Institutions and conflicts of interests in the international accounting regulation: The Spanish financial industry case
Instituciones e intereses en conflicto ante la regulación contable internacional: el caso del sector financiero español
Abstract
This paper analyses the interactions between accounting standards and accounting information with the institutions and business incentives. The main purpose is to contribute to the debate about the future of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). It is shown that the still existing differences in the institutions — and in particular in the enforcement of the standards — make very difficult to achieve the comparability of the information, and reduces the possibilities to obtain the full advantages from the IFRS adoption. This is highlighted considering the process of accounting regulation of the Spanish financial industry, in which the Bank of Spain plays a key role; the Bankia case is used as an emblematic one given that several relevant aspects intervene and provide a clear example about the conflicts of interests that determine the accounting information. The paper suggests a more harmonized enforcement at the European level, and a clear separation between the accounting and prudential role of the bank regulator in this country.
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