Pricing
Supplement product supplement C dated July 31, 2015, prospectus supplement dated July 31, 2015 and prospectus dated April 27, 2016 |
Pricing Supplement No. 3017C Registration Statement No. 333–206013 Rule 424(b)(2) |
The information in this preliminary pricing supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary pricing supplement and the accompanying underlying supplement, product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell nor do they seek an offer to buy the notes in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. Subject to Completion. Dated January 24, 2018 |
| Structured Investments |
Deutsche Bank AG $ Notes Linked to the Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM due January 30, 2020 |
General
| · | The notes are designed for investors who seek a return at maturity linked to the performance of the Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM (the “Underlying”). The Underlying is composed of futures contracts on 22 physical commodities and is designed to be a benchmark for commodities as an asset class. If the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, investors will receive a cash payment at maturity per $1,000 Face Amount of notes equal to $964.10 (the “Minimum Payment Amount”) plus an amount equal to the Face Amount multiplied by the Underlying Return. However, if the Final Level is equal to or less than the Initial Level, investors will receive only a cash payment at maturity per $1,000 Face Amount of notes equal to the Minimum Payment Amount. Because the Minimum Payment Amount is less than the Face Amount, investors will lose up to 3.59% of their investment if the Final Level is less than 103.59% of the Initial Level. The notes do not pay any interest or dividends. Any payment on the notes is subject to the credit of the Issuer. |
| · | Senior unsecured obligations of Deutsche Bank AG due January 30, 2020 |
| · | Minimum purchase of $10,000. Minimum denominations of $1,000 (the “Face Amount”) and integral multiples thereof. |
| · | The notes are expected to price on or about January 26, 2018 (the “Trade Date”) and are expected to settle on or about January 31, 2018 (the “Settlement Date”). |
Key Terms
| Issuer: | Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch |
| Underlying: | Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM (Ticker: BCOM) |
| Issue Price: | 100% of the Face Amount |
| Minimum Payment Amount: | $964.10 |
| Payment at Maturity: | · If the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, you will receive a cash payment at maturity per $1,000 Face Amount of notes calculated as follows: |
| Minimum Payment Amount + ($1,000 x Underlying Return) | |
| · If the Final Level is equal to or less than the Initial Level, you will receive a cash payment at maturity equal to the Minimum Payment Amount per $1,000 Face Amount of notes. | |
| If the Final Level is less than 103.59% of the Initial Level, you will lose up to 3.59% of your investment at maturity. In no case will the Payment at Maturity be less than the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes. Any payment at maturity, including payment of the Minimum Payment Amount, is subject to the credit of the Issuer. | |
| Underlying Return: | The performance of the Underlying from the Initial Level to the Final Level, calculated as follows: |
Final Level – Initial Level Initial Level | |
| The Underlying Return may be positive, zero or negative. | |
| (Key Terms continued on next page) |
Investing in the notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of the accompanying product supplement, page PS–5 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and page 13 of the accompanying prospectus and “Selected Risk Considerations” beginning on page 9 of this pricing supplement.
The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date is approximately $965.00 to $985.00 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes, which is less than the Issue Price. Please see “Issuer’s Estimated Value of the Notes” on page 3 of this pricing supplement for additional information.
By acquiring the notes, you will be bound by and deemed irrevocably to consent to the imposition of any Resolution Measure (as defined below) by the competent resolution authority, which may include the write down of all, or a portion, of any payment on the notes or the conversion of the notes into ordinary shares or other instruments of ownership. If any Resolution Measure becomes applicable to us, you may lose some or all of your investment in the notes. Please see “Resolution Measures and Deemed Agreement” on page 4 of this pricing supplement for more information.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or passed upon the accuracy or the adequacy of this pricing supplement or the accompanying underlying supplement, product supplement, prospectus supplement or prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| Price to Public(1) | Fees(1)(2) | Proceeds to Issuer | |
| Per Note | $1,000.00 | $15.00 | $985.00 |
| Total | $ | $ | $ |
| (1) | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, which we refer to as JPMS LLC, or one of its affiliates will act as placement agents for the notes. The placement agents will forgo fees for sales to fiduciary accounts. The total fees represent the amount that the placement agents receive from sales to accounts other than such fiduciary accounts. The placement agents will receive a fee from the Issuer that will not exceed $15.00 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes. |
| (2) | Please see “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” in this pricing supplement for more information about fees. |
The notes are not deposits or savings accounts and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other U.S. or foreign governmental agency or instrumentality.
JPMorgan
Placement Agent
January , 2018
| (Key Terms continued from previous page) | |
| Initial Level1: | The closing level of the Underlying on the Trade Date |
| Final Level1: | The closing level of the Underlying on the Final Valuation Date |
| Trade Date3: | January 26, 2018 |
| Settlement Date3: | January 31, 2018 |
| Final Valuation Date3: | January 27, 2020 |
| Maturity Date2, 3: | January 30, 2020 |
| Listing: | The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. |
| CUSIP / ISIN: | 25155MHR5 / US25155MHR51 |
| 1 | Subject to adjustment as described under “Description of Securities — Adjustments to Valuation Dates and Payment Dates” in the accompanying product supplement. |
| 2 | Subject to postponement as described under “Description of Securities — Adjustments to Valuation Dates and Payment Dates” and acceleration as described under “Description of Securities — Adjustments to Valuation Dates and Payment Dates — Commodity Hedging Disruption Events for Commodity Based Underlyings or Basket Components” in the accompanying product supplement. |
| 3 | In the event that we make any changes to the expected Trade Date or Settlement Date, the Final Valuation Date and Maturity Date may be changed so that the stated term of the notes remains the same. |
Issuer’s Estimated Value of the Notes
The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes is equal to the sum of our valuations of the following two components of the notes: (i) a bond and (ii) an embedded derivative(s). The value of the bond component of the notes is calculated based on the present value of the stream of cash payments associated with a conventional bond with a principal amount equal to the Face Amount of notes, discounted at an internal funding rate, which is determined primarily based on our market-based yield curve, adjusted to account for our funding needs and objectives for the period matching the term of the notes. The internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate we would pay when we issue conventional debt securities on equivalent terms. This difference in funding rate, as well as the agent’s commissions, if any, and the estimated cost of hedging our obligations under the notes, reduces the economic terms of the notes to you and is expected to adversely affect the price at which you may be able to sell the notes in any secondary market. The value of the embedded derivative(s) is calculated based on our internal pricing models using relevant parameter inputs such as expected interest rates and mid-market levels of price and volatility of the assets underlying the notes or any futures, options or swaps related to such underlying assets. Our internal pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect.
