What are IAS or International Accounting Standards?

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) replaced International Accounting Standards (IAS) as the rule for financial statements in 2001. Since then, most of the world’s major financial markets have also accepted IFRS.1The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), a separate group based in London, put out both sets of rules.

The U.S. does not use IFRS. Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAP) are what the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants public companies in the U.S. to follow instead. Japan and China also chose not to use IFRS.

Learning about the International Accounting Standards (IAS)

The first international accounting standards were the International Accounting Standards (IAS). They were made by the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), created in 1973. The goal back then, as it is now, was to make it easier to compare companies worldwide, make financial reporting more clear and trustworthy, and encourage trade and investment worldwide.

Accounting rules that are the same around the world help make financial markets more open, accountable, and efficient. This helps investors and other market players make better decisions about investment opportunities and risks, which leads to better capital allocation. Universal standards also significantly cut down on filing costs and following the rules. This is especially true for businesses that do business internationally and have subsidiaries in many countries.

Getting ready for new global accounting rules

Since the IASB took over from the IASC, much work has gone into creating a single set of high-quality global accounting standards. The European Union has adopted IFRS. The only major capital markets that do not have an IFRS mandate are the United States, Japan (where adoption is optional), and China (which says it is moving toward IFRS).

It was required by 144 countries that all or most publicly traded companies use IFRS as of 2022. Other jurisdictions allow it to be used.

Accounting rules that are the same around the world help make financial markets more open, accountable, and efficient.

The U.S. is thinking about adopting accounting rules from other countries. The IASB and the Financial Accounting Rules Board (FASB), which sets accounting rules in the United States, have worked together on a project since 2002 to make IFRS and GAAP better and more similar. Even though the FASB and IASB set standards simultaneously, the convergence process is taking a lot longer than planned. This is partly because the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is hard to implement.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees the stock market and has long backed high-quality global accounting standards and will continue to do so. It’s essential to fully understand the similarities and differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS because U.S. investors and businesses regularly put trillions of dollars into foreign markets. One difference in how they think about bookkeeping is that GAAP is based on rules, while IFRS is based on principles.

Conclusion

The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) replaced the International Accounting Standards in 2001.

The U.S., Japan, and China are the only big capital markets that do not have an IFRS mandate right now.

Since 2002, the U.S. Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board have been working together to make American Accounting Principles (GAAP) and IFRS better and more similar.