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International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are accounting standards issued by the IFRS Foundation and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). They constitute a standardised way of describing a company's financial performance and position so that company financial statements are understandable and comparable across international boundaries. They are particularly relevant for companies with publicly listed shares or securities.
IFRS have replaced many different national accounting standards around the world but have not replaced the separate accounting standards in the United States, where US GAAP is applied.
The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) was established in June 1973 by accountancy bodies representing ten countries. It devised and published International Accounting Standards (IAS), interpretations and a conceptual framework. These were looked to by many national accounting standard-setters in developing national standards.
In 2001, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) replaced the IASC with a remit to bring about convergence between national accounting standards through the development of global accounting standards. During its first meeting the new Board adopted existing IAS and Standing Interpretations Committee standards (SICs). The IASB has continued to develop standards, calling the new standards "International Financial Reporting Standards" (IFRS).
In 2002, the European Union (EU) agreed that, from 1 January 2005, International Financial Reporting Standards would apply for the consolidated accounts of EU-listed companies, bringing about the introduction of IFRS to many large entities. Other countries have since followed the lead of the EU.
In 2021, on the occasion of COP26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, the IFRS Foundation announced the formation of the new International Sustainability Standards Board, ISSB.
New standards and interpretations are developed in a formal, usually multi-year process known as the due process.: 64 The procedural requirements are set out in the IFRS Foundation's Due Process Handbook, which applies equally to the IASB and the ISSB.: 1.1, 1.5 A standard-setting project typically comprises the following steps:
Publishing an exposure draft is a mandatory step, whereas publishing a discussion paper before an exposure draft is a non-mandatory "comply or explain" step: if the Board omits it, it must explain its reasons to the Trustees' Due Process Oversight Committee.: 3.46–3.48 Before adding a major project to the work plan that was not contemplated in the previous consultation, the Board consults the IFRS Advisory Council.: 3.55, 4.7
The publication of an exposure draft or a final standard requires a supermajority by way of ballot, meaning at least eight Board members in favour if the Board has thirteen or fewer members and nine if it has fourteen; other decisions, such as adding a project to the work plan, require a simple majority of the members present at a meeting attended by at least 60% of the members.: 3.14–3.18 : 65
In the European Union, IFRS apply only once they have been adopted into EU law in an endorsement procedure, through which each standard or interpretation becomes directly applicable law for all companies applying IFRS under the IAS Regulation.: 60 The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), a private body of experts, advises the European Commission on whether to adopt or reject a new standard. The Commission submits its proposal to the Accounting Regulatory Committee (ARC), which is made up of representatives of the member states. If the ARC approves the proposal, it is submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union under the regulatory procedure with scrutiny; if neither objects within three months, the standard is adopted. If the ARC rejects the proposal or does not decide within three months, the Commission can submit the proposal to the Council, and the standard can still be adopted with the approval of the Council and the Parliament. The whole procedure can take around one year. No endorsement procedure exists for the sustainability standards of the ISSB, since the EU has developed its own sustainability reporting requirements.: 60
IFRS Standards are required or permitted in 132 jurisdictions across the world, including major countries and territories such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the European Union, GCC countries, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.
To assess progress towards the goal of a single set of global accounting standards, the IFRS Foundation has developed and posted profiles of the use of IFRS Standards in individual jurisdictions. These are based on information from various sources, with the starting point being the responses provided by standard-setting and other relevant bodies to a survey that the IFRS Foundation conducted. As of August 2019, profiles are completed for 166 jurisdictions, with 166 jurisdictions requiring the use of IFRS Standards.
Due to the difficulty of maintaining up-to-date information in individual jurisdictions, three sources of information on current worldwide IFRS adoption are recommended:
Ray J. Ball described the expectation by the European Union and others that IFRS adoption worldwide would be beneficial to investors and other users of financial statements, by reducing the costs of comparing investment opportunities and increasing the quality of information. Companies are also expected to benefit, as investors will be more willing to provide financing. Companies that have high levels of international activities are among the group that would benefit from a switch to IFRS Standards. Companies that are involved in foreign activities and investing benefit from the switch due to the increased comparability of a set accounting standard. However, Ray J. Ball has expressed some scepticism of the overall cost of the international standard; he argues that the enforcement of the standards could be lax, and the regional differences in accounting could become obscured behind a label. He also expressed concerns about the fair value emphasis of IFRS and the influence of accountants from non-common-law regions, where losses have been recognised in a less timely manner.
US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, commonly called US GAAP, remains separate from IFRS. The Securities Exchange Committee (SEC) requires the use of US GAAP by domestic companies with listed securities and does not permit them to use IFRS; US GAAP is also used by some companies in Japan and the rest of the world.