The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date (as disclosed on the cover of this pricing supplement) is less than the Issue Price of the notes. The difference between the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date is due to the inclusion in the Issue Price of the agent’s commissions, if any, and the cost of hedging our obligations under the notes through one or more of our affiliates. Such hedging cost includes our or our affiliates’ expected cost of providing such hedge, as well as the profit we or our affiliates expect to realize in consideration for assuming the risks inherent in providing such hedge.
The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date does not represent the price at which we or any of our affiliates would be willing to purchase your notes in the secondary market at any time. Assuming no changes in market conditions or our creditworthiness and other relevant factors, the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates would be willing to purchase the notes from you in secondary market transactions, if at all, would generally be lower than both the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date. Our purchase price, if any, in secondary market transactions will be based on the estimated value of the notes determined by reference to (i) the then-prevailing internal funding rate (adjusted by a spread) or another appropriate measure of our cost of funds and (ii) our pricing models at that time, less a bid spread determined after taking into account the size of the repurchase, the nature of the assets underlying the notes and then-prevailing market conditions. The price we report to financial reporting services and to distributors of our notes for use on customer account statements would generally be determined on the same basis. However, during the period of approximately three months beginning from the Trade Date, we or our affiliates may, in our sole discretion, increase the purchase price determined as described above by an amount equal to the declining differential between the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date, prorated over such period on a straight-line basis, for transactions that are individually and in the aggregate of the expected size for ordinary secondary market repurchases.
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Resolution Measures and Deemed Agreement
On May 15, 2014, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted a directive establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms (commonly referred to as the “Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive”). The Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive required each member state of the European Union to adopt and publish by December 31, 2014 the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive. Germany adopted the Recovery and Resolution Act (Sanierungs- und Abwicklungsgesetz, or the “Resolution Act”), which became effective on January 1, 2015. The Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive and the Resolution Act provided national resolution authorities with a set of resolution powers to intervene in the event that a bank is failing or likely to fail and certain other conditions are met. From January 1, 2016, the power to initiate resolution measures applicable to significant banking groups (such as Deutsche Bank Group) in the European Banking Union has been transferred to the European Single Resolution Board which, based on the European Union regulation establishing uniform rules and a uniform procedure for the resolution of credit institutions and certain investment firms in the framework of a Single Resolution Mechanism and a Single Resolution Fund (the “SRM Regulation”), works in close cooperation with the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the national resolution authorities. Pursuant to the SRM Regulation, the Resolution Act and other applicable rules and regulations, the notes may be subject to any Resolution Measure by the competent resolution authority if we become, or are deemed by the competent supervisory authority to have become, “non-viable” (as defined under the then applicable law) and are unable to continue our regulated banking activities without a Resolution Measure becoming applicable to us. By acquiring the notes, you will be bound by and deemed irrevocably to consent to the provisions set forth in the accompanying prospectus, which we have summarized below.
By acquiring the notes, you will be bound by and deemed irrevocably to consent to the imposition of any Resolution Measure by the competent resolution authority. Under the relevant resolution laws and regulations as applicable to us from time to time, the notes may be subject to the powers exercised by the competent resolution authority to: (i) write down, including to zero, any payment (or delivery obligations) on the notes; (ii) convert the notes into ordinary shares of (a) the Issuer, (b) any group entity or (c) any bridge bank or other instruments of ownership of such entities qualifying as common equity tier 1 capital; and/or (iii) apply any other resolution measure including, but not limited to, any transfer of the notes to another entity, the amendment, modification or variation of the terms and conditions of the notes or the cancellation of the notes. We refer to each of these measures as a “Resolution Measure.” A “group entity” refers to an entity that is included in the corporate group subject to a Resolution Measure. A “bridge bank” refers to a newly chartered German bank that would receive some or all of our assets, liabilities and material contracts, including those attributable to our branches and subsidiaries, in a resolution proceeding.
Furthermore, by acquiring the notes, you:
| · | are deemed irrevocably to have agreed, and you will agree: (i) to be bound by, to acknowledge and to accept any Resolution Measure and any amendment, modification or variation of the terms and conditions of the notes to give effect to any Resolution Measure; (ii) that you will have no claim or other right against us arising out of any Resolution Measure; and (iii) that the imposition of any Resolution Measure will not constitute a default or an event of default under the notes, under the senior indenture dated November 22, 2006 among us, Law Debenture Trust Company of New York, as trustee, and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as issuing agent, paying agent, authenticating agent and registrar, as amended and supplemented from time to time (the “Indenture”), or for the purposes of, but only to the fullest extent permitted by, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”); |
| · | waive, to the fullest extent permitted by the Trust Indenture Act and applicable law, any and all claims against the trustee and the paying agent, the issuing agent and the registrar (each, an “indenture agent”) for, agree not to initiate a suit against the trustee or the indenture agents in respect of, and agree that the trustee and the indenture agents will not be liable for, any action that the trustee or the indenture agents take, or abstain from taking, in either case in accordance with the imposition of a Resolution Measure by the competent resolution authority with respect to the notes; and |
| · | will be deemed irrevocably to have: (i) consented to the imposition of any Resolution Measure as it may be imposed without any prior notice by the competent resolution authority of its decision to exercise such power with respect to the notes; (ii) authorized, directed and requested The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) and any direct participant in DTC or other intermediary through which you hold such notes to take any and all necessary action, if required, to implement the imposition of any Resolution Measure with respect to the notes as it may be imposed, without any further action or direction on your part or on the part |
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of the trustee or the indenture agents; and (iii) acknowledged and accepted that the Resolution Measure provisions described herein and in the “Resolution Measures” section of the accompanying prospectus are exhaustive on the matters described herein and therein to the exclusion of any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between you and the Issuer relating to the terms and conditions of the notes.
This is only a summary, for more information please see the accompanying prospectus dated April 27, 2016, including the risk factors beginning on page 13 of such prospectus.
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Additional Terms Specific to the Notes
You should read this pricing supplement together with underlying supplement No. 1 dated August 17, 2015, product supplement C dated July 31, 2015, the prospectus supplement dated July 31, 2015 relating to our Series A global notes of which these notes are a part and the prospectus dated April 27, 2016. Delaware Trust Company, which acquired the corporate trust business of Law Debenture Trust Company of New York, is the successor trustee of the notes. When you read the accompanying underlying supplement, product supplement and prospectus supplement, please note that all references in such supplements to the prospectus dated July 31, 2015, or to any sections therein, should refer instead to the accompanying prospectus dated April 27, 2016 or to the corresponding sections of such prospectus, as applicable, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires. You may access these documents on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at.www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):
| · | Underlying supplement No. 1 dated August 17, 2015: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159508/000095010315006546/crt_dp58829-424b2.pdf
| · | Product supplement C dated July 31, 2015: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159508/000095010315006068/dp58317_424b2-psc.htm
| · | Prospectus supplement dated July 31, 2015: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159508/000095010315006048/crt-dp58161_424b2.pdf
| · | Prospectus dated April 27, 2016: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159508/000119312516559607/d181910d424b21.pdf
Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC website is 0001159508. As used in this pricing supplement, “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Deutsche Bank AG, including, as the context requires, acting through one of its branches.
