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IFRS 9 Business Model and SPPI Testing

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What’s the business model test and SPPI testing and why it’s important to understand?


According to IFRS 9When an entity first recognizes a financial asset, it classifies based on the entity’s business model for managing the asset and the asset’s contractual cash flow (SPPI test) characteristics, as further described below.

A financial asset is measured at amortised cost if both of the following conditions are met, otherwise considered at 
Fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) or Fair value through PL (FVTPL) as advised in IFRS 9:

1.     Business model test- the asset is held within a business model whose objective is to hold assets in order to collect contractual cash flows; and

2.     SPPI test- the contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest(SPPI) on the principal amount outstanding. 


Business model test

In business model test an entity does classification of financial assets to determine the level, that reflects how groups of financial assets are managed together to achieve a particular business objective. The entity’s business model neither depends on management’s intentions for an individual instrument nor on an instrument-by instrument approach, it should be determined at a higher level of financial asset aggregation. Thus, an entity may have more than one business model for managing its financial assets.

 

The ‘Business Model test’ involves four basic steps:

 • Grouping of all loans and receivables into separate portfolio according to the way they are managed.

• Analyze the objective of entity to manage the each portfolio/group

• Determine the nature of each portfolio in order to generate cash flows, whether its for ‘held to collect’ or ‘available for sale’.

• For assets classified as being held to collect, evaluating the appropriateness of the classification by back-testing against past activities.

 

Classification of Business models:- An entity’s business model for managing financial assets is a matter of fact and not merely an assertion. It is typically observable through the activities that the entity undertakes to achieve the objective of the business model. An entity will need to use judgement when it assesses its business model for managing financial assets and that assessment is not determined by a single factor or activity. Instead, the entity must consider all relevant evidence that is available at the date of the assessment. Such relevant evidence includes, but is not limited to:

(a) how the performance of the business model and the financial assets held within that business model are evaluated and reported to the entity’s key management personnel;

(b) the risks that affect the performance of the business model (and the financial assets held within that business model) and, in particular, the way in which those risks are managed; and

(c) how managers of the business are compensated (for example, whether the compensation is based on the fair value of the assets managed or on the contractual cash flows collected).

 

 Following business models whose objective is also considered to hold assets in order to collect contractual cash flows:

Ø     Insignificant sale- Although the objective of an entity’s business model may be to hold financial assets in order to collect contractual cash flows, the entity need not hold all of those instruments until maturity. Thus an entity’s business model can be to hold financial assets to collect contractual cash flows even when sales of financial assets occur or are expected to occur in the future majorly result of following issues:

- When there is an increase in the assets credit risk. To determine increase in credit risk, the entity considers reasonable and supportable information, including forward looking information. Irrespective of their frequency and value, sales due to an increase in the assets’ credit risk are not inconsistent with a business model whose objective is to hold financial assets to collect contractual cash flows because the credit quality of financial assets is relevant to the entity’s ability to collect contractual cash flows.

- Sales that occur for other reasons, such as sales made to manage credit concentration risk. Such sales should be infrequent (even if significant in value) or insignificant in value both individually and in aggregate (even if frequent) otherwise reassessment of portfolio is required.

Ø    Factoring and securitization of trade receivables- Many entities realize contractual cash flows from trade receivables through factoring or securitization programs. The classification of the related assets under the Business Model test may depend on whether the factoring or securitization will be accounted for as a sale or a financing. If the former, classification as other than holding for collection, or holding for collection and sale, would likely be appropriate.

 Note- Refer ''IFRS 9 Business model Examples- To collect the contractual cash flows''.

 

Business model whose objective is both collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial assets:


 An entity may hold financial assets in a business model whose objective is achieved by collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial assets. In this type of business model, the entity's key management personnel have made the decision that both the collection of contractual cash flows and the sale of financial assets are essential to achieve the objective of the business model.

 This business model will generally involve a higher frequency and value of sales compared to the contractual cash flow model (see the "Insignificant Sales" paragraph). This is because the sale of financial assets is integral to achieving the objective of the business model instead of being only incidental.

 Note- Refer ''IFRS 9 Business model Examples- For both collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial assets''.