In 2002 IASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), the body supporting US GAAP, announced a programme known as the Norwalk Agreement that aimed at eliminating differences between IFRS and US GAAP. In 2012 the SEC announced that it expected separate US GAAP to continue for the foreseeable future but sought to encourage further work to align the two standards.
IFRS is sometimes described as principles-based, as opposed to a rules-based approach in US GAAP; in US GAAP there is more instruction in the application of standards to specific examples and industries.
The Conceptual Framework serves as a tool for the IASB to develop standards. It does not override the requirements of individual IFRSs. Some companies may use the Framework as a reference for selecting their accounting policies in the absence of specific IFRS requirements. The first version of the Framework was adopted in 1989; a revised version was published on 29 March 2018 and has applied since 1 January 2020.: 68
The Conceptual Framework states that the primary purpose of financial information is to be useful to existing and potential investors, lenders and other creditors when making decisions about the financing of the entity and exercising rights to vote on, or otherwise influence, management's actions that affect the use of the entity's economic resources.
Users base their expectations of returns on their assessment of:
The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting defines the fundamental qualitative characteristics of financial information to be:
The Framework also describes the following enhancing qualitative characteristics:
The Conceptual Framework defines the elements of financial statements to be:
Under the Conceptual Framework issued in 2018, recognition can be described as a two-step process:
| Step | Question | If not met | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Does the item meet the definition of an asset (a present economic resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events) or of a liability (a present obligation of the entity to transfer an economic resource as a result of past events)? | Not recognised | 4.3, 4.26 |
| 2 | Would recognition provide users with relevant information and a faithful representation of the item, and do the benefits justify the costs? Factors include existence uncertainty, a low probability of an inflow or outflow of economic benefits, and measurement uncertainty. | Not recognised; information about the item may need to be disclosed in the notes | 5.6–5.25 |
| If both steps are met, the item is recognised in the statement of financial position. | |||
The previous versions of the Conceptual Framework instead required that it be probable that future economic benefits would flow to or from the entity and that the item could be measured reliably; the 2018 version does not set a probability threshold. The requirements of individual standards take precedence over the Conceptual Framework.
In some cases specific standards add additional conditions before recognition is possible or prohibit recognition altogether.
An example is the recognition of internally generated brands, mastheads, publishing titles, customer lists and items similar in substance, for which recognition is prohibited by IAS 38. In addition research and development expenses can only be recognised as an intangible asset if they cross the threshold of being classified as 'development cost'.
Whilst the standard on provisions, IAS 37, prohibits the recognition of a provision for contingent liabilities, this prohibition is not applicable to the accounting for contingent liabilities in a business combination. In that case the acquirer shall recognise a contingent liability even if it is not probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required.Added section on measurement bases under the 2018 Conceptual Framework (mixed measurement model), with table
IFRS follow a mixed measurement model: different standards require or permit different measurement bases for different items. The 2018 Conceptual Framework distinguishes between historical cost and current value measurement bases:
| Category | Measurement basis | Description | Examples of use in standards | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historical cost | The cost incurred in acquiring or creating an asset, including transaction costs, updated for depreciation, amortisation and impairment; for liabilities, the consideration received less transaction costs | Cost model for property, plant and equipment (IAS 16), inventories (IAS 2), amortised cost of financial instruments (IFRS 9) | 6.4–6.9 | |
| Current value | Fair value | The price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date | Measurement guidance in IFRS 13; financial instruments at fair value (IFRS 9); revaluation model (IAS 16) | 6.12–6.16 |
| Value in use (assets) and fulfilment value (liabilities) | The present value of the cash flows that an entity expects to derive from the use and ultimate disposal of an asset, or expects to be obliged to transfer to fulfil a liability | Value in use in impairment testing; fulfilment cash flows of insurance contracts (IFRS 17) | 6.17–6.20 | |
| Current cost | The cost of an equivalent asset, or the consideration that would be received for an equivalent liability, at the measurement date | Rarely required by standards | 6.21–6.22 | |
Individual standards also use measures derived from these bases, such as the recoverable amount (the higher of fair value less costs of disposal and value in use) used in IAS 36 Impairment of Assets, and net realisable value used for inventories in IAS 2. The earlier versions of the Conceptual Framework listed historical cost, current cost, realisable (settlement) value and present value as measurement bases.
Concepts of capital maintenance are important as only income earned in excess of amounts needed to maintain capital may be regarded as profit. The Conceptual Framework describes the following concepts of capital maintenance:
Most entities adopt a financial concept of capital maintenance. However, the Conceptual Framework does not prescribe any model of capital maintenance.