This pricing supplement, together with the documents listed above, contains the terms of the notes and supersedes all other prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, brochures or other educational materials of ours. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters set forth in this pricing supplement and in “Risk Factors” in the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus, as the notes involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers before deciding to invest in the notes.
You may revoke your offer to purchase the notes at any time prior to the time at which we accept such offer by notifying the applicable agent. We reserve the right to change the terms of, or reject any offer to purchase, the notes prior to their issuance. We will notify you in the event of any changes to the terms of the notes and you will be asked to accept such changes in connection with your purchase of any notes. You may choose to reject such changes, in which case we may reject your offer to purchase the notes.
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Hypothetical Examples
The following table illustrates a range of hypothetical payments at maturity on the notes. The table and the hypothetical examples below reflect the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10. The actual Initial Level will be determined on the Trade Date. The table and hypothetical examples set forth below are for illustrative purposes only. The actual return applicable to a purchaser of the notes will be based on whether the Final Level is greater than, equal to or less than the Initial Level and the Underlying Return. The numbers appearing in the table and examples below may have been rounded for ease of analysis. You should consider carefully whether the notes are suitable to your investment goals.
| Hypothetical Underlying Return (%) | Hypothetical Payment at Maturity ($) | Hypothetical Return on the Notes (%) |
| 100.00% | $1,964.10 | 96.41% |
| 90.00% | $1,864.10 | 86.41% |
| 80.00% | $1,764.10 | 76.41% |
| 70.00% | $1,664.10 | 66.41% |
| 60.00% | $1,564.10 | 56.41% |
| 50.00% | $1,464.10 | 46.41% |
| 40.00% | $1,364.10 | 36.41% |
| 30.00% | $1,264.10 | 26.41% |
| 20.00% | $1,164.10 | 16.41% |
| 10.00% | $1,064.10 | 6.41% |
| 5.00% | $1,014.10 | 1.41% |
| 3.59% | $1,000.00 | 0.00% |
| 2.00% | $984.10 | -1.59% |
| 0.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -5.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -10.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -20.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -30.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -40.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -50.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -60.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -70.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -80.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -90.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
| -100.00% | $964.10 | -3.59% |
Hypothetical Examples of Amounts Payable at Maturity
The following hypothetical examples illustrate how the payments on the notes at maturity set forth in the table above are calculated.
Example 1: The Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, resulting in an Underlying Return of 30.00%. Because the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, the investor receives a Payment at Maturity of $1,264.10 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes, calculated as follows:
Minimum Payment Amount + ($1,000 x Underlying Return)
$964.10 + ($1,000 x 30.00%) = $1,264.10
Example 2: The Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, resulting in an Underlying Return of 2.00%. Even though the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, because the Underlying Return is only 2.00%, the investor receives a Payment at Maturity of $984.10 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes, calculated as follows:
Minimum Payment Amount + ($1,000 x Underlying Return)
$964.10 + ($1,000 x 2.00%) = $984.10
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Example 3: The Final Level is less than the Initial Level. Because the Final Level is less than the Initial Level, the investor receives only a Payment at Maturity equal to the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes.
Selected Purchase Considerations
| · | UNCAPPED APPRECIATION POTENTIAL — The notes provide the opportunity to participate in any increase in the level of the Underlying at maturity on an unleveraged basis. If the Final level is greater than the Initial Level, you will receive a cash payment per $1,000 Face Amount of notes at maturity equal to the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10 plus an amount equal to the Face Amount multiplied by the Underlying Return. Any payment on the notes is subject to our ability to satisfy our obligations as they become due. |
| · | PARTIAL PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL AT MATURITY — You will receive at maturity at least the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes regardless of the performance of the Underlying. Because the Minimum Payment Amount is less than the Face Amount, you should be willing to lose up to 3.59% of the Face Amount if the Final Level is less than 103.59% of the Initial Level. |
| · | RETURN LINKED TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM — The return on the notes is linked to the performance of the Bloomberg Commodity Index. The Bloomberg Commodity Index is composed of futures contracts (the “Index Constituents”) on 22 physical commodities and is designed to be a benchmark for commodities as an asset class. Because futures contracts specify a certain date for delivery of the underlying commodity, the futures contracts composing the Underlying will change over time, as expiring contracts are replaced by contracts with later expiration dates. Consequently, the Underlying reflects the return of the futures contracts included in the Underlying and also the positive or negative impact of “rolling” hypothetical positions in such contracts forward as they approach delivery. The component weightings of the Underlying are determined primarily based on liquidity data, or the relative amount of trading activity of a particular commodity, and dollar-adjusted production data. The component weightings are also determined by several rules designed to insure diversified commodity exposure. For more information on the Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM, including information concerning its composition, calculation methodology and adjustment policy, please see the section entitled “The Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM” in the accompanying underlying supplement No. 1 dated August 17, 2015. |
| · | TREATED AS CONTINGENT PAYMENT DEBT INSTRUMENTS – Notwithstanding that the notes do not provide for the full repayment of their principal amount at or prior to maturity, in the opinion of our special tax counsel, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, the notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as “contingent payment debt instruments,” with the tax consequences described under “—CPDI Securities,” on page 56 of the accompanying product supplement. Under this treatment, regardless of your method of tax accounting, you will be required to accrue interest in each year on a constant yield to maturity basis at the “comparable yield,” as determined by us, although we will not make any payment on the notes until maturity. Any income recognized upon a taxable disposition of the notes generally will be treated as interest income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
We will indicate how you may contact us to obtain the comparable yield and the projected payment schedule in the final pricing supplement. Neither the comparable yield nor the projected payment schedule constitutes a representation by us regarding the actual amount that we will pay on a note.
The discussions above and in the accompanying prospectus supplement do not address the consequences to taxpayers subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b).
Withholding under legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA” may apply to amounts treated as interest paid with respect to the notes, as well as to payments of gross proceeds of a taxable disposition, including redemption at maturity, of a note, unless certain reporting and due diligence requirements have been satisfied. However, under a recent IRS notice, this regime will not apply to payments of gross proceeds (other than any amount treated as interest) with respect to dispositions occurring before January 1, 2019. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the potential application of FATCA to the notes.
You should review carefully the section of the accompanying product supplement entitled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.” The preceding discussion, when read in combination with that section, constitutes the full opinion of our special tax counsel regarding the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of the notes.
