Andreas got more mail!

As an important public service, carried out here without regard for my personal safety, we present another selection of correspondence to and from the office of IASB Chair Andreas Barckow, courtesy of my mole at the IFRS Foundation, another brave fighter for transparency. Please destroy after reading: Dear Mr. Barckow – just writing in interest…

Rumour mill #2!

A couple of years ago, inspired by a reported rumour about the origins of IAS 1 – one commentator called it “one of many ill-informed myths which ignores the realities of the world and, in particular, standard setting”- I had some fun making up my own IFRS-related rumours, in the hope that some of them…

The apolitical nature of standard-setting, or: push back now!

Armand Capisciolto, Chair of Canada’s Accounting Standards Board, recently returned to the topic of politics in standard-setting… Here are some extracts: In recent years, I have heard some say, that accountants will save the world, while others have complained that standards setters are politically motivated to influence behaviour.  I believe both views miss the mark. …

More on WH Smith: robust remediation ahead!

We looked here at the following announcement by the retailer WH Smith PLC: In preparation for the Group’s year end results for the financial year ending 31 August 2025, a current financial review has identified an overstatement of around £30m of expected Headline trading profit in North America. This overstatement is largely due to the…

Reexamining foreign company rules, or: is it broke, should we fix it?

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued a concept release on foreign private issuer eligibility. Qualifying foreign companies listing in the US (termed “foreign private issuers”) receive various exemptions from the rules applying to domestic US companies, including the ability to file their statements in compliance with IFRS rather than with US GAAP. The concept…

On Musk’s compensation, or: super appreciated!

Here’s yet another low point in Elon Musk-dom, as reported by CNN: Tesla shareholders approved a pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire. Tesla announced that more than 75% of shares voted in favor of the pay package during the company’s annual shareholder…