5.3 Derivatives and Hedging
IFRS Accounting Standards and U.S. GAAP contain somewhat similar
requirements related to derivatives and hedging. For example, both sets of standards
require derivatives to be accounted for at fair value, and both distinguish between fair
value hedges and cash flow hedges. However, the definition of a “derivative” is narrower
under U.S. GAAP than it is under IFRS Accounting Standards and, as a result, more
instruments may meet the definition under IFRS Accounting Standards. Further, although
the base premise of hedge accounting is similar under IFRS Accounting Standards and U.S.
GAAP, as the table below shows, there are numerous detailed differences in the
requirements entities must follow under the two sets of standards to qualify for,
document, and apply hedge accounting.
Topic
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IFRS Accounting Standards (IFRS 9, IAS 32)
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U.S. GAAP (ASC 815)
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“Derivative” — definition
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For an instrument to meet the definition of a
derivative, the following characteristics must be present:
Though the definition of a derivative under IFRS
Accounting Standards does not include a net settlement
characteristic, contracts to purchase or sell nonfinancial items
are within the scope of IFRS 9 only if they can be settled
net.
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For an instrument to meet the definition of a
derivative, the following characteristics must be present:
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Derivatives — scope
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While both IFRS Accounting Standards and U.S.
GAAP provide scope exceptions for certain contracts to purchase
or sell nonfinancial items that will be purchased, sold, or used
in the normal course of business, under IFRS Accounting
Standards, the own-use scope exception for qualifying contracts
is not elective and does not require an entity to document its
designation of a contract as “own-use.”
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The normal purchases and normal sales scope
exception for qualifying contracts to purchase or sell
nonfinancial items is elective and requires the designation to
be documented.
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Embedded derivatives — initial recognition
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While the overall criteria for bifurcation are
similar to those under U.S. GAAP, the bifurcation requirements
do not apply to financial assets within the scope of IFRS 9.
Therefore, if a hybrid contract contains a host that is a
financial asset within the scope of IFRS 9, the bifurcation
requirements do not apply.
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The bifurcation requirements apply to both
assets and liabilities, including financial assets.
In addition, the application guidance under U.S.
GAAP is more detailed than that under IFRS Accounting Standards.
Accordingly, an entity may not necessarily reach the same
conclusion under IFRS Accounting Standards as under U.S. GAAP
about whether the conditions for bifurcation are met.
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Embedded derivatives — debt with embedded put or call option
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A put, call, or prepayment option embedded in a
debt contract liability is not considered closely related to a
debt host contract unless (1) the exercise price is
approximately equal on each exercise date to the debt host
contract’s amortized cost (before the separation of any equity
component) or (2) the exercise price results in reimbursement to
the lender for an amount up to the approximate present value of
lost interest for the remaining term.
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A put, call, or prepayment option embedded in a debt contract is
considered not clearly and closely related to a debt host
contract if (1) it is indexed to an underlying other than
interest rates, credit risk, or inflation; (2) the debt involves
a substantial discount or premium and the option is contingent;
or (3) the option is not contingent and the negative-yield or
double-double test is passed.
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Embedded equity components — initial
recognition
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Embedded equity-linked features that qualify as
equity are separated from liabilities and accounted for as
equity.
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Embedded equity-linked features that qualify as
equity are not separated from liabilities except in specified
circumstances (see Section
2.4).
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Embedded equity components — initial
measurement
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The with-and-without method is used for initial
measurement of equity components. The liability component is
measured first.
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Different methods apply for initial measurement
of equity components depending on the reason an amount is
allocated to equity.
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Contract on an entity’s own equity — exercise
contingencies
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Exercise contingencies are not specifically
addressed by IAS 32. In practice, exercise contingencies that
would preclude equity classification under U.S. GAAP may not do
so under IFRS Accounting Standards.
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Exercise contingencies must be evaluated to
determine whether they preclude equity classification.
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Contract on an entity’s own equity — settlement
amount
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A contract on an entity’s own equity must be
fixed for fixed to qualify as equity. Unlike U.S. GAAP, IFRS
Accounting Standards do not provide detailed guidance on
contracts with adjustment provisions (e.g., antidilution
provisions).
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To qualify as equity, the contract must be a
fixed-for-fixed forward or option on equity shares, or the only
variables that can adjust the settlement amount are inputs to a
fixed-for-fixed forward or option. Although the fixed-for-fixed
concept under U.S. GAAP is similar to that under IFRS Accounting
Standards, the application may differ in some respects (e.g.,
the accounting for instruments with down-round provisions).
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Contract on an entity’s own equity — net cash
settlement provisions
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Equity classification is precluded. Unlike U.S.
GAAP, IFRS Accounting Standards do not contain detailed guidance
on how to evaluate whether an entity might be required to net
cash settle a contract that specifies share settlement.
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Equity classification is precluded if the entity
could be forced to net cash settle the contract. There is
detailed guidance on how to assess whether an entity is able to
settle in shares (e.g., whether the entity has sufficient
authorized and unissued shares available to share settle the
contract).
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Contract on an entity’s own equity — net share
settlement provisions
| Equity classification is precluded. |
Equity classification is not precluded if the
entity cannot be forced to net cash settle the contract.
