State Street : SPDR® Gold Shares Certified to be Fully Compliant with Shari’ah Standard

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), the asset management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE:STT), through its affiliate State Street Global Markets, LLC, the marketing agent for SPDR® Gold Shares, today announced that SPDR® Gold Shares (GLD, SGX: O87) has been certified by Amanie Advisors, a leading Shari'ah advisory firm, to be fully compliant to the newly launched Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) Shari'ah Standard on Gold.

The Shari'ah Standard on Gold was launched in December 2016 and developed jointly by the World Gold Council, which is an affiliate of the sponsor of GLD®, Amanie Advisors and AAOIFI. This certification confirms, according to Amanie Advisors, that the world's sizable observant Muslim population is permitted under the Shari'ah Standard to hold GLD as part of their investment portfolio, effectively opening this exchange-traded fund (ETF) to a potential new pool of investors.

'This announcement marks an important step in addressing the demand for gold in the $2 trillion Islamic finance market. More retail and institutional investors may now have access to a relatively transparent and cost-effective gold-backed investment product, in addition to the ability to buy bars, coins and jewelry,' said Joseph Cavatoni, principal executive officer of GLD's sponsor and managing director USA and ETFs at the World Gold Council.

'SPDR Gold Shares offers investors a relatively transparent and cost efficient way to access the gold market. We are delighted to extend this means of Shari'ah Standard on Gold-compliant investing in the gold bullion market to Islamic investors in Singapore,' said Matthew Arnold, vice president and head of ETF strategy and research for Asia Pacific at SSGA.

SPDR Gold Shares is the largest physically-backed gold ETF in the world with over US$30 billion in global assets under management. GLD started trading on the Singapore Exchange on October, 11, 2006, and has been recognized as an industry leading innovation by industry organizations since inception. Most recently, GLD was named Best ETF Product in 2016 by Asia Asset Management.

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About State Street Global Advisors

For nearly four decades, State Street Global Advisors has been committed to helping our clients, and those who rely on them, achieve financial security. We partner with many of the world's largest, most sophisticated investors and financial intermediaries to help them reach their goals through a rigorous, research-driven investment process spanning both indexing and active disciplines. With trillions* in assets, our scale and global reach offer clients unrivaled access to markets, geographies and asset classes, and allow us to deliver thoughtful insights and innovative solutions.

State Street Global Advisors is the investment management arm of State Street Corporation.

*Assets under management were US$2.47 trillion as of December 31, 2016. AUM reflects approx. US$31 billion (as of December 31, 2016) with respect to which State Street Global Markets, LLC (SSGM) serves as marketing agent; SSGM and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.

About World Gold Council

The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry. Our purpose is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold, provide industry leadership and be the global authority on the gold market. We focus on policy-related issues, market infrastructure, central banks and investment markets.

We develop gold-backed solutions, together with industry partners, that create structural shifts in demand across key market sectors. We provide insights into the international gold markets, helping people to understand the wealth preservation qualities of gold.

The membership of the World Gold Council includes the world's leading and most forward thinking gold mining companies.

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IBGAP-3436

Exp. Date: 2/28/2018