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Under current law, the United Kingdom will not impose withholding tax on payments made with respect to the notes.
For a discussion of certain German tax considerations relating to the notes, you should refer to the section in the accompanying prospectus supplement entitled “Taxation by Germany of Non-Resident Holders.”
You should consult your tax adviser concerning the application of U.S. federal income tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdictions.
Selected Risk Considerations
An investment in the notes involves significant risks. Investing in the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the futures contracts composing the Underlying. In addition to these selected risk considerations, you should review the “Risk Factors” sections of the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus.
| · | THE NOTES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE REPAYMENT OF THE FULL FACE AMOUNT AT MATURITY —The notes do not guarantee the repayment of the full Face Amount at Maturity. If the Final Level is less than the Initial Level, you will receive only a cash payment at maturity per $1,000 Face Amount of notes equal to the Minimum Payment Amount of $964.10. In this circumstance, you will lose 3.59% of the Face Amount. Even if the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, because the Minimum Payment Amount is less than the Face Amount, you will lose some of your investment unless the Final Level is equal to or greater than 103.59% of the Initial Level. Any payment on the notes is subject to our ability to satisfy our obligations as they become due. |
| · | Your return on the notes will be less than the Underlying Return even if the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level – The notes provide the opportunity to participate in any increase in the level of the Underlying at maturity on an unleveraged basis. However, even if the Final Level is greater than the Initial Level, because the Minimum Payment Amount is less than the Face Amount by 3.59%, your return on the notes will be less than the Underlying Return by 3.59%. As a result, you will not receive a positive return on the notes unless the Underlying Return is greater than 3.59%. |
| · | THE NOTES DO NOT PAY ANY INTEREST — Unlike ordinary debt securities, the notes do not pay any interest. |
| · | THE NOTES ARE SUBJECT TO THE CREDIT OF DEUTSCHE BANK AG — The notes are senior unsecured obligations of Deutsche Bank AG and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Any payment(s) to be made on the notes depends on the ability of Deutsche Bank AG to satisfy its obligations as they become due. An actual or anticipated downgrade in Deutsche Bank AG’s credit rating or increase in the credit spreads charged by the market for taking Deutsche Bank AG’s credit risk will likely have an adverse effect on the value of the notes. As a result, the actual and perceived creditworthiness of Deutsche Bank AG will affect the value of the notes and, in the event Deutsche Bank AG were to default on its obligations or become subject to a Resolution Measure, you might not receive any amount(s) owed to you under the terms of the notes and you could lose your entire investment. |
| · | The Notes May Be Written Down, Be Converted Into Ordinary Shares or Other Instruments of Ownership or Become Subject to Other Resolution Measures. You May Lose Some or All of Your Investment If Any Such Measure Becomes Applicable to US — Pursuant to the SRM Regulation, the Resolution Act and other applicable rules and regulations described above under “Resolution Measures and Deemed Agreement,” the notes are subject to the powers exercised by the competent resolution authority to impose Resolution Measures on us, which may include: writing down, including to zero, any claim for payment on the notes; converting the notes into ordinary shares of (i) the Issuer, (ii) any group entity or (iii) any bridge bank or other instruments of ownership of such entities qualifying as common equity tier 1 capital; or applying any other resolution measure including, but not limited to, transferring the notes to another entity, amending, modifying or varying the terms and conditions of the notes or cancelling the notes. The competent resolution authority may apply Resolution Measures individually or in any combination. |
The German law on the mechanism for the resolution of banks of November 2, 2015 (Abwicklungsmechanismusgesetz, or the “Resolution Mechanism Act”) provides that, in a German insolvency proceeding of the Issuer, certain specifically defined senior unsecured debt instruments would rank junior to, without constituting subordinated debt, all other outstanding unsecured unsubordinated obligations of the Issuer and be satisfied only if all such other senior unsecured obligations of the Issuer
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have been paid in full. This prioritization would also be given effect if Resolution Measures are imposed on the Issuer, so that obligations under debt instruments that rank junior in insolvency as described above would be written down or converted into common equity tier 1 instruments before any other senior unsecured obligations of the Issuer are written down or converted. A large portion of our liabilities consist of senior unsecured obligations that either fall outside the statutory definition of debt instruments that rank junior to other senior unsecured obligations according to the Resolution Mechanism Act or are expressly exempted from such definition.
Among those unsecured unsubordinated obligations that are expressly exempted are money market instruments and senior unsecured debt instruments whose terms provide that (i) the repayment or the amount of the repayment depends on the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event which is uncertain at the point in time when the senior unsecured debt instruments are issued or is settled in a way other than by monetary payment, or (ii) the payment of interest or the amount of the interest payments depends on the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event which is uncertain at the point in time when the senior unsecured debt instruments are issued unless the payment of interest or the amount of the interest payments solely depends on a fixed or floating reference interest rate and is settled by monetary payment. This order of priority introduced by the Resolution Mechanism Act would apply in German insolvency proceedings instituted, or when Resolution Measures are imposed, on or after January 1, 2017 with effect for debt instruments of the Issuer outstanding at that time. In a German insolvency proceeding or in the event of the imposition of Resolution Measures with respect to the Issuer, the competent regulatory authority or court would determine which of our senior debt securities issued under the prospectus have the terms described in clauses (i) or (ii) above, referred to herein as the “Structured Debt Securities,” and which do not, referred to herein as the “Non-Structured Debt Securities.” We expect the notes offered herein to be classified as Structured Debt Securities, but the competent regulatory authority or court may classify the notes differently. In a German insolvency proceeding or in the event of the imposition of Resolution Measures with respect to the Issuer, the Structured Debt Securities are expected to be among the unsecured unsubordinated obligations that would bear losses after the Non-Structured Debt Securities as described above. Nevertheless, you may lose some or all of your investment in the notes if a Resolution Measure becomes applicable to us. Imposition of a Resolution Measure would likely occur if we become, or are deemed by the competent supervisory authority to have become, “non-viable” (as defined under the then applicable law) and are unable to continue our regulated banking activities without a Resolution Measure becoming applicable to us. The Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive and the Resolution Act are intended to eliminate the need for public support of troubled banks, and you should be aware that public support, if any, would only potentially be used by the competent supervisory authority as a last resort after having assessed and exploited, to the maximum extent practicable, the resolution tools, including the bail-in tool.
By acquiring the notes, you would have no claim or other right against us arising out of any Resolution Measure and we would have no obligation to make payments under the notes following the imposition of a Resolution Measure. In particular, the imposition of any Resolution Measure will not constitute a default or an event of default under the notes, under the Indenture or for the purposes of, but only to the fullest extent permitted by, the Trust Indenture Act. Furthermore, because the notes are subject to any Resolution Measure, secondary market trading in the notes may not follow the trading behavior associated with similar types of securities issued by other financial institutions which may be or have been subject to a Resolution Measure.
