The firm enters into various derivatives that meet the definition of a guarantee under U.S. GAAP, including written equity and commodity put options, written currency contracts and interest rate caps, floors and swaptions. These derivatives are risk managed together with derivatives that do not meet the definition of a guarantee, and therefore the amounts in the table above do not reflect the firm’s overall risk related to derivative activities. Disclosures about derivatives are not required if they may be cash settled and the firm has no basis to conclude it is probable that the counterparties held the underlying instruments at inception of the contract. The firm has concluded that these conditions have been met for certain large, internationally active commercial and investment bank counterparties, central clearing counterparties, hedge funds and certain other counterparties. Accordingly, the firm has not included such contracts in the table above. See Note 7 for information about credit derivatives that meet the definition of a guarantee, which are not included in the table above.

Derivatives are accounted for at fair value and therefore the carrying value is considered the best indication of payment/performance risk for individual contracts. However, the carrying values in the table above exclude the effect of counterparty and cash collateral netting.

Securities lending and clearing guarantees include the indemnifications and guarantees that the firm provides in its capacity as an agency lender and in its capacity as a sponsoring member of the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation.

As an agency lender, the firm indemnifies most of its securities lending customers against losses incurred in the event that borrowers do not return securities and the collateral held is insufficient to cover the market value of the securities borrowed. The maximum payout of such indemnifications was $19.86 billion as of December 2020 and $17.89 billion as of December 2019. Collateral held by the lenders in connection with securities lending indemnifications was $20.39 billion as of December 2020 and $19.14 billion as of December 2019. Because the contractual nature of these arrangements requires the firm to obtain collateral with a market value that exceeds the value of the securities lent to the borrower, there is minimal performance risk associated with these indemnifications.

the firm became a sponsoring member of the Government Securities Division of the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation in connection with certain resale and repurchase agreements. As a sponsoring member, the firm guarantees the performance of its sponsored member clients to the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. To minimize potential losses on such guarantees, the firm obtains a security interest in the collateral that the sponsored client placed with the Fixed Income Clearing Corporation. Therefore, the risk of loss on such guarantees is minimal. As of December 2020, the maximum payout on this guarantee was

.

In the ordinary course of business, the firm provides other financial guarantees of the obligations of third parties (e.g., standby letters of credit and other guarantees to enable clients to complete transactions and fund-related guarantees). These guarantees represent obligations to make payments to beneficiaries if the guaranteed party fails to fulfill its obligation under a contractual arrangement with that beneficiary. Other financial guarantees also include a guarantee that the firm has provided to the Government of Malaysia that it will receive at least $1.4 billion in assets and proceeds from assets seized by governmental authorities around the world related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a sovereign wealth fund in Malaysia (1MDB). See Note 27 for

further information. The firm will periodically evaluate progress toward satisfying the

$1.4

billion obligation based on information to be received on a semi-annual basis, expected in February and August.

The firm has established trusts, including Goldman Sachs Capital I, the APEX Trusts and other entities, for the limited purpose of issuing securities to third parties, lending the proceeds to the firm and entering into contractual arrangements with the firm and third parties related to this purpose. The firm does not consolidate these entities. See Note 14 for further information about the transactions involving Goldman Sachs Capital I and the APEX Trusts.

The firm effectively provides for the full and unconditional guarantee of the securities issued by these entities. Timely payment by the firm of amounts due to these entities under the guarantee, borrowing, preferred stock and related contractual arrangements will be sufficient to cover payments due on the securities issued by these entities.

Management believes that it is unlikely that any circumstances will occur, such as nonperformance on the part of paying agents or other service providers, that would make it necessary for the firm to make payments related to these entities other than those required under the terms of the guarantee, borrowing, preferred stock and related contractual arrangements and in connection with certain expenses incurred by these entities.

In the ordinary course of business, the firm indemnifies and guarantees certain service providers, such as clearing and custody agents, trustees and administrators, against specified potential losses in connection with their acting as an agent of, or providing services to, the firm or its affiliates.

sub-custodians

In connection with the firm’s prime brokerage and clearing businesses, the firm agrees to clear and settle on behalf of its clients the transactions entered into by them with other brokerage firms. The firm’s obligations in respect of such transactions are secured by the assets in the client’s account, as well as any proceeds received from the transactions cleared and settled by the firm on behalf of the client. In connection with joint venture investments, the firm may issue loan guarantees under which it may be liable in the event of fraud, misappropriation, environmental liabilities and certain other matters involving the borrower.

The firm is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum payout under these guarantees and indemnifications. However, management believes that it is unlikely the firm will have to make any material payments under these arrangements, and no material liabilities related to these guarantees and indemnifications have been recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as of both December 2020 and December 2019.

The firm provides representations and warranties to counterparties in connection with a variety of commercial transactions and occasionally indemnifies them against potential losses caused by the breach of those representations and warranties. The firm may also provide indemnifications protecting against changes in or adverse application of certain U.S. tax laws in connection with ordinary-course transactions, such as securities issuances, borrowings or derivatives.

non-U.S.

These indemnifications generally are standard contractual terms and are entered into in the ordinary course of business. Generally, there are no stated or notional amounts included in these indemnifications, and the contingencies triggering the obligation to indemnify are not expected to occur. The firm is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum payout under these guarantees and indemnifications. However, management believes that it is unlikely the firm will have to make any material payments under these arrangements, and no material liabilities related to these arrangements have been recognized in the consolidated balance sheets as of both December 2020 and December 2019.

Group Inc. fully and unconditionally guarantees the securities issued by GS Finance Corp., a wholly-owned finance subsidiary of the firm. Group Inc. has guaranteed the payment obligations of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.), GS Bank USA and Goldman Sachs Paris Inc. et Cie, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, Group Inc. has provided a guarantee to GS Bank USA related to assets that GS Bank USA has acquired from certain subsidiaries and affiliated funds of Group Inc., and Group Inc. has provided guarantees to Goldman Sachs International (GSI) and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE (GSBE) related to agreements that each entity has entered into with certain of its counterparties.