For periods commencing on or after 1 January 2021, companies listed on UK regulated markets were required for the first time to publish and file their annual financial reports in XHTML web browser format and upload to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA's) National Storage Mechanism under the UK implementation of the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF). For periods commencing on or after 1 January 2022, the remaining requirements of ESEF come into effect, meaning that issuers preparing consolidated annual financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are required to tag financial information including the notes to the financial statements.

Following its October 2021 report on early adopters, which identified significant issues, in September 2022 the FRC’s Financial Reporting Lab published a further review of structured digital reporting which noted some improvement but highlighted that much remains to be done and that data quality and usability do not yet meet the standards that the FRC expects to see from listed companies.  It sets out the FRC's expectations and suggestions for better practice including advice for applying the new requirements for 2022 to tag the notes to the financial statements, including accounting policies.

This pages includes all of our resources on the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF).