Background

The IASB has had the project to replace IAS 39 on its active agenda since 2008 and has undertaken the project in phases. The IASB first issued IFRS 9 in 2009 with a new classification and measurement model for financial assets followed by requirements for financial liabilities and derecognition added in 2010. Subsequently, IFRS 9 was amended in 2013 to add the new general hedge accounting requirements.

This final version of IFRS 9 adds a new expected loss impairment model and amends the classification and measurement model for financial assets by adding a new fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI) category for certain debt instruments and additional guidance on how to apply the business model and contractual cash flow characteristics test.

Summary of key requirements

Expected loss impairment model

The impairment model in IFRS 9 is based on the concept of providing for expected losses at inception of a contract, except in the case of purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets, where expected credit losses are incorporated into the effective interest rate.

Scope

The impairment requirements of IFRS 9 apply to:

• Financial assets measured at amortised cost;
• Financial assets mandatorily measured at FVTOCI (see below);
• Loan commitments when there is a present obligation to extend credit (except where these are measured at FVTPL);
• Financial guarantee contracts to which IFRS 9 is applied (except those measured at FVTPL);
• Lease receivables within the scope of IAS 17 Leases; and
• Contract assets within the scope of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (i.e. rights to consideration following transfer of goods or services).

General Approach

With the exception of purchased or originated credit impaired financial assets (see below), expected credit losses are required to be measured through a loss allowance at an amount equal to:

• the 12-month expected credit losses (expected credit losses that result from those default events on the financial instrument that are possible within 12 months after the reporting date); or
• full lifetime expected credit losses (expected credit losses that result from all possible default events over the life of the financial instrument).

A loss allowance for full lifetime expected credit losses is required for a financial instrument if the credit risk of that financial instrument has increased significantly since initial recognition, as well as to contract assets or trade receivables that do not constitute a financing transaction in accordance with IFRS 15.

Additionally, entities can elect an accounting policy to recognise full lifetime expected losses for all contract assets and/or all trade receivables that do constitute a financing transaction in accordance with IFRS 15. The same election is also separately permitted for lease receivables.

For all other financial instruments, expected credit losses are measured at an amount equal to the 12-month expected credit losses.

Significant increase in credit risk

With the exception of purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets (see below), the loss allowance for financial instruments is measured at an amount equal to lifetime expected losses if the credit risk of a financial instrument has increased significantly since initial recognition, unless the credit risk of the financial instrument is low (e.g. investment grade) at the reporting date in which case it can be assumed that credit risk on the financial instrument has not increased significantly since initial recognition.

The assessment of whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk is based on an increase in the probability of a default occurring since initial recognition.

The requirements also contain a rebuttable presumption that the credit risk has increased significantly when contractual payments are more than 30 days past due. IFRS 9 also requires that (other than for purchased or originated credit impaired financial instruments) if a significant increase in credit risk that had taken place since initial recognition and has reversed by a subsequent reporting period (i.e., cumulatively credit risk is not significantly higher than at initial recognition) then the expected credit losses on the financial instrument revert to being measured based on an amount equal to the 12-month expected credit losses. [IFRS 9 paragraph 5.5.11]

Purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets

Purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets are treated differently because the asset is credit-impaired at initial recognition. For these assets, the estimated cash flows used to calculate the (credit-adjusted) effective interest rate at initial recognition incorporate lifetime expected credit losses. Subsequently, any changes in expected losses are recognised as a loss allowance with a corresponding gain or loss recognised in profit or loss.

Credit-impaired financial asset

Under IFRS 9, a "financial asset is credit-impaired when one or more events that have a detrimental impact on the estimated future cash flows of that financial asset have occurred. Evidence that a financial asset is credit-impaired include[s] observable data about the following events:

(a) significant financial difficulty of the issuer or the borrower;

(b) a breach of contract, such as a default or past due event;

(c) the lender(s) of the borrower, for economic or contractual reasons relating to the borrower’s financial difficulty, having granted to the borrower a concession(s) that the lender(s) would not otherwise consider;

(d) it is becoming probable that the borrower will enter bankruptcy or other financial reorganisation;

(e) the disappearance of an active market for that financial asset because of financial difficulties; or

(f) the purchase or origination of a financial asset at a deep discount that reflects the incurred credit losses.”

