CFM16060 - Accounting for financial instruments: IAS 32 and IAS 39: subjects covered by IAS 32

What IAS 32 covers

The principal categories of disclosure requirements in IAS 32 (as issued in December 2003) relating to financial instruments are:

  • risk management policies and hedging activities; details of hedges;
  • terms, conditions and accounting policies – assumptions and methods applied;
  • the entity's exposure to interest rate risk from financial assets and financial liabilities;
  • the entity's exposure to credit risk, and
  • the fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities.

In August 2005 the IASB issued a new standard,IFRS 7 to deal separately from IAS 32 with required disclosures relating to financial instruments. IFRS 7 is effective from 1 January 2007. The relevant paragraphs in IAS 32 are withdrawn. Disclosure requirements are discussed briefly at CFM16330.

IAS 32 also deals with the following presentation issues:

  • the equity/liability split ( CFM16155 onwards) with particular reference to:
  • the classification of financial instruments that are in substance liabilities,
  • 'split accounting' for compound financial instruments;
  • the classification of derivatives in own shares; and
  • treasury shares (a company's own shares that it has reacquired).
  • offsetting in the balance sheet of receivables and payables ( CFM16335).