Xetra-Gold reaches new record holdings of 232 tonnes

The gold holdings of the exchange-traded bearer bond Xetra-Gold (ISIN: DE000A0S9GB0) have risen to a new record level of 232 tonnes. This is an increase of 15.1 tonnes over the course of the year. At the beginning of January, 216.9 tonnes of gold were stored in the central vault for German securities. Xetra-Gold is thus the leading physically deposited gold security in Europe.

The stock increases whenever investors buy Xetra-Gold shares on the stock exchange. For each unit certificate, exactly one gram of gold is deposited in the central vault. Xetra-Gold's assets under management currently amount to €11.6 billion .

'The gold price had come under pressure due to the increase in real interest rates in the USA. Due to the rise in inflation and an attractive price level compared to other commodities, investors have now rediscovered gold as a tangible asset. Demand for Xetra-Gold has risen sharply, both from institutional and private investors. Our gold holdings have currently reached a new record of 232 tonnes,' says Steffen Orben, Managing Director of Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH, the issuer of Xetra-Gold.

Xetra-Gold investors are entitled to delivery of the securitised physical gold. Since the introduction of Xetra-Gold in 2007, investors have made use of this right 1,545 times and a total of 6.9 tonnes of gold have been delivered. With a trading volume of €1.87 billion, Xetra-Gold ranks sixth among the most traded securities in the ETF & ETP segment on Xetra.

In September 2015, the German Federal Fiscal Court announced that gains from the sale or redemption of Xetra-Gold after a minimum holding period of one year would not be subject to withholding tax. The purchase and redemption or selling of Xetra-Gold is thus assessed for tax purposes as a direct purchase and sale of physical gold - such as gold bars or gold coins.

Xetra-Gold is issued by Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH, a joint venture of Deutsche Börse AG and Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank AG, DZ Bank AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA and Vontobel Beteiligungen AG. Umicore AG & Co. KG, a group subsidiary of Umicore S.A., is also involved. Further information is available at www.xetra-gold.com.

About Xetra-Gold

Xetra-Gold® (ISIN: DE000A0S9GB0) is a bearer bond issued by Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH, 100 percent backed by gold, which securitizes a delivery claim to physical gold. Each individual Xetra-Gold note grants the investor the right to require the issuer to deliver one gram of gold. For Xetra-Gold notes, the Issuer maintains a corresponding amount of gold in physical form and, to a limited extent, in the form of book gold claims. In the form of a security, Xetra-Gold is fungible and as easily transferable as a share. In addition to Germany, Xetra-Gold is authorized for public distribution in Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The complete and legally binding information on the Xetra-Gold bearer bonds can be found in the key information document and the prospectus together with any supplements and the terms and conditions of issue. Investors can obtain these documents free of charge from Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH, Mergenthalerallee 61, 65760 Eschborn, Germany, or download them from www.xetra-gold.com/downloads.

About Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH

The Xetra-Gold Issuer Deutsche Börse Commodities GmbH with its registered office in Eschborn is a joint venture of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Börse AG, DZ Bank AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt am Main, Umicore AG & Co. KG and Vontobel Beteiligungen AG. Umicore AG & Co. KG is a subsidiary of Umicore S.A., which operates several gold refineries worldwide and produces gold bars. The issuer's sole business purpose is to provide the market with the 100 percent gold backed Xetra-Gold bond and to enable efficient, transparent and cost-effective trading of this physical form of gold securitisation.