The role of accounting in bank regulation on the eve of japan’s financial crisis: a failure of the new capital adequacy regulation

In contrast to previous examinations of the role of accounting in financial crises, this paper explores the way in which accounting has been woven into a new system of banking regulations. Although the regulatory reform of the mid-1980s was intended to maintain the soundness of banking businesses, it failed to prevent banks from excessive asset expansion in the latter half of the 1980s in Japan. One of the major causes of this regulatory failure is found in the way that the regulatory capital is defined for the new capital adequacy regulation. The latent revaluation reserves are partially counted as capital. Japanese domestic regulatory reform took place in the wider context of the international standardization of capital adequacy regulations (BIS standards). Japanese regulators utilized taken-for-granted practices of accounting to creatively comply with the BIS standards.     

The IASC And Japan

The support of Japan, as a powerful nation and world leader, will be critical to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) in its aim of promoting the harmonisation of international accounting standards. Japan represents a substantial challenge to the IASC objective; cultural and institutional factors have been regarded as impediments to its preparedness to adopt IASC standards. As deputy chairman of the IASC, the co-author of this paper, Michael Sharpe, has been involved in a number of seminars and discussions in Japan relating to the IASC activities and aims. This paper draws on those discussions, and on recent events and developments in Japan, to suggest that relations between the IASC and Japan are heading in the right direction and to make some prognoses about the acceptance of IASC standards by Japanese regulatory bodies.     

Central–local collaboration in regulating food safety in China

This paper analyses how China's inter-governmental arrangements have functioned in different ways to reduce food risk. While there is greater transparency, consistency, and inclusiveness in the process of setting food safety standards than in the past, the central government has almost exclusive power over these standards. Local governments are mainly responsible for gathering timely information and enforcing standards. This institutional design has redistributed costs for both the food producers and regulators alike, and enhanced public participation.     

IFRS and the regulatory environment: The case of U.S. investor allocation choice

This paper investigates whether a country’s use of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) is associated with increased US investment in foreign equities. The recent global trend towards the use of IFRS may signal attempts by policy makers to reduce information asymmetries for international investors. However, a concern is that these standards must be accompanied by a stronger regulatory environment in order for them to gain legitimacy. Investor allocation choice is based on US holdings of foreign equities and the regulatory environment is interpreted using two distinct factors: the legal standards system and the enforcement regime. We document that US investment is associated with IFRS only when it is combined with a strong regulatory environment, specifically a strong enforcement regime. We also find that mandating IFRS is attractive to US investors only when combined with a strong regulatory environment.     

Accounting Practice Harmony, Accounting Regulation and Firm Characteristics

Harmonization of accounting standards has been the subject of many initiatives taken at international, regional and national levels in recent years. Policy makers advancing this idea believe that accounting regulation harmony will lead to practice harmony. The literature in the area of accounting harmonization also generally relies on a similar belief.
Comparing accounting regulations and accounting practices of two countries that are pursuing a program of harmonization, Australia and New Zealand, revealed some association between the levels of regulation harmony and practice harmony. Although this indicates that regulatory harmony can improve practice harmony, the association is 'noisy', suggesting that there are also other factors affecting practice harmony. Evidence adduced here shows that accounting practice harmony is also associated with firm-specific characteristics.     

信息技术条件下的内部控制规范:国际实践与启示

信息技术的发展和应用对内部控制产生了重大影响。本文全面研究了以美国、日本和有关非政府组织等为典型代表构建的内部控制规范对信息技术影响的考虑,认为我们可以根据我国企业信息化的发展现状和趋势,对于目前各类企业普遍实用的规范可充分借鉴各国现有规范的做法,在其中嵌入对信息技术的考虑,对于部分信息集成度已经很高的企业和有关业界(如审计)实务工作的需要,应充分借鉴有关非政府组织构建的IT内部控制模型,及时发布相关应用指南或专门研究报告,将来可以在它们的基础上发展出我国实用的信息技术条件下的内部控制模型,最后提出了值得进一步研究的问题。     