In addition, by your acquisition of the notes, you waive, to the fullest extent permitted by the Trust Indenture Act and applicable law, any and all claims against the trustee and the indenture agents for, agree not to initiate a suit against the trustee or the indenture agents in respect of, and agree that the trustee and the indenture agents will not be liable for, any action that the trustee or the indenture agents take, or abstain from taking, in either case in accordance with the imposition of a Resolution Measure by the competent resolution authority with respect to the notes. Accordingly, you may have limited or circumscribed rights to challenge any decision of the competent resolution authority to impose any Resolution Measure.
| · | THE ISSUER’S ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE NOTES ON THE TRADE DATE WILL BE LESS THAN THE ISSUE PRICE OF THE NOTES — The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date (as disclosed on the cover of this pricing supplement) is less than the Issue Price of the notes. The difference between the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date is due to the inclusion in the Issue Price of the agent’s commissions, if any, and the cost of hedging our obligations under the notes through one or more of our affiliates. Such hedging cost includes our or our affiliates’ expected cost of providing such hedge, as well as the profit we or our affiliates expect to realize in consideration for assuming the risks inherent in providing such hedge. The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes is determined by reference to an internal |
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funding rate and our pricing models. The internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate we would pay when we issue conventional debt securities on equivalent terms. This difference in funding rate, as well as the agent’s commissions, if any, and the estimated cost of hedging our obligations under the notes, reduces the economic terms of the notes to you and is expected to adversely affect the price at which you may be able to sell the notes in any secondary market. In addition, our internal pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. If at any time a third party dealer were to quote a price to purchase your notes or otherwise value your notes, that price or value may differ materially from the estimated value of the notes determined by reference to our internal funding rate and pricing models. This difference is due to, among other things, any difference in funding rates, pricing models or assumptions used by any dealer who may purchase the notes in the secondary market.
| · | INVESTING IN THE NOTES IS NOT THE SAME AS INVESTING IN THE FUTURES CONTRACTS COMPOSING THE UNDERLYING — The return on your notes may not reflect the return you would have realized if you had directly invested in the futures contracts composing the Underlying. |
| · | IF THE LEVEL OF THE UNDERLYING CHANGES, THE VALUE OF YOUR NOTES MAY NOT CHANGE IN THE SAME MANNER — Your notes may trade quite differently from the level of the Underlying. Changes in the level of the Underlying may not result in comparable changes in the value of your notes. |
| · | YOU WILL HAVE NO RIGHTS IN EXCHANGE-TRADED FUTURES CONTRACTS COMPOSING THE UNDERLYING — As a holder of the notes, you will not have any rights that holders of exchange-traded futures contracts composing the Underlying may have. |
| · | A COMMODITY HEDGING DISRUPTION EVENT MAY RESULT IN ACCELERATION OF THE NOTES — If a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event occurs, we will have the right to accelerate the payment on your notes prior to maturity. The amount due and payable on the notes upon such early acceleration will be determined in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner by the calculation agent. If the payment on your notes is accelerated, your investment may result in a loss and you may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in a comparable investment. |
| · | COMMODITY FUTURES CONTRACTS ARE SUBJECT TO UNCERTAIN LEGAL AND REGULATORY REGIMES, WHICH MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT THE LEVEL OF THE UNDERLYING AND THE VALUE OF THE NOTES — Commodity futures contracts that may compose the Underlying are subject to legal and regulatory regimes in the United States and, in some cases, in other countries that may change in ways that could adversely affect our ability to hedge our obligations under the notes and affect the level of the Underlying. The effect on the value of the notes of any future regulatory change is impossible to predict, but could be substantial and adverse to your interest. For example, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was enacted on July 21, 2010, provided the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with additional authority to establish limits on the amount of positions that may be held by any person in commodity futures contracts, options on such futures contracts and swaps that are economically equivalent to such contracts. While the effects of these or other regulatory developments are difficult to predict when adopted, such rules may have the effect of making the markets for commodities, commodity futures contracts, options on such futures contracts and other related derivatives more volatile and over time potentially less liquid. The implementation of such rules may lead to a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event or may increase the likelihood that a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event will occur during the term of the notes. If a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event does occur, we may, in our sole and absolute discretion, accelerate the payment on your notes early and pay you an amount determined in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner by the calculation agent. If the payment on your notes is accelerated, your investment may result in a loss and you may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in a comparable investment. Such rules may also force market participants, including us and our affiliates, or such market participants may decide, to sell their positions in such futures contracts and other instruments subject to such limits. If this broad market selling were to occur, it would likely lead to declines, possibly significant declines, in the level of the Underlying or the prices of such futures contracts composing the Underlying and, therefore, the value of the notes. |
| · | There is no assurance that the methodology of the Underlying will result in the Underlying accurately reflecting the market performance of futures contracts represented by or included in the Underlying — The methodology and criteria used to determine the composition of the Underlying, the weights of the Index Constituents, and the calculation of the level of the Underlying are designed to enable the Underlying to serve as a measure of the performance of the commodities markets. It |
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is possible that the methodology and criteria of the Underlying will not accurately reflect the performance of these commodities and that the trading of, or investments in, products based on or related to the Underlying, such as the notes, will not correlate with that performance.
| · | The UNDERLYING tracks commodity futures contracts and does not track the spot prices of the commodities represented by the UNDERLYING — The Underlying is composed of exchange-traded futures contracts. Unlike equities, which typically entitle the holder to a continuing stake in a corporation, a commodity futures contract is typically an agreement to buy a set amount of an underlying physical commodity at a predetermined price during a stated delivery period. A futures contract reflects the expected value of the underlying physical commodity upon delivery in the future. In contrast, the underlying physical commodity’s current or “spot” price reflects the immediate delivery value of the commodity. |
The notes are linked to the Underlying and not to the spot prices of the commodities represented by the Underlying. An investment in the notes is not the same as buying and holding the commodities represented by the Underlying. While price movements in the commodities represented by the Underlying may correlate with changes in the spot prices of the commodities represented by the Underlying, the correlation will not be perfect and price movements in the spot markets for the commodities represented by the Underlying may not be reflected in the futures market (and vice versa). Accordingly, an increase in the spot prices of the commodities represented by the Underlying may not result in an increase in the prices of the commodities represented by the Underlying or the level of the Underlying. The prices of the commodities represented by the Underlying and the level of the Underlying may decrease while the spot prices for the commodities represented by the Underlying remain stable or increase, or do not decrease to the same extent.