Basis for estimating expected credit losses

Any measurement of expected credit losses under IFRS 9 shall reflect an unbiased and probability-weighted amount that is determined by evaluating the range of possible outcomes as well as incorporating the time value of money. Also, the entity should consider reasonable and supportable information about past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions when measuring expected credit losses.

To reflect time value, expected losses should be discounted to the reporting date using the effective interest rate of the asset (or an approximation thereof) that was determined at initial recognition. A “credit-adjusted effective interest” rate should be used for expected credit losses of purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets.  In contrast to the “effective interest rate” (calculated using expected cash flows that ignore expected credit losses), the credit-adjusted effective interest rate reflects expected credit losses of the financial asset.

Presentation

Whilst interest revenue is always required to be presented as a separate line item, it is calculated differently according to the status of the asset with regard to credit impairment. In the case of a financial asset that is not a purchased or originated credit-impaired financial asset and for which there is no objective evidence of impairment at the reporting date, interest revenue is calculated by applying the effective interest rate method to the gross carrying amount.

In the case of a financial asset that is not a purchased or originated credit-impaired financial asset but subsequently has become credit-impaired, interest revenue is calculated by applying the effective interest rate to the amortised cost balance, which comprises the gross carrying amount adjusted for any loss allowance.

In the case of purchased or originated credit-impaired financial assets, interest revenue is always recognised by applying the credit-adjusted effective interest rate to the amortised cost carrying amount.

Limited amendments to classification and measurement of financial assets

Fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI) category

The final version of IFRS 9 introduces a new classification and measurement category of FVTOCI for debt instruments that meet the following two conditions:

• Business model test: The financial asset is held within a business model whose objective is achieved by both collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial assets.
• Cash flow characteristics test: The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.

When an asset meets both of these conditions it is required to be measured at FVTOCI unless, on initial recognition, it is designated at fair value through profit or loss to address an accounting mismatch.

For such assets, interest revenue, foreign exchange gains and losses and impairment gains and losses are recognised in profit or loss with other gains or losses (i.e., the difference between those items and the total change in fair value) recognised in other comprehensive income (OCI). Any cumulative gain or loss recorded in OCI would be reclassified to profit and loss on derecognition or dealt with in accordance with specific guidance in the case of reclassifications.

Interest income and impairment gains and losses are recognised and measured in the same manner as for assets measured at amortised cost such that the amounts in OCI represents the difference between the amortised cost value and fair value. This results in the same information in profit of loss as if the asset was measured at amortised cost, yet the statement of financial position reflects the instrument’s fair value.

Additional guidance

The final Standard also adds guidance on how to determine whether financial assets are held under a business model that is ‘hold to collect’ or ‘hold to collect and sell’ with examples and explanations of the types and levels of sales that are acceptable for such business models.

In addition to guidance on the business model test, the Standard adds guidance on the contractual cash flow characteristics test to clarify that in basic lending arrangements the most significant elements of interest are consideration for the time value of money and credit risk. If the time value of money element is modified (e.g. interest rate resets every month to a one-year rate), an entity is required to assess the modified element against new criteria introduced by the amendment.

The application guidance also introduces an additional exception that allows certain additional prepayment features to meet the contractual cash flow characteristics requirements to qualify for amortised cost or FVTOCI measurement.

Effective date

The Standard has a mandatory effective date for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018, with earlier application permitted (subject to local endorsement requirements). The Standard is applied retrospectively with some exceptions (for example most of the hedge accounting requirements apply prospectively) but entities need not restate prior periods in relation to classification and measurement (including impairment).

The final version of IFRS 9 supersedes all previous versions of the Standard. However, for annual periods beginning before 1 January 2018, an entity may elect to apply those earlier versions of IFRS 9 if the entity’s relevant date of initial application is before 1 February 2015.

Additional information

IASB website

• Press release
• Project Summary
• Investor Perspective: IFRS 9: A Complete Package for Investors

IAS Plus

• Robert Bruce interviews:
  • IFRS 9 'Financial Instruments' (overview)
  • Impact of IFRS 9 on the banking industry
• IFRS in Focus — IASB finalises IFRS 9 which changes the classification and measurement of financial assets and introduces an expected loss impairment model
• Overview of the project history
• Summary of IFRS 9 Financial Instruments