Description of the Shares of Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF Shares
Exhibit 4.5
Description of the Securities Registered
Under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Defined terms used but not defined herein have the meaning given to them in our Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this description is an exhibit.
Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF has one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: the Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF shares (the “Shares”).
General
The Trustee is authorized under the Trust Agreement to create and issue an unlimited number of Shares. The Trustee will create Shares in Baskets (a Basket equals a block of at least 25,000 Shares) only upon the order of an Authorized Participant. The Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust and have no par value.
Description of Limited Rights
The Shares do not represent a traditional investment and should not be viewed as similar to “shares” of a corporation operating a business enterprise with management and a board of directors. Holders of the Shares do not have the statutory rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation, including, for example, the right to bring “oppression” or “derivative” actions. All Shares are of the same class with equal rights and privileges. Each Share is transferable, is fully paid and non-assessable and entitles the holder to vote on the limited matters upon which investors may vote under the Trust Agreement. The Shares do not entitle their holders to any conversion or pre-emptive rights or redemption rights for single Shares.
Redemption of Shares
The Shares may be redeemed by or through an Authorized Participant in Baskets. See “Creation and Redemption of Shares by Authorized Participants” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for details.
Distributions
If the Trust is terminated and liquidated, the Trustee will distribute to the investors any amounts remaining after the satisfaction of all outstanding liabilities of the Trust and the establishment of such reserves for applicable taxes, other governmental charges and contingent or future liabilities as the Trustee shall determine. Investors of record on the record date fixed by the Trustee in consultation with the Sponsor for a distribution will be entitled to receive their pro rata portion of any distribution.
Voting Rights
Under the Trust Agreement, investors have no voting rights, except in the following limited circumstances: (i) registered holders of at least 25% of the Shares have the right to require the Trustee to cure any material breach by it of the Trust Agreement, and (ii) registered holders of at least 75% of the Shares have the right to require the Trustee to terminate the Trust Agreement. Otherwise, no investor shall have any right to vote or in any manner otherwise to control the operation or management of the Trust. In addition, certain amendments to the Trust Agreement require advance notice to the investors before the effectiveness of such amendments, but no investor vote or approval is required for any amendment to the Trust Agreement.
Book-Entry Form
Individual certificates are not issued for the Shares. Instead, one or more global certificates are deposited by the Trustee with DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the Shares outstanding at any time. Under the Trust Agreement, investors may only hold Shares
through (i) DTC Participants, (ii) Indirect Participants, or (iii) those banks, brokers, dealers, trust companies and others who hold interests in the Shares through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants. The Shares are only transferable through the book-entry system of DTC. Investors who are not DTC Participants may transfer their Shares through DTC by instructing the DTC Participant holding their Shares (or by instructing the Indirect Participant or other entity through which their Shares are held) to transfer the Shares. Transfers will be made in accordance with standard securities industry practice.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Baskets and/or the Shares by giving notice to the Trustee and the Sponsor. Under such circumstances, the Sponsor will find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if a replacement is unavailable, the Trustee will terminate the Trust.
The rights of the investors generally must be exercised by DTC Participants acting on their behalf in accordance with the rules and procedures of DTC. Because the Shares can only be held in book-entry form through DTC and DTC Participants, investors must rely on DTC, DTC Participants and any other financial intermediary through which they hold the Shares to receive the benefits and exercise the rights described in this section. Investors should consult with their broker or financial institution to find out about procedures and requirements for securities held in book-entry form through DTC.
Share Splits
If the Sponsor believes that the per Share price in the secondary market for Shares has fallen outside a desirable trading price range, the Sponsor may direct the Trustee to declare a split or reverse split as of a record date in the number of Shares outstanding and to make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Basket.
