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Item 11 — Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Gds Holdings Limited · 20-F · FY 2025 · Period ended Dec 31, 2025
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Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to interest expenses incurred in respect of bank borrowings, bonds payable and capital lease and other financing obligations and interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits. We have not used derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. Interest earning instruments and interest-bearing obligations carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rates. However, our future interest income and interest expenses may fluctuate due to changes in market interest rates.
Foreign Exchange Risk
Almost all of our revenue and substantially all of our expenses are denominated in Renminbi. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk. Although in general our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in Renminbi, while our ADSs are traded in U.S. dollars.
In particular, the conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the PBOC. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. The PRC government allowed the Renminbi to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar had been stable and traded within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. The RMB depreciated approximately 2.9% and 2.8% against the U.S. dollar in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and appreciated approximately 4.2% against the U.S. dollar in 2025. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future. It remains unclear what further fluctuations may occur or what impact this will have on our results of operations.
To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.
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Inflation
Since our inception, inflation in mainland China has not materially affected our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the consumer price index in mainland China was 0.2%, 0.2% and 0.0% in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected if mainland China experiences higher rates of inflation in the future.