| · | UNDERLYING CALCULATION DISRUPTION EVENTS MAY REQUIRE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE CALCULATION OF THE UNDERLYING — At any time during the term of the notes, the daily calculation of the Underlying may be adjusted in the event that the sponsor of the Underlying (“Index Sponsor”) determines that any of the following index calculation disruption events exists: the termination or suspension of, or material limitation or disruption in the trading of any futures contract used in the calculation of the Underlying on that day; the settlement price of any futures contract used in the calculation of the Underlying reflects the maximum permitted price change from the previous day’s settlement price; the failure of an exchange to publish official settlement prices for any futures contract used in the calculation of the Underlying; or, with respect to any futures contract used in the calculation of the Underlying that trades on the London Metal Exchange (the “LME”), a business day on which the LME is not open for trading. Any such index calculation disruption events may have an adverse impact on the level of the Underlying or the manner in which it is calculated. Please see the section entitled “The Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM” in the accompanying underlying supplement No. 1 dated August 17, 2015. |
| · | THE INDEX SPONSOR MAY BE REQUIRED TO REPLACE A DESIGNATED CONTRACT IF THE EXISTING FUTURES CONTRACT IS TERMINATED OR REPLACED — One or more futures contracts known as designated contracts have been selected as the reference contracts for each underlying physical commodity. See “The Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM — Designated Contracts for each Index Commodity” in the accompanying underlying supplement No. 1 dated August 17, 2015. Data concerning each designated contract will be used to calculate the Underlying. The termination or replacement of a futures contract on an established exchange occurs infrequently; if a designated contract were to be terminated or replaced by an exchange, a comparable futures contract, if available, would be selected by a supervisory committee appointed by the Index Sponsor to replace that designated contract. The termination or replacement of any designated contract may have an adverse impact on the level of the Underlying. |
| · | CHANGES THAT AFFECT THE CALCULATION OF THE UNDERLYING MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT THE VALUE OF THE NOTES AND THE AMOUNT YOU WILL RECEIVE AT MATURITY — The policies of the Index Sponsor concerning the methodology and calculation of the Underlying, additions, deletions or substitutions of the commodities included in the Underlying or exchange-traded futures contracts on the commodities included in the Underlying could affect the level of the Underlying, which could adversely affect the amount payable on the notes at maturity and the value of the notes prior to maturity. The amount payable on the notes and their value could also be adversely affected if the Index Sponsor, in its sole discretion, changes these policies, for example, by changing the methodology for compiling and calculating the Underlying, or if the Index Sponsor discontinues or suspends calculation or publication of the Underlying, in which case it may become difficult to determine the value of the notes. If events such as these occur, or if the level of the Underlying is not available because of a market disruption event or for any other reason, the calculation agent will make a |
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good faith estimate in its sole discretion of the level of the Underlying that would have prevailed in the absence of the market disruption event.
| · | THE CORRELATION AMONG THE INDEX CONSTITUENTS COULD CHANGE UNPREDICTABLY — Correlation is the extent to which the values of the Index Constituents increase or decrease to the same degree at the same time. If the correlation among the Index Constituents changes, the value of the notes may be adversely affected. |
| · | THE ABSENCE OF BACKWARDATION OR PRESENCE OF CONTANGO IN THE MARKETS FOR FUTURES CONTRACTS INCLUDED IN THE UNDERLYING WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT THE LEVEL OF THE UNDERLYING — As the futures contracts included in the Underlying near expiration, they are replaced by contracts that have a later expiration. Thus, for example, a contract purchased and held in December may specify a January expiration. As that contract nears expiration, it may be replaced by selling the January contract and purchasing the contract expiring in March. This process is referred to as “rolling.” Historically, with respect to some futures contracts, the prices have frequently been higher for contracts with shorter-term expirations than for contracts with longer-term expirations, which is referred to as “backwardation.” In these circumstances, absent other factors, the sale of the January contract would take place at a price that is higher than the price at which the March contract is purchased, thereby creating a gain in connection with rolling. While certain futures contracts included in the Underlying have historically exhibited consistent periods of backwardation, backwardation will likely not exist in these markets at all times. The absence of backwardation in the markets for these futures contracts will adversely affect the level of the Underlying and, accordingly, decrease the value of your notes. Conversely, some futures contracts included in the Underlying have historically exhibited “contango” markets rather than backwardation. Contango markets are those in which the prices of contracts are higher in the distant delivery months than in the nearer delivery months due to the costs of long-term storage of a physical commodity prior to delivery or other factors. The presence of contango in the markets for these futures contracts will adversely affect the level of the Underlying and, accordingly, decrease the value of your notes. |
| · | The return on your investment could be significantly less than the performance of the Underlying or certain components of the underlying — The return on your investment in the notes could be significantly less than the return on an alternative investment with similar risk characteristics, even if some of the futures contracts reflected in the Underlying, or the commodities underlying such futures contracts, have generated significant returns. The levels of such futures contracts and such commodities may move in different directions at different times compared to each other, and underperformance by one or more of the futures contracts included in the Underlying may reduce the performance of the Underlying as a whole. |
| · | THE PRICES OF COMMODITIES AND COMMODITY FUTURES CONTRACTS ARE HIGHLY VOLATILE AND MAY CHANGE UNPREDICTABLY — Market prices of commodities and commodity futures contracts are highly volatile and, in many sectors, have experienced unprecedented historical volatility in the past few years. Market prices of commodities and commodity futures contracts may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships; weather; trends in agriculture; trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; disease, pestilence and technological developments; changes in interest rates, whether through governmental action or market movements; currency exchange rates; volatility from speculative activities; the development, availability and/or decrease in the price of substitutes; monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction; macroeconomic or geopolitical and military events, including political instability in some oil-producing countries or other countries in which the production of particular commodities may be concentrated; and natural or nuclear disasters. These factors may adversely affect the values of the related futures contracts composing the Underlying and, as a result, the level of the Underlying, the value of the notes, and any payments you may receive in respect of the notes. |
| · | THE MARKETS FOR THE UNDERLYING COMMODITIES SUFFER FROM SYSTEMIC RISKS — Changes in supply and demand can have significant effects on the prices of the underlying commodities and their futures contracts. In addition, the underlying commodities tend to be exposed to the risk of fluctuations in currency exchange rates, volatility from speculative activities and the risk that substitutes for the underlying commodities in their common uses will become more widely available or comparatively less expensive, which can affect the value of the futures contracts on the underlying commodities. If one of these events were to cause a decrease in the price of one or more of the futures contracts included in the Underlying, the level of the Underlying and the value of the notes would be adversely affected. |
