August

Summary of the July 2019 ASAF meeting now available

12 Aug 2019

The IASB staff have published a summary of the Accounting Standards Advisory Forum (ASAF) meeting held in London on 11 and 12 July 2019.

The topics covered during the meeting were the following (numbers in brackets are ref­er­ences to the cor­re­spond­ing para­graphs of the summary):

  • Business combination under common control (1–12): The ASAF provided views related to the application of alternative approaches as well as how to apply a current value approach and predecessor approach.
  • Man­age­ment com­men­tary (13–26): The ASAF provided views on the staff’s proposals related to the notion of narrative coherence and identifying and reporting matters that could affect the entity’s long-term success.
  • IBOR reform (27–43): The ASAF provided information on the current state of interest rate benchmark reform in their jurisdictions and discussed their views on financial reporting issues discovered. The members also discussed how they should address the issues in phase II of the project.
  • Better communication — Primary financial statements (44–59):  The ASAF commented on possible approaches to structuring the new requirements. In addition, the members planned outreach events during the comment period.
  • Variable and contingent consideration (60–65) — The ASAF discussed the FRC’s project on the conceptual basis for transactions involving variable and contingent consideration.
  • Business reporting of intangibles: realistic proposals (66–70): The ASAF provided views on the FRC’s discussion paper and gave suggestions for developing FRC’s analysis on intangible assets.
  • Discussion Paper Accounting for Pensions Plans with an Asset-return Promise (71–73): The ASAF commented on the EFRAG’s discussion paper where they had mix views on the three accounting alternatives.
  • Updated and agenda plan (74–76): The ASAF discussed items to be added to the proposed agenda for the October 2019 ASAF meeting.

A full summary of the meeting is available on the IASB's website.

Interviews with new IASB members

08 Aug 2019

The IASB has released two short interviews introducing Tadeu Cendon and Rika Suzuki. Mr Cendon and Ms Suzuki were appointed to the IASB board by the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation in March 2019 for terms which began on 1 July 2019.

For more information, see the interviews with Mr Cendon and Ms Suzuki on the IASB website.

IASB seeks candidates for IFRS Taxonomy Consultative Group

08 Aug 2019

The IASB is seeking candidates for membership to its IFRS Taxonomy Consultative Group. The group provides an advisory and review forum for members to actively assist the IASB in the maintenance and development of the IFRS Taxonomy and related activities.

The Board is keen to appoint members with professional experience as preparers or users of electronic financial reports prepared using the IFRS Taxonomy. Technical knowledge of XBRL is desirable, but not required. Applications are requested by 7 October 2019. For more information, see the press release on the IASB website.

IVSC Financial Instruments Board consults on future agenda

08 Aug 2019

The International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) has published a consultation document seeking feedback regarding the approach its newly established Financial Instruments Board should take, and the prioritisation of that work.

The Standards Review Board of the IVSC recognised the need to develop guidance for the valuation of financial instruments and created IVS 500 as a holding chapter on financial instruments, which was initially released as part of IVS 2017.

In December 2018, the IVSC Financial Instruments Board was formed and met for the first time in April 2019. At that meeting, the Board agreed to significantly modify and enhance the existing financial instrument standard IVS 500 and, as a first step, to publish a consultation document to obtain feedback from stakeholders on how to modify and enhance the existing standard.

The consultation document now released solicits feedback about the valuation topics the IVSC and its newly established Board for financial instruments should address as part of its current agenda and additional financial instruments valuation topics that stakeholders feel should be prioritised or added to IVSC’s agenda.

Please click to access the consultation document through the press release on the IVSC website. Comments are requested by 19 September 2019.

SME Implementation Group publishes draft Q&A for comment

07 Aug 2019

The SME Implementation Group (SMEIG) has published a draft question and answer (Q&A) on the IFRS for SMEs.

The Q&A addresses the application of the undue cost or effort exemption for investment property on the date of transition to the IFRS for SMEs. The draft Q&A concludes that additional cost or effort due to the elapse of time between the date of transition and the date of preparing the first IFRS for SMEs financial statements is not considered.

