News

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IFRS in your Pocket in Portuguese

28 Sep 2008

Deloitte (Brazil) has published IFRS ao seu Alcance – IFRS in your Pocket 2007 in Portuguese.

This publication is a translation of the English edition with a preface added relating to the Brazilian environment. Click here for our Brazil Page. This and many other Deloitte IFRS publications can always be found Here.

IFRS ao seu Alcance:Um guia de bolso para aproximar sua empresa do novo padrão contábil global

Em outras regiões do mundo, como o Brasil, a Deloitte tem procurado apoiar, das mais diversas maneiras, as organizações sujeitas às regulamentações relacionadas ao IFRS.

Com esse objetivo, a Deloitte elaborou, no Brasil e no mundo, uma série de conteúdos técnicos sobre o IFRS. Entre esses conteúdos, está esta publicaçăo, 'IFRS ao seu alcance', cujo formato visa facilitar a consulta de profissionais e tomadores de decisão em suas jornadas rumo à adoção do padrão contábil internacional.

Click to view IFRS ao seu Alcance – IFRS in your Pocket 2007 in Portuguese (PDF 341k).

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Changes to accounting practices in Brazil

28 Sep 2008

Recent amendments to the Brazilian Corporate Law (Law No. 11,638) have introduced changes to accounting practices generally accepted in Brazil, effective for fiscal years beginning on or after 1 January 2008.

The Law designed primarily to update accounting practices under Brazilian Corporate Law 'to enable the convergence of Brazilian accounting practices with accounting standards generally accepted in the international capital markets'. Deloitte (Brazil) has published bulletins in English and Portuguese explaining the changes:
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Deloitte Canada Countdown IFRS transition newsletter

27 Sep 2008

Deloitte Canada has released the September 2008 issue of their Countdown IFRS transition newsletter, to provide a snapshot of where we are now as far as Canada's transition to IFRSs is concerned – both in Canada and in Deloitte.

This edition of Countdown focuses on:
  • Exposure Draft of Proposed Amendments to IFRS 1 First-time Adoption of IFRSs
  • IFRS Project Management – A key success factor for your implementation
  • Tips on Applying IFRS 1: A focus on first-time adoption of IFRSs
  • The IFRS Transition Journey: Where are we now?
  • International Round-up: Updates and News from the IASB
Click below for:

 

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Report of Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession

27 Sep 2008

At its meeting yesterday, the US Treasury Department's Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession voted to adopt its final report containing more than 30 recommendations to improve the sustainability of the public company auditing profession.

Recommendations focused on three specific areas:
  • improving accounting education and strengthening human capital;
  • enhancing auditing firm governance, transparency, responsibility, communications, and audit quality; and
  • increasing audit market competition and auditor choice.
Several of the recommendations relate to the increasing use of IFRSs in the United States. The committee was created in May 2007 to examine key issues facing the auditing profession to encourage greater investor confidence. It was co-chaired by former US SEC Chairman Levitt and former SEC Chief Accountant Nicolaisen. Formation of the committee followed a March 2007 public conference organised by US Treasury Secretary Henry M Paulson, Jr to examine ways to improve the competitiveness of US capital markets. Conference participants identified financial reporting and investor confidence as major factor in US domestic markets' competitiveness. Click to download:

 

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Our views on IASB's employee benefits discussion paper

27 Sep 2008

Deloitte has submitted a Letter of Comment on the IASB Discussion Paper Preliminary Views on Amendments to IAS 19 Employee Benefits. In general, we express serious concerns that the proposals go beyond the changes that should be introduced via a short-term project.

An excerpt from our letter is presented below. Past comment letters are Here.

We recognise that accounting for employee benefits has been the subject of criticism for failing to provide a clear indication of the obligation of sponsoring entities towards their employees under long-term defined benefits plans and for the failure of IAS 19 to provide a proper model to account for certain types of plan (mainly certain cash balance plans). We share many of these concerns. However, while we appreciate the desire of the IASB to address the most pressing of these issues, we are concerned that the DP's proposals go beyond the changes that should be introduced via a short-term project. In particular, we strongly discourage the Board from proceeding with its proposal to redefine employee benefit schemes into defined benefits promises and contribution-based promises. As we explain in our detailed comments, the changes proposed would have far reaching consequences and would introduce inconsistencies in accounting for plans that are similar in substance. Further we note that contribution-based promises are not clearly defined and we are not sure we understand exactly what the measurement approach is for contribution-based promises as proposed in the DP and how it differs from other measurement approaches currently used in IFRS.

