Modernizing the way businesses report on increasingly important intangible assets like software is among the global accounting standard-setter's top priorities this year.
It's one of a series of projects the International Accounting Standards Board launched to mend gaps in fundamental areas of financial reporting. The board has shifted its attention to basic accounting topics after previously concentrating on problem areas revealed by the 2008 financial crisis, such as accounting for debts that can't be recovered by a lender in 2018.
Current accounting rules for non-physical assets mean that "significant value" in intangibles is often missing from a company's balance sheet, ...