24 July Learn Best Practice Accounting for FX Derivatives July 24, 2017By FX Initiative General 815, 820, 830, Accounting, Balance Sheet, Best Practice, Cash Flow, Continuing Professional Education, CPE, Currency, FAS 133, FASB, Financial Reporting, FX, GAAP, IFRS, Income Statement, Management, Risk, ASC, FAS 52, Foreign Exchange, IASB 0 Foreign exchange accounting is a complex area of financial reporting that many global organizations struggle with. Adding to that complexity, companies engaged in foreign exchange risk management must also learn how to account for currency derivatives. While the specific accounting rules differ between generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and international financial reporting standards (IFRS), the fundamental concepts are essential to understand when implementing foreign exchange risk management best practices for your international business. Companies that hedge foreign exchange risk often have two main objectives: (1) To minimize the Income Statement impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates, and (2) to reduce the variability in functional currency equivalent cash flows resulting from foreign currency transactions. In order to achieve the objective of minimizing the Income Statement impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates, it is important to first consider the accounting treatment for the underlying position, and then to align the accounting treatment for the FX derivative accordingly. At the highest level, companies can account for FX derivatives using “default” accounting treatment or “elective” accounting treatment. The “default accounting treatment requires that derivative gains and losses should be recorded in earnings on a current basis based on changes in their fair market value. The “elective” accounting treatment permits special accounting that results in changes in the fair value of the derivative to be recorded in the equity section of the balance sheet (rather than earnings) as part of other comprehensive income and then reclassified from the balance sheet to the income statement in the period or periods in which the underlying hedged item impacts consolidated earnings. While the rules of elective accounting treatment can get quite complex, the key take away is that elective accounting treatment provides financial reporting benefits when hedging underlying exposures that do not impact the income statement on a current basis, such as forecasted transactions. Therefore, firms have a choice between the “default” and “elective” accounting treatment. FX Initiative’s currency risk management training addresses several variables to consider when choosing the most appropriate course of action for FX derivative accounting. If you are interested in learning more about accounting for FX derivatives, FX Initiative’s currency risk management training walks you through real-world scenarios using Apple as an example. Specifically, we cover hedging forecasted revenue transactions, booked receivable transactions, and net investments in foreign subsidiaries using both elective and default accounting treatment. Learning how to account for FX derivatives is critical in order to achieve your foreign exchange risk management objectives. Start learning today by taking the FX Initiative! Are you ready to learn best practice accounting for FX derivatives? Click here to take the FX Initiative! Cheers, The FX Initiative Team support@fxinitiative.com Related Posts Promoting Business Best Practices Join us and learn business best practices safely from home. WindyCityWebinars.org is a student led project from FX Initiative that promotes the highest caliber, most innovative continuing professional education (CPE) for lifelong learning. Our CPE webinars help professionals and organizations stay current on the latest regulations, developments, and trends in finance, accounting, and related business industries while earning CPE credits to maintain professional credentials. Our teaching approach balances: Business school academic theory Practical strategies for implementation Examples to illustrate key concepts Audience polling questions Question and answer sessions We invite you to attend a learning session as we fulfill our mission to keep learning alive and accessible to all during the pandemic and beyond. Our webinars cover a broad range of useful knowledge, skills, and abilities that enhance professional competence. Our objective is to ensure that knowledge is not only transferred and retained, but reinforced and practiced, enhancing each participant’s confidence in their ability to improve performance and profitability. Register here > FX Risk Policy Best Practices Discover FX risk policy best practices! FX Initiative’s FX Risk Policy webinar covers best practices for drafting a FX risk management policy, including strategies for pricing and booking FX transactions that enable a corporation to control FX risk, and how personnel, resources and operations are incorporated into a policy framework to reduce the impact of unpredictable changes in FX rates. Get started with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training > Download the PDF Practice Pricing FX Derivatives Would you like to practice pricing FX derivatives? The FX Derivative Speculator is a risk modeling tool you can use to compare and contrast pricing variables and payoff profiles of FX derivatives to analyze the economic impact on cash flows and the financial reporting implications under virtually any FX rate scenario. This customizable and interactive web application quickly and easily demonstrates how higher and lower interest rates determine the forward rate, how the upfront premium of an option is priced and accounted for, and how a zero cost collar blends characteristics of forwards and options. Get started with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training > Download the PDF FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices (Video): Explore how multinational corporations can retain and reduce FX risk by pricing and booking FX transactions strategically. This video is a preview of FX Initiative’s FX Risk Management course as part of Learning Objective #1. To learn more, start your FX risk management training today, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples & events at FXCPE.com. Start FX Training FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices (Video): Explore how multinational corporations can retain and reduce FX risk by pricing and booking FX transactions strategically. This video is a preview of FX Initiative’s FX Risk Management course as part of Learning Objective #1. To learn more, start your FX risk management training today, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples & events at FXCPE.com. Start FX Training FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices FX Pricing & Booking Best Practices (Video): Explore how multinational corporations can retain and reduce FX risk by pricing and booking FX transactions strategically. This video is a preview of FX Initiative’s FX Risk Management course as part of Learning Objective #1. To learn more, start your FX risk management training today, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples & events at FXCPE.com. Start FX Training Comments are closed.