Subject to Completion Preliminary Term Sheet dated March 2, 2021

Filed Pursuant to Rule 433 Registration Statement No. 333-227001 (To Prospectus dated September 7, 2018, Prospectus Supplement dated September 7, 2018 and Product Supplement EQUITY ARN-1 dated September 30, 2019)

	Units $10 principal amount per unit CUSIP No.		Pricing Date* Settlement Date* Maturity Date*	March 1, 2021 April  , 2021 May  , 2022
			*Subject to change based on the actual date the notes are priced for initial sale to the public (the “pricing date”)
	Accelerated Return Notes® Linked to the EURO STOXX 50® Index ◾    Maturity of approximately 14 months ◾    3-to-1 upside exposure to increases in the Index, subject to a capped return of [16.00% to 20.00%] ◾    1-to-1 downside exposure to decreases in the Index, with 100% of your principal at risk ◾    All payments occur at maturity and are subject to the credit risk of Royal Bank of Canada ◾    No periodic interest payments ◾    In addition to the underwriting discount set forth below, the notes include a hedging-related charge of $0.05 per unit. See “Structuring the Notes” ◾    Limited secondary market liquidity, with no exchange listing ◾    The notes are unsecured debt securities and are not savings accounts or insured deposits of a bank. The notes are not insured or guaranteed by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any other governmental agency of Canada or the United States

 

The notes are being issued by Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”). There are important differences between the notes and a conventional debt security, including different investment risks and certain additional costs. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page TS-6 of this term sheet and beginning on page PS-6 of product supplement EQUITY ARN-1.

The initial estimated value of the notes as of the pricing date is expected to be between $9.21 and $9.71 per unit, which is less than the public offering price listed below. See “Summary” on the following page, “Risk Factors” beginning on page TS-6 of this term sheet and “Structuring the Notes” on page TS-11 of this term sheet for additional information. The actual value of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted with accuracy.

---

None of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), any state securities commission, or any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Note Prospectus (as defined below) is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

---

The notes:

BofA Securities

March     , 2021

Summary

The Accelerated Return Notes^® Linked to the EURO STOXX 50^® Index, due May  , 2022 (the “notes”) are our senior unsecured debt securities. The notes are not guaranteed or insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or secured by collateral. The notes will rank equally with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. Any payments due on the notes, including any repayment of principal, will be subject to the credit risk of RBC.  The notes are not bail-inable notes (as defined in the prospectus supplement). The notes provide you a leveraged return, subject to a cap, if the Ending Value of the Market Measure, which is the EURO STOXX 50^® Index (the “Index”), is greater than the Starting Value. If the Ending Value is less than the Starting Value, you will lose all or a portion of the principal amount of your notes. Any payments on the notes will be calculated based on the $10 principal amount per unit and will depend on the performance of the Index, subject to our credit risk. See “Terms of the Notes” below.

The economic terms of the notes (including the Capped Value) are based on our internal funding rate, which is the rate we would pay to borrow funds through the issuance of market-linked notes and the economic terms of certain related hedging arrangements.  Our internal funding rate is typically lower than the rate we would pay when we issue conventional fixed or floating rate debt securities.  This difference in funding rate, as well as the underwriting discount and the hedging related charge described below, will reduce the economic terms of the notes to you and the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date. Due to these factors, the public offering price you pay to purchase the notes will be greater than the initial estimated value of the notes.

On the cover page of this term sheet, we have provided the initial estimated value range for the notes.  This initial estimated value range was determined based on our and our affiliates’ pricing models, which take into consideration our internal funding rate and the market prices for the hedging arrangements related to the notes.  The initial estimated value of the notes calculated on the pricing date will be set forth in the final term sheet made available to investors in the notes. For more information about the initial estimated value and the structuring of the notes, see “Structuring the Notes” on page TS-11.

The terms and risks of the notes are contained in this term sheet and in the following:

As a result of the completion of the reorganization of Bank of America’s U.S. broker-dealer business, references to Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”) in the accompanying product supplement EQUITY ARN-1, prospectus supplement and prospectus, as such references relate to MLPF&S’s institutional services, should be read as references to BofAS.

