Credit default swap

Low credit risk operational simplification

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Low credit risk operational simplification

IFRS 9 contains an important simplification that, if a financial instrument has low credit risk, then an entity is allowed to assume at the reporting date that no significant increases in credit risk have occurred. The low credit risk concept was intended, by the IASB, to provide relief for entities from tracking changes in the credit risk of high quality financial instruments. Therefore, this simplification is only optional and the low credit risk simplification can be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis.

This is a change from the 2013 ED, in which a low risk exposure was deemed not to have suffered significant deterioration in credit risk. The amendment to make the simplification optional was made in response to requests from constituents, including regulators. It is expected that the Basel Committee SCRAVL consultation document will propose that sophisticated banks should only use this simplification rarely for their loan portfolios.

For low risk instruments, the entity would recognise an allowance based on 12-month ECLs. However, if a financial instrument is not considered to have low credit risk at the reporting date, it does not follow that the entity is required to recognise lifetime ECLs. In such instances, the entity has to assess whether there has been a significant increase in credit risk since initial recognition that requires the recognition of lifetime ECLs.

The standard states that a financial instrument is considered to have low credit risk if: [IFRS 9.B5.22]

  • The financial instrument has a low risk of default
  • The borrower has a strong capacity to meet its contractual cash flow obligations in the near term
  • Adverse changes in economic and business conditions in the longer term may, but will not necessarily, reduce the ability of the borrower to fulfil its contractual cash flow obligations Low credit risk operational simplification

A financial instrument is not considered to have low credit risk simply because it has a low risk of loss (e.g., for a collateralised loan, if the value of the collateral is more than the amount lent (see collateral) or it has lower risk of default compared with the entity’s other financial instruments or relative to the credit risk of the jurisdiction within which the entity operates.

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IFRS 10 Special control approach

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IFRS 10 Special control approach

– determines which entities are consolidated in a parent’s financial statements and therefore affects a group’s reported results, cash flows and financial position – and the activities that are ‘on’ and ‘off’ the group’s balance sheet. Under IFRS, this control assessment is accounted for in accordance with IFRS 10 ‘Consolidated financial statements’.

Some of the challenges of applying the IFRS 10 Special control approach include:

  • identifying the investee’s returns, which in turn involves identifying its assets and liabilities. This may appear straightforward but complications arise when the legal ownership of assets diverges from the accounting depiction (for example, in financial asset transfers that ‘fail’ de-recognition, and in finance leases). In general, the assessment of the investee’s assets and returns should be consistent with the accounting depiction in accordance with IFRS
  • it may not always be clear whether contracts and other arrangements between an investor and an investee
    • create rights or exposure to a variable return from the investee’s performance for the investor; or
    • transfer risk or variability from the investor to the investee IFRS 10 Special control approach
  • the relevant activities of an SPE may not be obvious, especially when its activities have been narrowly specified in its purpose and design IFRS 10 Special control approach
  • the rights to direct those activities might also be difficult to identify, because for example, they arise only in particular circumstances or from contracts that are outside the legal boundary of the SPE (but closely related to its activities).

IFRS 10 Special control approach sets out requirements for how to apply the control principle in less straight forward circumstances, which are detailed below:  IFRS 10 Special control approach

  • when voting rights or similar rights give an investor power, including situations where the investor holds less than a majority of voting rights and in circumstances involving potential voting rights
  • when an investee is designed so that voting rights are not the dominant factor in deciding who controls the investee, such as when any voting rights relate to administrative tasks only and the relevant activities are directed by means of contractual arrangements IFRS 10 Special control approach
  • involving agency relationships IFRS 10 Special control approach
  • when the investor has control only over specified assets of an investee
  • franchises. IFRS 10 Special control approach

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IFRS 9 Proper accounting for Related Company Loans

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IFRS 9 Proper accounting for Related Company Loans – IFRS 9 Financial Instruments makes no distinction between unrelated third party and related party transactions. Entities that prepare stand-alone financial statements are required to apply the full provisions of the standard to all transactions within its scope.

This means related company loan receivables must be classified and measured in accordance with the requirements of IFRS 9, including where relevant, applying the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) model for impairment. IFRS 9 Proper accounting for Related Company Loans

Applying IFRS 9 to related company loans can present a number of application challenges as they are often advanced on terms that are not arms-length or sometimes advanced on an informal basis without any terms … Read more

9 Best practical Impairment related company loans

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9 Best practical Impairment related company loans – What are related company loans?

Technically not the most difficult question one would think, BUT………

Entities must first consider whether the loan is within the scope of IFRS 9 or another standard. This is because IFRS 9: 2.1(a) scopes out ‘interests in subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures’ that are accounted for in accordance with IAS 27 Separate Financial Statements or IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures i.e. at cost less impairment or using the equity method.

In many cases, it will be clear that the loan is a debt instrument that falls within the scope of IFRS 9 but some scenarios may require a more detailed analysis.

IFRS 9 replaced … Read more

Individual or collective assessment for impairment – Which 1 is best varies per case

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Individual or collective assessment for impairment - An entity should normally identify significant increases in credit risk and recognise lifetime ECLs

General model in Insurance contracts measurement

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The general model of measurement of insurance contracts in IFRS 17 is based on estimates of the fulfilment cash flows and contractual service margin.

Control Structured entity with Credit-linked notes

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Control Structured entity with Credit-linked notes

provides a case regarding control through contractual arrangements in a Special Purpose Vehicle or better NO control. Following is a case on the assessment whether certain stakeholders in a transaction/structure have obtained control over a certain entity in the transaction in line with the requirements of IFRS 10 Consolidated financial statements. Only one stakeholder can be in control! [ IFRS10 B16 ] Or no stakeholder is in control. Or one stakeholder is in control and has to consolidate the investigated entity  in its consolidated financial statements. Here is the case. Control Structured entity with Credit-linked notes

THE CASE – Assessing control of an issuer of credit-linked notes with limited activities and derivatives

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The best list of all names for 1 Derivative

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IFRS 9 Definition of derivative: A financial instrument or other contract within the scope of IFRS 9 with all three of the following characteristics.......

Credit derivatives – How 2 better understand it

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Credit derivatives allow a lender or borrower to transfer the default risk of a loan to a third party. These are credit default swaps and credit linked notes.