"Beyond the GAAP" newsletter

While many businesses will spend 2015 working on the practical impact of the introduction of IFRS 15 and IFRS 9, the IASB has announced that other important publications will appear this year: the new draft conceptual framework should be available during the course of the first quarter, while the new standard on leases is expected at the end of the year.

As entities begin to analyse the future impact of IFRS 15, the IASB and the FASB have published the report of the first meeting of the Transition Resource Group (TRG), charged with identifying any application problems that deserve the attention of the Boards. This is an opportunity for Beyond the GAAP to return to these discussions, and to the items on the agenda of the second meeting of the TRG.

The IASB has taken advantage of the summer break to finalise a number of publications. These include the complete version of IFRS 9 on financial instruments, published in July.

At last! Between the publication in December 2008 of the Discussion Paper on Revenue Recognition, and the arrival of IFRS 15 at the end of May 2014, nearly five and a half years have passed. During this period, two exposure drafts were published (June 2010 and November 2011), and it took 30 months’ work to move from the second exposure draft to the final joint standard with the US GAAP.

In our January 2014 issue, we highlighted the ongoing differences of opinion between the IASB and the FASB as they tried to finalise the standard on financial instruments. After years of work on the joint standard, they seem unable to reach a consensus on either phase 1 (classification and measurement) or phase 2 (impairment).

November 2013 saw the publication of the final standard on hedge accounting that constitutes
phase 3 of IFRS 9, and which is explained in full detail in this issue of Beyond the GAAP. This standard represents a significant new direction for IFRSs, with a greater focus on entities’ operational risk management policy. From now on, the accounting treatment must be adapted to fit the management policy, rather than the other way around. This is the first step towards a “business model” approach that many have called for, and that is currently being discussed as part of the Conceptual Framework project.

The 2013 annual statements are drawing near! As every year, we present the list of IFRS standards and interpretations applicable to this reporting date. We also invite you to take a close look at the AMF’s Recommendations and ESMA’s Enforcement priorities for 2013.

The comment period on the Leases exposure draft ended on 13 September 2013. The comments received by the IASB and the FASB are far from unanimous, and many criticisms have been expressed on both sides of the Atlantic, some even challenging the model upheld by the Boards. Even some organisations representing analysts or users of financial statements have suggested that the standard setters’ proposals do not meet their needs.

After the May publication of the 2nd leases exposure draft, another long-term project now sees re-publication: on 20 June the IASB and the FASB published their new proposals for insurance contracts. It looks likely to be a busy summer for commentators!

This Special Issue deals with the impact of the IFRS 7 amendment on disclosures of transfers of financial assets on financial statements at 31 December 2012.

The first quarter of 2013 is coming to a quiet close – and there is even a gleam of hope in sight! At the end of its March meeting, the IASB finally decided to remove the proposed interpretation on puts on non-controlling interests from its work plan, and to review the controversial elements of IAS 32 with a view to a potential amendment.

As we move into the New Year, many of us are wondering what will be the outcome of the debate over the correct accounting treatment of puts on no controlling interests.

Following the summer break, it’s back to school for the IASB, with even more new projects. Its work plan now includes three new limited amendments projects and three new research projects. Notably, the Board has decided to publish a revised exposure draft on phase II of IFRS 4: Insurance contracts.

For some months, the Leases project seemed to have reached deadlock, largely due to the difficulties encountered by the two Boards in deciding how to account for the result. Some observers were wondering whether it would ever see the light of day.

Financial instruments were in the spotlight in April! The two Boards continued their progress on the proposed “expected loss” impairment model for financial assets (Phase II of IFRS 9/Impairment), and in particular clarified how the expected loss estimate should be determined. The Boards also reached an agreement on the definition of a business model which would permit measuring financial assets at amortised cost, and on bifurcation of embedded derivatives (Reopening of Phase I of IFRS 9/ Classification and measurement).