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2 Summary of significant accounting policies (cont’d)
2.1 Basis of preparation (cont’d)
Standards adopted by the EU but not yet effective (cont’d)
Amendments to IAS 1 and IFRS Practice Statement 2: Disclosure of Accounting policies (effective for annual periods beginning
on or after 1 January 2023).
IAS 1 was amended to require companies to disclose their material accounting policy information rather than their significant
accounting policies. The amendment provided the definition of material accounting policy information. The amendment also
clarified that accounting policy information is expected to be material if, without it, the users of the financial statements would be
unable to understand other material information in the financial statements. The amendment provided illustrative examples of
accounting policy information that is likely to be considered material to the entity’s financial statements. Further, the amendment
to IAS 1 clarified that immaterial accounting policy information need not be disclosed. However, if it is disclosed, it should not
obscure material accounting policy information. To support this amendment, IFRS Practice Statement 2, ‘Making Materiality
Judgements’ was also amended to provide guidance on how to apply the concept of materiality to accounting policy disclosures.
The Group and the Company are currently assessing the impact of the amendments on their financial statements.
Amendments to IAS 8: Definition of Accounting Estimates (effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023).
The amendments to IAS 8 clarified how companies should distinguish changes in accounting policies from changes in accounting
estimates. The Group and the Company are currently assessing the impact of the amendments on their financial statements.
IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts and amendments to IFRS 17 (effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023).
IFRS 17 replaces IFRS 4, which has given companies dispensation to carry on accounting for insurance contracts using existing
practices. As a consequence, it was difficult for investors to compare and contrast the financial performance of otherwise similar
insurance companies. IFRS 17 is a single principle-based standard to account for all types of insurance contracts, including
reinsurance contracts that an insurer holds. The standard requires recognition and measurement of groups of insurance contracts
at: (i) a risk-adjusted present value of the future cash flows (the fulfilment cash flows) that incorporates all of the available
information about the fulfilment cash flows in a way that is consistent with observable market information; plus (if this value is a
liability) or minus (if this value is an asset) (ii) an amount representing the unearned profit in the group of contracts (the contractual
service margin). Insurers will be recognising the profit from a group of insurance contracts over the period they provide insurance
coverage, and as they are released from risk. If a group of contracts is or becomes loss-making, an entity will be recognising the
loss immediately.
The amendments include a number of clarifications intended to ease implementation of IFRS 17, simplify some requirements of
the standard and transition. The amendments relate to eight areas of IFRS 17, and they are not intended to change the
fundamental principles of the standard. The following amendments to IFRS 17 were made:
• Effective date: The effective date of IFRS 17 (incorporating the amendments) has been deferred by two years to annual
reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023.
• Expected recovery of insurance acquisition cash flows: An entity is required to allocate part of the acquisition costs to related
expected contract renewals, and to recognise those costs as an asset until the entity recognises the contract renewals.
Entities are required to assess the recoverability of the asset at each reporting date, and to provide specific information about
the asset in the notes to the financial statements.
• Contractual service margin attributable to investment services: Coverage units should be identified, considering the quantity
of benefits and expected period of both insurance coverage and investment services, for contracts under the variable fee
approach and for other contracts with an ‘investment-return service’ under the general model. Costs related to investment
activities should be included as cash flows within the boundary of an insurance contract, to the extent that the entity performs
such activities to enhance benefits from insurance coverage for the policyholder.
• Reinsurance contracts held – recovery of losses: When an entity recognises a loss on initial recognition of an onerous group
of underlying insurance contracts, or on addition of onerous underlying contracts to a group, an entity should adjust the
contractual service margin of a related group of reinsurance contracts held and recognise a gain on the reinsurance contracts
held. The amount of the loss recovered from a reinsurance contract held is determined by multiplying the loss recognised on
underlying insurance contracts and the percentage of claims on underlying insurance contracts that the entity expects to
recover from the reinsurance contract held. This requirement would apply only when the reinsurance contract held is
recognised before or at the same time as the loss is recognised on the underlying insurance contracts.
• Other amendments: Other amendments include scope exclusions for some credit card (or similar) contracts, and some loan
contracts; presentation of insurance contract assets and liabilities in the statement of financial position in portfolios instead of
groups; applicability of the risk mitigation option when mitigating financial risks using reinsurance contracts held and non-
derivative financial instruments at fair value through profit or loss; an accounting policy choice to change the estimates made
in previous interim financial statements when applying IFRS 17; inclusion of income tax payments and receipts that are
specifically chargeable to the policyholder under the terms of an insurance contract in the fulfilment cash flows; and selected
transition reliefs and other minor amendments.