These documents (together, the “Note Prospectus”) have been filed as part of a registration statement with the SEC, which may, without cost, be accessed on the SEC website as indicated above or obtained from MLPF&S or BofAS by calling 1-800-294-1322. Before you invest, you should read the Note Prospectus, including this term sheet, for information about us and this offering.  Any prior or contemporaneous oral statements and any other written materials you may have received are superseded by the Note Prospectus. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this term sheet have the meanings set forth in product supplement EQUITY ARN-1. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this document to “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references are to RBC.

Investor Considerations

We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting, and other advisors before you invest in the notes.

Hypothetical Payout Profile and Examples of Payments at Maturity

The graph below is based on hypothetical numbers and values.

The following table and examples are for purposes of illustration only.  They are based on hypothetical values and show hypothetical returns on the notes. They illustrate the calculation of the Redemption Amount and total rate of return based on a hypothetical Starting Value of 100, the Participation Rate of 300%, a hypothetical Capped Value of $11.80 per unit and a range of hypothetical Ending Values. The actual amount you receive and the resulting total rate of return will depend on the actual Starting Value, Ending Value, Capped Value, and whether you hold the notes to maturity. The following examples do not take into account any tax consequences from investing in the notes.

For recent actual levels of the Market Measure, see “The Index” section below. The Index is a price return index and as such the Ending Value will not include any income generated by dividends paid on the stocks included in the Index, which you would otherwise be entitled to receive if you invested in those stocks directly. In addition, all payments on the notes are subject to issuer credit risk.

Redemption Amount Calculation Examples

Risk Factors

There are important differences between the notes and a conventional debt security.  An investment in the notes involves significant risks, including those listed below. You should carefully review the more detailed explanation of risks relating to the notes in the “Risk Factors” sections beginning on page PS-6 of product supplement EQUITY ARN-1, page S-1 of the MTN prospectus supplement, and page 1 of the prospectus identified above. We also urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting, and other advisors before you invest in the notes.

Other Terms of the Notes

The provisions of this section supersede and replace the definition of “Market Measure Business Day” set forth in product supplement EQUITY ARN-1.

Market Measure Business Day

A “Market Measure Business Day” means a day on which:

(A)      the Eurex (or any successor) is open for trading; and

(B)      the Index or any successor thereto is calculated and published.

The Index

All disclosures contained in this term sheet regarding the Index, including, without limitation, its make-up, method of calculation, and changes in its components, have been derived from publicly available sources. The information reflects the policies of, and is subject to change by, STOXX Limited (“STOXX” or “Index sponsor”).  STOXX, which owns the copyright and all other rights to the Index, has no obligation to continue to publish, and may discontinue publication of, the Index. The consequences of STOXX discontinuing publication of the Index are discussed in the section entitled “Description of the ARNs—Discontinuance of an Index” in product supplement EQUITY ARN-1. None of us, the calculation agent, MLPF&S or BofAS accepts any responsibility for the calculation, maintenance or publication of the Index or any successor index.

The SX5E was created by STOXX, which is currently owned by Deutsche Börse AG. Publication of the SX5E began in February 1998, based on an initial SX5E level of 1,000 at December 31, 1991.

Composition and Maintenance

The Index is composed of 50 component stocks of market sector leaders from within the 19 EURO STOXX^® Supersector indices, which represent the Eurozone portion of the STOXX Europe 600^® Supersector indices.

The composition of the Index is reviewed annually, based on the closing stock data on the last trading day in August.  The component stocks are announced on the first trading day in September. Changes to the component stocks are implemented on the third Friday in September and are effective the following trading day. Changes in the composition of the Index are made to ensure that the Index includes the 50 market sector leaders from within the Index.

The free float factors for each component stock used to calculate the Index, as described below, are reviewed, calculated, and implemented on a quarterly basis and are fixed until the next quarterly review.

The Index is also reviewed on an ongoing basis. Corporate actions (including initial public offerings, mergers and takeovers, spin-offs, delistings, and bankruptcy) that affect the Index composition are immediately reviewed.  Any changes are announced, implemented, and effective in line with the type of corporate action and the magnitude of the effect.

