The materials introduced by IASB member Amaro Gomes include:

• Set the scene:
  • To understand and explain why IFRS 17 was developed
  • To familiarise stakeholders with the scope, timing and requirements of IFRS 17
  • To understand and explain the possible benefits and costs of IFRS 17
  • To understand and explain how IFRS 17 relates to prudential regulation
  • To understand and explain what investors think about IFRS 17
• Plan for implementation
• Education
• Use implementation support provided by the IFRS Foundation

Please click to access the summary on the IASB website.

The first presentation (20 slides) explores the impact of accounting volatility on financial stability, how IFRS 9 Financial Instruments and IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts contribute to stability, and the relationship between the IFRS Foundation and regulators.

The second presentation (26 slides) explains how accounting standards contribute to long-term investments and how capital markets benefit from transparent reporting.

Transitional arrangements had to be found since while FAS 30 was issued in November, its companion standard FAS 35 Risk Reserves is still only an exposure draft and will need some more time to be issued.

Please see the press release on the AAOIFI website for the transition arrangements.

In its comment letter, EFRAG:

• supports the objective to remove the existing inconsistencies in the definition of 'material' in the Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting and in IFRS Standards and replacing the threshold 'could influence' with 'could reasonably be expected to influence; 
• does not support inclusion of references to 'omitting', 'misstating' and 'obscuring' within the definition of 'material'. Instead,  EFRAG suggests removing the references to 'omitting', 'misstating' and 'obscuring' from the definition and defining material information as 'information that can reasonably be expected to, individually or collectively, influence the economic decisions that the primary users of financial statements make on the basis of those financial statements'; and
• lastly, EFRAG suggests that the IASB should concentrate the guidance on materiality in a single general standard and use cross-references from other IFRS Standards to that guidance when needed.

The Feedback Statement describes the main comments received by EFRAG in response to its draft comment letter and how these comments were considered by EFRAG in finalising its comment letter to the IASB.

The press release, comment letter and the Feedback Statement are available on the EFRAG website.

The agenda for the DPOC meeting is summarised below.

Agenda papers for the meeting are available on the IASB's website.

In December 2017 the IASB concluded its discussions of the scope of the project and the webinar will discuss the Board’s decisions and illustrative examples of transactions within the scope.

The IASB will offer a morning and an afternoon session to accommodate stakeholders in time zones around the world. Both 45-minute web presentations will also allow participants to ask questions. Registration is required (on the IASB's website) for the sessions:

• Session at 9:30 (GMT)
• Session at 15:00 (GMT)

A recording of the webinar will be available in due course. Please see the IASB press release for more information.

The purpose of the TRG is to seek feedback on potential issues related to implementation of IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts. By analysing and discussing potential implementation issues, the TRG will help the IASB determine whether additional action is needed, such as providing clarification or issuing other guidance. This meeting will be the first meeting where technical matters will be discussed.

The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Agenda papers for this meeting are avail­able on the IASB's website.

The Forum will be held in conjunction with Abacus, an academic journal from the Accounting Foundation at the University of Sydney. The editors of Abacus have issued a call for papers inviting submissions that can provide evidence to inform the standard-setting activities of the IASB.

The webcast is presented in two parts:

• Part 1 explaining why and how insurance contracts are grouped.
• Part 2 discusses recognition, derecognition and disclosures.

For more information, see the press release on the IASB’s website. In addition, earlier webcasts and webinars on IFRS 17 are available through an archive.

As before, the publication contains all official pronouncements that are mandatory on 1 January 2018. It does not include IFRSs with an effective date after 1 January 2018. This is reflected by the publication's new title Required IFRS Standards 2018.

The former Blue Book (the colour remains unchanged) is now offered in two versions:

• Required IFRS Standards 2018
• Annotated Required IFRS Standards 2018

The latter includes the same content as Required IFRS Standards 2018 with additional annotations and explanatory material.

Please click for more information about the content and ordering details on the IASB website.

The IFRS Foundation also notes that the former Red Book will be published in two versions as well, as Issued IFRS Standards 2018 and Annotated Issued IFRS Standards 2018. These publications are currently expected to be available in March 2018.