Improving Disclosures about Financial Instruments (Amendments to FRS 7)

Researched by Milan Choo

Main features of the FRS

IN5A Amendments to the FRS, issued in March 2010, require enhanced disclosures about fair value measurements and liquidity risk. These have been made to address application issues and provide useful information to users.

Paragraph 27 is amended (new text is underlined and deleted text is struck through). Paragraphs 27A and 27B are added.

Significance of financial instruments for financial position and performance

Other disclosures

Fair value

27 An entity shall disclose for each class of financial instruments:

(a) the methods and, when a valuation technique is used, the assumptions applied in determining fair values of each class of financial assets or financial liabilities. For example, if applicable, an entity discloses information about the assumptions relating to prepayment rates, rates of estimated credit losses, and interest rates or discount rates. If there has been a change in valuation technique, the entity shall disclose that change and the reasons for making it.

(b) whether fair values are determined, in whole or in part, directly by reference to published price quotations in an active market or are estimated using a valuation technique (see paragraphs AG71–AG79 of FRS 139).

(c) whether the fair values recognised or disclosed in the financial statements are determined in whole or in part using a valuation technique based on assumptions that are not supported by prices from observable current market transactions in the same instrument (ie without modification or repackaging) and not based on available observable market data. For fair values that are recognised in the financial statements, if changing one or more of those assumptions to reasonably possible alternative assumptions would change fair value significantly, the entity shall state this fact and disclose the effect of those changes. For this purpose, significance shall be judged with respect to profit or loss, and total assets or total liabilities, or, when changes in fair value are recognised in equity, total equity.

(d) if (c) applies, the total amount of the change in fair value estimated using such a valuation technique that was recognised in profit or loss during the period.

27A To make the disclosures required by paragraph 27B an entity shall classify fair value measurements using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in making the measurements. The fair value hierarchy shall have the following levels:

(a) quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1);

(b) inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (ie as prices) or indirectly (ie derived from prices) (Level 2); and

(c) inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs) (Level 3).

The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement is categorised in its entirety shall be determined on the basis of the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. For this purpose, the significance of an input is assessed against the fair value measurement in its entirety. If a fair value measurement uses observable inputs that require significant adjustment based on unobservable inputs, that measurement is a Level 3 measurement. Assessing the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgement, considering factors specific to the asset or liability.

27B For fair value measurements recognised in the statement of financial position an entity shall disclose for each class of financial instruments:

(a) the level in the fair value hierarchy into which the fair value measurements are categorised in their entirety, segregating fair value measurements in accordance with the levels defined in paragraph 27A.

(b) any significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy and the reasons for those transfers. Transfers into each level shall be disclosed and discussed separately from transfers out of each level. For this purpose, significance shall be judged with respect to profit or loss, and total assets or total liabilities.

(c) for fair value measurements in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, a reconciliation from the beginning balances to the ending balances, disclosing separately changes during the period attributable to the following:

(i) total gains or losses for the period recognised in profit or loss, and a description of where they are presented in the statement of comprehensive income or the separate income statement (if presented);

(ii) total gains or losses recognised in other comprehensive income;

(iii) purchases, sales, issues and settlements (each type of movement disclosed separately); and

(iv) transfers into or out of Level 3 (eg transfers attributable to changes in the observability of market data) and the reasons for those transfers. For significant transfers, transfers into Level 3 shall be disclosed and discussed separately from transfers out of Level 3.

(d) the amount of total gains or losses for the period in (c)(i) above included in profit or loss that are attributable to gains or losses relating to those assets and liabilities held at the end of the reporting period and a description of where those gains or losses are presented in the statement of comprehensive income or the separate income statement (if presented).

(e) for fair value measurements in Level 3, if changing one or more of the inputs to reasonably possible alternative assumptions would change fair value significantly, the entity shall state that fact and disclose the effect of those changes. The entity shall disclose how the effect of a change to a reasonably possible alternative assumption was calculated. For this purpose, significance shall be judged with respect to profit or loss, and total assets or total liabilities, or, when changes in fair value are recognised in other comprehensive income, total equity.

An entity shall present the quantitative disclosures required by this paragraph in tabular format unless another format is more appropriate.

Paragraph 39 is amended (new text is underlined and deleted text is struck through). Paragraph 44G is added.

Liquidity risk

39 An entity shall disclose:

(a) a maturity analysis for non-derivative financial liabilities (including issued financial guarantee contracts) that shows the remaining contractual maturities.; and

(b) a maturity analysis for derivative financial liabilities. The maturity analysis shall include the remaining contractual maturities for those derivative financial liabilities for which contractual maturities are essential for an understanding of the timing of the cash flows (see paragraph B11B).

(c) a description of how it manages the liquidity risk inherent in (a) and (b).

Effective date and transition

44G Improving Disclosures about Financial Instruments (Amendments to FRS 7), issued in March 2010, amended paragraphs 27, 39 and B11 and added paragraphs 27A, 27B, B10A and B11A–B11F. An entity shall apply those amendments for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2011. An entity need not provide the disclosures required by the amendments for:

(a) any annual or interim period, including any statement of financial position, presented within an annual comparative period ending before 31 December 2011, or

(b) any statement of financial position as at the beginning of the earliest comparative period as at a date before 31 December 2011.

Earlier application is permitted.

(Source: http://www.masb.org.my/images/stories/New_FRS/AmendFRS7_19Mar2010.pdf)

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