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| · | THE COMMODITY PRICES REFLECTED IN THE UNDERLYING ARE SUBJECT TO EMERGING MARKETS’ POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RISKS — The commodities included in the Underlying may be produced in emerging market countries that are more exposed to the risk of swift political change and economic downturns than their industrialized counterparts. Indeed, in recent years, some emerging market nations have undergone significant political, economic and social upheaval. In such cases, far-reaching changes have resulted in constitutional and social tensions and in such cases, instability and reaction against market reforms have occurred. With respect to any emerging market nation, there is the possibility of nationalization, appropriation or confiscation, political changes, government regulation and social instability. Future political instability may adversely affect the economic conditions of an emerging market nation. Political or economic instability is likely to adversely affect the level of the Underlying and, potentially, the return on your investment and the value of the notes. |
| · | THE LONDON METAL EXCHANGE DOES NOT HAVE DAILY PRICE LIMITS — The official cash offer prices of certain futures contracts on exchange-traded physical commodities included in the Underlying are determined by reference to the per unit U.S. dollar cash offer prices of contracts traded on the LME. The LME is a principals’ market that operates in a manner more closely analogous to the over-the-counter physical commodity markets than regulated futures markets. For example, there are no daily price limits on the LME, which would otherwise restrict the extent of daily fluctuations in the prices of LME contracts. In a declining market, therefore, it is possible that prices would continue to decline without limitation within a particular day or over a period of days. In addition, a contract may be entered into on the LME calling for delivery on any day from one day to three months following the date of such contract and for monthly delivery in any of the next 16 to 24 months (depending on the commodity) following such third month, in contrast to trading on futures exchanges, which call for delivery in stated delivery months. As a result, there may be a greater risk of a concentration of positions in LME contracts on particular delivery dates, which in turn could cause temporary aberrations in the prices of LME contracts for certain delivery dates. If such aberrations occur on the relevant Final Valuation Date, the per unit U.S. dollar cash offer prices used to determine the official cash offer prices of certain futures contracts on exchange-traded physical commodities included in the Underlying could be adversely affected, which will have an adverse effect on the Redemption Amount. |
| · | The Underlying may in the future include contracts that are not currently included in the Underlying or contracts that are not traded on regulated futures exchanges — The Underlying was originally based solely on futures contracts traded on regulated futures exchanges (referred to in the United States as “designated contract markets”). At present, the Underlying is comprised exclusively of regulated futures contracts. However, the Underlying may in the future include over-the-counter contracts (such as swaps and forward contracts) traded on trading facilities that are subject to lesser degrees of regulation or, in some cases, no substantive regulation. As a result, trading in such contracts and the manner in which prices and volumes are reported by the relevant trading facilities may not be subject to the provisions of and the protections afforded by the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act or other applicable statutes and related regulations that govern trading on regulated U.S. futures exchanges or similar statutes and regulations that govern trading on regulated U.K. futures exchanges. In addition, many electronic trading facilities have only recently initiated trading and do not have significant trading histories. As a result, the trading of contracts on such facilities and the inclusion of such contracts in the Underlying may be subject to certain risks not presented by U.S. or U.K. exchange-traded futures contracts, including risks related to the liquidity and price histories of the relevant contracts. |
| · | IF THE LIQUIDITY OF THE INDEX CONSTITUENTS IS LIMITED, THE VALUE OF THE NOTES WILL LIKELY BE IMPAIRED AND THIS COULD RESULT IN POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST — Commodities and derivatives contracts on commodities may be difficult to buy or sell, particularly during adverse market conditions. Reduced liquidity of the Index Constituents on the Final Valuation Date would likely have an adverse effect on the level of the Underlying and, therefore, on the return on your notes. Limited liquidity relating to the Index Constituents may also result in the Index Sponsor being unable to determine the level of the Underlying using its normal means. Any resulting discretion by the calculation agent in determining the Final Level could adversely affect the value of the notes which, in turn, could result in potential conflicts of interest. |
| · | Suspension or Disruptions of Market Trading in CommoditY and Related Futures MARKETS May Adversely Affect the Value of the notes — The commodity futures markets are subject to temporary distortions or other disruptions due to various factors, including the lack of liquidity in the markets, the participation of speculators and government regulation and intervention. In addition, U.S. futures exchanges and some foreign exchanges have regulations that limit the amount of fluctuation in some futures contract |
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prices that may occur during a single business day. These limits are generally referred to as “daily price fluctuation limits” and the maximum or minimum price of a contract on any given day as a result of these limits is referred to as a “limit price.” Once the limit price has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond the limit, or trading may be limited for a set period of time. Limit prices have the effect of precluding trading in a particular contract or forcing the liquidation of contracts at potentially disadvantageous times or prices. These circumstances could adversely affect the level of the Underlying and, therefore, the value of the notes.
| · | PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE UNDERLYING IS NO GUIDE TO FUTURE PERFORMANCE — The actual performance of the Underlying over the term of the notes may bear little relation to the historical closing levels of the Underlying and/or the hypothetical examples set forth elsewhere in this pricing supplement. We cannot predict the future performance of the Underlying or whether the performance of the Underlying will result in the return of any of your investment. |
| · | ASSUMING NO CHANGES IN MARKET CONDITIONS AND OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS, THE PRICE YOU MAY RECEIVE FOR YOUR NOTES IN SECONDARY MARKET TRANSACTIONS WOULD GENERALLY BE LOWER THAN BOTH THE ISSUE PRICE AND THE ISSUER’S ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE NOTES ON THE TRADE DATE — While the payment(s) on the notes described in this pricing supplement is based on the full Face Amount of notes, the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date (as disclosed on the cover of this pricing supplement) is less than the Issue Price of the notes. The Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date does not represent the price at which we or any of our affiliates would be willing to purchase your notes in the secondary market at any time. Assuming no changes in market conditions or our creditworthiness and other relevant factors, the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates would be willing to purchase the notes from you in secondary market transactions, if at all, would generally be lower than both the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date. Our purchase price, if any, in secondary market transactions would be based on the estimated value of the notes determined by reference to (i) the then-prevailing internal funding rate (adjusted by a spread) or another appropriate measure of our cost of funds and (ii) our pricing models at that time, less a bid spread determined after taking into account the size of the repurchase, the nature of the assets underlying the notes and then-prevailing market conditions. The price we report to financial reporting services and to distributors of our notes for use on customer account statements would generally be determined on the same basis. However, during the period of approximately three months beginning from the Trade Date, we or our affiliates may, in our sole discretion, increase the purchase price determined as described above by an amount equal to the declining differential between the Issue Price and the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date, prorated over such period on a straight-line basis, for transactions that are individually and in the aggregate of the expected size for ordinary secondary market repurchases. |
In addition to the factors discussed above, the value of the notes and our purchase price in secondary market transactions after the Trade Date, if any, will vary based on many economic and market factors, including our creditworthiness, and cannot be predicted with accuracy. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive in any secondary market transactions. Any sale prior to the Maturity Date could result in a substantial loss to you. The notes are not designed to be short-term trading instruments. Accordingly, you should be able and willing to hold your notes to maturity.
