Layering of IFRS and Dual Institutionality of Accounting Standards in Belarus

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate about the applicability and efficacy of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in countries with diverse institutional infrastructures. We examine financial reporting in Belarus and factors that are shaping its development. In Belarus, IFRS has been adopted through layering where it is an additional requirement to the existing reporting specified by the national accounting regulations. We explore how global standards were transposed and function in a highly specific institutional context. Based on an examination of reporting in the banking sector, we conclude that different objectives of IFRS and local reporting contribute to dual institutionality of standards where differing formats target the needs of diverse users. Thus, adoption through layering is unlikely to contribute to convergence between different reporting standards used for different purposes, and parallel reporting is expected to persist. By examining financial reporting practices in Belarus, we provide insights for practitioners, regulators, and standard-setters on implementation of IFRS in countries with similar heavy state involvement, and still using local regulations and traditions in parallel with IFRS.