FRC reviews of disclosures relating to reporting requirements

10 October 2019

Companies have responded positively to newly introduced reporting requirements by the FRC for Revenue Recognition and Financial Instruments but there is still considerable scope for them to improve the quality of their annual report disclosures.

The findings relate to three thematic reviews conducted by the FRC to analyse companies’ disclosures for the new requirements and for existing requirements on the Impairment of Non-financial Assets.

The implementation of IFRSs 9 and 15, which applied for the first time to 2018 year-ends, represented significant challenge and change for many companies, following a period of relative stability in terms of financial reporting requirements.  
The FRC recognises the significant work that was undertaken in preparing for, and complying with, the new requirements. It takes time for such wide-ranging standards to be embedded but there were many examples of good disclosures within the accounts sampled and which are shared in the reviews published today. 
However, as expected, there is considerable scope for companies to improve the quality of their disclosures which will be a focus of future reviews in the early years of application of the new standards. The FRC encourages all companies to review the reports in detail and consider the findings carefully when preparing their future reports and accounts.
Impairment is a matter of particular interest to investors in sectors that are experiencing structural change and across all sectors in periods of heightened macroeconomic uncertainty. The thematic review of IAS 36 disclosures in relation to non-financial assets found opportunities for improvement in a number of areas. The FRC therefore encourages companies to consider how they can improve their disclosures.
Each thematic review selected a sample of company accounts, skewed to focus on those sectors most affected by the relevant accounting requirements.

Full press release on the FRC

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