4. RELATED PARTIES – SPONSOR, TRUSTEE, CUSTODIAN AND MARKETING FEES A fee is paid to the Sponsor as compensation for services performed under the Trust Agreement. The Sponsor’s Fee is payable at an annualized rate of 0.18% of the Trust’s Net Asset Value, accrued on a daily basis computed on the prior business day’s Net Asset Value and paid in cash monthly in arrears. In exchange for the Sponsor Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume and be responsible for the payment of the following expenses, up to the Fee Cap (as defined below): fees for the Trustee’s ordinary services and reimbursement of its ordinary expenses; the Custodian’s fees and expenses reimbursable to the Custodian pursuant to the Custody Agreement; the marketing expenses of the Trust; the listing fees of the Trust on the Cboe BZX Exchange; registration fees associated with the Trust charged by the SEC; printing and mailing costs; expenses for the maintenance of any website of the Trust; audit fees and expenses; routine legal fees and expenses associated with the ordinary course of the Trust’s operations; and the expense of the first two examinations of the Custodian’s records relating to the unallocated account and the first two audits of the Physical Gold held in the allocated account during any fiscal year (with the expense of any further examination or audits during such fiscal year to be an expense of the Trust). The Sponsor shall not be responsible for any other expenses, including litigation expenses associated with the Trust, taxes and other governmental charges (except and solely to the extent as may otherwise be agreed to in writing between the Sponsor and the Custodian), the Trustee’s expenses not reimbursed by the Sponsor pursuant to the Trust Agreement, indemnification of the Trustee or the Sponsor pursuant to the Trust Agreement, any expenses that are in excess of the Fee Cap, extraordinary expenses incurred on behalf of the Trust, and otherwise as set forth in the Trust Agreement. Extraordinary expenses shall include any fixing fees charged in connection with sales of gold required by applicable law or regulation or required upon termination of the Trust. The Fee Cap is a maximum amount equal to the greater of $500,000 per annum and the amount that is equal to 0.15% of the average total value of the gold held by the Trust, as determined by the Trustee on each business day, plus the value of all other assets of the Trust (other than any amount credited to the Trust’s reserve account), including cash, if any. From time to time, the Sponsor may waive all or a portion of the Sponsor Fee at its discretion. The Sponsor is under no obligation to continue a waiver after the end of a stated period, and, if such waiver is not continued, the Sponsor Fee will thereafter be paid in full. Presently, the Sponsor does not intend to waive any of its fees. Affiliates of the Trustee may from time to time act as Authorized Participants or purchase or sell gold or Trust Shares for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion.
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