1. Basic Financial Instruments: IAS 32, IAS 39 and IFRS 7
Wiecek and Young
IFRS Primer
Chapter 17

2. Basic Financial Instruments
Related standards
IAS 32, IAS 39 and IFRS 7
Current GAAP comparisons
IFRS financial statement disclosures
Looking ahead
End-of-chapter practice

3. Related Standards
FAS 115 Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities
FAS 130 Reporting Comprehensive Income
FAS 133 and 138 Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
FAS 140 and 156 Accounting for the Transfer and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishment of Financial Liabilities
FAS 150 Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both Liabilities and Equity
FAS 155 Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments
FAS 157 Fair Value Measurements
FAS 159 The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

4. Related Standards
IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements

5. IAS 32, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 – Overview
Objective and scope
Recognition and derecognition
Measurement
Presentation
Disclosures

6. Objective and Scope
The framework for accounting for financial instruments is laid out in three standards as follows:
• IAS 32, which deals with presentation from the perspective of the
issuer (only)
• IAS 39, which deals with measurement and recognition of financial
assets and financial liabilities
• IFRS 7, which deals with disclosures
IAS 1 deals with financial statement presentation (including comprehensive income)

7. Objective and Scope According to IAS 32.11,
“A financial instrument is any contract that gives rise to a financial asset of one entity and a financial liability or equity instrument of another entity”
The majority of items on the balance sheets of many companies are financial instruments
Some exceptions are:
Inventories
Prepaids
Property, plant, and equipment

8. Objective and Scope

9. Objective and Scope
Financial assets, liabilities, and equity instruments are defined in IAS 32
A financial asset is
(a) cash
(b) an equity instrument (of another entity) or
(c) a contractual right to receive cash (or another financial asset) or to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities under conditions that are potentially favorable
An equity instrument is a contract that represents a residual interest in the net assets of the company
A financial liability is basically a contractual obligation to deliver cash (or another financial asset) or to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities under conditions that are potentially unfavorable

10. Objective and Scope
The financial instruments that are either completely or partially scoped out of the standards are as follows:
IAS 32:
Investments that are consolidated or equity accounted for under: IAS 27, 28, 31
Rights and obligations under employee benefit plans (IAS 19) and insurance contracts (IFRS 4)
Share-based payments (IFRS 2)
IAS 39:
Those noted above as well as:
Rights and obligations under leases covered under IAS 17
Equity instruments of the entity (issuer) that are classified as equity (IAS 32)
Contracts to buy/sell an acquiree at a future date
Some loan commitments (IAS 37)
Rights to payments to reimburse the entity for expenditures to settle a liability

11. Recognition and Derecognition
INITIAL RECOGNITION
Financial instruments should be recognized when the entity becomes a party to the contract
When financial instruments are initially recognized, they must be classified as one of the following (which are defined in IAS 39.9):
1. Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL)
2. Held to maturity investments (HTM)
3. Loans and receivables
4. Available for sale financial assets (AFS)
The classification is important because it dictates how the asset/liability will be measured going forward and where the profits and losses will be booked

12. Recognition and Derecognition
Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss (FVTPL)
Under IAS 39.9, FVTPL assets/liabilities are either held for trading (HFT) or designated as FVTPL by the entity
Instruments may be classified as HFT if they:
• Are acquired with the intent to sell or repurchase in the near term,
• Are part of a portfolio of instruments that are managed together to
maximize profits, or
• Are derivatives (other than financial guarantee contracts or designated
and effective hedging instruments)
In other words, the instruments are traded for profit (“active and frequent buying and selling”)

13. Recognition and Derecognition
Financial Assets at Fair Value through Profit or Loss (FVTPL)
An entity may, as an accounting policy choice, designate assets as FVTPL if certain criteria are met
This option is available to encourage the use of fair value and to reduce the need for having to use hedge accounting
Under the standard, entities are allowed to use this option when doing so results in more relevant information
Where there is no market value and fair value is not reliably measurable, equity instruments may not be classified as FVTPL
Once an item is classified as FVTPL, it may not be reclassified to another category

14. Recognition and Derecognition
Held to Maturity Investments (HTM)
HTM investments have the following characteristics:
• They are not derivatives
• They have fixed and determinable payments and fixed maturity dates
HTM investments are meant to be held to maturity and the entity must demonstrate positive intent and ability to do so
These investments may be disposed of or reclassified prior to maturity only in very limited circumstances
If the entity disposes of or reclassifies more than an insignificant amount of investments prior to maturity in the current year or in the previous two years, it will not be allowed to use the HTM category going forward

15. Recognition and Derecognition
Held to Maturity Investments (HTM)
It is acceptable, under the standard, to dispose of the investment under the following situations:
• The investment is very close to maturity
• The entity has collected substantially all of the amounts under the terms of
the debt or
• Circumstances exist that are attributable to an isolated event beyond the
entity’s control, which is nonrecurring and could not have been anticipated
Thus, there may be some unanticipated, one-time situations where it is acceptable under the standard to dispose of the instrument prior to maturity.

