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IASB Proposed Accounting Standards For Global Supply Chain Finance Disclosure Rules

As per the latest news, proposed accounting standards that need noteworthy disclosure of supply chain finance (SCF) arrangements in the financial reports of the companies have been met with caution by some in the trade finance sector.

The concerns of the financial backers made the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) publish proposed norms for SCF disclosure in December last year. Investors find it troublesome to get an organization’s actual financial situation in the absence of SCF disclosure. IASB sets accounting standards extensively followed by over 140 nations. 

The board proposed updating the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to expect buyers to disclose the unveil the agreements of SCF arrangements they are associated with, the number of payables that have been paid to the suppliers by the investors, the scope of payment terms organized with the suppliers, and data about liabilities that are essential for the course of action. 

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Among many other changes, it likewise plans to involve SCF programs to act as an illustration of when purchasers ought to unveil data, “about any type of changes in the liabilities emerging due to financial activities and also about an organization’s openness to liquidity risks.”

The proposals accumulated more than 90 responses, with financial backers, and investment advisors comprehensively appreciating the plans. On the other hand, a group of multinational organizations, however, for example, Petrobras, Nestlé, and Volkswagen scrutinized the mooted standards as lumbering and impracticable.

Apart from this, two renowned industry groups representing influential trade finance providers, which are the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (Baft) and the International Trade and Forfaiting Association (ITFA) also form an opinion that these proposed standards require restructuring. 

When it comes to submission, Baft explains that it contradicts the key-arranged specific disclosure requirements. The Washington DC-based group explains that the proposal is “troublesome”, and it is not clear how the mentioned data would upgrade the transparency of the buyer’s financial summaries”.

It will also be challenging for the buyer to unveil the terms and conditions of the SCF arrangements since it is not involved with the arrangement between its suppliers and fund providers, the submission explains, adding that the pricing may likewise contrast across suppliers.

Baft contends that revealing the full scope of payment terms on a proposition to the suppliers taking an interest in SCF programs “might misdirect” in the light of the fact that the payment terms can be extended for multiple reasons, such as the delayed transition of goods, instead of any other financial reasons.

In its submission, ITFA explains that unveiling the extended payment terms will demand the makers of financial statements to decide where the payment terms have been broadened or not, which could be troublesome in the instances of long-running connections. 

The ITFA submission further added, “In cases where these payment terms are fresh, reviewers might feel compelled to consult with the organizations regarding measuring the length of the term extension. In these situations mentioned above, this will show troublesome and highly subjective.”

Related Read: Proven Ways To Reduce Payment Risk In Foreign Trade

Both groups – and Taulia, a US-headquartered SCF provider explain that purchasers might not have approached the agreements between their suppliers and the SCF provider, and in some cases, if they do, unveiling them presents secrecy risks and could decrease the utilization of SCF programs. 

ITFA likewise has an issue with the arranged necessity that buyers reveal the scope of payment due dates for trade payables that are not a part of an SCF program.

Take note that payables might or might not be included in the SCF program contingent upon the scope of an eligibility model, as per the criteria, asking, “how, against such a foundation, would an organization be able to decide if a payable fell into the program or not, particularly if no data was accessible from the finance provider or supplier.”

As per the ITFA, “It is uncertain what improvement this tiny level of detail would bring in any case and in our opinion, is a disproportionate weight on the reporting organizations.”

Numerous submitters likewise object to the proposed necessity of compelling buyers to unveil - at the beginning and the end of the reporting period - the carrying measure of the liabilities for which suppliers have previously been paid by a financier. 

Taulia explains in its submission that “there is a threat of this value being utilized improperly to insert exposure in the payables within debt or leverage proportions, making the buyer’s organization look more regrettable.” On the contrary, it recommends that a purchaser ought to give an evaluation of its arrangements on its working capital, cash flows, and liquidity. 

Taulia also added that it demands IASB to explain the “arrangement of the acquisition or dealing data to an individual financing settlement granted by a fintech or financial institution” and “joining an organization working with the funding of buyers and suppliers” by consenting to its rulebook are not caught by the proposed disclosures. 

Corporates that answered the IASB's consultation recommended that the current standards, blended with an explanation published in 2020, would be enough to mitigate financial backers’ interest in exposure, especially if the board provides more advising services.

“If there are more clear rules in regards to the accounting for supplier funding, it would be significantly more qualified to our necessities than the commitment to 'recuperate' rather vague guidelines with broad notes.” according to a letter from carmaker Volkswagen’s head of group accounting and external reporting, Ingrun-Ulla Bartölke.

The current IFRS standards are capable and “extra unveil requirements will always add up to the issue of exposure over-burden,” Bartölke says.

Standards Could Go Further According To The Standards 


Most national accounting entities that answered the IASB’s discussion extensively upheld the plans. The European Securities and Markets Authority, the EU markets regulator, also upholds the proposition and recommends the guidelines might be widened. 


It also cautioned that the standards should be planned to not permit organizations to structure SCF courses to avoid disclosure. 

Fermat Capital Management, which oversees investments in SCF for financial backers, for example, pension funds, and banks, says the IASB’s draft does not go sufficiently far. It contends that the buyers ought to be expected to unveil the name of the bank or finance provider behind each SCF arrangement and data of any security interests, uncovering firms’ overreliance on the restricted sources of liquidity. 

The Connecticut-based firm also believes the standards should require “certifiable proclamations” about SCF programs, consisting of whether the program is proposed to all banks and if it has employed impact on the size or charges of the arrangement.


Ownership Matters, an Australian governance advisory service for investors explained that recommended changes to the standards will be “utilized in examining the relationship between the (buyer) and its suppliers and in evaluating the similar impact on the organization should its SCF arrangements stop working because of a time of market separation or the default of a trade finance provider. ”


Additionally, it also believes that the standards should unveil whether the purchaser has got any refunds from the finance provider connected to the volume of payables directed through an SCF program.

The comment period shut on March 28 and an IASB representative explains that the feedback will now be evaluated by the specialized team.

The IFRS norms are utilized in most European, South American, Middle Eastern, and Sub-Saharan African nations, notwithstanding Australia, Canada, and some Asia Pacific countries.

The IASB's identical body in the US that sets the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) accounting rules, has also proposed demanding organizations unveil their utilization of SCF programs. Those changes got a warmer gathering from the business, but finance providers were more distrustful.

The IASB originally proposed setting SCF revelation norms in 2020 but then preferred to create a plan choice, which acts as an advisory to preparers. However, the breakdown of the supply chain financier Greensill in March 2021 reestablished consideration of risks in the sector.





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