Finally, while we generally support the Board's proposal to eliminate the option to defer recognition of changes in defined benefit assets and obligation, the elimination of this approach cannot be addressed without proper resolution of the issues linked to the presentation of these changes. Accordingly, we believe that the implementation of this proposal should be timed to coincide with the revised Standard dealing with the presentation of financial performance.

Click to view the Comment letter (PDF 174k).

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'The IFRS Journey in Insurance'

26 Sep 2008

A new Deloitte Research publication The IFRS Journey in Insurance: A Look Beyond the Accounting Changes examines the implications of the use of IFRSs in the insurance industry across the globe.

The report notes that, in some markets, IFRSs will likely contribute to substantial changes in:
  • Insurance product design, price and offerings
  • Investment strategy
  • Risk management practices
  • Securitisation
  • Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity
These changes will give rise to pressure for both convergence and divergence across insurance lines, thereby adding complexity and dynamism to the market structure of the insurance industry.

By taking a proactive approach to understanding the impact of IFRS implementation on key business strategies, insurers can avoid the risk of being unprepared for the industry-wide shift while seizing on emerging opportunities for differentiation from competition.

Click to download The IFRS Journey in Insurance (PDF 438k).

 

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IASB-FASB leases working group will meet

26 Sep 2008

The joint IASB-FASB Leases Working Group will meet on Tuesday 7 October 2008 at the FASB's office in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.

The principal agenda item for the meeting is discussion of a staff draft of the Leases discussion paper (DP). The draft DP – which has not been approved by the FASB or the IASB – would express a preliminary view of the two Boards in favour of replacing the current lease accounting model with a new model. The current model classifies leases as finance leases or operating leases, with the former accounted for as, in substance, financed purchases of the leased asset. Under the proposed new model, a lessee would recognise as assets and liabilities all material rights and obligations arising in all lease contracts, including those rights and obligations that arise under leases currently classified as operating leases. Thus, a lessee would recognise:
  • an asset representing its right to use the leased item for the lease term, and
  • a liability for its obligation to pay rentals.
The operating and finance lease classifications would be eliminated. The observer note for the working group meeting includes a draft of the DP.

 

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IOSCO response to subprime crisis includes accounting focus

26 Sep 2008

The Technical Committee (TC) of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) met on 16 September to discuss current market conditions and further prioritise IOSCO's work in response to the subprime crisis.

Accounting and valuation are among the following TC priorities:
  • Greater international coordination for the oversight of credit rating agencies
  • Safeguards for retail clients
  • Firm risk management
  • Prudential supervision
  • Valuation and accounting
Click for Technical Committee Press Release (PDF 133k). More credit crunch information is Here.
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New Global IFRS and Offerings Services newsletter

25 Sep 2008

We have posted Deloitte's US Reporting Newsletter for Non-US Based Companies September 2008 Edition – includes news through 4 September 2008.

The newsletter is developed by Deloitte's Global IFRS and Offerings Services (GIOS) team – Deloitte practitioners assisting non-US companies and non-US practice office engagement teams in applying US GAAP and IFRSs and in complying with the SEC's financial reporting rules.
Click to view US Reporting Newsletter for Non-US Based Companies September 2008 Edition (PDF 216k).
The GIOS Newsletter is an update on relevant GAAP, regulatory, and other matters, webcasts, and publications, with hyperlinks to source material.

 

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IASB will hold extra meeting on 2 October 2008

25 Sep 2008

The IASB will hold an additional Board meeting on 2 October 2008 to discuss potential amendments to Amendments to IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures and a revised version of the staff draft of the forthcoming exposure draft of a proposed IFRS on Consolidation.

The IASB has accelerated its work on these two issues in response to the recommendations of the Financial Stability Forum. The extra meeting will enable the staff to make faster progress on those projects.

2 October 2008, London

Because the meeting has been arranged at short notice, some Board members will be taking part via video conferencing facilities. To make allowance for the different time zones involved the meeting will be held in two sessions, one in the morning and the same topics of discussion repeated in the afternoon. The morning session will take place between 09:00am and 12:00 noon (London time, GMT +1), and the afternoon session between 15:00pm and 18:00pm (London time, GMT +1). Both sessions will be open to public observation and will be webcast.

 

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