Entities whose securities are publicly traded, or that are in the process of going public, must also prepare a segment report in accordance with IFRS 8. Unlike the German Commercial Code, IFRS do not require a management report; the IASB has instead issued a non-binding practice statement on Management Commentary, which entities can apply voluntarily.: 74
The components of the financial statements are interrelated: the cash flow statement explains the change in cash and cash equivalents shown in the balance sheet, while the profit or loss of the period, as part of total comprehensive income, together with transactions with owners explains the change in equity shown in the balance sheet and in the statement of changes in equity.: 21–22 : 8–9

IFRS financial statements consist of:
Comparative information is required for the prior reporting period.
The following are the general features of IFRS:
Cash flow statements in IFRS are presented as follows:
In 2012, staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a report setting out observations on a potential adoption of IFRS in the United States. This included the following criticisms:
IASB staff have responded to these observations and concluded that there were no insurmountable obstacles for the adoption of IFRS by the United States.
In 2013 IASB member Philippe Danjou listed ten common criticisms of IFRS. He sought to counter these, describing them as misconceptions:
Charles Lee, a professor of accounting at Stanford Graduate School of Business, has also criticised the use of fair values in financial reporting.
In 2019, H. David Sherman and S. David Young criticised the current state of financial reporting under IFRS and US GAAP:
There are two frameworks that investors and accountants recognize on a global scale: International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). They both serve to ensure transparency and consistency in financial statements. However, they take a vastly different approach to recognizing revenues, reporting leases, and recording inventory. IFRS is followed in over 140 countries, and the system is more principle-based as it gives businesses flexibility in applying standards. GAAP on the other hand, is used almost exclusively in the United States and is governed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). This system is rule-based and much stricter, and it provides industry-specific guidelines. These differences don’t just affect accountants, they also impact how businesses operate and how investors interpret financial performance.
Take two companies for example, one in the U.S. and one in Europe, both selling software subscriptions. Even though they operate the same way, they report their revenues differently, due to the divide between IFRS and GAAP. Both companies follow a five-step model under IFRS 15 and GAAP (ASC 606), but GAAP includes extra layers of industry-specific guidance for sectors such as real estate, software, and financial services. This means that a software company in the U.S. might have detailed, step-by-step rules enforcing revenue from subscriptions. In contrast, international companies using IFRS have more flexibility in applying general principles. For companies operating both frameworks, this can lead to confusion when reporting revenue across different financial statements.
Lease accounting is another crucial part representing the different approaches that IFRS and GAAP take. For IFRS 16, every lease must be recorded on the balance sheet and classified as a right-to-use asset with a corresponding liability. However, GAAP (ASC842) maintains two types of leases: one on the balance sheet and operating leases, which are generally not recorded on the balance sheet. While this approach allows U.S. companies to hide some lease obligations, critics like H. David Sherman and S. David Young argue that it complicates financial comparisons, especially for global investors trying to assess companies’ liabilities.
Another divergence is inventory valuation. IFRS and GAAP differ in their models, Last In First Out (LIFO) and First In First Out (FIFO). This is primarily a difference in accounting-based calculations, which can significantly impact results during fluctuating inventory costs. IFRS adopts the FIFO method, while GAAP utilizes the LIFO method. The LIFO method can provide tax savings during periods of inflation since it results in lower reported profits. However, the inconsistency between the two strategies might cause inconvenience for companies trying to use a standardized rule to value themselves, as using different calculation methods may not always be an apples-to-apples comparison.
For businesses, the divergence in the two methods isn't just differences in number or technical detail, as they also have real-world consequences. Multinational corporations adjusting in both IFRS and GAAP jurisdictions must maintain separate financial reports, showing the inconvenience in the process. For investors, transparency and accuracy in the decision-making process might be disrupted by discrepancies in revenue timing, asset valuation, and lease obligations to get a clear picture of financial health. Despite ongoing efforts to harmonize the two systems, significant gaps remain, and full convergence may never happen. For now, understanding these variations is crucial, not just for accountants but for anyone making investment decisions in a global economy.
Many researchers have studied the effects of IFRS adoption, but results are unclear. For example, one study used data from 26 countries to study the economic consequences of mandatory IFRS adoption. It showed that, on average, even though market liquidity increases around the time IFRS is introduced, it is unclear whether IFRS mandate adoption is the sole reason for observed market effects. Firms' reporting incentives, law enforcement, and increased comparability of financial reports can also explain the effects. The adoption of IFRS in the European Union is a special case because it is an element of wider reforms aiming to consolidate the economies of member countries. One study reports positive market effects for companies adopting IFRS, but these positive effects occurred even before the transition took place. Another study looked at the development of the stock market in Poland; it found positive effects associated with Poland joining the EU but no specific effect attributable to its adoption of IFRS. Interestingly, member states maintain a large degree of independence in setting national accounting standards for companies that prefer to stay local.
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