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Contract on an entity’s own equity — settlement
alternatives
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Equity classification is precluded (unless all
settlement alternatives are consistent with equity
classification).
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Equity classification is not precluded if the
entity cannot be forced to net cash settle the contract.
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Hedge accounting — “highly effective” threshold to quality for
hedge accounting
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The concept of a highly effective threshold does not exist;
instead, IFRS 9 requires that (1) there is an economic
relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item,
(2) credit risk does not dominate the value changes that result
from the economic relationship, and (3) the hedging
relationship’s hedge ratio reflects the hedge ratio of the
actual quantities of the hedging instrument and the hedged
item.
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The hedging instrument must be highly effective at offsetting
changes in fair value or cash flows.
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Hedge documentation and initial prospective
quantitative hedge effectiveness assessment
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Entities are required to complete all hedge
documentation at hedge inception.
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Entities must complete most hedge documentation
at hedge inception; however, they generally do not need to
complete the initial prospective quantitative hedge
effectiveness assessment until the first quarterly hedge
effectiveness assessment date (i.e., up to three months),
although earlier completion may be required in some
circumstances. Private companies that are not financial
institutions and certain not-for-profit entities do not need to
perform and document the initial and subsequent quarterly
effectiveness assessments until the date the next interim (if
applicable) or annual financial statements are available to be
issued (however, these entities must document certain aspects of
the hedging relationship at hedge inception).
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Hedge accounting — method for assessing
effectiveness
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IFRS Accounting Standards do not specify a
method for assessing hedge effectiveness. Entities are required
to make ongoing qualitative or quantitative assessments (at a
minimum at each reporting date).
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Entities are generally required to perform an
initial quantitative prospective assessment of hedge
effectiveness (unless the shortcut method is applied). However,
if certain criteria are met, they can elect to subsequently
perform prospective and retrospective effectiveness assessments
qualitatively unless facts and circumstances change.
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Hedge accounting — shortcut method
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The shortcut method is not permitted.
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The shortcut method is permitted for hedging
relationships involving an interest rate swap and an
interest-bearing financial instrument that meet specific
requirements.
If an entity elects the shortcut method and later determines that
it was not or is no longer appropriate, it can apply the
long-haul method as long as:
The qualifying criteria also enable partial-term fair value
hedges to qualify for shortcut accounting.
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Hedge accounting — dedesignation
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An entity may dedesignate the hedging
relationship only when the hedging relationship (or a part of
the hedging relationship) ceases to meet the qualifying
criteria.
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An entity may voluntarily discontinue hedge
accounting at any time by removing the designation of the
hedging relationship.
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Hedge accounting — basis adjustment in cash flow
hedges
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If a hedged forecasted transaction results in
the recognition of a nonfinancial asset or nonfinancial
liability, or if it becomes a firm commitment for which fair
value hedge accounting is applied, the amounts that were
included in the cash flow hedge reserve are removed and included
directly in the initial cost or other carrying amount of the
related asset or the liability.
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Basis adjustments for the realized effective
amounts associated with cash flow hedges are not permitted.
Instead, amounts in AOCI must be reclassified into earnings in
the same period(s) in which the hedged forecasted transaction
affects earnings.
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Hedge accounting — nonfinancial risk components
in cash flow hedges
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An entity may designate nonfinancial components
as hedged items under the principle that a component may be
designated as a hedged item if it is separately identifiable and
reliably measurable. There is no requirement that the component
be contractually specified.
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An entity is prohibited from designating changes
in cash flows of a component of a nonfinancial item as the
hedged risk, with the exception of the risk of changes in the
functional-currency-equivalent cash flows of a forecasted
purchase or sale attributable to changes in the related foreign
currency exchange rate.
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Hedge accounting — measurement and recognition
of hedge ineffectiveness in cash flow hedges
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An entity must recognize and measure hedge
ineffectiveness (other than that arising from cumulative cash
flow underhedges) in each reporting period.
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If the relationship between the hedged item and
hedging instrument is highly effective at offsetting changes in
the cash flows, an entity should record, in OCI, the entire
change in the designated hedging instrument’s fair value that is
included in the hedge effectiveness assessment.
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Application of critical-terms-match method to a cash flow hedge
of a group of forecasted transactions
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No formal approach exists; however, entities may be able to
qualitatively assess hedge effectiveness when the critical terms
of the hedging instrument match those of the hedged item.
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Entities may use the critical-terms- match method when hedging
the cash flows of a group of forecasted transactions if (1)
those transactions occur within the same 31-day period or the
same fiscal month in which the hedging derivative matures and
(2) all other method requirements are met.
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Hedge accounting — eligible benchmark interest
rates in fair value hedges
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An entity may designate components that are
separately identifiable and reliably measurable.
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ASC 815 prescribes the eligible benchmark
interest rates that may be designated in fair value hedges of
interest rate risk. The only permissible U.S. benchmark interest
rates are U.S. Treasury rates, London Interbank Offered Rate
swap rates, the Fed Funds Effective Rate Overnight Index Swap
Rate, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
Municipal Swap Rate, and the Secured Overnight Financing Rate
Overnight Index Swap Rate.
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