Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are exposed to interest rate, currency, credit and liquidity risks. Our executive board oversees the management of these risks supported by a financial risk committee
that advises on financial risks and the appropriate financial risk governance framework for us. The financial risk committee provides assurance to our executive board that our financial risk activities are governed by appropriate policies and
procedures and that financial risks are identified, measured and managed in accordance with our policies and risk objectives. The most significant financial risks to which we are exposed include the risks discussed below.
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Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to changes in interest rates relates to investments in deposits and to changes in the interest for overnight deposits. Changes in the general level of interest
rates may lead to an increase or decrease in the fair value of these investments. Following repayment of the loan with Oxford Finance in 2022, under the first tranche of the loan drawn down under the Pharmakon Loan Agreement, we pay a fixed
rate of interest.
We are currently not subject to interest rate risks related to any other liabilities shown in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Currency Risk
Foreign currency risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in foreign exchange rates. Our
exposure to the risk of changes in foreign exchange rates relates primarily to fluctuations in value of foreign currency cash and cash equivalent balances held by our main operating subsidiary in the United Kingdom, our operating activities in
the United States, and outsourced supplier agreements denominated in currencies other than pound sterling. We minimize foreign currency risk by maintaining cash and cash equivalents of each currency at levels sufficient to meet foreseeable
expenditure to the extent practical.
Our cash and cash equivalents were $442.6 million and $402.5 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, 86% of our cash and cash
equivalents were held by our U.K. subsidiary, of which 35% were denominated in pounds sterling, 59% were denominated in U.S. dollars and 6% were denominated in euros. The significant remainder of our cash and cash equivalents are held in the
United States and denominated in U.S. dollars. Changes in exchange rates had a material impact on U.S. dollar balances held by our main operating subsidiary in the U.K., which resulted in material foreign exchange gains and losses in the
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss due to the appreciation and depreciation of the subsidiary’s U.S. dollars in pounds sterling terms. Further movements in exchange rates or returns to previous exchange rate levels
have caused, and may continue to cause, material fluctuations or equivalent losses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
A five percentage point increase in exchange rates would reduce the carrying value of net financial assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies as of December 31,
2023 by $6.0 million and as of December 31, 2022 by $6.3 million. A five percentage point decrease in exchange rates would increase the carrying value of net financial assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies at December 31, 2023 by
$6.0 million and as of December 31, 2022 by $6.3 million.
Credit Risk
We are exposed to credit risk from our operating activities, primarily accounts receivable, and cash and cash equivalents held with banks and financial institutions. Cash
and cash equivalents are maintained with high-quality financial institutions in the United Kingdom and United States. We are also potentially subject to concentrations of credit risk in our accounts receivable. Concentrations of credit risk are
with respect to accounts receivable owed by a limited number of entities comprising our customer base. Our exposure to credit losses is low, however, owing largely to the credit quality of our distributors, collaboration partners, and other
customers, the significant majority of which are considerably larger than us.
We continually monitor our positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions and corporations, which are counterparts to our financial instruments and
do not anticipate non-performance. The maximum default risk corresponds to the carrying amount of the financial assets shown in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We monitor the risk of a liquidity shortage. The main factors considered here are
the maturities of financial assets as well as expected cash flows from equity measures.