16. Recognition and Derecognition
Held to Maturity Investments (HTM)
This restriction on reclassification exists because HTM investments are measured at amortized cost
Reclassification would potentially trigger a gain or loss and may lead to manipulation of income
How does an entity demonstrate positive intent and ability?
Positive intent and ability can be shown by many factors
These factors must be assessed upon initial recognition and subsequently

17. Recognition and Derecognition
Loans and Receivables
Loans and receivables have the following characteristics:
• They are non-derivative
• They have fixed and determinable payments
• They are not quoted in an active market
Therefore, this category includes loan assets, trade receivables, and investments in debt instruments
Available for Sale Financial Assets
Available for sale financial assets are those that are not classified as one of the others, i.e., FVTPL, HTM, or loans and receivables
This category is a default category, i.e., instruments are presented here if they do not meet the definitions of the other categories

18. Recognition and Derecognition
DERECOGNITION OF A FINANCIAL ASSET
Derecognition is the process of removing an item from the balance sheet (statement of financial position)
Financial assets are derecognized when:
• The contractual rights to the cash flows related to the asset expire, or
• The rights are transferred and certain derecognition criteria are met
Transfers
Many companies transfer their financial assets to other companies
This allows the entity (transferor) to free up capital.
It is common practice in the retail business to factor receivables
In general, the act of transferring the asset qualifies the asset for derecognition as long as the risks and rewards of ownership are passed to the transferee

19. Recognition and Derecognition
DERECOGNITION OF A FINANCIAL LIABILITY
Liabilities are removed from the balance sheet when the obligation is extinguished (i.e., it is discharged or cancelled, or it expires)
For instance, when the entity has paid out all principal and interest, then it would derecognize the liability
Things get complicated when an entity extinguishes an obligation earlier than required or modifies the obligation

20. Measurement
INITIAL MEASUREMENT OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Financial assets/liabilities are initially recognized at fair value
Transaction costs that are directly attributable to the transaction should be added to the carrying value unless the asset is classified as FVTPL
SUBSEQUENT MEASUREMENT OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Subsequent measurement depends on the classification upon initial recognition
The chart in Illustration 17-3 (next slide) explains how to measure the financial instruments and where the resulting gains/losses are booked

21. Measurement

22. Measurement

23. Measurement FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Fair value is defined as:
“ the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s-length transaction”
How do you determine fair value?
The best evidence is quoted prices in an active market
A market is active if the prices are readily and regularly available and reflect actual arm’s-length transactions
According to the standard, market inputs should be used as much as possible, with less reliance on inputs that are specific to the entity

24. Measurement FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT CONSIDERATIONS
As a secondary choice, the entity would use a valuation technique.
The objective is to arrive at a value that would have been paid “in an arm’s length exchange motivated by normal business considerations”
Valuation techniques should use whatever market data are available
Examples include discounted cash flows and options pricing models
Following are examples of inputs:
• Time value of money
• Credit risk
• Foreign exchange rates
• Commodity prices
• Equity prices
• Volatility (variability in value)

25. Measurement RECLASSIFICATIONS
Once an instrument has been classified as FVTPL, it may not be subsequently reclassified out of the FVTPL category
Similarly, instruments may not be subsequently reclassified into the FVTPL category
If it is no longer appropriate to classify an item as HTM, classify it as AFS
IMPAIRMENT AND UNCOLLECTIBILITY OF FINANCIAL ASSETS
If there is objective evidence of impairment, the asset should be written down through profit or loss
In assessing whether there is objective evidence of impairment, the standard focuses on the existence of events (referred to as loss events) such as financial difficulty or bankruptcy

26. Measurement

27. Presentation Liabilities and Equity
Financial instruments should be classified as debt or equity according to their economic substance, which should dictate the accounting
Compound financial instruments contain both debt and equity components
These instruments should be divided into their respective debt and equity components and presented as part debt and part equity
The instrument is an equity instrument if both the following conditions are met:
• The instrument contains no contractual obligation, and
• The instrument may be settled in a fixed number of the issuer’s own equity
instruments
When an instrument contains both debt and equity, the liability would usually be measured at the present value of the future cash flows
Any remaining consideration exchanged for the instrument is booked as equity

28. Presentation Interest, Dividends, Losses, and Gains
Interest, dividends, losses, and gains are accounted for consistently with the economic substance of the underlying financial instrument (not the legal form)
For instance, term-preferred shares are debt in substance and therefore the dividends would be accounted for as interest and deducted from profit or loss
Offsetting a Financial Asset and a Financial Liability
Offsetting is the process of netting financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets and liabilities may be offset when:
There is a legally enforceable right to offset (upon eventual cash flow payments) and
Where there is intent to settle on a net basis

29. Disclosures
IFRS requires additional disclosures including information about:
Fair and carrying values
Use of FVTPL
Reclassifications
Derecognition
Collateral
Compound instruments
Defaults and breach
Hedges and risks
Gains and losses
In general, the disclosures give information about the significance of the financial instruments and the nature and extent of related risks

30. Looking Ahead
Due to the complexity of accounting for financial instruments, the IASB and FASB are working on a project to simplify the accounting
Following are the main principles:
• All financial instruments are measured at fair value with gains/losses to
net income
• Simplify or eliminate hedge accounting
• Provide new standards for derecognition

31. End-of-Chapter Practice

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