Perception of gene technology,and food risks: results of a survey in Switzerland

Perceptions of and attitudes toward genetically engineered food and other food hazards were examined through data from telephone interviews conducted in Switzerland. A random quota sample was used ( N v = v 1001). General attitudes toward technology and political beliefs significantly influenced perceptions of gene technology. Women were more concerned about gene technology and food risks than men were. The term 'gene technology' evoked neutral or negative associations in most people; few people held positive images regarding this technology. Perception and acceptance of gene technology varied according to the type of application; people were less concerned about convenience or processed food. Although it is mandatory to label genetically modified food in Switzerland, relatively few people were familiar with this label. Participants assessed various food risks, and principal components analysis indicated that they distinguished between technological and natural food risks. Implications of these results are discussed.     

信息化背景下银行监管效率问题探讨

近年来,信息技术和网络技术给银行业带来高效率的同时,也给银行业监管带来了前所未有的挑战。本文通过分析银行监管信息化的外在必然性和内在必然性,提出银行监管信息化将大大提高工作效率,也将提高监管的科学性、有效性和前瞻性,是信息化背景下提升监管水平,提高监管效率的必然选择。同时,本文还对如何完善银行监管信息系统提出了建议。     

Bank regulation and supervision: what works best?

This paper uses our new database on bank regulation and supervision in 107 countries to assess the relationship between specific regulatory and supervisory practices and banking-sector development, efficiency, and fragility. The paper examines: (i) regulatory restrictions on bank activities and the mixing of banking and commerce; (ii) regulations on domestic and foreign bank entry; (iii) regulations on capital adequacy; (iv) deposit insurance system design features; (v) supervisory power, independence, and resources; (vi) loan classification stringency, provisioning standards, and diversification guidelines; (vii) regulations fostering information disclosure and private-sector monitoring of banks; and (viii) government ownership.The results, albeit tentative, raise a cautionary flag regarding government policies that rely excessively on direct government supervision and regulation of bank activities. The findings instead suggest that policies that rely on guidelines that (1) force accurate information disclosure, (2) empower private-sector corporate control of banks, and (3) foster incentives for private agents to exert corporate control work best to promote bank development, performance and stability.     

Disclosure and the Cost of Capital: Evidence from the Market's Reaction to Firm Voluntary Adoption of IAS

Abstract:  Using a unique international setting where the effects of disclosure on firm value can be measured in a constant regulatory environment and in isolation of other confounding factors, this paper shows that firms can increase their value through their choice of accounting standards. Specifically, we document strong positive abnormal returns at the announcement of voluntary adoption of International Accounting Standards (IAS / IFRS) by a sample of international firms and an economically significant reduction in long-run returns, consistent with a reduction in the cost of capital. Consistent with these results we also document evidence of an upgrade in analyst recommendations after the IAS / IFRS adoption announcement and a reduction in the implied cost of capital. Finally, we find strong evidence that the documented abnormal returns are consistent with signaling and bonding benefits stemming from the reduction in asymmetric information. Our results highlight the importance of increased disclosure on minority shareholder protection and on corporate governance in general.     

IAS Versus U.S. GAAP: Information Asymmetry–Based Evidence from Germany's New Market

Motivated by the debate about globally uniform accounting standards, this study investigates whether firms using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) vis‐à‐vis international accounting standards (IAS) exhibit differences in several proxies for information asymmetry. It exploits a unique setting in which the two sets of standards are put on a level playing field. Firms trading in Germany's New Market must choose between IAS and U.S. GAAP for financial reporting, but face the same regulatory environment otherwise. Thus, institutional factors such as listing requirements, market microstructure, and standards enforcement are held constant. In this setting, differences in the bid‐ask spread and share turnover between IAS and U.S. GAAP firms are statistically insignificant and economically small. Subsequent analyses of analysts' forecast dispersion, initial public offering underpricing, and firms' standard choices corroborate these findings. Thus, at least for New Market firms, the choice between IAS and U.S. GAAP appears to be of little consequence for information asymmetry and market liquidity. These findings do not support widespread claims that U.S. GAAP produce financial statements of higher informational quality than IAS.     

