The IPSASB held its fourth meeting of 2019 from December 10-13, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Department of Finance of Abu Dhabi generously hosted the meeting.

The Public Interest Committee, the body that oversees the standard setting activities of the IPSASB, has launched a public survey on IPSASB governance arrangements. All interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate in this global consultation by February 24, 2020.

Revenue with Performance Obligations
The IPSASB approved ED 70, Revenue with Performance Obligations, and agreed on an exposure period of six months from the date of publication. ED 70 is based on IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and has been expanded to apply to binding arrangements which are not necessarily contractual. ED 70 also has a broadened scope with a greater emphasis on the transfer of goods or services to third-party beneficiaries.

This ED, together with EDs 71and 72, is expected to be published at the end of February 2020. EDs 71 and 72 will have the same exposure period.

Please register on the IPSASB website to ensure that you receive updates when this document and EDs 71 and 72 (see below) are published: https://www.ifac.org/user/register

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Revenue Without Performance Obligations
The IPSASB approved ED 71, Revenue without Performance Obligations. ED 71 updates IPSAS 23, Revenue from Non-Exchange Transactions (Taxes and Transfers). It addresses revenue that arises from binding arrangements with present obligations which are not performance obligations, and revenue not related to binding arrangements. 

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Transfer Expenses
The IPSASB approved ED 72, Transfer Expenses. Transfer expenses are transactions where an entity transfers resources to another party without directly receiving anything in return.

The accounting for transfer expenses with performance obligations mirrors the accounting for revenue with performance obligations in ED 70. ED 72 does not mirror ED 71, however, as where there are no performance obligations it requires an expense to be recognized immediately. ED 72 does not address taxation.
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Leases
The IPSASB revisited the objective and scope of the Leases project and evaluated options for moving the project forward against specified criteria. The IPSASB will continue its work on refining the criteria to analyze options and intends to decide on the approach in March 2020.

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Improvements
The IPSASB discussed the responses to ED 68, Improvements to IPSAS, 2019. The IPSASB approved the amendments proposed in ED 68 with no significant changes. The IPSASB also agreed to an effective date of January 1, 2021 for these improvements, except for improvements related to IPSAS 41, Financial Instruments, which will have an effective date of January 1, 2022 to align with the effective date of that standard.

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Measurement
The IPSASB carried out a preliminary review of responses to the Consultation Paper, Measurement.  A number of the issues were raised by respondents related to fair value, including:

• The meaning of fair value in existing IPSAS;
• The interaction of fair value with market value;
• The appropriateness of highest and best use in the public sector; and
• Inconsistency between replacement cost as a measurement basis and a measurement technique to estimate fair value.

The IPSASB also discussed its preliminary view to expense borrowing costs, rather than capitalizing them, noting respondents were split in their views. The IPSASB instructed staff to bring a recommendation forward for its consideration in March 2020.
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Infrastructure Assets
The IPSASB approved the flowchart  for determining whether additional guidance is needed and, if so, whether it should be authoritative or non-authoritative. The flowchart was tested by analyzing issues related to the separation of land under or over infrastructure assets, the control of such land and valuation. The IPSASB instructed staff to revise the draft additional guidance, so that it addresses all the financial reporting issues impacting the accounting for land under or over infrastructure assets. The revised draft guidance will be considered at the March 2020 meeting. 

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Meeting Podcast
A podcast highlighting key points of the December 2019 meeting is now available here.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the IPSASB will be in New York from March 10-13, 2020. For more information, or to register as an observer, visit the IPSASB website.

Highlights from the IPSASB CAG December 2019 meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 

00:11     Welcome and introduction: John Stanford, IPSASB Technical Director
01:05     Chair’s summary of the IPSASB CAG meeting: Thomas Müller-Marqués Berger, IPSASB CAG Chair
14:12     Closing remarks: John Stanford, IPSASB Technical Director

Highlights from the IPSASB December 2019 meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

00:10     Welcome and introduction: John Stanford, Technical Director
01:02     Chair’s meeting overview: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
03:02     Revenue with Performance Obligations: Edwin Ng, Principal
04:04     Revenue without Performance Obligations: Joanna Spencer, Manager
04:56     Transfer Expenses: Paul Mason, Senior Advisor
06:06     Leases: João Carlos Fonseca, Principal
06:52     Measurement: Dave Warren, Principal
09:46     Chair’s concluding comments: Ian Carruthers, IPSASB Chair
12:54     Closing remarks: John Stanford, Technical Director

Laurie C. Endsley joined as a Member of IESBA in January 2020, after being nominated by PwC. Ms. Endsley is a partner with PwC and has worked for more than 30 years as an auditor and attorney. Laurie is based in the New York office and serves as Deputy Global General Counsel and Global Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer for the PwC network. Laurie is a member of the PwC Network Risk & Quality Executive and in that capacity leads the PwC Network Monitoring Group. Laurie is also a member of the Global Regulatory Policy Board.

