Accounting Standards – International IFRS Use & Status

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are a set of accounting standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The main objective of IFRS is to have one global set of accounting standards.

 

Adoption of an accounting standard is purely driven by decisions made by each country’s administration. IFRS is set to become the global standard for the preparation of public company financial statements. It is gradually replacing the existing region-specific accounting standards, popularly known as local GAAP.

Global picture

Currently, more than 120 countries around the world permit accounting practices that conform to  IFRS. More than 85 countries make it mandatory for companies to apply accounting and reporting methodology using IFRS. Among the popular regions to adopt IFRS are European Union (EU), Hong Kong, Australia, Russia, South Africa, Singapore, and GCC countries

IFRS in European Union

 All the listed EU companies are required to follow IFRS since 2005. Since the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group advises EU on financial compliance matters, EU IFRS might be different from the IFRS applied elsewhere.

IFRS in BRICS nations

Nation IFRS status
Brazil IFRS required for Consolidated financial statements of all listed companies since Sep 2010
Russia Mandatory for Banks. Optional for listed companies’ consolidated financial statements
India Phased implementation starting April 2011. Currently optional for listed companies’ consolidated financial statements
China No IFRS. Local standard is leaning towards IFRS with severe differences
South Africa Required for all listed companies. Optional for unlisted companies

IFRS in the United States

At present,in the United States, IFRS is not recognized. But, Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has plans to implement IFRS to the listed corporations as early as 2015.

IFRS in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, IFRS is mandatory for listed companies’ consolidated financial statements and is optional for other statutory filings.

To find more about DataTracks, visit www.datatracks.co.uk or send an email to enquiry@datatracks.co.uk.

The views expressed are that of the author’s and DataTracks is not responsible for the contents or the views expressed therein. If any part of this blog is incorrect, inappropriate or violates the IP rights of any person, please alert us at ceo@datatracks.co.uk.We would take immediate action to correct any violation.

CONTACT US

CONTACT US






















    Cancel