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Item 11 — Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Zhihu Inc. · 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 the interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits and wealth management products. Interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in market interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure.
We may invest the net proceeds that we receive from our overseas offerings in interest-earning instruments. Investments in both fixed-rate and floating rate interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed-rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating-rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall.
Foreign Exchange Risk
Our expenditures are mainly denominated in Renminbi and, therefore, we are exposed to risks related to movements between Renminbi and U.S. dollars. We enter into hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk when we deem appropriate. In addition, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in Renminbi, while our ADSs are be traded in U.S. dollars.
The conversion of Renminbi into other currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against other currencies, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. It is difficult to predict how market forces or government policies may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and other currencies in the future.
To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars or other currencies into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of Renminbi against U.S. dollars 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 or other currency for the purpose of making payments to suppliers or for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of U.S. dollars against Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.
As of December 31, 2025, we had RMB-denominated cash and cash equivalents, current and non-current term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments of RMB2,363.8 million, and U.S. dollar-denominated cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of US$297.0 million. Assuming we had converted RMB2,363.8 million into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of RMB6.9931 for US$1.00 as of December 31, 2025, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$635.0 million. If the RMB had depreciated by 10% against the U.S. dollar, our U.S. dollar cash balance would have been US$604.2 million instead.
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