Comments are requested by 7 October 2019. The draft is available on the IASB website.

Study into the uptake of integrated reporting

06 Aug 2019

The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) has posted to its website a study 'Integrated Reporting and the Capitals’ Diffusion'. The study quantitatively analyses integrated reporting to determine the extent of diffusion of integrated reporting, the depth of integrated reporting adoption, and the extent and nature of the disclosure of multiple capitals.

The study was sponsored by the Autorité des Normes Comptables (ANC), the French standard setter, and was presented at the 8th Symposium on Accounting Research 2018 in Paris (a recording of the research forum is available here).

The project behind the study sought answers to the questions:

  • Where and by whom has integrated reporting been adopted?
  • To what extent has the International <IR> Framework been followed (‘depth’ of adoption)?
  • How are organisations reporting on the capitals?
  • Are integrated reporters using the GRI Standards too?

The research reveals that integrated reporting has matured into fast-paced diffusion around the world, but it also offers some interesting insights such as the fact that more developed countries are lagging in adoption, some companies developed integrated reports even before the International <IR> Framework was published, and the title ‘integrated report’ is not necessarily used - some integrated reports are labeled 'annual report' or 'sustainability report'.

Please click for the press release on the IIRC website, which offers a brief summary and access to the full report.

IPSASB review of developments 2017-2018

06 Aug 2019

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has published 'Delivering for the Future: IPSASB 2017-2018 Biennial Review'.

The publication summarises the IPSASB’s achievements, challenges, and key developments in 2017 and 2018 and can be downloaded from the IPSASB website.

IPSASB publishes proposed 'Improvements to IPSAS, 2019'

05 Aug 2019

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) has published an exposure draft 'Improvements to IPSAS, 2018', which sets out proposed amendments to International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) to address issues raised by stakeholders.

This year, the exposure draft does not include proposed amendments that aim at convergence with recent IASB amendments.

Candidates for such amendments would have the the IASB's Definition of Material (Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8) and Definition of Business (Amendments to IFRS 3), both issued in October 2018. However, on the definition of material the IPSASB decided not to amend the definition IPSAS 1 and IPSAS 3. Before making standards-level amendments the IPSASB will review the guidance on materiality in its own framework and in doing so will take account of the IASB’s amendments.

On the definition of a business the IPSASB decided not to amend the definition of an operation in IPSAS 40 (which draws on the definition of a business in IFRS 3) as the definition in IPSAS 40 applies to amalgamations as well as to acquisitions while some of the additional guidance in IFRS 3 would only be relevant to acquisitions. The modifications that would be needed to ensure that this guidance does not apply to amalgamations would go beyond the remit of the improvements project. A separate narrow scope project to evaluate the potential impact of the IASB’s revised definition of business on IPSAS 40 may be considered in the future.

Please click to access the exposure draft Improvements to IPSAS, 2019 on the IPSASB website. Comments are requested by 30 September 2019.

Final papers presented at the fifth IASB Research Forum

05 Aug 2019

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) hosted its fifth Research Forum on 11 and 12 November 2018 in Sydney.

The meeting saw the presentation of six academic papers. These have now been finalised and also reflect the responses by academics and standard-setters to the presentations at the forum. We already posted our short summaries of the discussions in November 2018. In December 2018, the IASB made available audio recordings of the presentations and responses. The finalised papers are now available in Abacus Volume 55, Issue 1.

IVSC publishes IVS 2020

02 Aug 2019

The International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) has issued an updated version of the suite of International Valuation Standards (IVSs) titled IVS 2020 as they become effective on 31 January 2020.

The 2020 edition of IVS will replace IVS 2017 and consists of five general standards and six asset standards. The general standards offer guidance for all valuation assignments including terms of a valuation engagement, bases of value, valuation approaches and methods, and reporting. The asset standards include requirements related to specific types of assets.

More information is available through the press release on the IVSC website

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