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule; if the adjusted issue price of your notes is less than the price you paid for your notes, you must make negative adjustments, decreasing (i) the amount of interest that you must include in income each year, and (ii) the amount of ordinary income (or increasing the amount of ordinary loss) recognized upon maturity by the amounts allocated under the previous paragraph to each of interest and the projected payment schedule. Adjustments allocated to the interest amount are not made until the date the daily portion of interest accrues. |
Because any Form 1099-OID that you receive will not reflect the effects of positive or negative adjustments resulting from your purchase of notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes, you are urged to consult with your tax advisor as to whether and how adjustments should be made to the amounts reported on any Form 1099-OID. |
You will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the cash amount you receive at such time and your adjusted basis in your notes. In general, your adjusted basis in your notes will equal the amount you paid for your notes, increased by the amount of interest you previously accrued with respect to your notes (in accordance with the comparable yield and the projected payment schedule for your notes) and increased or decreased by the amount of any positive or negative adjustment, respectively, that you are required to make if you purchase your notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price determined for tax purposes (as described in the accompanying prospectus supplement). |
Any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes will be ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at such time will be ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included as income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of your notes, and thereafter, capital loss. If you are a noncorporate holder, you would generally be able to use such ordinary loss to offset your income only in the taxable year in which you recognize the ordinary loss and would generally not be able to carry such ordinary loss forward or back to offset income in other taxable years. |
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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 underliers 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. |
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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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. GS&Co. will pay a fee of % of the face amount to an affiliate of the dealer in connection with certain services provided directly by such affiliate to the dealer. 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. |
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