The IFRS Interpretations Committee received a request regarding the accounting for a modification or exchange of a financial liability measured at amortised cost that does not result in the derecognition of the financial liability. More specifically, the request asked whether, applying IFRS 9, an entity recognises any adjustment to the amortised cost of the financial liability arising from such a modification or exchange in profit or loss at the date of the modification or exchange.
The Committee noted that the requirements in paragraph B5.4.6 of IFRS 9 apply to all revisions of estimated payments or receipts, including changes in cash flows arising from a modification or exchange of a financial liability that does not result in the derecognition of the financial liability. This is consistent with the requirements in IFRS 9 for modifications of financial assets that do not result in derecognition, and with the definition of amortised cost in Appendix A of IFRS 9 that applies to both financial assets and financial liabilities.
The Committee concluded, therefore, that an entity applies paragraph B5.4.6 of IFRS 9 to a modification or exchange of a financial liability that does not result in the derecognition of the financial liability. In doing so, the entity recalculates the amortised cost of the modified financial liability by discounting the modified contractual cash flows using the original effective interest rate. The entity recognises any adjustment to the amortised cost of the financial liability in profit or loss as income or expense at the date of the modification or exchange.
The Committee noted that IFRS 9 had introduced additional wording in paragraph 5.4.3 of IFRS 9 on the accounting for modifications of financial assets. The Committee observed that, if an entity changes its accounting policy for modifications or exchanges of financial liabilities that do not result in derecognition as a result of the initial application of IFRS 9, then the entity applies the transition requirements in IFRS 9, which require retrospective application subject to particular relief as specified in Section 7.2 of IFRS 9.
The Committee concluded that the principles and requirements in IFRS 9 provide an adequate basis for an entity to account for modifications and exchanges of financial liabilities that do not result in derecognition. Consequently, the Committee [decided] not to add this matter to its standard-setting agenda.
The Tentative Agenda Decision was open for comment until 22 May 2017.