Index Calculation

The Index is calculated with the “Laspeyres formula,” which measures the aggregate price changes in the component stocks against a fixed base quantity weight.  The formula for calculating the Index value can be expressed as follows:

The “free float market capitalization of the Index” is equal to the sum of the products of the closing price, market capitalization, and free float factor for each component stock as of the time the Index is being calculated.

The Index is also subject to a divisor, which is adjusted to maintain the continuity of the Index values across changes due to corporate actions, such as the deletion and addition of stocks, the substitution of stocks, stock dividends, and stock splits

The following graph shows the daily historical performance of the Index in the period from January 1, 2011 through February 25, 2021.  We obtained this historical data from Bloomberg L.P.  We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg L.P. On February 25, 2021, the closing level of the Index was 3,685.28.

Historical Performance of the Index

This historical data on the Index is not necessarily indicative of the future performance of the Index or what the value of the notes may be. Any historical upward or downward trend in the level of the Index during any period set forth above is not an indication that the level of the Index is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time over the term of the notes.

Before investing in the notes, you should consult publicly available sources for the levels of the Index.

License Agreement

We have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with STOXX, which grants us a license in exchange for a fee to use the Index in connection with the issuance of certain securities, including the notes. The license agreement between us and STOXX requires that the following language be stated in this term sheet.

STOXX has no relationship to us, other than the licensing of the Index and its service marks for use in connection with the notes.

STOXX does not:

STOXX will not have any liability in connection with the notes.  Specifically, STOXX does not make any warranty, express or implied, and STOXX disclaims any warranty about:

The licensing relating to the use of the Index and trademark referred to above by us is solely for our benefit, and not for any other third parties.

Supplement to the Plan of Distribution

Under our distribution agreement with BofAS, BofAS will purchase the notes from us as principal at the public offering price indicated on the cover of this term sheet, less the indicated underwriting discount.

MLPF&S will purchase the notes from BofAS for resale, and will receive a selling concession in connection with the sale of the notes in an amount up to the full amount of underwriting discount set forth on the cover of this term sheet.

We may deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on a date that is greater than two business days following the pricing date. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, if the initial settlement of the notes occurs more than two business days from the pricing date, purchasers who wish to trade the notes more than two business days prior to the original issue date will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. In the original offering of the notes, the notes will be sold in minimum investment amounts of 100 units. If you place an order to purchase the notes, you are consenting to MLPF&S and/or one of its affiliates acting as a principal in effecting the transaction for your account.

MLPF&S and BofAS may repurchase and resell the notes, with repurchases and resales being made at prices related to then-prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices, and these prices will include MLPF&S’s and BofAS’s trading commissions and mark-ups or mark-downs. MLPF&S and BofAS may act as principal or agent in these market-making transactions; however, neither is obligated to engage in any such transactions. At their discretion, for a short, undetermined initial period after the issuance of the notes, MLPF&S and BofAS may offer to buy the notes in the secondary market at a price that may exceed the initial estimated value of the notes. Any price offered by MLPF&S or BofAS for the notes will be based on then-prevailing market conditions and other considerations, including the performance of the Index and the remaining term of the notes. However, none of us, MLPF&S, BofAS or any of our respective affiliates is obligated to purchase your notes at any price or at any time, and we cannot assure you that we, MLPF&S, BofAS or any of our respective affiliates will purchase your notes at a price that equals or exceeds the initial estimated value of the notes.

The value of the notes shown on your account statement will be based on BofAS’s estimate of the value of the notes if BofAS or another of its affiliates were to make a market in the notes, which it is not obligated to do. That estimate will be based upon the price that BofAS may pay for the notes in light of then-prevailing market conditions and other considerations, as mentioned above, and will include transaction costs. At certain times, this price may be higher than or lower than the initial estimated value of the notes.

The distribution of the Note Prospectus in connection with these offers or sales will be solely for the purpose of providing investors with the description of the terms of the notes that was made available to investors in connection with their initial offering. Secondary market investors should not, and will not be authorized to, rely on the Note Prospectus for information regarding RBC or for any purpose other than that described in the immediately preceding sentence.