Laurie previously served as the general counsel for the PwC Network Assurance LOS, as the PwC Central & Eastern European Regional General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer, as well as a member of the PwC CEE Management Board. Before these assignments, she served as the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Global CEO and Global Managing Partners. Laurie also worked for PwC in Russia as General Counsel, Chief Risk & Operating Officer, and as a member of the PwC Russia leadership and board.

Laurie is a CPA and lawyer, and holds an honours undergraduate degree in accounting from Wayne State University, a J.D. cum laude from The University of Michigan Law School, and an MBA cum laude from the University of Chicago.

Richard J. Huesken joined the International Ethics Standards Board in January 2020. Rich is retired from EY, where he most recently served as the Global Independence Leader for the Ernst & Young Global Limited network, leading a multi-national team of professionals responsible for establishing independence policy, processes, and systems, monitoring of regulatory and standard setting developments, and consulting on independence matters. Rich was a member of EY’s Global Risk Management Executive Committee, Global Practice Group and Global Professional Practice Committee.

Rich has more than 42 years of audit experience in a variety of industries. He previously served as the U.S. Independence Leader and as the Professional Practice Director for two EY regions. Rich graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Objective

The objectives of the IESBA’s Definitions of Listed Entity and PIE Project are:

(a)       To review, in coordination with the IAASB, the definitions of the terms “listed entity” and “PIE” in the Code with a view to revising them as necessary so that they

    remain relevant and fit for purpose; and

(b)       In doing so, to:

This week, a coalition of 11 global and regional accountancy organizations and international development agencies, led by IFAC, the International Federation of Accountants, convened a three-day conference to bring awareness to how effective public financial management is critical to the advancement of emerging economies.

The conference, Developing Accountancy Capacity in Emerging Economies, features a series of keynotes and workshops designed to equip accountants, government officials, stakeholders and other practitioners with a roadmap for facilitating conversations and driving progress in their respective jurisdictions.

“Accountancy capacity development efforts, like this conference, are most effective when national, regional, and global organizations come together with a laser-focus on a common cause. IFAC, with the support of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), is grateful to be able to catalyze the convening of institutions that comprise the financial management eco-system, in order to enhance awareness and collaboration,” said Kevin Dancey, IFAC CEO.

The accountancy profession plays an essential and significant role in a country’s sustainable economic development in both the public and private sectors. Not only has a strong and vibrant accountancy profession been regularly associated with lower levels of fraud and corruption, but there is also a recognized correlation between a strong accountancy profession and higher levels of economic growth. Supporting the development of accountancy capacity can be a catalyst to the success of the state-building strategies implemented by international development actors.

Dr. In-Ki Joo, IFAC President, said: “The role of professional accountants is to manage the financial information required by all stakeholders, and to develop the insights needed for sound decision-making that helps promote economic, social and political stability. This important connection between accountancy and economic development is something that organizations, including the DFID, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Global Fund, have understood for a number of years and we are grateful for their ongoing partnership.”

Aman Trana, Director, Procurement, Portfolio, and Financial Management Department of the Asian Development Bank, said: “One of ADB’s operational priorities under its Strategy 2030 is to strengthen governance and institutional capacity of its developing member countries. Professional accountants play a critical role in this area by supporting public financial management institutions improving their public service delivery, financial efficiency, and transparency and accountability, thereby accelerating poverty reduction and achieving sustainable development.

IFAC extends its sincere appreciation to its partners and hosts for making the conference possible: DFID, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Fund, the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants, the ASEAN Federation of Accountants, the South Asian Federation of Accountants, and the Arab Federation of Accountants and Auditors.

About IFAC
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of more than 175 members and associates in more than 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing almost 3 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

About the Asian Development Bank
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.