IASC provides guidance on financial instruments.

In September the IASC issued guidance on the implementation of International Accounting Standard no. 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

IAS no. 39, which was released in March 1999 (see July99, JofA, page 20), required that all financial assets and liabilities, including derivatives, be identified on the balance sheet and established concepts for recognizing, measuring and disclosing information about such assets and liabilities. It increased the use of fair value in accounting for financial instruments and introduced requirements relating to the standard's vital component--hedge accounting. The implementation guidance will help auditors and financial analysts better understand what hedge accounting is actually about.

The new guidance addresses the application of IAS no. 39 to credit derivatives and financial reinsurance, financial guarantee and commodity contracts, definitions of derivatives and originated loans, accounting for embedded derivatives, and accounting for transfers of financial assets and portions of financial assets (for instance, in securitizations). It also considers accounting for transaction costs, fair value measurement, disclosures about financial instruments and hedge accounting issues (such as hedging of risk components).

The guidance is effective for financial statements dated January 1, 2001, or later. More information is available at www.iasc.org.uk.