An investor’s household, as referenced on the cover of this term sheet, will generally include accounts held by any of the following, as determined by MLPF&S in its discretion and acting in good faith based upon information then available to MLPF&S:

Purchases in retirement accounts will not be considered part of the same household as an individual investor’s personal or other non-retirement account, except for individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), simplified employee pension plans (“SEPs”), savings incentive match plan for employees (“SIMPLEs”), and single-participant or owners only accounts (i.e., retirement accounts held by self-employed individuals, business owners or partners with no employees other than their spouses).

Please contact your Merrill financial advisor if you have any questions about the application of these provisions to your specific circumstances or think you are eligible.

Structuring the Notes

The notes are our debt securities, the return on which is linked to the performance of the Index.  As is the case for all of our debt securities, including our market-linked notes, the economic terms of the notes reflect our actual or perceived creditworthiness at the time of pricing.  In addition, because market-linked notes result in increased operational, funding and liability management costs to us, we typically borrow the funds under these notes at a rate that is more favorable to us than the rate which we refer to as our internal funding rate, which is the rate that we might pay for a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security. This generally relatively lower internal funding rate, which is reflected in the economic terms of the notes, along with the fees and charges associated with market-linked notes, typically results in the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date being less than their public offering price.

At maturity, we are required to pay the Redemption Amount to holders of the notes, which will be calculated based on the $10 per unit principal amount and will depend on the performance of the Index. In order to meet these payment obligations, at the time we issue the notes, we may choose to enter into certain hedging arrangements (which may include call options, put options or other derivatives) with BofAS or one of its affiliates.  The terms of these hedging arrangements are determined by seeking bids from market participants, including MLPF&S, BofAS and its affiliates, and take into account a number of factors, including our creditworthiness, interest rate movements, the volatility of the Index, the tenor of the notes and the tenor of the hedging arrangements.  The economic terms of the notes and their initial estimated value depend in part on the terms of these hedging arrangements.

BofAS has advised us that the hedging arrangements will include a hedging related charge of approximately $0.05 per unit, reflecting an estimated profit to be credited to BofAS from these transactions.  Since hedging entails risk and may be influenced by unpredictable market forces, additional profits and losses from these hedging arrangements may be realized by BofAS or any third party hedge providers.

For further information, see “Risk Factors—General Risks Relating to the ARNs” beginning on page PS-6 and “Use of Proceeds and Hedging” on page PS-19 of product supplement EQUITY ARN-1.

Summary of Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences

For a discussion of the material Canadian federal income tax consequences relating to an investment in the notes, please see the section entitled “Tax Consequences—Canadian Taxation” in the prospectus dated September 7, 2018.

Summary of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

You should consider the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes, including the following:

◾

Under current Internal Revenue Service guidance, withholding on “dividend equivalent” payments (as discussed in the product supplement), if any, will not apply to notes that are issued as of the date of this pricing supplement unless such notes are “delta-one” instruments. The discussion in the accompanying product supplement is modified to reflect recent Internal Revenue Service guidance, which states that the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service intend to amend the effective dates of the U.S. Treasury Department regulations to provide that withholding on dividend equivalent payments will not apply to specified equity-linked instruments that are not delta-one instruments and that are issued before January 1, 2023.

You should consult your own tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the notes, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local, foreign, or other tax jurisdiction and the possible effects of changes in U.S. federal or other tax laws.  You should review carefully the discussion under the section entitled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary” beginning on page PS-41 of product supplement EQUITY ARN-1.

Where You Can Find More Information

We have filed a registration statement (including a product supplement, a prospectus supplement, and a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this term sheet relates.  Before you invest, you should read the Note Prospectus, including this term sheet, and the other documents that we have filed with the SEC, for more complete information about us and this offering.  You may get these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.  Alternatively, we, any agent, or any dealer participating in this offering will arrange to send you these documents if you so request by calling MLPF&S or BofAS toll-free at 1-800-294-1322.

“Accelerated Return Notes^®” and “ARNs^®” are the registered service marks of Bank of America Corporation, the parent company of MLPF&S and BofAS.

Accelerated Return Notes®

TS-12