| · | THE NOTES WILL NOT BE LISTED AND THERE WILL LIKELY BE LIMITED LIQUIDITY — The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. There may be little or no secondary market for the notes. We or our affiliates intend to act as market makers for the notes but are not required to do so and may cease such market making activities at any time. Even if there is a secondary market, it may not provide enough liquidity to allow you to sell the notes when you wish to do so or at a price advantageous to you. Because we do not expect other dealers to make a secondary market for the notes, the price at which you may be able to sell your notes is likely to depend on the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates are willing to buy the notes. If, at any time, we or our affiliates do not act as market makers, it is likely that there would be little or no secondary market in the notes. If you have to sell your notes prior to maturity, you may not be able to do so or you may have to sell them at a substantial loss, even in cases where the level of the Underlying has increased since the Trade Date. |
| · | MANY ECONOMIC AND MARKET FACTORS WILL AFFECT THE VALUE OF THE NOTES — While we expect that, generally, the level of the Underlying will affect the value of the notes more than any other single factor, the value of the notes prior to maturity will also be affected by a number of other factors that may either offset or magnify each other, including: |
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| o | the expected volatility of the Underlying; |
| o | the time remaining to the maturity of the notes; |
| o | trends of supply and demand for the commodities underlying the Underlying |
| o | the volatility of, and correlation among, the prices of the Index Constituents; |
| o | the composition of the Underlying; |
| o | interest rates and yields in the markets generally; |
| o | geopolitical conditions and economic, financial, political, regulatory or judicial events that affect the Index Constituents or commodities markets generally; |
| o | supply and demand for the notes; and |
| o | our creditworthiness, including actual or anticipated downgrades in our credit ratings. |
During the term of the notes, it is possible that their value may decline significantly due to the factors described above even if the level of the Underlying remains unchanged from the Initial Level, and any sale prior to the Maturity Date could result in a substantial loss to you. You must hold the notes to maturity to receive the stated payout from the Issuer.
| · | TRADING AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS BY US, JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. OR OUR OR ITS AFFILIATES IN THE COMMODITIES AND COMMODITY DERIVATIVE MARKETS MAY IMPAIR THE VALUE OF THE NOTES — We or our affiliates expect to hedge our exposure from the notes by entering into commodity derivative transactions, such as over-the-counter options, futures or exchange-traded instruments. We, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates may also engage in trading in instruments linked or related to the Underlying on a regular basis as part of our or their general broker-dealer and other businesses, for proprietary accounts, for other accounts under management or to facilitate transactions for customers, including block transactions. Such trading and hedging activities may adversely affect the prices of the Index Constituents and/or the level of the Underlying and, therefore, make it less likely that you will receive a positive return on your investment in the notes. It is possible that we, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates could receive substantial returns from these hedging and trading activities while the value of the notes declines. We, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates may also issue or underwrite other securities or financial or derivative instruments with returns linked or related to commodity prices. To the extent that we, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates serve as issuer, agent or underwriter for such securities or financial or derivative instruments, our, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s or our or its affiliates’ interests with respect to such products may be adverse to those of the holders of the notes. Introducing competing products into the marketplace in this manner could adversely affect the level of the Underlying and the value of the notes. Any of the foregoing activities described in this paragraph may reflect trading strategies that differ from, or are in direct opposition to, investors’ trading and investment strategies related to the notes. |
| · | WE, JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. OR OUR OR ITS AFFILIATES MAY PUBLISH RESEARCH, EXPRESS OPINIONS OR PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE INCONSISTENT WITH INVESTING IN OR HOLDING THE NOTES. ANY SUCH RESEARCH, OPINIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE LEVEL OF THE UNDERLYING AND THE VALUE OF THE NOTES — We, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates may publish research from time to time on financial markets and other matters that could adversely affect the level of the Underlying and the value of the notes or express opinions or provide recommendations that are inconsistent with purchasing or holding the notes. Any research, opinions or recommendations expressed by us, JPMorgan Chase & Co. or our or its affiliates may not be consistent with each other and may be modified from time to time without notice. You should make your own independent investigation of the merits of investing in the notes and the Underlying. |
| · | POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST — We and our affiliates play a variety of roles in connection with the issuance of the notes, including acting as calculation agent, hedging our obligations under the notes and determining the Issuer’s estimated value of the notes on the Trade Date and the price, if any, at which we or our affiliates would be willing to purchase the notes from you in secondary market transactions. In performing these roles, our economic interests and those of our affiliates are potentially adverse to your interests as an investor in the notes. The calculation agent will determine, among other things, all values, |
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prices and levels required to be determined for the purposes of the notes on any relevant date or time. The calculation agent will also be responsible for determining whether a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event and/or a market disruption event has occurred. Any determination by the calculation agent could adversely affect the return on the notes.
Use of Proceeds and Hedging
Part of the net proceeds we receive from the sale of the notes will be used in connection with hedging our obligations under the notes through one or more of our affiliates. The hedging or trading activities of our affiliates on or prior to the Trade Date or the Final Valuation Date could adversely affect the level of the Underlying and, as a result, could decrease the amount you may receive on the notes at maturity.
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Historical Information
The following graph sets forth the historical performance of the Bloomberg Commodity IndexSM based on its daily closing levels from January 19, 2008 through January 19, 2018. The closing level of the Underlying on January 19, 2018 was 88.5425. The actual Initial Level will be determined on the Trade Date. We obtained the historical closing levels of the Underlying below from Bloomberg L.P. and we have not participated in the preparation of, or verified, such information.
The historical closing levels of the Underlying should not be taken as an indication of future performance and no assurance can be given as to the closing level of the Underlying on the Final Valuation Date. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Underlying will result in the return of any of your investment.
Supplemental Plan of Distribution
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and JPMS LLC or one of its affiliates will act as placement agents for the notes. The placement agents will receive a fee from the Issuer that will not exceed $15.00 per $1,000 Face Amount of notes, but will forgo any fees for sales to certain fiduciary accounts. See “Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” in the accompanying product supplement.
Settlement
We expect to deliver the notes against payment for the notes on the Settlement Date indicated above, which is expected to be a day that is greater than two business days following the Trade Date. Under Rule 15c6–1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, trades in the secondary market generally will be required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to a trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, if the Settlement Date is more than two business days after the Trade Date, purchasers who wish to transact in the notes more than two business days prior to the Settlement Date will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
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