Efecto en la calidad de la información ante cambios en la normatividad contable: caso aplicado al sector real mexicano

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether changes in accounting standards improve value relevance of financial information on listed companies in Mexico. The research was conducted for the period 2000-2013 using a sample of 141 companies that report to the Mexican stock exchange using the methodology of panel data. Our findings show that changes in local regulations (generally accepted accounting principles) to internationally approved standards (financial reporting standards and international financial reporting standards) increase the value relevance and therefore the quality of information. The study shows that the accounting information with international financial reporting standards is more trustworthy for foreign and national investors.     

Transitioning to IFRS in Japan: Corporate Perceptions of Costs and Benefits

This paper examines the ongoing transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Japan with a particular focus on recent institutional developments and corporate concerns. While Japan has committed to the convergence of Japanese generally accepted accounting principles (J‐GAAP) with IFRS it has not as yet formally adopted IFRS. This paper reports on Japanese corporate perceptions of the likely costs and benefits of adopting and implementing IFRS using survey data collected from senior financial executives of 292 Japanese listed companies in 2013–14. Our findings reveal that Japanese companies identify a number of major areas of general concern with the adoption and implementation of IFRS. Most importantly, uncertainty regarding the interpretation of standards followed by staff training, IT systems, technical knowledge and differences between J‐GAAP and IFRS were reported as major concerns. Our survey also highlights that revenue recognition, depreciation, consolidated financial statements, financial statement presentation and the retrospective application of IFRS were viewed as key IFRS accounting issues. While the large majority of companies expected a moderate degree of benefits to arise from IFRS, substantial benefits were perceived more likely to apply to large and overseas listed companies mainly arising from improvements in the international comparability of financial statements.     

金融保险会计准则与监管规定的分离趋势与我国的改革成果

金融保险会计准则与监管规定的分离是会计准则制定的独立性体现,对建立全球统一的高质量会计准则具有重要意义。会计准则与监管规定分离由会计目标和监管目标的差异决定;从国际金融市场多年的发展经验和中国会计改革的成果来看,会计规定与监管规定的分离也是大势所趋。因此我国应该加强会计规定与金融监管政策之间的协调与衔接,提升金融保险会计信息透明度,维护金融安全与稳定,全面提升我国会计乃至整个金融经济的核心竞争力。     

Determinants of international credit allocation: An analysis of US lending by Japanese banks, 1988 to 1994

The central issues addressed are the extent and causes of interdependency between Japanese banks' domestic and US lending. We examine hypotheses that domestic and US credit allocations by Japanese banks during the late 1980s and early 1990s are related through their mutual dependence on capital availability, and that the unique information role of banks as financial intermediaries leads to complementarity between their domestic and international lending. Both hypotheses receive support. Related conclusions are that economic and regulatory conditions in Japan strongly influence the extent of Japanese banks' US lending.     

Accounting regulations,enforcement, and stock price crash risk: Global evidence in the banking industry

This study uses the banking industry as a unique testing setting to examine the impact of accounting and enforcement regulations on stock price crash risk. We find that stocks are less likely to crash in countries with stricter accounting regulations and enforcement standards. More importantly, we provide evidence that the impact of accounting regulations is more significant in countries with stricter enforcement standards, suggesting that enforcement mechanisms and accounting regulations are complementary. We find that the main channels for accounting regulations and enforcement standards to affect stock price crash risk are regulations that strengthen information disclosure and improve the effects of direct supervision and external auditors. Our findings are robust after we include more control variables, employ regional regulatory developments as instrumental variables, conduct change regressions, use alternative measures of enforcement, and estimate in various subsamples. Our study has policy implications for how to design accounting regulations and enforcement mechanisms in a more effective manner.     