Other business models

• Financial assets are measured at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) if they are not maintained within a business model whose objective is to maintain assets to collect contractual cash flows or within a business model whose objective is achieved through collection of contractual cash flows and sale of financial assets

• A portfolio of financial assets that meets the definition of holding to trade is not held to collect contractual cash flows or to collect contractual cash flows and to sell financial assets. For such portfolios, the collection of contractual cash flows is only incidental to achieving the business model objective and such assets are measured in FVTPL.

 

SPPI test

In SPPI tests, an entity assesses contractual cash flows on a specified date that are only principal and interest payments on the outstanding principal amount. It is a necessary condition to classify loans and accounts receivable at amortized cost or FVOCI.



What is the principal?

Principal is the fair value of a financial asset at initial recognition, which may change during the life of a financial instrument (for example, if there are repayments of the principal).

 

What is interest?

Interest is the consideration for the time value of money, for the credit risk associated with the amount of principal outstanding during a particular period of time, and for other basic loan risks (for example, liquidity risks) and costs (for example , administrative costs), also as profit margin.

Note: Leverage is a contractual cash flow characteristic of some financial assets. Leverage increases the variability of contractual cash flows with the result that they do not have the economic characteristics of interest. Independent, forward and swap option contracts are examples of financial assets that include such leverage. Therefore, such contracts cannot subsequently be measured at amortized cost or fair value through other comprehensive income.

 

Consideration of the time value of money

The value of money over time is the element of interest that only considers the passage of time and does not consider other risks and costs. The element of the passage of time will be determined based on judgment and consideration of other factors.

If the interest rate on a financial asset is periodically reset or contains a modified time value term of the monetary element, then the entity should evaluate the change to determine whether the contractual cash flows represent only principal and interest payments on the amount of the main pending.

If the contractual cash flow or interest rate is based on the rates established by the government or any regulatory authority, then that interest rate will be considered a representation of the time value element of money to satisfy the purpose of the contractual cash flow.

 

Ø     Contractual terms that change the timing or amount of contractual cash flows

·        If a financial asset contains a contractual term that could change the time or amount of contractual cash flows, the entity must determine whether the contractual cash flows that could arise during the life of the instrument due to that contractual term are only payments of principal and interest on the amount of the outstanding principal evaluating the cash flow that could arise before and after the change and also evaluating contingent events, if any.

 

Illustration: Compare a financial instrument with an interest rate that is reset to a higher rate if the debtor misses a particular number of payments to a financial instrument with an interest rate that is reset to a higher rate if a principal index specific reaches a particular level. In the first case, contractual cash flows over the life of the instrument are more likely to be solely principal and interest payments on the outstanding principal amount due to the relationship between late payments and an increase in credit risk. .

 

       If a financial asset meets the contractual cash flow condition but does not do so only as a result of a contractual term that allows (or requires) the issuer to prepay a debt instrument before maturity is eligible to be measured at amortized cost (or FVOCI as the case may be) if:

(a)  the entity acquires or originates the financial asset with a premium or discount on the contractual nominal amount;

(b)  the prepayment amount substantially represents the nominal contractual amount and the accrued (but not paid) contractual interest, which may include reasonable compensation for early termination of the contract; and

(c)  when the entity initially recognizes the financial asset, the fair value of the prepaid characteristic is insignificant.

 

       A contractual cash flow characteristic does not affect the classification of the financial asset if it could only have a de minimis effect on the contractual cash flows of the financial asset. In making this determination, an entity must consider the potential effect of the contractual cash flow characteristic at each reporting period and cumulatively over the life of the financial instrument.

 

       A cash flow characteristic is not genuine if it affects the instrument's contractual cash flows only when an event occurs that is extremely rare, highly abnormal, and highly unlikely.

 

Ø    Contractually linked instruments

In some types of transactions, an issuer may prioritize payments to holders of financial assets using multiple contractually linked instruments that create concentrations of credit risk (tranches). Each tranche has a subordination classification that specifies the order in which the cash flows generated by the issuer are assigned to the tranche. In such situations, holders of a tranche are entitled to principal and interest payments on the outstanding principal amount only if the issuer generates sufficient cash flows to satisfy higher-rated tranches. An entity should look until it can identify the underlying set of instruments that are creating the cash flows.

Note- Refer ''IFRS 9 Business model Examples- solely (or not solely) payments of principal and interest''.