The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Investment banking and financial servicesFounded 1869- Updated June 2026
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Last reviewed: June 2026
CorpDigest
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Company History
Founded 1869 in New York, New York
Last reviewed: 2026-06-03 · By Swet Parvadiya
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a Investment banking and financial services company with $58.3B in 2025 revenue and 47K employees worldwide. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Was founded in 1869 in New York, New York by Marcus Goldman. The company operates in Investment banking and financial services and is led by David Solomon. Revenue model: Goldman Sachs earns advisory and underwriting fees, trading and market-making revenue, financing income, asset-management fees, wealth-management fees, and selected lending revenue. Results depend on capital markets activity, client risk appetite, deal flow, asset values, regulatory capital, and risk management. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Reported $58.3B in revenue for fiscal year 2025. Market capitalization stands at approximately $273.0B. The company employs approximately 47K people globally. Competitive position: Goldman Sachs' advantage is elite investment banking, institutional client relationships, trading capability, risk management, and brand prestige. Strategic direction: Goldman Sachs is leaning into investment banking, markets, asset and wealth management, and capital-light growth while reducing consumer banking exposure.
Marcus Goldman founded the firm in 1869 and built its first franchise in commercial paper. His specific contribution was turning trust into a financial product: he stood between merchants and capital providers when neither side had a modern data system to rely on. Goldman developed repeat relationships with borrowers and investors, creating an early network that could be scaled through reputation. He later brought family members into the business, including Samuel Sachs, which helped turn the operation from a one-man brokerage into a partnership. Goldman died in 1904, before the firm's defining 1906 Sears IPO, but his commercial-paper model left a lasting imprint. The modern Goldman Sachs still earns its best fees by solving capital-access problems under uncertainty. Marcus Goldman's influence survives in the firm's emphasis on client relationships, market judgment, and the ability to price trust when markets are not simple.
Samuel Sachs joined the firm in 1882 and helped create the Goldman Sachs partnership identity. His contribution was continuity and expansion. With Sachs involved, the firm could present itself as more than Marcus Goldman's personal brokerage, which mattered when clients were deciding whether to trust a firm with larger financing needs. The partnership eventually moved from commercial paper into securities underwriting, and Sachs was part of the bridge between those worlds. His family connection to Marcus Goldman helped reinforce a culture of internal trust, but his business role was broader than family symbolism. He supported the firm's transition toward organized markets, investor distribution, and larger corporate clients. After his era, the Goldman Sachs name carried a meaning that neither surname could have achieved alone: a partnership built on relationship finance, discretion, and the capacity to grow with American capital markets.
Goldman acquired United Capital to expand wealth management beyond ultra-high-net-worth clients and add a network of financial advisers serving a broader affluent customer base. The deal supported the firm's effort to build more recurring fee revenue and compete more directly with wealth-heavy rivals.
Goldman acquired Ayco to strengthen financial counseling and wealth planning services for corporate executives and high-net-worth clients. The deal gave Goldman a workplace and executive-planning channel that complemented private wealth management.
Goldman acquired Imprint Capital to strengthen ESG and impact-investing capabilities within asset management. The deal responded to institutional demand for portfolios that considered environmental, social, and governance outcomes alongside financial returns.
Goldman acquired NN Investment Partners for approximately EUR 1.7 billion, roughly $1.8 billion, to expand asset management scale in Europe and strengthen public markets and sustainable investing capabilities. The deal aligned with the firm's push toward more durable fee revenue.
Goldman acquired GreenSky to expand point-of-sale consumer lending and embedded finance. The deal was meant to strengthen Platform Solutions and give Goldman access to home-improvement financing through merchant relationships.