An Empirical Evaluation of the Costs of Harmonizing Romanian Accounting with International Regulations (EU Directives and IAS/IFRS)

After the fall of communism, Romanian accounting has undergone several waves of reform. The first began with the 1991 Accounting Law and its 1993 Regulations implementing a French-inspired accounting chart and guidelines. The second wave of reform produced Regulations (in 1999 and 2001) for the harmonization of large entities' accounting with EU accounting directives and International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards (IAS/IFRS). An interesting feature was the inclusion of IASB's conceptual framework into the text of these Regulations. Our study seeks to identify and evaluate the costs of harmonizing Romanian accounting with international regulations (EU Directives and IAS/IFRS). We hypothesize that three types of costs are prevalent: personnel training costs, consultants' fees and costs to adjust existing information systems. We also hypothesize that harmonization benefits are noticeable for those entities that make frequent use of foreign finance and for those entities with majority foreign shareholders. To collect data, we sent out questionnaires to the finance directors of listed Romanian companies. As full application of IAS/IFRS by non-financial companies has recently been postponed until 2007, we also comment on the benefits and costs of gradual reforms as opposite to a one-step adoption of IAS/IFRS.     

Research Note: Adolescents' perceptions of food chemical risks

A questionnaire measuring attitude towards four categories of food chemicals (colourings, flavourings, pesticides and fertilizers), level of concern for the environment, dietary habits and reasons for food choice was administered to 932 high school students aged 12-15 years during regular classroom periods. Students also indicated whether they could recall classroom teaching on 15 food and health related issues. Scores were derived representing self-reported frequency of eating (a) foods that were high in fat, or (b) fresh fruits and vegetables. Along with a measure of environmental concern, these were entered as covariates in the analysis of attitudes towards the different classes of additives. Age and gender had little effect on these attitudes. However, more positive attitudes towards both colourings and flavourings were associated with more frequent consumption of 'fat' foods and less frequent consumption of 'fresh' foods. Those with higher 'fat' diets also evaluated the use of pesticides more positively, whereas those expressing greater environmental concern were more opposed to flavourings, fertilizers and (marginally) pesticides. With regard to reasons for food choice, those with higher 'fat' and lower 'fresh' diets appeared to place more weight on pleasure than on nutritional information, whereas those higher on environmental concern paid more attention to labelling and food value. Older students were more able to choose their own diet, but attended less to the health value of the foods they chose, and expressed less trust in food labelling and government control. These findings suggest that judgements of risk are guided by evaluative associations, derived partly from more general attitudes and previous behaviour.     

金融机构处置机制:国际经验与启示

有效的金融机构处置机制是保证金融体系效率和提高金融体系自我修复能力的关键。本文从梳理国内外金融机构处置机制研究进展与成果入手,分析有效处置机制的基本要素和国际实践,对照国际最新标准,结合我国法律体系、金融安全网建设情况,提出提升我国金融机构处置机制有效性的改革建议,为推动我国金融机构处置实践提供参考。     

Evolutionary Approaches and the Construction of Technology-Driven Regulations

Innovation technologies have substantially changed commerce and society. A new financial industry in the form of financial technology (fintech) initiated the era of the digital economy. At the same time, inherent risks in technology-driven financial innovations, such as technical risks, information asymmetry, and even potential systemic risks, necessitate regulatory responses. However, insufficient regulatory techniques, outdated financial laws, and conservative regulatory concepts make it difficult for traditional regulations based on financial intermediaries to adapt to the current environment of decentralized financial transactions. Technology-driven regulations focused on data monitoring could be a remedy for the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of traditional financial regulations and enhance effective protection of financial consumers’ rights and interests. This new regulatory model aims to build a system that integrates equal access to information on blockchain transactions by both parties to it (i.e., the regulators and the financial institutions they regulate) for the purpose of oversight, intelligent real-time oversight, and an experimental sandbox for developing regulatory technology. This dynamic and flexible financial regulatory system could effectively address fintech risks.